Sir Doug Ellis: I've shed my tears, Villa relegation is inevitable
Sir Doug Ellis insists he has no regrets selling Aston Villa to Randy Lerner but admits the club's current situation has moved him to tears.
'Deadly Doug' insists he is now coming to terms with Villa's 'inevitable' relegation following the weekend's 3-1 loss to Sunderland, which leaves them on just eight points.
He admits he had no idea the club would be heading this way when he sold Villa 'on a handshake' for £62.6million to American billionaire Lerner in 2006.
But Villa have gradually slipped down the Premier League since coming sixth in 2009/2010 under Martin O'Neill.
Lerner's bosses Gerard Houllier, Alex McLeish, Paul Lambert, Tim Sherwood and now Remi Garde have failed to stop the rot amid financial cutbacks as Lerner has reined in his spending.
Ellis said: "Relegation is inevitable now and any tears are now rather than at a specific time.
"I put blood, sweat and toil into the club but when the time comes I won't be surprised we are relegated, therefore I am suffering now rather than then. Nevertheless it will be a very sad day when we are no longer in the Premier League.
"It never entered my head then when I sold the club but I don't regret selling to Randy. I am a great believer in a gentleman's handshake.
"To me I sold to a good man in Randy Lerner. I had a lot of business with 18 or 19 chairmanships throughout my business life. I have always valued the ones where there hasn't been a lot of paperwork and just a simple shake of hands.
"If both sides agree to what we said at the shake of a hand then I am a happy man. To me he is a perfect example of that.
He added: "He said he will put money in, I think it was £200million, he did do and has done.
"He has shaken hands and kept his word but it is just a pity the people he has appointed as managers and the amount of money he has given them hasn't worked out I am afraid."
"It is a pity Randy's circumstances have changed to such an extent he has to be in the States. It is a pity Randy can't come over a bit more often. I would like him to do that but that is his choice."
"It looks a certainty that we are going to get relegated, I can't see us being saved."
