brommy

General Krulak here:

1. A good question..."What happened today?" I would give anything to be able to answer that one!!!!!

2. Thetrees: Good catch...I will see what I can do.

3. BCV: We will take max allocation allowed.

4. Trevor: I will see what I can do...it is amazing how they would not do this correctly.

5. Gingerlad: Got it...thanks!

All answers appreciated, I hope!

General, have you EVER 'dropped the ball'?

General,

With reference to questions asking why the club management entered the UEFA cup if it is such a distraction from the league, would you agree with the following statement?

At the time of entering the Intertoto/UEFA cup our potential league position was unclear. If, at this stage in the season, we were comfortable in mid-table (not threatened by relegation or realistically able to qualify for Europe), MON may have chosen more first-teamers to play in Moscow. MON could not have known for certain that we would be in such a good position, only hoped.

Are you surprised by the number of fans that seem to believe that playing a stronger team in Moscow would directly lead to lifting the UEFA cup? It was a difficult tie anyway as I'm sure Moscow would have shown more effort against a stronger Villa team, but after a scoring home draw and with 31 other teams still competing in the competition (it wasn't the semis!), I'd rate our chances as 1 in 10. I trust MON's knowledge of our squad above anyone else and if MON thought that competing strongly in the remaining rounds of the UEFA cup would have damaged our chances of CL qualification then I'm glad MON took the decision to follow what I see as an evens chance rather than chasing a much lesser chance.

Does this make CL a certainty? No, but it increases the chances, perhaps from 2 to 1 to evens. MON turned our '1 in 10' UEFA chance to 1 in 20. I can't blame him for going all in on an even bet.

Of course having typed all of this I expect that your response on all of this issue will be to refer to MONs statement. :winkold:

2. The_Randy_Villan: I will be with Randy and the Club until the day I die!! I will die a Villan!!

8)

5. OutbyEaster: I gave him a big hug!

It looks like there is less of Randy to hug than a couple of years ago. Is Randy keeping himself fit and healthy?

Win all three! But if I had to choose I say cups, as accroding to my maths, we only need a point against Chelsea to get 4th as a minimum anyway!

Did you pass maths? :winkold:

General Krulak here:

1. brommy: Yes, we did ask...and continue to do so. We have had one "expansion" of the number but that is all. The answer has always been the same...the number is what is determined to be the max amount for heath and safety. When we applied for the building permit, the number was set.

Thank you for your speedy reply.

Your previous responses on this issue, and the fact you continue to ask, indicate the club is far from happy on the current numbers permitted. If there is no third body that could advise in this disagreement, we can only hope the authority sees sense on their own. There must be a standard calculation available and I am disappointed that Villa cannot follow the people per square feet/emergency exit formula that the other establishments are successfully permitted to follow.

I wish I had the answer for your question re. health and safely limitations whilst other pubs are allowed to pack them in like sardines but I don't.

Has anyone asked the relevant authority why the Holte appears to be a 'special case' compared to other nearby alcohol establishments on match days? A 'special case' to the detriment of many Villa fans and to the finances of the club. If so, what was the answer? If not, could the question be asked?

Please thank Randy, on behalf of myself and many other Villa fans I know, for continuing with the reasonable season ticket prices.

I wish you a safe trip back to Villa land.

General, an early warning!

Prepare yourself for lots of fans concerned about MON leaving us.

James Milner built Lozells with his bare hands during a one day school trip 'doon soof'.

James Milner is Osama Bin Laden

Correct. I meant to write 'James Milner knows his own address.'

James Milner knows where Osama Bin Laden lives.

James Milner was on the grassy knole

...he was also in the car with diana.

That's strange. I heard he stuck his foot out when it went past.

james milner is so superhuman that all three of these stories are true.

It's funny because it's true.

James Milner was on the grassy knole

...he was also in the car with diana.

That's strange. I heard he stuck his foot out when it went past.

Does this mean that there'll be a minutes silence at their next home game and everyone wearing black armbands?

That's so stereotypical! :x

Didn't you know they've moved on to two minutes as a standard.

:winkold:

The perfect result tonight IMO.

I haven't read through the 17 pages of this thread, so this has probably been written already:

Isn't there a massive gap between hero and flop which Angel surely falls into?

If hero is 10 (Mortimer, Cowans, God) and flop is 1 (Bosko Balaban), I would rate Angel at 6.3.

Ish!

General,

I wish yourself, Randy and all the other hard workers at Villa, a very merry Christmas. May all your family and friends be happy and healthy.

Here's to 6 points against Arsenal and Hull, then a great 2009!

Are there any games coming up in the near future where the club are thinking abut laying on free travel as a gesture to the away fans? I see Bolton are laying on free travel to VP on Saturday which will probably double their following and they've already laid them on for Boro and Sunderland away this season.

