Stephen_Evans Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 If he does pass on the words of wisdom, I hope he pauses first to wonder why these stats start at 15 November. Maybe because taking a different time frame they wouldn't look so conclusive? :winkold: Because that's when the 4-3-3 experiment (be positive people, it's not 4-5-1) started, to great effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulanddonya Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Gen We can all debate, and debate again MON's acheivements and decisions on the field. However, I want to raise a mistake that I believe he made off field, one that we have not had a chance to put right, unitl now. It may seem petty for some, and although I can only speak for myself, I would be amazed if any "long-standing" Villa fan would disagree. I would be grateful if this could be passed on. Over our great near 130yr history, we have had many, many great players. In history, a lot of these greats / and fan idols have been forwards. And the forward who had earned it more than any got the famous No. 9 shirt - in my era alone, Andy Lochead , Andy Gray , Peter Withe , Alan McInally, Dean Sunders, even Savo and Stan - even though they failed ,and then Dion Dublin. All great playrs - who would have (and some of them actually did) put their lives on the line for this club. Then MON came - and 125yrs of history was wiped out in 10 seconds when he issued the No.9 to Marlon Harewood !. Now, I've nothing against Marlon, in fact, I liked him, but did he deserve to wear the famous Villa No.9 ? - my dog deserved it more, and she's been dead 8 yrs !. It really galled me at the time, and I bet it did a lot of others to. Randy has shown he wants to revel in the tradition in our club. This decision was MON's and he showed he did not understand the tradition of the club. Marlon has now gone, we can't do anything until June 2010 - but I "beg" , this be raised with MON, because I want the No.9 for Aston Villa in the team photo for 2010-2011 season to be worthy of the shirt. And I tell you this - if he even thinks about one man at the club right now, it would be enough to make me think about where the club is heading ! - and I mean that (and we all know who I mean) Thanks for your time. EDIT Doesn't time fly - it's 135 yrs ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 General i would like to say that i couldn't care less what numbers our players wear. If osbourne wants number 10 and the players and manager don't care then so be it, if Friedel wants to wear 99 and the manager and players don't care then so be it, it's a number on a shirt and makes no difference to results or anything of any importance. General i'd also like to say that most villa fans aren't arrogant enough to post that they'd question were the club was heading if things were done that they didn't think were right. You may not have been at villa park much but i can tell you that the MON chants are still loud and clear from the holte. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulanddonya Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Big John - quite frankly it has nothing to do with you what I think. I have asked the General a question and to be quite honest, i am sick and tired of everytime anyone on here posts anything , it gets shot down everytime by "We are all still behind MON" My post has nothing to do with MON - but the tradition of Aston Villa Football Club - and quite frankly, you have shown there that you know nothing of our tradition. A quote from the official site... "Come in No.9 - Here we take a look at some of the post-war goalscoring legends who have taken the coverted No.9 shirt" If the official site recognise it - then maybe there is something in what I say. Oh no, I must just be whinging at Martin o'Neill again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlewis Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Gen We can all debate, and debate again MON's acheivements and decisions on the field. However, I want to raise a mistake that I believe he made off field, one that we have not had a chance to put right, unitl now. It may seem petty for some, and although I can only speak for myself, I would be amazed if any "long-standing" Villa fan would disagree. I would be grateful if this could be passed on. Over our great near 130yr history, we have had many, many great players. In history, a lot of these greats / and fan idols have been forwards. And the forward who had earned it more than any got the famous No. 9 shirt - in my era alone, Andy Lochead , Andy Gray , Peter Withe , Alan McInally, Dean Sunders, even Savo and Stan - even though they failed ,and then Dion Dublin. All great playrs - who would have (and some of them actually did) put their lives on the line for this club. Then MON came - and 125yrs of history was wiped out in 10 seconds when he issued the No.9 to Marlon Harewood !. Now, I've nothing against Marlon, in fact, I liked him, but did he deserve to wear the famous Villa No.9 ? - my dog deserved it more, and she's been dead 8 yrs !. It really galled me at the time, and I bet it did a lot of others to. Randy has shown he wants to revel in the tradition in our club. This decision was MON's and he showed he did not understand the tradition of the club. Marlon has now gone, we can't do anything until June 2010 - but I "beg" , this be raised with MON, because I want the No.9 for Aston Villa in the team photo for 2010-2011 season to be worthy of the shirt. And I tell you this - if he even thinks about one man at the club right now, it would be enough to make me think about where the club is heading ! - and I mean that (and we all know who I mean) Thanks for your time. EDIT Doesn't time fly - it's 135 yrs ! to be honest I never thought of that. Most clubs do only give out the number to special players (Manchester United number 7 being one). Some clubs even retire shirt numbers, believing no one could ever be as good as say Maradonna at Napoli. perhaps we either give number 9 to someone who is worthy, or just retire the shirt and have a presentation looking at the players achievements who have won it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born-Not-Made Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 General. Whilst you're passing on tactical tips to MON and JR et al, could you also pass on my views? I feel that former professional footballers who played at the very highest level (double European Cup Winners, first division champions etc) who have amassed years of experience managing football clubs (and winning trophies), who see the players training every day, who watch in depth analysis about the opposition before every game are far better placed to deceide which tactics the team should play than a bunch of faceless people on an internet forum with no footballing pedigree whatsoever. Oh and that there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Thanks. