Randy Lerner: Aston Villa owner takes blame for relegation

BBC, April 22: Owner Randy Lerner says Aston Villa’s relegation from the Premier League “lies at my feet and no-one else’s”.

The American said the club’s “desperate existence is totally unacceptable, unbearable and totally incompatible with Villa’s glorious past”.

Villa, who are without a manager, have won only three league games this season and two directors quit this week after falling out with the billionaire owner. “I believe in Aston Villa and know it will come back stronger,” Lerner added.

“Memories of Acorns on the shirt, and Ashley Young scoring a late winner against Everton still romantically nourish me.” The Acorns Children’s Hospice logo was carried on the team’s shirts for free during the 2008-09 season.