Aston Villa is "implementing drastic cost-cutting with up to 500 jobs set to go at the relegated Premier League crisis club," according to James Nursey of the London DAILY MIRROR. Villa's fate was confirmed last weekend "after a ninth successive loss" at ManU. Now the club is "preparing for life outside the Premier League for the first time" by axing 33% of its staff as part of a huge restructure. Wantaway U.S.-based Owner Randy Lerner "remains desperate to sell up and stop Villa swallowing up even more of his cash." But with no potential new buyer lined up yet, Villa is "introducing emergency measures, including shutting the top tier of the Trinity Road Stand next season." Shutting the stand was being considered "amid big cut-backs in the Championship." Now new Chair Steve Hollis has "wielded the axe with a third of the workforce to go." The cuts include full-time, part-time and matchday staff and it is "hoped many will be voluntary redundancies." The cuts are to be "spread across the entire workforce," where Villa has 535 full-time staff -- including 185 players and coaches -- and about 1,600 in total, including part-time and matchday employees (DAILY MIRROR, 4/19).
