c-krulak

General Krulak here:

1. WHAT A GREAT GAME!!!!!! I was so proud of the lads...and so proud of the way MON had them prepared to play. I thought the back 4 were absolutely brilliant...defending as well as pushing forward when needed. Gabby was a beast up front and I thought Petrov played a very strong game. Simply put, I thought everyone played a solid, solid, game and we deserved the win. The fans were great!!! I just hope that we continue to have a strong showing by the fans because they really do help keep the lads going.

2. The_Randy_Villan: I really did feel it would be 2-1. I thought our defense would be stout but their offense would probably get one. I just didn't think they would be able to handle our pace nor our tenacity. The goals came from a location I didn't expect but I did feel we would get 2. Thus my prediction of 2-1. We all know we have a helluva defense.

General Krulak here:

1. TrentVilla: Hmmm, I had not noticed that....let me see if I can get this fixed.

2. bushytail: Soar it is!!!!

3. jackso55: You are going to have a great time!!! You might want to contact Lee Preece and describe the situation...tell him I asked for you to call. Maybe he will be able to sort something for your son.

4. andy1989: Contact sasha.barker@avfc.co.uk and let her know I asked you to contact her. She may be able to set you up with an interview with one of our leaders.

5. villafan306: Obviously I cannot comment on how Randy views the two Clubs. I can say that his goals for both Clubs are basically the same...top of the table. The Browns are in a VERY tough division...probably the toughest in the Leage...and are having a rough time right now. They do have some very solid players so we are hoping things come around.

6. paul34: It will be a great game. We expect a full house...and they should see a superb contest. I see it 2-1 Villa!!!

General Krulak here:

1. peterwiths_shin: I try to be responsive to the fans...and so does the Villa. You see, Villa Talk does make a diffrence.

General Krulak here:

1. villarocker: Again, let me be totally upfront with you. I was gutted by the Wigan game and really had a hard time getting my chin up off the floor....as I wasn't in too good a health at that time. Since that game, I have seen some things that make my heart sour!! I think the back four are really coming together and Gabby seems to be gaining in form. I think we are beginning to find our stride across the Pitch and feel pretty good. I agree about the game this Saturday. If we come out and play hard...if we challenge each pass...if we use our pace...we can take these guys. I was there when we did it at Villa Park and it was lovely!!! I just wish I could be there this weekend.

General Krulak here:

1. imavillan: Hmmmm, now that is one I haven't heard and I have no idea of why we would only sell tea and coffee pre-packaged with only cream/milk. Let me check it out.

2. Tubby: He is a good lad...very personable and a great fit.

3. peterwithes_shin. I agree that the news for today was Heskey's comments. They were sent to me by our media folks so there is no excuse for them not being on the site. I will take it for action.

General Krulak here:

1. Trajan: I have never met General MacArthur.

2. Spacey6: As I have always indicated, when things get tough with the Ticket Office...when you have an issue that needs 1) rapid attentions or 2) involves policy, please call Nicky Keye or Nicola Salt. They are in the best position to sort things out.

3. vojskovada: I can assure you, MON and the Board ARE interested in winning Silverware!! We DO believe in the value of raising the Carling Cup and the FA Cup. Equally important, we also believe in the "Bright Future" and are NOT writing off the chance of winning the Premiership or raising the European Cup. We have NOT lowered our goals in any area. We are also not naive...we know what we are up against...specifically in the areas of funding, etc.

4. The_Rev: I would agree that World Peace is the goal for everyone...from politicians to the military to the man or woman on the street. I would not agree that World Peace is the purview of one person..ie, President Obama. Obviously, as President of the United States he carries great capability to help bring peace but he needs the support of more than his own Nation. He needs support from the Nations of the World. Additionally, we should always keep in the back of our minds the simple thought that there are, in fact, those who do NOT want peace and will fight to avoid that outcome.

General Krulak here:

1. andy1989: First off, welcome to the thread...and for a "first time post", it was sure a nice one. I am passing it on to Randy!

