Fans in the Transfer Tavern have been taking time out of their day to laugh at the position that Aston Villa have found themselves in. The club tweeted a link to the Aston Villa website with the news that Chief Executive, Keith Wyness, has been suspended by the club with immediate effect. The club’s owner, Dr Tony Xia, will take over the role with immediate effect.
Club statement https://t.co/1KV9MLvB4y#AVFC pic.twitter.com/KyK4txbE7X
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) 5 June 2018
Aston Villa have found themselves in an awful position. The club gambled on making a return to the Premier League in the first two attempts, although after they lost to Fulham 1-0 in the play-off final they face another year in the Championship and the financial difficulties that come with it. With the club’s big spending in their first two years outside the top flight and the lack of Premier League money, the club faces a real threat of administration.
If the club do enter administration they could be hit with a penalty of -12 points, which would make a promotion push next year all the more difficult and could set the club up for a relegation-threatened season. If Xia had been more careful he would have held back on the spending front with fears of the situation that they found themselves in. As things stand though, there’s not much that the club can do other than continue to negotiate with HMRC and look for investors to help ease the financial burden on Xia himself.
You can read the fans’ views on Villa’s situation here:
announce administration
— Callam Pye (@callampye) June 6, 2018
SUSPEND BRUCE!!!
— Liam Hitchins (@LiamHitcho) June 5, 2018
Just popping by to wave my £20 #whatgoesaroundcomesaround WAFLL pic.twitter.com/QB8kPohMp4
— Mark (@sideshow__Bob) 6 June 2018
Sob on the Holte hahahahaha
— Greg Espie (@EspieGreg) 6 June 2018
They literally HAD to win that playoff final then?
— Mister Cowley (@MisterCowley) June 6, 2018
— The Garbage (@the_garbage) June 5, 2018
Announce -15 points at the start of the season
— Declan (@DeclanDhanoya) June 6, 2018
738,000 fans saw Villa play at home last season. How can a club with that amount of fans be in trouble financially? Complete mismanagement
— Football Rated (@supfootballers) June 6, 2018
We know we will never be a Man City under @Dr_TonyXia but we can be a well run honourable club under his reign
— MetalMask (@MaskMetal) June 6, 2018
