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*This article is entirely speculative – there are no hard facts as to what Dr. Tony Xia is trying to say – we only discuss potential meanings of what he has tweeted.
Compared to previous summers, the communication from Aston Villa owner Dr. Tony Xia has been near enough radio silence since Aston Villa failed to achieve promotion to the Premier League at Wembley.
Since Wembley, a lot has happened, with a media frenzy stating that the club had not paid their tax bill, followed by the immediate suspension and subsequently sacking of CEO Keith Wyness , then claims that Wyness was planning to sue the club.
Since then, news about Aston Villa’s financial woes hasn’t really lessened, and speculation surrounding Xia’s future as owner, or at least sole owner of Aston Villa is mounting.
Whilst this raucous affair continues, Xia has tweeted four times since the club’s fateful defeat – and we’re going to speculate on what the tweets could mean.
Dr. Tony Xia’s Tweets Since Wembley
This tweet came after Fulham walked away from Wembley knowing that they would be experiencing the Premier League again next season.
Realistically, it doesn’t require much speculation as to what it means.
He writes “Sorry for all fans for this difficult moment. Have to stay stronger. Up the Villa.”
A generally endearing message to the fans of the football club that he owns, followed by a request to stay strong during the summer and season ahead.
Just three days later, Xia tweeted again.
There’s not much to speculate on once more in this tweet – just general communications on how everyone loves the club, and the effort and love they put into the season didn’t get the target they’d set.
The late part of the tweet seemed to confirm news surrounding Keith Wyness and his snake-like behaviour that was being reported on in both national and local media.
As news regarding the financial troubles that Aston Villa faced surfaced, and a few days after the chairman had released a statement, Dr. Tony Xia expressed his feelings a few weeks after the Wembley tie.
He states it was a difficult two weeks, before saying “I hinted earlier I was almost heartbroken by something”.
Of course, it could be in reference to the sacking/suspension of Keith Wyness, with reports that a Game of Thrones style coup was in progress, lead by the former CEO.
From here, Xia doesn’t change the tense that he’s speaking in – remaining in past tense – and states “tried my best to keep beloved AV move (sic) forward”.
Speculatively, this could mean a number of things – that what he’s tried hasn’t worked in regards to the cash flow troubles at Aston Villa, that he regrets the gamble that he took over the last two seasons, or even that he’s cutting ties with the club and trying to sell all, or part of it.
The later part of the tweet thanks the Aston Villa fans for their “standing together” in hard times and for some of the kind words he had received. A lot of the tweets Xia received were negative, if not overly negative, and the only thing Villa fans really stood together on was that the winds of change were blowing, or at least needed to blow. Could Xia have been thanking the fans for their collective support throughout the season? Perhaps.
Tony Xia’s final tweet since Wembley is freshest – sent just two days ago.
He almost explains the radio silence that he’s been giving Aston Villa fans in regard to what’s happening at the club, saying that he “took lots of time to think about what we did, right or wrong things”.
This statement could be taken in a few ways. He could be referencing decisions made on the pitch, regarding tactics, certain games that allowed us to drop away from the automatic promotion hunt. He could also be referencing himself, of course, talking about some of the poor business decisions, staffing decisions and people he chose to surround himself with since taking over as owner of the club.
From here, he gives an insight into the media frenzy surrounding the club, almost dismissing a lot of the news outlets by saying he didn’t read them because he was sure they’d be filled with “rumours”.
His final message in the tweet read “I will keep doing my best to support our beloved AV”.
This could mean that he’s working on fixing the issues, and he plans to continue to do so to the best of his ability – but it could also add fuel to the rumour fire regarding new ownership, or part-ownership with his use of the phrase ‘support our beloved’.
Whilst all of the above is speculation, it’s worth delving a little deeper into what is presented to us, rather than taking it at face value. The Doctor is indeed a rather cryptic man, and will probably continue to be until whatever is happening comes to fruition.
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Words by Regan Foy (@FindFoy) // Follow us on Twitter (@claretandview)