2. little8rioch: First off, I am saddened to hear about your brother-in-law. Please contact Lee Preece at AVFC and tell him that I asked you to call. Let him know the situation and see if he can sort something for you. I am sure he will.

3.DalianDaley: The HOC work has been finished and we have been studying it and prioritizing their suggestions. You idea of starting early is a good one but...to take out a stand during the middle of the year would not make much sense financially. I hear what you say about attendence but cutting an entire stand would certainly have an impact. We would rather start major work immediately after the last game and get some of the major work done during the summer. Right now we are not at the point where we have made any decisions re. priority of work...and as soon as we have, we will let the fans know. Where any work impact the fans, we will ask fan input as to how to get the work done with the minimum of pain.

4. born not made: Rubbish...you have hit on one of the biggest problems we have on match day. Simply put, the rubbish build up begins early in the am with the prep of food, and other efforts that come strictly on game day. This rubbish continues to build up as the fans arrive...and reaches monumental proportions by end of match. We are VERY aware of the problem. We have purchased literally hundreds of additional bins over what we "inherited". We have folks walking the grounds and shifting bins to match the rubbish build up...it is almost like a military operation. The basic problem at the end is that we have no control over rubbish pickup so it is a constant battle that we have yet to win. PLEASE know that we realize it is a huge problem and we are trying to fix it.

5. tim the villa: We have been doing just as you suggest...we have been looking at best practices at other clubs to see if they would work at Villa Park. We will continue to do so...as well as look at how things are done at the Browns. Cash points are put in by the banks...and they need to feel that, economically, it makes sense to put them in.

6. imavillan: This article is simply the media blowing a meeting out of proportion. We are absolutely NOT looking for 3rd party entry into our Club. We are. like all Clubs, looking for sponsors and partners to help with revenue. This is nothing different than what we have been doing since we joined the Villa. The fact that the meeting was with folks from the Middle East probably stirred things up a bit. Simply put, it was overblown.

General Krulak here:

1. I know, I have been gone way too long!! I am slowly but surely making progress...am eating tin foil for breakfast now (normally eat nails) so you can see I am getting better. The doctor continues to say that I am not ready for overseas travel but I am getting there.

I am ready to get back to answering your questions and taking your suggestions. I would ask that the moderator look back and pick out the key questions and comments that I need to answer or work on and post them on this thread. I will take them and answer back as usual. I have been in close contact with the Club during my illness and have talked to Randy almost daily. I feel I am still up to date.

I have missed the Villa Talk "Family" and certainly have missed the Villa!!!!

General Krulak here:

1. I apologize for being away from this important fan site for so long. I have one more series of tests to go and then I hope I get the green light from the doctors. I miss the Villa...I miss the Fans...I miss my walkabouts before, during, and after the games. "I shall return."

2. I was able to see the game on the telly yesterday and if my gut was not already in a shambles from all the tests I have had, I would say that I was gutted. We go up early and then see a team that is not as good as us win. Very disappointing. I can assure each of you that the lads are not real happy over what happened either!! I cannot and will not make excuses...for there are no excuses. We just need to play better...simple as that. The Liverpool game was not a fluke...our lads can play that good. We just need consistency and that is what the Manager and Coaches are looking for too.

3. yellow card: I am not sure what to say to your comment. I was not at the training ground during the week...did not have the opportunity to look at recent game films...did not have a chance to speak to any of the scouts who scouted the opponents...did not have a sense of who was having a good week of practice...etc. etc.

4. Again, I am sorry I have not been on the site as often as I want. As soon as I get the green light from my doctor, I will get all your important questions answered.

General Krulak here:

1. I was able to get to a telly and see the game...what a good win. I thought the back 4 played a superb game...they looked extremely comfortable with each other back there. I also thought that Petrov played a good game...and Gabby. The problem with the telly is that you really can't see all the players on the Pitch and what they are doing away from the ball. 4 Premiership games in a row is nice...and really proves the adage that you need to play them one game at a time. The Fans were magnificent. I promise you, I could hear the cheering all during the game...to include "Holteenders in the Sky"!!!!

