Pilchard Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, Whilst it's easy to over react after one game, the loss an pathetic performance today was very disappointing. When you look at the way we played from January onwards last season along with today then I feel some questions need to be asked. So I'll ask the one in my head at the moment. When will we actually show some decent form again? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ricardomeister Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, obviously in your time with the Marines, leadership skills and mental toughness are essential qualities. What I would like to ask is, do you think that mental toughness can be taught or does it have to all come from within? The reason that I ask is obviously after today's disgraceful non-performance. The only person at the club as far as I can see with any real leadership skills and back bone is Nigel Reo-Coker who is rarely picked these days. Today there was no leadership and heads were dropping all over the team. I can always forgive a poor performance as everyone has an off day. However, I cannot forgive the gutless, spineless non-performance today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ph4tm4n Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 We should of really went all out to sign wesley sneijder, obviously we cant go all out Like Moneybags City & throw money at everyone but just signing one class high profile player and paying him enough so he will come to us will step up our clubs profile & make us a hell of alot better team. Instead of chucking in a kid from league one into Barrys position :/ After being a long suffering Villa fan & watching us come so close so many times without giving it the extra push just pisses me off! Anyway rant over & it wasn't a transfer question so theres no point warning me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis_B Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Sorry not my place to answer the obvious for the General Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuleAthon Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, Have either yourself, Mr Lerner or other board members considered a 'Continental' approach to the football club, with a Director of Football brought in to liase between the Board and the Manager and scouting networks so as to ensure the signings of players? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.Daley Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, I have waited over 2 years to post on this thread...never felt the need to. But as things have not exactly gone to plan today, I just wanted to say a huge thankyou to yourself, Randy, and most improtantly MON for dragging this club out of the gutter. It is obvious you are building a bright future and this will take time, and days like today will make winning trophies that little bit more special. That is all. ps. I am sure a postitive / motivational comment from an ex marine to the Villa faithfull would not go a miss! UTV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheldonVilla Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, I'd like to congratulate the club on the great job that's been done renovating and improving the Holte Suite, a massive improvement on the previous setup. I have two complaints though, the amount of bar staff on pre match and the quality of the draught lager. It took myself and two friends 15+ minutes to get served on two separate occasions. I appreciate that match days are going to be busy but having to wait that long is in my opinion unacceptable. The draught lager was appalling in taste and also flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maradona10 Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General Obviously disappointed with the result today but it's not a sprint but a marathon, I'm sure we'll improve! On the way home, listened to the local stations who are questioning Randy's commitment to pump money in, we need to buy quality as we will struggle to stand still this year! So do we have money to spend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General Can you confirm what Randy meant earlier in the summer when he said we would spend less than last year. Is the spend last summer as good as it's going to get for us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeafyVilla Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 I think Martin O'Neill's transfer window dealings are very very unprofesional and are hurting the progress of this club. Its not a question, so i dont think its against the rules, but i think losing our most influential defender and not replacing him by the start of the season is one thing, but selling our back up as well so we have to play someone with an injury. Then Barry going and replacing him with a 19 year old league 1 player. God im upset. This isn't good enough. Being comprehensively out played by Wigan is not good enough. Martin O'Neill isn't good enough. 100% spot on.....UTV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulanddonya Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Gen I am going to write how I feel , and ask a few question, you may not be able to answer some, or want to but I will ask with respect. I walked to the stadium today and saw how the steps looked and thought very nice. I actually hope this was in part due to my suggestion this time last year to paint them brick red. I looked at the stained glass, the entrance from the Holte Suite to the Holte - all the new TV's (however, the clock STILL isn;t working !) and thought very nice. I then looked at our team and thought "where the hell are these players we have been promised ?" (and this was before the game !). Very nice having a clean up of the place, but I pay to watch a football team. Everyone from Randy Lerner to Donald Duck knows we have the smallest squad, and everyone knows we lost our classiest and our best player - apart from the manager it seems. You keep saying "I trust Martin" - sorry I don't, and I think a lot are also starting to have doubts. So here are my questions. Honestly, who is at fault for this ? - has