Ellis urged to go as Villa face new takeover bid

Reports that a consortium are preparing to make a £45m takeover bid for Aston Villa have prompted supporters' groups to demand that the club's chairman, Doug Ellis, relinquish control. A group of investors, including the former Manchester City player Ray Ranson, are understood to be lining up an offer for Villa in the next couple of days.

Reports that a consortium are preparing to make a £45m takeover bid for Aston Villa have prompted supporters' groups to demand that the club's chairman, Doug Ellis, relinquish control. A group of investors, including the former Manchester City player Ray Ranson, are understood to be lining up an offer for Villa in the next couple of days.

Ellis, the club's major shareholder, has constantly rejected attempts to buy Villa and a £30m bid from a consortium including Ranson was turned down last year. But Ellis's health is now a major factor following his triple heart by-pass surgery earlier this month.

Supporters' groups believe the 81-year-old should stand down - for the sake of his own health and that of Villa, who have not automatically qualified for European competition for seven years. A Villa Fans' Combined spokesman, Jonathan Fear, said: "This is an ideal time for Doug Ellis to walk away and save face.

"This is nothing to do with fan pressure and I do hope Doug Ellis now does the best for himself, making sure his health is OK, and also that of the club in allowing a new dynamic group the chance to take Villa forward.

"If the reports about a consortium are correct, then we would need to hear what they have got to offer and that makes it very difficult for us to take a hard and fast position at this stage," Fear added. "But if there is a worthwhile offer this would be a prime time for Doug to step aside.

"I am sure any group moving into Aston Villa would be able to give him an honorary position. We hope Doug would go, get himself back to good health for his retirement, and stop holding Villa back."

Ranson made contact with VFC when he made his failed bid in April 2004 and it remains to be seen whether he again opts to sound out the views of supporters before any potential offer is put in for Villa.

The club made no comment yesterday and any announcement over a takeover bid would have to made via the Stock Exchange. But a source close to Villa confirmed: "There have been whispers in the last week about an approach being made to take control of Villa and we will have to see what develops."

Malcolm Glazer, who has succeeded doing at Manchester United what Ranson and his consortium intend at Villa, will assume total control of the club today - but the American has been warned the widespread anger at his £790m takeover has not gone away.

Glazer's Red Football group needs to have secured just another 0.3 per cent of United shares by today's 3pm deadline to force through a compulsory purchase of remaining stock and seal 100 per cent ownership.

Even Glazer's fiercest critics now accept such a situation is inevitable. Although there has been speculation about legal action and documents being lodged with the Office of Fair Trading in an effort to block the bid, they would appear to be no more than moves aimed at disrupting Glazer's plans rather than realistically stopping them altogether.

Although no firm decisions have been taken, it appears inevitable a major demonstration will be held to coincide with United's first home game of the new campaign - either a Champions' League qualifier on 10 August or the Premiership encounter with Aston Villa 10 days' later.

Amid reports the Glazer family will fly to the Far East next month to link up with United's high-profile four-match tour and meet the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, for the first time, there are also sure to be calls for supporters in Japan, China and Hong Kong to join the anti-Glazer campaign.