Former Aston Villa director Mervyn King confident on club's future
Wednesday 20 April 2016 15:12, UK
Former Aston Villa director Mervyn King is confident the club can return to former glories once a new owner is in place.
An ex-governor of the Bank of England, King resigned from his role at Villa Park on Monday along with former Football Association chief David Bernstein.
Villa's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on Saturday following a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United as their disappointing season now approaches its climax.
Bernstein, who had only been in the role for 34 days, said his position had become "untenable" as owner Randy Lerner continues to seek a buyer for the club. Lifelong fan King admitted his decision had been a tough one to make but believes Villa can make a comeback.
"A very difficult one," he said when asked about his decision. "I'm a supporter and have been watching Aston Villa for over 55 years, that is a large part of my life and it has been a big part of my life.
"But my letter of resignation explained exactly why I stood down along with David Bernstein. Both of us very much hope that the events of the next few weeks will put Villa back on track to where it should be.
"It is one of the great clubs of this country, it was involved in the foundation of the Football League itself, champions of Europe, we will get back there after a period."
Speaking to Bloomberg Europe, 68-year-old King also praised the fans for their support - with further protests against Lerner's ownership of the club planned for Saturday's visit of Southampton.
"It is a very proud club with a great tradition, a wonderful fan-base," he said. "It has a terrific future, I think that will come under a different owner, I hope the sale will proceed speedily.
"But I think the fans of Aston Villa have shown a loyalty which is quite remarkable and they deserve much better than they have seen in recent years."
Villa have lost their last nine games, there is still no permanent manager in place and they have also suspended striker Gabriel Agbonlahor after national newspaper allegations concerning his conduct immediately following the United defeat.
In a season to forget, the club have also sacked Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde while defender Micah Richards argued with supporters following an FA Cup draw at Wycombe Wanderers and Joleon Lescott caused outrage after tweeting a picture of a luxury car after a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool.