Randy said to Martin that he can spend money on quality players - and if so, is our manager just not good enough to buy quality ? or Have we been hooked in on the spin of "we will be trying to reach the achievement of 1982 - when Randy, or the board just do not have the resources to do it. I believe the fans have the right to know the truth because what I was served up today was totally unacceptable, and one game I can take, but it has been the same since Arsenal Boxing day 2008 (and even then we were 2-0 down to a goal EXACTLY the same as the 2nd one today !) and the last question. We all know Randy and Martin are close. My concern is they are too close. If MON was not doing his job - would Randy do his ? Sorry to ask , but that was unacceptable. Martin Laursen was injured in December, everyone knew he wouldn't come back. 9 months later and no replacement - and even worse - 3 yrs later and we STILL end up playing an 18yr old winger at Right back ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b6bloke Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, I'd like to congratulate the club on the great job that's been done renovating and improving the Holte Suite, a massive improvement on the previous setup. I have two complaints though, the amount of bar staff on pre match and the quality of the draught lager. It took myself and two friends 15+ minutes to get served on two separate occasions. I appreciate that match days are going to be busy but having to wait that long is in my opinion unacceptable. The draught lager was appalling in taste and also flat. As this has been mentioned i will talk about this first, i was one of the ones who fought Villas corner on the charge to get in but forget it!! the staff are sooo slow i hardly got to drink, if it wasnt for the hostess we would of stomed off! half hour AFTER the game to get one drink! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b6bloke Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General i think enough has been said about the game so i wont say anything apart from i have lost faith in MON! Anyway, the Holte suite was a joke and i wont be going there ever again and the food in the upper holte was bad! i will never eat at villa again! they thought they were on holiday taking it easy, but they had 1000's to serve in 15 mins. I queued from 10 mins before half time till 5 mins before kick off! The staff are so slow its untrue! the supervisor should be working them harder as they were just strolling along, they had hardly any food left and i ordered a cheese and onion pie for my vegie mate and she bit into it and it was chicken!!! not impressed!!! I am going to save the rest until i have calmed down!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivaashleyyoung Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, That was utterly Appaling. Utterly Utterly appaling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dappadan Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General, I'd like to congratulate the club on the great job that's been done renovating and improving the Holte Suite, a massive improvement on the previous setup. I have two complaints though, the amount of bar staff on pre match and the quality of the draught lager. It took myself and two friends 15+ minutes to get served on two separate occasions. I appreciate that match days are going to be busy but having to wait that long is in my opinion unacceptable. The draught lager was appalling in taste and also flat. As this has been mentioned i will talk about this first, i was one of the ones who fought Villas corner on the charge to get in but forget it!! the staff are sooo slow i hardly got to drink, if it wasnt for the hostess we would of stomed off! half hour AFTER the game to get one drink! Just a suggestion You should have took a little walk upstairs where it took next to no time to get served. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashingqwerty Posted August 15, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted August 15, 2009 Hi General, i would ask two favours of you if i may? 1) please pass on the enourmous disappointment and frustration that villa fans are experiencin with his performance as manager at this time. 2) please pass on to Randyour frustration and dissappointment in the performance of our manager and his handling of the team, tactics and transfers over the past 3 years. Just so that you are aware this isnt just a reaction to todays result - today was the latest in a long long long line of not simply substandard, but quite frankly embarrassing performaces by Martin O'Neills side. Over the last three years Martin has been attempting to mould his own team with his own players - and i think we can all agree that the current team and squad is of his making. The biggest flaw in this is that whenever something goes wrong Martin makes excuses like "oh the players havent had a full pre-season","the squad is tired because it too small" and "the squad is small and lacks depth...". I honestly feel that after 3 years Martin has had more than ample time to prepare a squad that is not wafer thin and is not of a quality capable of lasting a full seasnon - he's had enough time for the above to not be acceptable excuses but he persists in making them. Each of these things are his responisbility and fully within the remit of his job description. I know the transfer window isnt closed yet but the deep seated issues within the squad have been there for several tranbsfer windows and have not been addressed. The end of season position was acceptable but the result does not always justify the means, especially in football - i personally would raher we finished 16th but were playing great fottball rather than play like amateurs and finish 6th. If my job performance was in line with Martins, and i was continually making excuses for failure in the manner that he does - reasons that are completely within his power to correct - then i would fully expect to be sacked. I trust that the powers at Aston Villa will bear all aspects of Martin's job performance in mind this season and not just the position in the table when considering