Supporters and shareholders of Aston Villa have joined together to fight what they see as the “endless cycle of under-achievement” their club has suffered for the past 20 years.
Press Release - 30th January 2004.
Fans Alarmed at PLC Results
Villa Fans Combined note with alarm the half yearly figures announced this week. Mr Ellis has always boasted that he is running a steady ship, but on and off the field the problems continue at such a rate that Villa are in fact looking more like a sinking ship. We are also alarmed that every time there is a crisis at Villa they use Leeds as an example of a club in worse trouble. They should be looking at our rivals across the city a bit closer instead, as they are above us in the league and have managed to announce a profit despite having a far smaller capacity at St Andrews.
Mr Ellis calls the results 'disappointing' 'Mr Ellis, we call your leadership disappointing and implore you to do the right thing for our club and move aside to encourage new investment and facilitate a more dynamic board of directors who are capable of dealing with the modern world of football. Your dictatorial approach has not reaped the rewards any of us would have hoped for and it is time for change before the situation gets any worse. You have always boasted that Villa have no debts and we are profitable but having spent millions from the share floatation, NTL investments and the sales of our top players like Dwight Yorke, your boasts actually ring hollow as we are further away from success now than when you took over 22 years ago'.
David O'Leary has echoed what we have been saying "All I can say is that there is a train in the distance - and it is not going to stop. It is going to hit you right in the face. The facts are there, end of story". It seems only one man can't see that the club is in crisis. Mr Ellis is still convinced that the youth are going to save this club and is obviously not heeding the advice from Mr O'Leary that he needs money to strengthen the increasingly small squad. It is of no use bringing in a top manager and then not having the capability to back him. Whilst we welcome the great news of the signing of Nolberto Solano, we maintain that Aston Villa needs the fresh impetus and investment that a new regime would bring. We wonder how long Mr O'Leary will continue 'banging his head against a brick wall' before following the many previous managers out of Villa Park if these changes don't come about.
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