ramshackler

there is also the question over whether barry is here for the long haul.

if he isnt and makes this clear to MON we ould be better off dropping him and playing sidwell in his place

this is why im not villa manager. horrible decision that needs to be made. i love NRC, we cant drop barry and petrov has finally been our best player in all three of our league games!! and sidwell is gonna be fit again soon!

in MON we trust!

General Krulak here:

1. I have sent on the message re. TV screens...and I think action will be taken.

A Thousand thank you's

if this happens i will literally sing villas and generals praises from the rooftops!

General,

any chance of getting some tv screens for the concourse area of the north stand lower? I was quite looking forward to getting inside the ground and chilling out by watching the screens showing the live sky game, but there wasn't any anywhere. I realise that this particular area was the old away end but it is now for villa fans only and would make the match day (and in particular the pre-match) experience just that bit more enjoyable.

Cheers

I second this query, apologies if already been answered previously, did take a look and couldn't see anything.

Keep the great work up!

definitely! i 3rd this query. i know the north wont be there forever but for the sake of a a couple of grand, a few tv screens would make this area perfect

General can i just bring your attention to some appalling customer service i received at the club shop villa village.

the website told us we could pre-order the shirts ONLY by going into the club shop (this was before they were available online) i went all the way into villa village to do this, but the manager simply replied nah mate not yet.

when i questioned him about what was said on the website he look disinterested, so i asked if he could please check this with someone as it definitley said this on the website and i have come all the way over specifically.

he point blank refused to phone anybody until i threatened to complain, at which point he picked up the phone walked to the other end of the shop so i couldnt hear and pretended to have a conversation with someone that lasted less than 30 seconds, came back and told me no it wasnt available turned his back and walked off!

i then went into new street and ordered it no problem! this despite the person he was supposed to of been calling being the new street store!

to say i was furious to say the least was an understatement!

through all the bitterness and disappointment, i still have to say that imo, barry is a far superior player the xabi alonso, who has been a shadow of himself for over 2 years now.

and i also think he'll be a regular in the first 11. hes a top player, and he will improve the dippers

the one thing i cannot stand about america is that you can never get proper chips!

and no general im not talking about crisps! lol

First up, due to me being a tad silly, im locked from putting anything in the in the know boast thread.

so if someone could move it in there, that would be great.

Basically through a friend who knows barry, (this friend correctly told me about the proposed pompey deal and the new contract days before it hit press last year) i was told last week that barry would be gutted to leave but felt it was his last chance and was looking set to join plop.

now however he describes barry as genuinley torn and confused. he came out of a brief chat with MON really excited about the future, but of course is realistic to know it is still along way off and is a risk to assume that CL is around the corner.

all in all it is NOT a done deal and our captain could still stay

General can I pass on this comment from another poster re:Barry, it puts forwards my, and I think a lot of other fans, opnions very well

Barry

In my opinion we are doing everything we can here so tell him, which is utterly shameful. I think the best club in the world to sell players is Lyon and they always make a lot of money. Mr. Aulas (their owner I think) goes out and claim a player is not for sale, then he says it again before negotiations finally start and the player eventually goes for 150% of the original price. Best examples are perhaps Diarra and Essien, midfielders who left for 50M all together.

What we have seen here is the "we won't hold any players against their will" from the General which I think is a very naive comment, because the media will always turn that into a "the player is for sale" and then MON mentions the "we will try to persuade him but it will be tough" when they should have just said the player is not for sale at any price, eventually hiking the price up to 20M instead of the 12M we are going to be negotiating. That's how Spurs got 18M for Carrick (although I feel Chelsea paid 12M after the Mikel scandal so it was virtually 6M for United at the time) and Hargreaves (FC Bayner kept him for over a year even though the player was not happy). We should reject every bid and just keep the price going up, because if we play the sentimental card we will receive less. And let's not kid ourselves, the player has got his eyes on money, CL and hanging around with dullest haircutted guy in Liverpool.

Don't get robbed Gen. Please.

seconded, this tactic is the only way to stop this once and for all. they pay his worth to US, not his worth to THEM

Craigyh74 has a point general, i have been in the same position not being able to get a push chair up the stairs in the town centre club shop. it would make alot more sense putting the baby clothes downstairs!

I'd imagine the Ticket office can answer this 0800 612 0970

Question about the redevelopment in the witton area general. Apparently (accoriding to the city councils redevelopment website) AVFC are applying for planning permission to build 32 2 bed flats and 80 odd houses. Is this a money making scheme or simply a way of making it more valuable to sell? How will it affect Aston Villa in the long run?

Mods if you feel this inappropriate just delete, im not easily offended, just very intrigued as it is our name AVFC on the planning app

its simply fantastic to hear the directors and chairman talk about the club in such a deeply personal way, sent shivers down my spine it really did.

never been happier to be a villa fan and enjoyed the day on sunday immensely!

everton is a big game, but whatever happens, we have taken great strides on and off the pitch this year and you have all done a fantastic job. ive never been more confident that villa will once again join the elite.

love you guys! and i love doug for selling to you!

Firstly it is based on the assumption that Barry is on the maximum, and secondly it seems to be asking why we, Aston Villa, absent from all european competition for nigh on 5 years are not spending as much on wages as the top 4 in the champions league...

Does this guy want us to immediately offer mega money wages before we reach even the UEFA Cup?? That would be tantamount to a leeds style suicide!

It is a five year plan, next step we must get to europe, then we will be able to attract a higher quality player and have more income to sustain higher wages. Next step after that will be champions league, where the real money will roll in and we can attract an even higher quality of player.

post edited. people are allowed their own opinion, even if you disagree with it. Peter has explained his opinion and given reasons for it. if you disagree with it so much, how about you do the same instead of posting the moaning bits that have been edited. jc

Hi General,

Can i first start off by thanking you for everything you have done in the past year, despite some of the negative criticism, we have moved on alot in terms of a club.

Also i know that you have nothing to do with transfers and i appreciate that. What i would say however is that could you bring up the issue of a director of Football with Randy and MON?

All the top clubs have a DOF whose job it is to listen to MON, the players he wants get his list, then do the negotiating with other clubs with fees and salaries. This would leave MON to do what he does best, coach and train the players, whilst still getting the players he wants.

It is obvious he has struggled with all the work put upon him, and i fear it will lead us to not getting the best out of MON undoubted ability.

I know transfers have nothing to do with you, but if you could even bring the idea up with randy, using man utd, chelsea, arsenal tottenham as examples (who all have a DOF). I really do think it is naive in the extreme nowadays in the financial pressure cooker of modern day sport to have a manager negotiating his deals and being dragged away from the training pitch...

Thanks general. If it helps give the idea some weight behind it i can send you a petition with literally hundreds of names on it of fans who wish to see a taylor testimonial?

Also do you know when our season tickets are being sent out?

Ian Taylor as one fo the favourite members of the villa team from 1994 through to 2004, but fell just a few months short of getting to his 10 year testimonial mark.

He was a real fans player and a great guy. A regular goalscorer from midfield, who gave 110% every game. He was also endeared to the fans as he was a lifelong fan himself.

His storybook ending of how he was in the stands for the 1994 league cup final and was playing AND SCORING 2 years later in the final against leeds utd is one of lifes real dream come true moments.

He is one of the most popular players to every don the claret and blue and I have always been saddened that he left while the club was in the doldrums. I feel it would be a magnificent night if he were to have a testimonal and a great send off to have as his lasting memory of his time here.

I have started this appeal due to the huge amount of fans i have spoken to that feel this is a great idea.

If this is possible how would i go about starting this and who would i contact?