General Krulak (part 2) and *STILL NO TRANSFER QUESTIONS*

[villaajax]

Thanks for the reply General, I've sent you a PM which goes into more detail.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

3. don't_do_it_doug: First off, MON does have Randy's support. I believe that our Manager is seeking the best players that are AVAILABLE and that he believes he needs and that will fit into our system of play. The fact that some of the "big name" players are not mentioned in the papers as being associated with our Club does not mean MON has not looked at them. As I have tried to say many, many, times...it is NOT just a case of picking a name and going and getting them. There are so many, many, aspects to this issue. One that seems to have escaped some is that the big name player has to want to come to B'ham. That is not a slam on our City...only to say that many big time players look at the UK and only think of London. The outlyer there is, of course, ManU. The way to change that perception is to continue to be successful on the Pitch and continue to develop a superb organization and infrastructure. That is what we are trying to do.

With all due respect General I think you misunderstood my point. I believe Mr Lerner will back our manager and I fully accept your point about big name players not wanting to join for whatever reason. Martin has without a doubt spent a vast amount of money and I am grateful for that.

My main argument is this. I look at what a club like Wigan are doing with their scouting network and minuscule budget (in comparison) and I have nothing but admiration for them and clubs like them. I don't understand why we are not able to spot players like Valencia, Gomez, Palacios etc or if we are why we're not willing to take a risk on players like them to bring much added "padding" to the squad.

Yes, a lot of these players come with risk attached. Yes, some of them will flop. But let's face it, is it any less of a risk than signing Marlon Harewood?

I'm sorry for slipping dangerously into "transfer question" territory and I thank you for your reply.

[terrytini]

My main argument is this. I look at what a club like Wigan are doing with their scouting network and minuscule budget (in comparison) and I have nothing but admiration for them and clubs like them. I don't understand why we are not able to spot players like Valencia, Gomez, Palacios etc or if we are why we're not willing to take a risk on players like them to bring much added "padding" to the squad.

Yes, a lot of these players come with risk attached. Yes, some of them will flop. But let's face it, is it any less of a risk than signing Marlon Harewood?

I'm sorry for slipping dangerously into "transfer question" territory and I thank you for your reply.

We actually nicked Marlon just as he was about to sign for Wigan and their much vaunted 'scouting network'...

[rodigan]

General,

As ever, patience is a virtue very rarely shown these days and it is a pleasure to see you continue to interact with us fans in a dignified and reasoned manner.

wrt DDID's comment above, wigan found palacios, we found ashley y. - i don't think our track record of developing new signings is necessarily worse than any other club. to counteract that, i continue to think that our academy system and our development of young talent is exceptional and that we are about to see the next generation (nathan, marc albrighton, ciaran clark, barry bannan, gary gardner) coming through

general, my question to you - we have tended to buy predominantly english during the tenure of messrs o'neill and lerner, and certainly more so than any other premier league club (we have bought 15 english players since the start of the 07-08 season and 16 out of the 25 in our first team squad are currently english). is this a coincidence and if not, what is the underlying rationale? better suited to the premier league? altruism for the sake of developing the national team? greater onsale value? cheaper? plays to the strengths of our scouting system?

it seems to me that a small proportion of the english players that we have brought in have secured regular first team football at the villa and even fewer have set the premier league alight (the youngs and james milner, being the obvious exceptions), while the huge successes, and the unearthing of diamonds in the rough, so to speak, touted by other clubs are, almost invariably, not english. if developing english talent is indeed one of the club's objectives, has the club stepped back and considered whether that continues to represent the best strategy going forward?

[MrMoseley]

General Krulak here:

7. Mr. Mosely: I agree that Laursen was a HUGE loss. Re. Barry: I can go back to multiple posts on this site and others that we well and ready to have Barry go somewhere else. He obviously did not want to be here. You claim this is a loss akin to Laursen...I disagree. Obviously others disagreed too.

General,

Thank you for your reply.