I see we've taken the small allocation for Hull away, if we'd laid on free travel we'd have taken the full 3000 and given the team more backing. It would be good for say Portsmouth away, night game, on tv and in January, we would take the full 2500 with free travel, without it we'll probably take 1500

And Bolton won those two away games quite convincingly, 1-3 and 1-4!!

Maybe it's something that could be discussed and considered, General?

I believe the General has answered similar requests recently along the lines of targeting money elsewhere at the current time.

General Krulak here:

1. Reserve Games: I looked into this issue and the answer I got was that the number of games played on our Pitch this season...is greater than normal. Adding Reserve Games would increase the usage of the Pitch. At this time, the Club is seeking to preserve the Pitch in its current condition for what we hope will be some crucial games to be played. The amount of damage done by a single game is such that adding more than what will come with our regular fixtures plus cup games, etc. prompted the decision.

General,

I think most fans appreciate the importance of protecting the pitch at Villa Park. Reserve games have been played at Walsall's Bescot stadium for this reason. The big difference is that, taking Villa Park as the average starting point, Bescot is a 14 mile round trip and Hinckley is 61 miles! It would appease some fans if the club explained why the games are being played so far away. I'm guessing that the club has done it's best to find a venue that is: available for the dates; has a decent quality playing surface; has suitable facilities; is affordable. However, without a statement to this effect, some fans are left scratching their heads or even annoyed.

Just a minor matter in our mission to conquer Europe again, but as a successful British company states...'every little helps'.

General,

1) Do you ever wish that some questions and statements that are put to you on this thread had more respect in their content?

2) With reference to the reserve team playing four 'home' games at Hinckley United's ground, if the official website had explained the reason for playing away from Villa Park and that unfortunately the closest suitable venue available was 30 miles away, it may have helped. Adding a 'why not come and see us' aimed at Villa fans to the East of our region would also seem more welcoming.

what is that character??

Fiiiisssstttt?

General Krulak here:

1. Thank you for your kind comments...I have passed them on to my father. He is weak, deaf and has cancer but is one helluva fighter. Put him in his acorns away shirt...looks great.

2. I get back tomorrow...I hope with a win in Prague.

General, in response,

1. If ever there was a time to appreciate your great work at our club, it is your latest post at what must be a difficult time for you and your family. Glad to here your father is battling all the way and looks great in the Villa away kit!

2. I'd like to think our win tonight could be dedicated to your father's continued fighting spirit. Best wishes to you all.

General Krulak here:

1. I will be off the net for a couple of days...need to go to California to see my 96 year old father...he is not doing well.

Thank you for reminding us all that there is more to life than Villa's latest result or waiting 10 minutes for a pint or a burger. I hope you find your father in better health.

General Krulak here:

"Exit strategy." Randy does not see "exiting."

Great to see, General. 8)

Thanks for the prices on the forthcoming UEFA games. It can't be easy to calculate how to attract as many fans as possible whilst maximising revenue. I think these prices are just right. I hope the club is rewarded with at least 40k and 30k against Ajax and Zilina, respectively.

While I'm here, on another site I asked - Does Randy ever thank you for your continued efforts? Knowing that money isn't the factor (being unpaid, not that you are rich), what motivates you to keep performing in your position at Villa?

General,

This evening, I happened to catch a few minutes of a radio programme broadcast across the UK by BBC Radio 5. There was a discussion regarding the state of the game and the serious concern over 'foreign' ownership and club debt. I heard all the contributors’ state "with the exception of Randy Lerner..." on a few occasions.

As a long time servant you will be aware that one of the biggest dangers to a happy marriage is complacency and taking each other for granted. To date, Randy has shown no sign of this in his relationship with our club and its fans. I hope and believe this will remain the case for as long as Randy is with us. Unfortunately it will inevitably be harder for many fans to remain faithful 100% of the time.

On to my questions. No matter how long term, has Randy ever talked to you about his exit strategy? Is Max being coached well?

I found this in the John Carew Carew thread. My sense tells me that it was supposed to be on this thread.

General Krulak here:'

1. As a Villa Fan, I was disappointed in today's result. I guess this is one of those where you just put it behind you, learn from it, and focus on the next game. MON will sort this out.

2. TheCaptain: We absolutely recognize that the sound system is poor. We started to work on it his summer and before too long realized that it was not just a matter of newer hardware but that the entire guts of the system needed replacement. The cost was outside the budget for this year so we made as many changes and fixes as possible but left the total replacement until later. We DO recognize the importance of this issue and we will fix it.

3. hobbo and others: Please watch the OS for information on what the Club will be doing as a result of the loss of video and audio on the stream coming out of last Thursday's game. We will be making amends.

4. ianrobo1: After today's game, I needed something to bring a smile to my face. The videos were great. As others have said, they are the future of Villa.

I am.