ASTON VILLA OWNER Randy Lerner today issued a statement accepting full responsibility for the club’s relegation from the Premier League and also described how the memories of a late Ashley Young goal still “romantically nourish” him.
Lerner first announced his intention to sell Villa in May 2014 and the statement today states that the club’s ”desperate existence is totally unacceptable, unbearable and totally incompatible with Villa’s glorious past.”
Today’s announcement also saw the American reiterate his determination to put the Birmingham-based outfit into “better-suited hands” so that it could return to “its rightful place among England’s elite.”
The 54-year-old former owner of the Cleveland Browns NFL team has watched the club unravel this season, winning just three league games, while two managers — Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde — and two directors have left Villa Park this year.
Relegation was confirmed with a 1-0 loss to Manchester United last weekend.
Lerner’s statement almost mentioned his fondness for the club and he says he believes things will turn around.
“Memories of Acorns on the shirt, and Ashley Young scoring a late winner against Everton still romantically nourish me. I know Villa will return better, stronger.”
You can read the statement in full here.
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