Q. What is the ambition of Randy Lerner and where is the club heading?

A. Any suggestions of Randy Lerner getting bored with Villa, picking up his ball, selling up and skulking off home are wide of the mark.

The American owner still deeply loves the club, and while his enthusiasm has understandably been slightly dented by the events of the last few years (Manchester City’s petrodollar-driven emergence, Martin O’Neill’s unedifying exit, the fallout from Alex McLeish’s controversial appointment, etc) he is as keen as ever for the claret and blues to succeed.

So what constitutes success for modern-day Villa? Although this season is very much one of transition, qualifying for Europe remains the prime aim as it has done throughout Lerner’s reign.

Villa sit eighth in the table, which is probably par for this campaign, considering the status and spending power of the teams above them, with the exception of trend-bucking form team Newcastle.

Lerner is conscious of the importance of communicating with supporters and both the chairman and chief executive Paul Faulkner are set to address the fans more at appropriate times in the near future.

Q. What is the state of Villa’s finances?

A. There’s no denying Villa are cutting their cloth more carefully this season.

The departures of several high-profile high earners have helped Villa rein in an annual wage bill which was spiralling out of control at around £80 million, 90 per cent of the entire turnover, 18 months ago.

The ultimate aim is to bring it to a more manageable 60 per cent of the turnover figure and the club are continually striving to boost income as well as reducing outgoings.

Summer purchases of Shay Given and Charles N’Zogbia suggest Villa are keen to remain competitive. They signed two experienced Premier League players, in their prime, on lucrative five-year deals, when it would have been easier and cheaper to recruit lesser alternatives.

Villa are still not at a wage level they are comfortable with, so transfer business in January is unlikely, but not impossible.

If opportunities emerge, McLeish could have scope to strengthen his squad, but again it could involve one-in, one-out wheeling and dealing.

However, Villa’s board should hit their optimum level next summer when they are set to knock a further £10 million off the wage bill.

Emile Heskey, Carlos Cuellar and Habib Beye’s hefty contracts expire at the end of the season and will almost certainly not be renewed.

Villa pride themselves on not having any external debt and are pursuing their aim of making the club self-sufficient.

Q. What has the reaction been to the low attendances?

A. Villa’s attendances have been a cause for concern so far this season, but the claret and blue top brass are not despondent.

With lower-than-hoped-for gates for the derbies against Wolves and Albion, Villa’s average crowd from the first six league home games is 32,588 – 4,000 down on the same stage of Martin O’Neill’s last season 2009-10 (although Villa had hosted Man City and Chelsea by then).

On the flip side, the club attracted 10,000 fans to their recent open training session, while the 21,058 for the League Cup tie against Hereford was the largest of the round.

Villa’s season-ticket prices are among the six cheapest in the Premier League. The club are trying to add extra value to those who commit for the whole campaign by offering season-ticket holders perks, including tours of the training ground.

Fans underwhelmed by Villa’s start to the season claiming “We’ve not played anybody decent yet” should also take that into account when considering the gates. Villa host Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool next month and are expecting to sell out for all three games.

A gate of 35,000-plus for the visit of newly-promoted Norwich encouraged the club’s hierarchy, who are also comforted by the fact Villa’s attendances traditionally start slowly and increase as the season progresses.