Aston Villa doesn’t fear the outcomes of transfer from the Premier League and will return “on a stronger footing” in the event that they do go down, say new administrator Steve Hollis.
Villa is at the base of the table, eight scores from security, with 17 games left.
Hollis said the club required “shaking up” however demanded that burning through cash on players was not the arrangement.
He will work with CEO Tom Fox, who depicted the club’s present football setup as “broken”.
Villa’s 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday was just their second group win of the season and they’re first since the opening day, yet they are still the base of the class, eight points behind Swansea, who are one spot over the assignment zone.
There is added weight to stay in the Premier League with clubs set to profit by the begin of another £5.1bn three-year TV rights bargain from next season.
However, West Midlands businessman Hollis, who was appointed on Thursday, said: “If we, unfortunately, have to go through a relegation phase we have no fear of that.
“[Villa owner] Randy Lerner is committed and is going to support the board and executive team to take the actions we need to put us in the best possible position so we can come up as quickly as possible.
“This club will be here and we will be on a stronger footing.”
Fox added: “Where we are this season is not where any of us want to be. Randy feels that very deeply. He knows how difficult it is for the fans facing another relegation battle. It is difficult for the players and everyone in the organisation.
“He is not happy but we do not live in fear of what might happen. The thing that makes Randy feel good about the future of the club is that we are putting this kind of processes in place and he has an executive management team that he trusts.
“He believes in the manager he has got. He is positive right now, despite where we are.”
United States-based Lerner, who purchased Villa in 2006 and reported toward the end of last season he was hoping to offer the club, has depicted Hollis as somebody with a “proven track record for getting into the thick of troubled organisations, working with embattled executives and getting results”.
“Randy was very clear when I met him that there is some heavy lifting that needs doing at this club to address the structural flaws it has experienced over the last five years,” said Hollis. “Randy wanted the work to be done and wanted it done quickly, hence, I am here.
“There is a big job to be done. And as chairman I really do want to bring back the confidence to this club, both on the playing side and non-playing side, so we can feel good about what we are doing.
“Time will tell if I am right or not. But I have spent six weeks looking at this and I genuinely believe this needs an overhaul and it needs some solid business principals inputting into it.
“We are going to have to look at how we can shake this club up so we can put it on the correct footing where we can have a position where we can command in the Premier League. That will take some time.”