General Krulak here:

1. Got off the tests for two days...will be back for good after those.

2. Re. the ticket prices, etc. for B'ham City. We just need to realize that we need to stay above the fray. We will always act in a professional manner.

3. The game was a great one. I thought the defense was stellar...and after playing for only about a week together, I can only imagine that they will get better.

4. HelpMrT: I sent you a pm that lets you know what we need to do to help.

General Krulak here:

1. I will be off the site for about a week. I have some tests to undergo and will not be near a computer. NO PROBLEM...I will be back and as ornery as ever.

General Krulak here:

1. Dave1380: Nicky Keye is waiting for your call...she will try to help.

General Krulak here:

1. YorkshireCoop/Razor/etc.: We might as well call a truce on this one. Your rationale is so foreign to me that I have trouble doing anything but shrugging my shoulders. I definitely understand what you are saying but just don't agree. The idea that we will fill the seats at Villa Park because we have someone who has a "wow" factor...notwithstanding that he may not be as good as who we have now or may not fit into the way we play the game but...wow, he is fun to watch, is just not part of my thinking or my upbringing. I will take the solid team player who lays it all on the line every game, who can hold the ball when needed, pass accurately when needed, defend brilliantly when needed and put the ball in the back of the net when needed...ALL done whilst playing our brand of football! Give me that lad any day!! I have seen too many examples of the "wow" guys who caused more problems within a squad than they were worth. As for how "ambitious" a Club is, I am not sure how to define that. For the past two summers, we have spent more money net-net than any Club in the Premiership except for one. Does that define "ambition"? As for the Spurs.....one simple fact: Until I got sick, I travelled ALL over the world! Not just Europe but the Middle East, South America and Asia. I can HONESTLY say that I have NEVER seen a Spurs shirt during those travels. NEVER!! I doubt if many of the people in those areas even know who the Spurs are. I am not sure what you are seeing re. the Spurs as a Club that would make them be something we should try to emulate but I can tell you, they aren't very visible. I use the famous "Disney World Sanity Check"...if I see a shirt at Disney World, then something is going right. Last time I was at Disney World I saw a ton of ManU, Barcelona, and Real Madrid shirts...I saw a lesser number of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea shirts AND I saw 3 Villa shirts. ZERO Spurs shirts. How is that for a classy survey???? May I suggest that we let this one lie. We will never come to an agreement. Suffice it to say that I understand your point but don't agree...so lets just agree to disagree and get on with beating the Blues.

General Krulak here:

1. YorkshireCoop and Razor: It is not that I don't understand what you are saying...I understand it all too well. It is simply that I think that this particular line of thinking gets Clubs in trouble...and we don't want that to happen to us. We are looking for players who play our brand of football (the brand our Manger desires), who play their hearts out every game, who run their socks off, and who can be counted upon by their teammates. The player who elicits the occasional "wow, how did he manage to do that?" may well be the player who should have passed to the open man about 3 seconds earlier. Yes, it is great viewing...but is it team play? I've seen some pretty "wow" plays from some of out lads...Ashley, Gabby, to name two. Watching Carew give the Blues defenders absolute fits...holding the ball, turning, passing, shooting...I got one helluva wow out of that! I just think it is totally sad when ticket sales are based on what one or more fans believe is the wow factor. I am sorry...it is just my opinion.

General Krulak here:

1. Santa-Rosa: The letter to George Will has obviously cause a wee bit of a stir here in the US. I stand by what I said. We concentrated on Afghanistan because that is where the 9/11 attack was hatched by Al Queda...but now we are fighting the Taliban (which we supported during the Soviet-Afghan dustup) and equipping and training Pakistani forces ( to the anquish of another ally called India). The basic questions of National Interest and end-state have not been addressed and yet we are talking about sending in more troops. Seems out of synch to me.

