American businessman Randy Lerner put Aston Villa up for sale on Monday after eight years in control of the Premier League club, saying he was drained by the
"week-in, week-out battles.
Preston Tucker Astros Jersey ." Lerners future plans have been the subject of intense speculation following another
season when the central England club -- the European Cup champion in 1982 --
came close to relegation. "I have come to know well that fates are fickle in the
business of English football. And I feel that I have pushed mine well past the
limit," Lerner said in a statement. "I feel further thatnow is the time for me
to look for new ownership and thus new leadership." Lerner, the former owner of
the NFLs Cleveland Browns, bought Villa in 2006 for 62.2 million pounds and
pledged to return the club to the top of the English game. During his time as
owner, Villa reached the League Cup final in 2010, losing to Manchester United,
and finished sixth in the Premier League for three straight seasons from 2008-10
under manager Martin ONeill. But since ONeills departure in 2010, Villas
fortunes have tumbled and a youthful team managed by Paul Lambert has narrowly
avoided relegation the last two years. It finished 15th in the 20-team league
this season and is desperate for investment in new signings. "The last several
seasons have been week-in, week-out battles," Lerner said in his statement.
"Iowe it to Villa to move on, and look for fresh, invigorated leadership, if in
my heartIfeelIcan no longer do the job." Villa has won the English league title
seven times, most recently in 1981 -- the year before the team lifted the
European Cup by beating Bayern Munich 1-0. Lerner is one of a slew of American
owners of clubs in the lucrative Premier League, along with Stan Kroenke at
Arsenal, the Glazer family at Manchester United, John Henry at Liverpool and
Ellis Short at Sunderland. Fulham, which was relegated from the top flight this
season, was bought by American businessman Shahid Khan last July.
Lance McCullers Jersey . This week, topics cover the World Series champion Red Sox, John Farrell and what to look forward
to this off-season.
Jason Castro Astros Jersey . Just ask Arsenal fans. However, Arsene Wenger has repeatedly told anyone willing to listen that
finishing in that spot is more important than winning a cup
competition.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Ben Roethlisberger wasnt making a prediction,
exactly. Yet the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback knows what the energy in a
locker room feels like when things start to come together.It happened in 2005
when the Steelers ripped off nine straight victories at the end of the season
and earned the franchises fifth Super Bowl title. It happened again in 2008,
when Pittsburgh won nine of its final 10 to party under the confetti in
Tampa.And maybe — maybe — the mojo is returning. A steady 27-20 victory over
Atlanta on Sunday lifted Pittsburgh (9-5) within one win of a return to the
playoffs following a two-year absence. It was professional, not flashy. Last
Roethlisberger checked, its a formula that tends to work this time of year.If
you get hot and play your best football at the right time then you are a
dangerous football team, Roethlisberger said. I dont know if we are there yet,
but we got a win and are happy about it.One that traded eye-popping offensive
fireworks for something more responsible. The Steelers never trailed, didnt turn
the ball over and made all the significant plays that mattered, from William
Gays club-record third interception return for a touchdown to Roethlisbergers
aggressive throw to Heath Miller with 2 minutes left that allowed Pittsburgh to
run out the clock.In a season of erratic play from week to week, Sunday looked
like four quarters of reassurance. No turnovers. No real sense of danger.
Pittsburgh was focused, not frenzied. Call it a moment of growth from a group
that rebuilt itself on the fly during consecutive 8-8 seasons. The Steelers are
far from perfect, but they were closer than theyve been in awhile.Now they have
to find a way to do it again next week against Kansas City (8-6) to lock down a
post-season spot and set up a rematch with Cincinnati in the regular season
finale, with the winner claiming the AFC North title.The job is not done,
defensive end Cam Heyward said. We really want to hit all our goals. That means
first getting to the pplayoffs and then making some noise.
Jon Singleton Astros Jersey. How much racket depends largely on if the defence can continue to find a way to play responsibly
if not spectacularly. The Falcons piled up 408 yards of total offence, but Gays
scintillating 52-yard snag and sprint on the first play of the second quarter
gave the Steelers a 13-point cushion that was never seriously threatened.Atlanta
had the ball just once with a chance to tie or take the lead and failed to
record a single first down. Vince Williams stuffed Harry Douglas for a four-yard
gain on third-and-6 with 4:50 remaining. The Falcons punted and Atlanta never
regained possession.We played our way, Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones said. We
started off good. We played the whole game and we kept the fire. Our coaches put
us in good situations. The Falcons made their plays. We stayed with it and we
finished.And they did it in a way that served as a perfect symbol for the
aggressive mindset preached by coach Mike Tomlin on down. Facing third-and-1 at
the Atlanta 39 coming out of the 2-minute warning, the Steelers could have run
LeVeon Bell behind the left side of scrimmage and taken their chances.They did,
but in an entirely different way. Roethlisberger faked to Bell then rolled to
his right. He spotted tight end Heath Miller running 20 yards downfield. The
completion effectively ended the competitive portion of the contest and
crystallized Tomlins approach that the Steelers, as he loves to say, will not
live in our fears.When Pittsburgh doesnt, the Steelers believe they are every
bit as dangerous as top teams of the AFC. They have two more chances in the
regular season to earn the right to prove it in January. Entering December, the
Steelers knew they needed to be perfect to think about the playoffs. Theyre
halfway there.We are who we are and we are not a perfect group by any stretch,
Tomlin said. But we will fight the fight until the end together.___AP NFL
websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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