Villa fan groups aim to oust Ellis

Aston Villa supporters and shareholders are seeking to pass a vote of no confidence in the chairman Doug Ellis at next month's annual general meeting.

Aston Villa supporters and shareholders are seeking to pass a vote of no confidence in the chairman Doug Ellis at next month's annual general meeting.

They are also calling on Ellis, who is the major shareholder, to "sell his interest in the club at a fair value" to interested parties who can provide investment and stability to Villa.

The Aston Villa Shareholders Association (AVSA) and Villa Fans Combined (VFC) also want to be given a representative on the board to look after the interest of the smaller stake-holders.

They are also seeking that the Doug Ellis Stand be renamed after a former playing hero of the club via a poll. The proposals will all be voted on at the AGM on 10 September.

The AVSA chairman and VFC spokesman Jonathan Fear said: "We are realistic enough to know these resolutions are unlikely to succeed due to Mr Ellis' dominant holding.

"However, underpinning our call for radical change is the collective voice of a significant proportion of rank and file fans, both shareholding and non-shareholding alike.

"What unites us all is a firm belief that Doug Ellis does not offer a solid future for our club.

"We hope that these actions will once again show Mr Ellis the level of dissatisfaction in his leadership. It is time for him to actively seek new investors and to stand aside."