The former Aston Villa chairman Sir Doug Ellis has said he has no regrets about selling the club to the current owner Randy Lerner, but urged the American to take a more hands-on approach after the side were relegated to the Championship.
Ellis, 92, sold Villa to Lerner in 2006 and has remained a virtual ever-present at Villa Park over the course of their dismal campaign.
“He made a promise to put in £200m and he has kept that promise, and I made my promise not to interfere and I have not broken my word,” said Ellis on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme. “I only wish he could spend a little more time in the UK supporting Aston Villa rather than following them on his phone or on his television.”
The former Villa chairman backed the club to bounce back at the first attempt despite fears the club could continue their slide next season. Ellis insisted he has uncovered some unlikely causes for optimism in recent weeks.
“I don’t think I could be any sadder than I am today but it has been obvious since Christmas that we were going down,” he said. “I accept we are going to have great difficulty in returning to the Premier League in one year but nevertheless I am a little bit encouraged by the way we were playing [on Saturday]. Over the last couple of games I’ve seen some encouraging signs that tell me maybe with the addition of one or two older heads to the squad, they can bring us back straight away.”