I'm sorry I'm slightly at a loss, whatever we as supporters felt about GB, he was and has been a major part of AV for 11 years or so. I have a 7 year old son who thinks he's a God ! I think to under-estimate the chasm he has left behind is very dangerous.

The performance after the first 15 minutes on Saturday was rudderless, we lacked any direction in our play from the middle of the park. Bottom line is GB needs replacing with a player of his ilk in my opinion, of which we do not have at the club at this moment. As so often happens in life I feel this may be a case of "you don't what you've got till it's gone."

On a more positive note I'd like to say how impressed with the revamped Holte Suite I was, the board have got it spot-on from the Holte Pub, to the corporate hospitality of which I was lucky enough to sample last season, I'm proud of the facilities at VP these days. (North Stand excepted, but that's another story!)

I just hope we are not all talk and no trousers.

[Richard]

General thanks for answering all the questions. Could you just clarify this bit for me please..

There are so many, many, aspects to this issue. One that seems to have escaped some is that the big name player has to want to come to B'ham

. Does that mean that the club are having problems "selling" Aston Villa, or the area to potential top quality players?

[b6bloke]

general ii just want to offer my full backing to mon over carew as no player is bigger than the club or dictate anything to the manager; ask the staff about dalian atkinson as carew seems to be going down the same path. mon did not cost us 3 points on saturday carew did. Loved carew butget rid as he sounds like a rotten apple using his popularity with the fans against mon but not this fan. Lets get behind mon as this is the only way we can get back to winning ways

[Rodders]

carew was no excuse for us playing such abysmal anti football.

I take the opposing view to the above poster. Just for balance.

Carew has ten times the talent over anyone else in the side, and co-incidentally is foreign.

[Holte_EndL4]

Carew poorly toe and now Carew virus - i'm sorry but we were not born yesterday

MON has lost it - i am sorry general but he has. Seeing him interviewed on SKY the passion has been drained from him - no glint in the eye, it's gone. Last years collapse has had more of an effect on him that anyone can imagine and i honestly think he needs a break. We are going nowhere. Yes the PR side of the club is superb but the supporters of this club have had 27 years of nothing and its on the pitch where it matters. Sorry for the negativity and i for one loved MON but clubs and innovative managers are leaving us behind. The football hs been boring for a long time and i didnt pay £400 of my hard earned cash in the worst recession for 80 years to watch average overpriced turkeys like Marlon Harewood, Nicky Shorey et al. I'm sorry but i love the villa but we have been poor for a while and when you are being paid x million a year the buck stops there........

[RussG]

General,

I've really been trying to remain positive over the summer months but these 2 games and seeing how massively unprepared we are is worrying.

I've been a massive MON fan since day 1 but the state of the squad is simply unacceptable and MON himself doesn't seem very confident or positive in interviews, his body language is massive tell in my opinion.

Either something is going on behind the scenes or the game is passing him by, either way it needs to be addressed ASAP.

[villahero]

Gen

the current situation is unacceptable. We look a very poor, uneasy and clueless outfit at the moment. I can only foresee a struggle unless significant additions are made which i can't see. I'm very worried

[Chindie]

Evening General

I very rarely post in this thread. But I think I'm compelled to say something now.

I'm not going to say O'Neill has lost it, I'm in support of the manager and have been for the entirety of his Villa career so far, though he has made a few decisions that have annoyed and baffled me before now I've given him the benefit of the doubt because, in the end, he's got the results come May.

However, theres 1 thing you could rarely put to this Villa side, or any O'Neill side, and its something to be proud of - they're very rarely gutless sides and they very rarely don't give it their all. That doesn't seem to be the case right now. Wigan on Saturday was dire. Tonight wasn't as bad, nowhere near, but we lacked spark and could have played all night and not scored. I'm sure O'Neill doesn't want this from his side and it's certainly something he's not renowned for. But still, it's happened.