General Krulak here:

1. AVFC-Pride of Brum: I understand your concerns and know where you are coming from. Nicky Keye reads this thread daily and will take on board your comments. There are definitely games where we recognize that we probably won't "sell out" and we try to utilize those games to get "new" fans acquainted with the Villa and "help" fans who may not have the money to come otherwise. Let's let Nicky have a look.

2. Razor: I hope and pray that the reason fan attendence is down is not because we have somehow failed to buy "players to excite fans." That just doesn't hold for me. The idea that someone who is called by a "single name" is going to determine whether I buy a ticket or not to a game is, for me, (I recognize not for everyone) a non-starter. Our Club spent a good deal of money this summer buying strength at several positions. The fact that we are dedicated to moving forward and have shown that dedication by spending the money should "excite" our fans. If it doesn't...if it takes a "single name" player to do that...well, we are in trouble. There are only so many KaKa's and Messi's around...and they are already taken. Sorry. I think we made some very savvy acquisitions this summer and we ought to give these lads a chance.

General Krulak here:

1. I agree, it is sad that we are seeing a lower number of fans at the games than last year. My sense is that there are many, many, reasons for this and I think we have pretty much hashed them all out. At the end of the day, fan attendence is what drives the Club. First off, they inspire the team. I think we have all seen where that is the case. Perhaps a good example is the Blues game (home) last year. The din from the crowg was deafening and the players were given max support...the result, huge win. Second, revenue is important...and bums in seats is revenue. Simply put, Randy doesn't have a printing press in his basement that prints out pound notes. We need revenue to continue to remain competitive. Third, we have a sure realization of the economy today...and it is the reason why we have tried to keep our ticket prices down so that our fans can come to the game. Hopefully with the end of the summer will come an increase in fans at Villa Park. Again, we can't have a Club without Fans.

General Krulak here:

1. Thanks for all the comments of the store...from the hours to the apparell. I will get these comments to John Greenfield.

2. Tubby: If the Browns go 8-8 I think that we would be very happy with Coach Manginc and the Squad. We are in a very strong conference and it is hard to win games going against the likes of the Superbowl champs. At the same time, it is a funny game with a ball that bounces in a funny manner. Let's pray for the best.

General Krulak here:

1. Tazzy: If you can provide me specifics of what you think would make the city center shop better, I promise that I will provide them to the folks who need to know.

2. I will be seeing Randy shortly and will give him the hug and tell him it is from you!!

3. omarigy: In answer to your question, yes. We continue to interface with the local community in an effort to bring AVFC football to a segment of society. We are constantly out and about...and continue to have special offers. We do not plan to let up on this effort.

4. zapbranny: Thank you for the kind words. It is interesting that I introduced the concepts of the "Three Block War" and the "Strategic Corporal" in 1997...over 12 years ago. As you can imagine, I was very frustrated when my contemporaries in and out of the Military...to include the Government...thought I was crazy. Their view of warfare was rooted in the concepts stemming from victories in WW II and never considered that the next war would not be the son of Desert Storm but, rather, the stepchild of Chechyna. Anyhow, thanks for the comments.

General Krulak here:

1.peterwithe's_shin: I agree. Often we concentrate so hard on what takes place on the Pitch that we fail to recognize that there is a huge foundation that must be nourished to have a successful Club. Much has been said about the 5 year plan but many fail to realize that it is more than just what happens on the Pitch. Obvously that is CRITICAL but to reach the level we have set as a goal, we need to do alot off the Pitch as well. It is hard...it does not involve overnight miracles...it does not revolve around one man or one player. It will come with a steady, even-handed approach to all aspect of the Club. Sometimes we will be successful and other times we won't. What is important is that we keep moving forward until we reach the goal that we all seek. Fans are critical to our success. There is absolutely no way we can have a successful Club without the support of the Fans.

General Krulak here:

1. yellow card: I really don't think I should indicate who my favourite player is...even as just a Fan. Would not sit well in the dressing room.

