Villa correspondent Brendan McLoughlin gives his account of owner/chairman Randy Lerner’s first interview in 18 months this week.

Anyone who thought Secret Millionaires were exclusive to reality-TV need only look in the direction of Villa Park.

Forget Channel Four’s Secret Millionaire programme, Villa can go one better. They can proudly lay claim to their very own Secret Billionaire.

Randy Lerner has never been one for the public eye. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Opportunities to quiz the 47-year-old American are few and far between. In just under three years as Villa’s chairman and owner he has addressed the media just three times.

He even admits to being uncomfortable when the Villa Park faithful chant his name.

The modest mogul said: “I feel embarrassed. I’m appreciative, it’s better than the alternative. I’m just not used to it, I find it all confusing.”

But no claret and blue fan need look far to see the impact the shy supremo has made in his relatively short time at the helm.

On the field, close to £100million of investment in talent has seen Villa transformed from a team close to the drop to the top.

Off it, the club’s Bodymoor Heath HQ has been transformed into a state-of-the-art training ground, there’s the immaculate Holte Pub and the Trinity Road Stand’s corporate  hospitality facilities match anything around.

Let’s also not forget the pioneering partnership with Acorns, which broke new ground for a Premier League club.

The good news for supporters is Lerner has no intention of stopping there.

He said: “Are we on course? We are doing OK. I think we’re doing well in certain parts of the plans like upgrading the infrastructure, finishing the building of the training ground, improving the hospitality and bringing in new players.

“You want to do more as you get into it and other things start to come into the new plan. Do I still retain the same desire? It’s more.

“I know more people now and the relationships get you deeper into the experience.

“You get a taste of what can be done and you get more competitive in feeling it can be done.

“I think the club’s stronger from a business perspective and that’s empowering.”

So what exactly would be success for Lerner in another three years’ time?

He continued: “Continuing the rate of progress, particularly continuing to upgrade the stadium and continuing to win would be obviously an ambition.

“I suppose continuing to feel that our business makes sense. Can it become a dependable, sensible operation that to some extent funds success?”

But that business plan will not involve selling Villa’s best players, just as was the case last summer when the club refused to budge on the £18m price tag they set Liverpool for Gareth Barry.

By Lerner’s own admission, the summer-long saga which surrounded Villa’s crown jewel was ‘clumsy’.

He said: “Was I happy with the way we handled it? Oh god yeah. Our priority is to make sure that a player like Gareth Barry knows he’s wanted and we’ll be appropriately stubborn by keeping him.

“I think that was done and it should be done. But it was a bit clumsy.”

This year the club have already decided that rather than cash in now they would prefer the midfielder to stay for another 12 months and risk him walking away for nothing when his contract runs out – although it has been made clear they will not stand in his way if a top-four club come in for him.

Lerner said: “It was not a difficult decision. I would say when thinking about it, you imagine you have this player with the club.

“Imagine he’s an integral part of your potential success and that potential success ranges from additional games, winning competitions etc.

“That’s similarly lucrative when you think about what you can achieve with a player like that.

“So it’s not as though you forego the proceeds and you’re done, it is you’re keeping him on the team, the team continues to compete and you’re rewarded for successful results.

“There’s more to it than just sort of saying we’re foregoing the money.”