What's wrong? It's clear as day that something isn't right. I'm absolutely certain that our transfer plans have come across difficulties, solely as we're woefully underprepared right now and I'm sure O'Neill isn't incompetent. We've clearly encountered problems in the window. But that's not the sole reason we're struggling I'm sure, the teams spirit looks utterly shot, and that above all else worries me. O'Neill will come through in the final days of the window I'm sure but if the spirit, that we've been so used to in the past couple of seasons is gone. That worries me more than anything, and I'm usually pretty optimistic about this side and this Aston Villa.

I worry that the crowd will lose their faith in the manager and the power of the fans at this club is not to be underestimated. Whatever has gone wrong, I sincerely hope it is sorted and fast, or this season will see 3 years of good work on the pitch destroyed.

EDIT - I'll reiterate though that I'm absolutely confident in Martin, and think he's the man for us. I'm just concerned about the 'feeling' about this side being very out of character, and the possible fallout amongst the fans that is already catching and spreading exponentially.

[dantanner]

general ,what do you think of the low uptake of ticket sales ,birmingham away 2 years ago sold out in 4 days ,opening game last year attracted 40,000 this year 35,000 ,season ticket sales down,next couple of games lucky to get 30,000(rapid/fulham), recession or a manager that the fans are fed up with?

[smetrov]

Hi General.

an easy one for you.

Our official nickname is the 'Villians' - however this seems to be an embarrassment to the club (not just since RL took over) - but it seems we are more keen to promote the lions as a nickname, rather than the villians ......I just wondered if this was club policy ? - if so why, ...and what are the chances of the official nickname being restored ?

Sure we will win Monday !

[Villan4Life]

I've had enough like majority of fans general

Had season ticket since Randy come to club (3 years now) as moved back to Birmingham previously just around then was season ticket holder all the 90's and watched excited attacking football coupled with quality strikers like Yorke, Saunders and Atkinson.

Grew up as teen in 90s and was so proud when my team against the odds beat Man Utd in Coke Cup (1993) and watching us win the cup to the tune of U R The Best Thing by D:Ream on the tv after, for a 13 yr old was on of the best days of my young life at the time, i was over the moon!!

I can't believe i have paid £800 out for mine and my mates season ticket, Sat was a disgrace :cry:

I think we are in for a season like the geordies last season

We need O'Neill to go gen, he's just not up to scratch like Atkinson, Taylor (Part 1) etc :oops:

[TrentVilla]

Hi General,

I'm just curious how some 2 hours after the game our official site is unable to bring us any king of post match piece? Surely the official site should be able to produce some form of match report or even perhaps an interview with the manager or one of the players?

[PaulMcGrath_5]

Time for O'Neill to go... I'm sad to say he has taken us as far as he can.

[steve-67]

General, the owner has done a great deal to win over the fans but the simple thing about a football club is that is is judged by the team on the pitch. I will not jump on the bandwagon for "MON out" but I think he needs to act rather quickly otherwise some of the work carried out by Mr Lerner will mean squat. You must get really fed up with people moaning at you. I'm sorry, but Villa is a way of life and we care so passionately.

[Guest Ricardomeister]

General, amongst all this doom and gloom I think we should single out the Villa medical team for some praise. As we all know, viruses are contagious little blighters and yet only Mr Carew has gone down with this one. Please send them a pat on the back from me :winkold: .

[carlitobrigante]

I cant quite believe people want MON out already, would do more bad than good, and the good work he has done so far has at least earned him our patience when things dont go so well.

However I am seriously worried. I havent seen us play this bad for sooo long. We are going backwards for the first time since MON & Randy took over.

I hope he turns it round, I really do, as MON seems a bloke of genuine class, dignity and intelligence. Equally so I hope Randy wont shy away from taking tough decisions if come this time next season we are still going backwards.

Fans often lose faith abit too quickly and are far too quick to questiomn the managers decisions, my biggest worry though is the players seem to be doubting his methods too.