2. villa4europe: Please call Nicky Keye at ticketing and tell her what happened...to help us discover what went wrong and fix it so no other fan has the same problem.

3. carlitobrigante: yes, we do have a well thought out 5 year plan...and had one from the beginning. Yes, we have had to make alterations to it due to a number of factors...some of which you mentioned. Still, we feel we are pretty much on schedule. The issue of attendence is a wild card right now. We need fans to come out and cheer the lads on...without fans, cheering the lads, we can't expect our lads to achieve all that is necessary.

4. chips'ngravy: No more on Barry. As I said, we just need to agree to disagree. I confess that I am a bit surprised that no one else on the thread has challenged your comment that Barry is "the best" in the Premiership. That is one strong statement.

5. paulanddonya: Please don't go on vacation anymore!!! 99.9% of your comments have been answered by me over the past 10 days...and most of the debate has almost sent me to the nut house. MON, tactics, window, "that" post (which I answered but did not get the same placement as the "post"), Barry, etc. etc. I would ask that if you really want answers, just go back thru the thread about 10-15 pages. I just made a comment about Barry above...but, again, let me be clear. I wa simply answering a question I was asked...answering it as a fan. If what I said about Barry was "disrespectful", the how do you feel about some of the comments I get on this site...about me, MON, Randy, etc.???????????

General Krulak here:

1. I can't help but note that this is my 1000th post on Villa Talk. I confess that when I first came on this site I never expected it to last this long...I figured I'd be out on my hat within a week or so. 1000 posts later the only person ready to chuck me is the "real" General...my wife!!!

2. The credit for the RV/Cardiff scheme is, obviously, Randy. Backing him up and making it all work was Nicky Keye and the folks at ticketing and Paul Faulkner. I can promise you...this was NOT a PR scheme or anything else. This was Randy and YOUR Club sending a signal to OUR Fans that we DO appreciate you. I have said it often in the last weeks but....without Fans in the seats, we will not have a Club. We need the stands filled...we need folks cheering...and yes, we need the revenue. BUT, first and foremost, we need the spirit of the 12th man that is embodied in each of our Fans.

3. To the Mods: Thank you for all your help over the past 1000 posts...I know you have had a few tough days and your help has been greatly appreciated. Semper Fidelis to you all.

General Krulak here:

1. Never met "the real Tony Daley"...I sort of like the one on this thread.

2. The RV game "deal" was the combination of Fan input and the great work by Nicky Keye and her folks and Paul Faulkner...and, of course, Randy.

General Krulak here:

1. Paddy: Unfortunately, the doctors still have me on a "red card"...they feel I am not well enough to travel. I came off my last dose of antibiotics about a week ago and we are seeing what happens. Last time, I had a relapse. This is a very nasty bacterial infection and tough to kill. Believe me, I want to be there.

2. Tony Daley: Thank you for the very good feedback on the tour. I will see what I can do to sort out the issue you raised.

3. VillaNI: I am sure that MON wishes it was a easy as you seem to think it is to go out and get this great signing. Just is NOT as easy or as practical as you think. It just isn't!! The Club must be willing to sell this "world class" CB, the CB must be willing to come, the agent must be effective in helping make all of this happen, the money needs to be right, the player needs to be of the type to fit into the Squad, etc. etc. etc. You make it seem so easy...well, it isn't. If you don't like the transfer window, so be it.

4. Dave1380: Thank you for your post. You, and several others are the few who have stepped up and apologized for your frustration and thoughts and comments. Good on you. I always recognized the frustration...and said so. At the same time, I said we need to trust MON and that Randy would support him.

5. quizme: Welcome to the thread and thank you for your post.

6. chips'ngravy: Simply put, I disagree with you. "There are very few of his ilk in the Premiership, if any, as good as him" You cannot be serious about that can you??? None as good as Barry?? Let's just agree to disagree and get off the subject. Gareth did a fine job for Villa over the years. He wanted to go...for two years. He's gone.