The Aston Villa owner is an extremely divisive character in the west Midlands.
Villa owner Tony Xia sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s official website, and opened up on his love for interacting with fans, sharing how he always tries his best to communicate with the Villa faithful.
The west Midlands outfit are currently in the midst of a fine run of form, and sit comfortably in fourth position in the Championship table, although it has been far from a smooth ride for the 41-year-old since taking over at Villa Park in the summer of 2016.
He appointed Steve Bruce as manager in October of that year, and many expected an immediate return to the Premier League – something that failed to materialise, with the Villans finishing in an underwhelming 13th position in the table.
Dr Tony Xia
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Xia himself has had to endure his fair share of criticism, for what some have perceived to be an overly interfering approach to first-team affairs, but the Chinese owner fiercely refutes that claim, suggesting that his ability to communicate with fans is something that he loves doing, and is something to be proud of.
“It’s good for me. I enjoy it. In all my companies, I like to talk to people, I like to connect with people. I don’t like hierarchy structures. It doesn’t matter to me in society or in business. I like interacting with people. And I certainly like interacting with our fans. I have been trying my best to get more time to communicate with them. But honestly, practically, it is getting harder and harder. I just don’t have enough time to do it as much as I can. Fans might have to expect that I can’t tweet as much as I usually do.”
Next up for Villa is a trip to Leeds United on Friday night, and a win at Elland Road really would underline their credentials as genuine promotion contenders.
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