Stan Collymore and Villa at loggerheads
Stan Collymore and his former club Aston Villa are at loggerheads for what the ex-striker feels is punishment for airing his opinions.
The former Villa and England forward has been dumped by the club for his match-day programme column, after a series of public blasts.
The retired 44-year-old from Cannock has backed under-fire boss Tim Sherwood and labelled Villa's current management structure a "laughing stock."
After he was axed from the column, which he did free of charge, Collymore took to Twitter and invited his 741,000 followers to follow a link.
There he called for the heads of current owner Randy Lerner, chief executive Tom Fox and the club's technical staff, including sporting director Hendrik Almstadt, for "utter dross" on the pitch.
He said: "After six years of doing an official Aston Villa programme column, I've been notified by the club that they no longer wish me to continue.
"The club felt in essence that it would be inappropriate for me to write positively in a column, while being critical on air or in a newspaper.
"The column I have written for six years was at no charge to Aston Villa, but the club kindly gave me four or five tickets a season for games.
"It's due to my support of Tim Sherwood and fierce criticism of the ownership and club structure. He gets my unequivocal support and should get the same from every Villa fan.
"He really could have had no idea what mess he was coming into or some of the major decisions that he would have no hand in. An incredibly tough job.
"On the watch of Mr Lerner, latterly Tom Fox as chief executive and Paul Faulkner before him, the club I have supported since childhood have become the laughing stock of the Premier League.
"This, England's fourth most successful football club and I'm echoing the concerns of a huge fan-base.
"They are coming to terms with a sixth year of complete and utter dross on the pitch and ineptitude of the highest order off it.
"I met Tom Fox in the summer and told him to his face that I wanted to do anything, anything to help my club moving forward.
"Whether that was to get on a plane, train, in a car, watch players, report back, anything to help my club.
"I met Tom Fox in the summer and told him to his face that I wanted to do anything to help my club moving forward. Get on a plane, train, in a car, watch players, report back, anything to help my club.
"A smile, a coffee and a patronising 'we'll call you' came and went. At the same time, Villa were employing a marketing man as director of football.
"And we wonder why we are in the mess we are in. Industry professionals ignored when offering help and a man who can put a glossy Arsenal pitch together made director of football at my club."
Collymore has now threatened to work with those looking to get Lerner to sell up as soon as possible, with Villa on the market for over a year.
He said: "The line is drawn now for me. It took an embarrassed Rob Bishop, programme editor and friend for over 18 years to tell me over the phone that my column had ended "for now" but, in reality, for good.
"I believe this treatment is symptomatic of how Villa fans generally are treated by the current owner , with disdain.
"I will now join fan groups and individuals actively looking to other potential owners to come in swiftly and hasten change at the club.
"Mr Lerner, Tom Fox, the current director of football and technical staff are not fit for purpose. They all should go, now.
"I'll walk into Villa Park soon with chest puffed out as a fan or broadcaster. It's my club and I was here before this current ownership.
"I was firstly in the Doug Ellis stand aged six, then on the pitch aged 27, then in the broadcast booth aged 35. I'm going nowhere.
"Our great club will be back, but only with new ownership. So please Mr Lerner, instead of petty sackings of columnists who tell the truth about our club, please sell up and go."
