Lerner To Assume More Active Role In Running EPL Club Aston Villa

Lerner Adds CEO Role To Aston Villa Responsibilities

English Premier League (EPL) club Aston Villa Owner & Chair Randy Lerner will assume the position of CEO and "have a more active role in the running of the club," according to Stuart James of the Manchester GUARDIAN. The CEO position has been vacant since Richard FitzGerald left the team in January, and Lerner is "understood to have no intention of appointing anyone to fill the position." Lerner, who also owns the Browns, next season will "establish a permanent residence" near Aston Villa's home in Birmingham, "enabling him to have a greater influence." While it is "possible that Lerner will not give himself the official title," sources said that he "will take on the post's day-to-day responsibilities." James writes Lerner is "seen as the catalyst behind the club's recent renaissance." Lerner's "desire to take on a more hands-on role is likely to be welcomed" by Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who "has always preferred to speak directly with the owner to discuss key decisions" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 5/28). In London, Charlie Caroe writes Lerner since inheriting control of the Browns in '02 has been "low-profile in Ohio" (London TELEGRAPH, 5/28).

HAPPY DAYS: The GUARDIAN's James in a separate piece writes it is "easy to picture [O'Neill] breaking into a smile at the thought of Randy Lerner taking on a more hands-on role." At other EPL clubs, CEOs are "expected to play an active role in brokering deals, negotiating contracts and speaking to players' agents." But O'Neill is "not the type of manager to allow board members to pull his strings." And whether Lerner's increased involvement "will speed up the buying and selling process remains to be seen," it would "certainly be naive to believe that O'Neill will suddenly become more decisive" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 5/28).