his position at the club as i believe his position should be very insecure at this time. Many Thanks Flash: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivaashleyyoung Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Can I just say something, sorry it has to be said. Why are people arguing about how long it takes to get a pint and how good the 'steps' look. General, i couldnt care less how good the holte suite/pub looks as long as my team plays well. From what I saw today, i seriously doubt the abilities of our manager. all a manager has to do is buy good players because good players play well. I dont buy into all this motivational rubbish, its XI vs XI on the day and the team with the better players wins, and we have a manager who has signed some utter dross with your mate Randys money. And as For MON being this great motivator and leader, is that why our best young prospect (Gary Cahill) left us for Bolton, and why our best Striker stormed out of the club today on the news he'd been replaced by the utter embarrasment that is Emile Heskey. A player I believe is paid in the region of 60k a week? The team is a joke. Stop spending money on pubs, hospitality, mosaics, and steps and buy some decent players, or get a manager that can because i wont pay money to watch that lot any more this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvillian Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 General Krulak here: 3. irish1: That does sound strange...I am with you 100%. Let me look into it. Is there a reason why you would not pay in British sterling and let the "office" make the right conversion? The point is most people don't realise there getting overcharged. The Villa jersey has cost 60 euro for maybe the past 5/6 yrs and people didn't question this as the exchange rates were always used as the excuse.But most uk items sold in Ireland are traditionally dearer. So people accepted it. However last yr and now this yr the exhange have come more in line and the prices have remained the same.It's not just villa Man Utd also do it. Man Utd home jersey £37.58 or 56 euro. £37.58=43.38euro. A difference of 13euro for selection the option of paying in euro. I'm sure you don't want to comment on anything relating to other clubs but this example proves its not really a "Villa" problem but a "Villa partners" ,problem. Also I'm sure your fellew Americans are getting stiched in the same way, you should check it out!! So I'm delighted to here your on the case again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Namaste Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 The team is a joke. Stop spending money on pubs, hospitality, mosaics, and steps and buy some decent players, or get a manager that can because i wont pay money to watch that lot any more this season. ‘General’… I too echo the above sentiments, I want a team to play good football and compete. Re: Wigan game. 4-0 would not have been a flattering score for them and they would have deserved it! Our defence today contained two relegated players, an SPL and Championship player. They are substandard and most agree we are still waiting for the alleged potential of Curtis Davies to show. Let me ask you how much you think we would recoup of the transfer fee we paid for him? West Brom must be very thankful for our handout. I also fail to see how signing relegated players is aspiring to greatness we should be signing winners not losers, and this is why we are not competitive yet it does not take a manager to see that. I do not know what the management and coaches do in training but can you tell them to get some fresh ideas. Our team today had a distinct lack of cohesion and unity to the extent that players continually were pulled out of position and even going for the same ball. A complete shambles. I know there are still two weeks until the end of the transfer window but O’Neill has waxed lyrical about getting players ‘bedded in’ for many a transfer window yet he does not heed his own advice. Surely it would have been progressive to get in our key players several weeks before the start of the season to avoid handicapping our chances of finishing higher up the league. This transfer window has been another example of O’Neill’s (or someone’s) reluctance to be pro-active. I thought our motto was ‘Prepared’? What happened to that sentiment? What happened to replacing our key players in Barry and Laursen, this is an absolute joke in itself. 35,000 fans in attendance tell a story General in that the fans are not confident, if they were Villa Park would be full. As it stands I had my reservations we would finish top six again but after that shambolic performance today I think we will be lucky to finish mid-table. A poll was run on this very site just before the match gauging our hopes for the season and 33% of fans were pessimistic and thought we would slip from sixth. They might be correct at the moment because we are standing still. I do not get to Villa Park much because I live outside of the UK, but on the fare that has been presented over the last three to four months one can see why Villa Park was well short on capacity against Wigan. 2 wins in 17 competitive games General is not good enough and is definitely relegation form, the figures do not lie. Tide is definitely turning on O’Neill’s popularity General pressure is on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ph4tm4n Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 So here are my questions. Honestly, who is at fault for this ? - has Randy said to Martin that he can spend money on quality players - and if so, is our manager just not good enough to buy quality ? or Have we been hooked in on the spin of "we will be trying to reach the achievement of 1982 - when Randy, or the board just do not have the resources to do it. I believe the fans have the right to know the truth because what I was served up today was totally unacceptable, and one game I can take, but it has been the same since Arsenal Boxing day 2008 I would like an answer to this too :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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