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DalianDaley Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Hello General Sorry if this has been asked again recently, but is the HOC report complete now? I know we have pulled out of the Olympic bid as we could not guarantee the ground would be free from construction at the time, but does Randy already have an approximate date for construction in mind? The reason I am asking is that currently with our low attendances we could probably pull the North Stand and not lose too much revenue through having a reduced capacity (except maybe some of the big games). Also with a large number of unemployed in the surrounding area (especially in the construction industry) it would put a welcome boost back into the local economy, and with steel and concrete prices being so low (so im led to believe) could we not also save money on the construction by bringing things forward? I understand that its not like putting up a garden shed where you can have it delivered by B&Q in 2 weeks, but it seems to make sense to start this as soon as possible. Also, could you tell us if there is a date set for the unveiling of the plans for VP's upgrade? Thanks & keep up the good work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockney_Villain_1981 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Hi General, just a quick one....I am just about to enter the Cancer Reserch 10k Run and wondered if it is something some of the villa players might consider doing? I know the club supports many charities and it cannot support everyone, but businesses like Tesco encourage their staff's cooperation and just wondered if it is something that could be mentioned? Failing that maybe you can get Curtis Davies agent to sponsor me? He seems quite keen on raising money.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born-Not-Made Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Hi General, serious one this time Whilst at the last home game I approached the turnstiles to enter the Lower Holte (L2) with a couple of items of rubbish and was dismayed to find there were no litter bins in sight. I asked a steward nearby and he simply said there wern't any and that I should just put them on the floor. When I came out of the ground I noticed that quite a pile had formed where I had deposited my empty bottles. Any chance of a couple of litter bins by the turnstiles? Hope this message finds you in good health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTheVillan Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 At present General, all transactions at the bars / serving hatches at VP are cash only. Just a suggestion, it would be good to be able to pay at the tills by card, but can see that this could cause slowing down of the queue tremendously. Also, it would be good to have a cahspoint or two in each stand - but this may be a security risk. I was low on cash for the Cardiff game so had to spend very little before the game and at half time and it would have been great to have had one of these facilities in place. I wonder if any other clubs have this problem and have created a solution to this ? Just a few of my thoughts based on a small problem I encountered at this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imavillan Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 General I have just read this article (copied in full below) about Randy seeking additional funds for the club. ASTON VILLA supremo Randy Lerner is seeking massive new investment in his club to ensure they can compete with the likes of Manchester City. In recent days, the American tycoon – at the Villa helm since August 2006 – has held talks with several billionaire businessmen from the Far East about possible cash injections. And that’s the clearest sign yet that Lerner, 47, who also owns NFL outfit Cleveland Browns, accepts his money alone is no longer enough to take Villa to the top of the English game. Villa meet Man City tomorrow night in what should be a cracking clash. But off the pitch, Martin O’Neill’s men are struggling to keep pace with the country’s richest club. When buying Villa for £64.5million, Lerner became the wealthiest football chief in the top flight, apart from Chelsea’s billionaire boss Roman Abramovich and the Glazer family at Manchester United. But the financial goalposts in the Premier League have moved dramatically since then, amid the economic recession and the arrival of City’s Arab owners. Compared with the £1trillion fortune of the Abu Dhabi United Group, Lerner’s personal wealth of around £750m is small change. He no longer even makes the English game’s top-10 rich-list. And this fact was highlighted during the last transfer window, when Villa spent a mere £25m, having splashed more than £100m over the previous two summers. In contrast, City spent close to £200m – including £17m to secure Villa’s influential England star Gareth Barry. Though Villa did manage to keep winger Ashley Young, who was on Mark Hughes’ shopping list as well as Real Madrid’s, Lerner reckons they may not succeed in doing so next time. That’s why he has decided to act now and enlist the financial clout of other major powerbrokers around the globe to counter City’s rapid rise up the ladder. And the first step on Lerner’s agenda is to transform Villa Park into a state-of-the-art stadium with a capacity of 55,000. Villa withdrew their ground from the list of venues for the 2012 Olympics last Tuesday, citing ‘substantial’ redevelopment between now and then as the reason. I notice there is not one quote in the article but that does not mean there is no truth in it. Now i realise you cannot comment on specifics but can you confirm if there is any foundation to the article? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablopicasso Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 what is the source of that article? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Hi General, What will the attendance be for tomorrows game? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheltenham_villa Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Hi General, serious one this time Whilst at the last home game I approached the turnstiles to enter the Lower Holte (L2) with a couple of items of rubbish and was dismayed to find there were no litter bins in sight. I asked a steward nearby and he simply said there wern't any and that I should just put them on the floor. When I came out of the ground I noticed that quite a pile had formed where I had deposited my empty bottles. Any chance of a couple of litter bins by the turnstiles? Hope this message finds you in good health. without wanting to answer for the general i believe the reason for this is a safety precaution at all football grounds. Its designed to watch bombs etc being planted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Hi General There is a girl that i work with who wants to take her babby to watch the villa training and possibly get some autographs before or after the session just wondering if you (or any of the other forum dwellers) could let me know the best time's and days to go and what the best way is to go about getting the autographs sorted cheers lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chads Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 General, I took my Dad to the game last night. He is a lifelong Villa fan who only manages to get to a couple of games a season and hadn't been since the Ajax game last year. We had something to eat and drink in the Holte Suite before the game and then enjoyed what was a fantastic display of effort and no lack of quality by the lads. I just wanted to pass on the comments of my Dad who was so impressed by the matchday experience nowadays, especially the Holte Suite and Holte pub offerings. Our old matchday ritual would see us rushing around trying to get a few beers from the off license before wolfing down a very average curry from a nearby restaurant. It makes such a nice change to be able to sit in there, literally 2 minutes away from the turnstiles and have a relaxing drink. He also commented on how impressive and clean the ground was looking, notably the holte end frontage. We raised a glass to yourself and Randy for everything you have done. Hope you are well General, thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brommy Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 General, I really hope your test results were good news and that your recent absence is purely down to a much earned break. I also hope you managed to watch our men in action on Monday night. A 'decent' result from an excellent performance. Above all, the commitment witnessed was outstanding. Hi General There is a girl that i work with who wants to take her babby to watch the villa training and possibly get some autographs before or after the session just wondering if you (or any of the other forum dwellers) could let me know the best time's and days to go and what the best way is to go about getting the autographs sorted cheers lee Lee, I would recommend you check the following link: Villa's next open training session Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salsa Party Animal Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Some of players doesn't have the fitness to last 100 minutes. Maybe it is time to check out our fitness conditioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulanddonya Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Gen Hope you are well, you don't seem to have been on for ages. I just wanted to endorse a comment above. As I was walking to the match the other night, I looked around and actually thought "Blimey, this place is starting to look impressive". Maybe it was because it was dark and everything like the mosaic and the windows were lit up - but it really did look good. From what I here Randy has only just started on the Villa Park project and when you consider what he has done already, together with MON's comments like "The chairman has fantastic plans to bring Villa Park back to it's former glory" - I am nothing but proud of the work he has done. You look at the Holte, which is what, about 15 yrs old now, and suddenly it looks like a listed building. It is starting to look beautiful. I've gotta say, and this was before the game the other night. For the first time since early February, I had the feelgood factor back the other night. I am 100% confident of where the club is heading with Randy, I will admit, I wouldn't mind investment from an outsider as long as randy kept the club ownership as I do think we will need major money to compete at the highest level and even we can't expect Randy to spend all his money on us. All I'll say is you can't control what goes on , on the pitch - but you should be immensely proud of what has been achieved off it. However, one negative - tell them to get rid of that red haired Mascot ! - who the hell made the decision to give the Villa mascot red hair - it must have been a bluenose ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablopicasso Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 i had to wait outside the holte for half an hour on monday night, and i couldnt believe how many man city fans were taking pics, vids and commenting on how great the holte end, holte hotel, etc, looked... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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