The relegation drama at Aston Villa Football Club has taken another turn after Mervyn King and David Bernstein both resigned from the club’s board yesterday. Mervyn King, the former Bank of England governor, has been an Aston Villa fan for fifty-five years. He joined the club earlier this year, when he promised to do his best to ensure that he rebuilt the club. He also promised that he would help make Aston Villa one of the world’s top clubs, something that moved the online sportsbook soccer odds at that moment.
David Bernstein is a former Football Association man as well as having been Manchester City’s chairman. He joined Aston Villa a month after King at the same time as Brian Little, former player and manager. When announcing his resignation as a director, he stated that he had left a letter for Steve Hollis, the chairman. Bernstein announced that he was resigning from the position with immediate effect.
In his letter, Bernstein stated that he believed his position as a director had become “untenable” as he had been unable to implement his remit. He was supposed to establish a restructuring of the club, alongside other directors. Bernstein added that the solutions to the “fundamental issues” affecting the football club were radical and did not allow for compromise.
In his resignation letter, Mervyn King regretted his course of action, stating that he had not taken it “lightly”. He regretted resigning from the position as he has been a supporter of the club for more than five decades. However, he mentioned that he could no longer continue carrying out the duties assigned to him by the club. King also said that the new leadership team needed to make numerous changes to the capacity and culture of the club. The changes are required desperately and at all levels. Since progress at the club has stalled, he felt the proposed sale of the football club has to be completed as soon as possible, leaving fans to question what had prompted the shock resignations.
Aston Villa Football Club released a statement on its official website. In the statement, it was with regret that the resignations of David Bernstein and Mervyn King as directors of the club were announced. The club also thanked the pair for their efforts and dedication throughout the short period in which they served as directors. The club also bowed to what happened during the weekend when the club’s relegation was confirmed at Old Trafford after twenty-eight years in the top flight.
This season, as we are painfully aware, the club has won only three matches. The club’s statement added that the search for, and appointment of, a new manager is the priority. Black is in temporary charge following the departure of Garde, who left the club by mutual consent last month. Out of the twenty Premier League matches played when he was in charge, Garde won two games. His 10% win ratio left many questioning whether he was the right man to have replaced the former manager, Tim Sherwood, in November.
Steve Hollis, Aston Villa chairman, is reportedly now engaged in negotiations regarding the sale of the club. He continues to receive advice on all football-related issues from Brian Little. Currently, Aston Villa Football Club does not have a permanent manager.
1 Comment
At this stage it is difficult to tell what is happening but it could signal that rather than there being more trouble in the board room that the prayers of some that Lerner should leave are about to be answered .
The new board was set up in the expectation that a sale of the club was not iminent , but seems to have changed and the upheavel of a drop down to the Championship might make it an ideal time for change to happen
How fast the take over happens remains to be seen , but the sudden departures seeems to suggest things are already at an advanced stage,so that come the closed season we may have new owners in place & a new squad on it’s way .
Or is that just wishfull thinking ?