"?Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia has stood up for predecessor Randy Lerner after a local newspaper compared the two men, suggesting that the unpopular American billionaire was "used" and "abused" in his former role as club owner.
The article from the Birmingham Mail, while keen to remind people of Lerner's initial promise and good early transfer record, was also critical of his poor recruitment at boardroom level, notably Tom Fox and Paul Faulkner, while noting that he didn't have the same energy or presence as Xia does.
For Xia, who agreed a deal to buy Villa from Lerner in May, any comparison is unfair to both.
Taking to Twitter, as he so often does, the Chinese magnate commented, "Randy is a nice man and he did want the best for the club."
Randy is a nice man&he did want the club good, though he was used by ppl abused his trust.No comparison,unfair 2both https://t.co/EAKvNxplYQ
Xia added, "He was used by people who abused his trust. No comparison, it's unfair to both (of us)."
Fans were regularly protesting against Lerner's continued ownership of the club towards the end of his time in charge, although the club had been on the market for several years, with the ex-Cleveland Browns owner slowly decreasing his day to day involvement.
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