Done deal: Ireland to Villa and Milner to City but who sanctioned it

With the long overdue transfer of James Milner just completed and with no manager at the helm of the club, it begs a question; who signed Stephen Ireland?

We all know he is part of the deal, but with no manager at the club to sanction the signing, does this mean this is really a Randy Lerner signing?

Is this the first signing by the owner/chairman in Aston Villa Football Club history? There is no evidence to suggest that O'Neill wanted Ireland and could very well be suggested that the reason O'Neill quit was the owner making player decisions.

Did the owner insist that O'Neill bring in Ireland when it was offered in the deal or was it the owner just cashing in on a player in a deal the owner wanted to make, regardless of what the manager wanted?

Did Kevin MacDonald approve the purchase when he was handed temporary reigns?

I think that Ireland was sanctioned by O'Neill and Lerner has accepted that Milner needs a replacement. Without a manager in place it would just leave us short-changed with no time or manager to buy a replacement.

This is the worst situation we could find ourselves in. I believe it is a good signing and in the circumstances the right signing, but I don’t want this to be a precedent set at our club. While I am not trying to be negative, I’m just curious to know who sanctioned this signing.

Food for thought, seeing as the deal is now confirmed.