Thread by @villareport

Christian Purslow: “I could have never imagined what a fantastic honour it is to work at Aston Villa Football Club.” [@VillaLamp] #avfc

Purslow: “In the 9/10 months since I’ve been here, just to experience the depth and profound sense of identity Aston Villa has for all of it’s stakeholders, the players, the management, and most importantly its fans.” #avfc

Purslow: “We’ve got a lot to do, and it’s going to take a bit of time to do it. But we started the job and we intend to see it through.” #avfc

Purslow: “I am a 55 yr old English football nutter. When you work in the sport it changes, & to have the chance to come here, everybody knows that the club is in a tiny group of legendary, world famous institutions that go to the very heart & history of English football.” #avfc

Purslow: “I felt that from the outside, but the inside is staggering – how it just seeps through the club.” #avfc

Purslow: “I have experience working for a number of different owners, and have strong opinions on what it means to own English football clubs. It’s obvious to me that Nassef and Wes have what it takes to be great owners.” #avfc

Purslow: “It’s not just about financial commitment, it’s extends to wanting to it the right way and handling the institution carefully and professionally. I could not feel in better hands. The level of support at every level. I know Dean would agree with me.” #avfc

Purslow: “Nassef and Wes are coming to the game tonight - if you get the chance, give them a little thank you! Last July, our Football Club could not make a £4.1m bill to HMRC, we were bankrupt. If these two didn’t put £60m in very quickly, we would have been liquidated

Purslow: “We’d have been Glasgow Rangers, we’d be starting again. They funded the whole season when we were losing money throughout. We should be so grateful. The only way is up from here.” #avfc

Purslow: “Are we going to emulate another club? We’re going to copy Birmingham City, actually. Seriously though, we don’t have to invent the wheel. There are obvious, sensible plans and policies to follow.” #avfc

Purslow: “A really coherent, clear player recruitment plan focusing on younger players who can become more valuable either to us, or if they move on, is number one. Lower age, lower wage. We want players who really want to play for Aston Villa. The glory. Not the money.” #avfc

Purslow: “Not one person that we’ve reached out to sign since I’ve been here has said no. People want to get on board with what what we’re trying to do here.” #avfc

Purslow: “Outside of the big six, who have huge financial advantages, if you’re a professional footballer – where else would you rather play, than Villa Park for Aston Villa? #avfc

Purslow: “We need to re-establish ourselves as the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th in the Premier League, and then outperform that achievement.” #avfc

Purslow: “People have said we’re buying a lot of players. We had twelve players - we had to buy some players – we want to have competition in all positions, a lower average age and high potential footballers who have the ability to grow into their careers and Aston Villa.” #avfc

Purslow: “We recognise we can’t build a perfect team in one window – nobody in world football can do that. By the time I leave, financially, the club will be on a footing so that it can survive another 140 years.” #avfc

Purslow: “Football is full of bullshitters who say what you want to hear – you know full well, I don’t kick the ball or pick the team. But I can ensure that the club is on a sensible, secure, sustianable footing.” #avfc

Purslow: “Dean? He was the standout candidate for for reasons; we felt strongly that we wanted a coach committed to playing football the right way, a coach that was intimately acquainted with who and what Aston Villa is.” #avfc

Purslow: “We wanted a coach who had a track record in developing and improving young players, and who had the potential to grow rather than regress. He said to me that “I bet it didn’t do me any harm to come to an interview at half ten at night” – which is absolutely true.” #avfc

Purslow: “There was a shortlist of 4/5 candidates, and he got the call and was asked if he was interested, and he said “yeah, tonight” – he was interviewed between 10:30pm and 4:30am – it was a six hour interview, which was well dodgy as it was in my hotel room.” #avfc

Purslow: “He had me at hello, I think, is the phrase. The fact he is a Villa fan had nothing to do with it, he had a aura about him that he’d done it the hard way and had done every single job in the backroom of football. He’s steeped in football experience.” #avfc

Purslow: “I can tell you we’ve had a plan for the last six months, under our excellent sporting director Jesus Pitarch. We’ve been monitoring target players, three to four options for each position.” #avfc

Purslow: “The key was to get as much of the business done as early as we could. We’ve done more business than anyone else in professional football and haven’t slept a lot since Wembley.” #avfc

Purslow: “We now have the bones of a competitive squad. And probably two or three to do before August 8th. I’m not going to say anything about who.” #avfc

Purslow: “I want to re-assure people. The team that got promoted, the spine of that team now that we’ve converted some of the loans is in tact. We’re not re-building, we’re adding to a squad that has a very set way of playing.“ #avfc

Purslow: “It’s a lazy and easy comparison to make. When Fulham came up a year ago, there were some parallels with us. It’s an entirely different level, the Premier League, it’s much higher.” #avfc

Purslow: “I’m not here to criticise Fulham. They were lucky to have high-ambitious owners that were willing to invest with their financial resources. Sport is like that. There are no guarantees, it didn’t work out. It might not work out for us – but there are differences.” #avfc

Purslow: “The players that are coming in, are known, or have worked with Dean Smith or the club before. We’re being highly strategic – it’s not collect a footballer. I think that will stand us in good stead.” #avfc

Purslow: “Dean thinks we should win every game of football. He thinks if they score three, we’ll score four. Be ready guys, he’s not going to go away at Manchester City and try and play for a nil-nil. Every game is play to win.” #avfc

Purslow: “We want to surprise people outside of the club. Nobody at the club believes we’re going to go straight back down – I think we’re going to have a fantastic season.“ #avfc