General Krulak pt 4 - Q & A (No transfer Questions)

[omariqy]

Hi General,

After giving it some thought I think it would be silly to sack GH after his comments and actions. However that does not mean that the effect of these comments should be under-estimated. Many fans will have turned against GH and it will take a lot for them to start backing him again. Improved performances will help, of course. However, we need to see some more passion and commitment from GH. For example, asking the FFF to keep his job open is not what I want to see. I understand his love for Liverpool but he is at another massive club, former European champions with a big fan base, rich history and more importantly a squad capable of finishing in the top 6.

[Biffta]

General,

Whats Randy's thoughts on where we are presently heading? Does Randy still want to be in the top echelons or his he happy with mid table i.e. reducing his costs to keep in the prem and therefore return some of his investment? if we are still aiming for the top, will we be in a position come Jan 1st to start to implement changes? its obvious Houlier isnt happy with what he has got, How much involvement does Houlier have at the training ground, im hearing rumours he stays in the back office a lot?. Just to let you know, the only good thing at Villa at the moment, is Randy, I hope he's keeping the faith

[steaknchips]

Well I never voted and I would vote to keep him,so there's one lost vote from those statistics.

My only gripe is that whilst I can understand he got a bit nostalgic on his 1st return to Anfield as a Premiership boss,he should never ingore his own fans..VILLA FANS..

The travelling support for Villa is one of the best in the country and Houllier should have applauded the support..NOT JUST THE LIVERPOOL FANS.

I hope we keep him as he as got acustomed to the squad and laid down the building blocks with staff,coaches and scouts etc..But he must start becoming a Villan while he works for us..He must be commited in actions(applauding aknowledging us fans)to the Club..

If I hear another "Liverpool" come out of his mouth,im gonna shoot him....I wanna hear Villa,Villa,Villa.

Can you please sort that out General? Please and pretty please not another "Liverpool" in anyway shape or form to come from that mouth..

[dudley_villa]

GH has lost the dressing room and he has lost the fans, The man is a utter disgrace to this club!

I have it on good information that randy is willing to sell, Lets face the facts he has took us as far as he could and i and many others are truly grateful for the last 4 years. But lets face it we are rapidly deteriorating by the hour and so is the valuation of the football club. Get rid of that clown of a manager sell now and make a fast buck or risk losing multiples of millions being in the bottom 5 and face relegation.

You know and i know its gonna take at least another £100million to get us from 6th to 4th and quite frankley we aint got a pot to piss in mate.

If you choose to keep GH in charge then at your peril be it!

Just out of interest has paul faulkner done any predictions on how many season tickets we aim to sell in year one of the championship and what would the revenue to wages balance out to?

Regards DV

[TJVilla]

Dear General,

It is with a sorry heart that I post this to you, but I, like many fans of this fine football wish to voice our opinions on the current state of the club.

We really appreciate everything that yourself and Randy have done for us since your arrival. Also, the fact that you read this pages personally and interact with the fans gives you a special place in our hearts. You understand our pain, you share in our triumphs, you care, like we do.

However, the current situation with Mr Houllier has caused a massive swing in approval.

My head says we need to give a new manager time to put his stamp on the club. To bring in his own players. To implement his philosophy on the club. To help drive the club forward. However, this really doesn't seem like something that is actually going to happen.

When MON left, I, like many Villa fans went through an array of emotions. Anger, frustration, sadness, confusion. When Mr Houllier was announced as our new manager, my feelings were that of 'oh well, it's a decent appointment and probably the best we can hope for'. As you know, Mr Houllier has a track record for developing talent, has a wide knowledge of the global game and not just the Premier League. He has worked with some of the best players in the game. Where is this man?

The fans feel aggrieved that Mr Houllier displays his love for Liverpool at every available opportunity. His comments and actions at Anfield on Monday were a disgrace and a massive insult to our great club. To touch the 'This is Anfield' sign was stupid. If he felt he had to do it, then do it at the end of the match when the cameras aren't focusing on it. If he felt he had to applaud the Kop (who didn't even sing or create any atmosphere) then fine, do it at the end with a little wave, but then please make a massive effort to go across the pitch and applaud our travelling faithful who spent the entire match singing and supporting our club that we love so much despite one of the worst performances we've witnessed during your time at the club. When asked about his feelings on returning to Liverpool, how difficult is it to say 'yes I have a place in my heart for Liverpool but Im completely focused on getting my Aston Villa team to win the game'.

When Sunderland lost to Newcastle this season, Steve Bruce (a lifelong - and very open Newcastle fan) didn't concede 'well its a shame that we got beat 5-1, but what a result for us Geordies. Im glad we got beat by them cos thats who I support'. Of course he didn't, because it would be suicide. Something Mr Houllier has failed to recognise.

How much does an AVFC tie cost in the club shop? About a tenner? Why doesn't he have one?

Our team is the same as the one under MON. Average players who were told they were world beaters. Yes we lost our midfield general in James Milner (a move which Im sure still hurts a lot of fans) and replaced him with a player who we believe didn't even want to come. How have the defence gone from a back 4 that didn't concede goals, to one that now looks shambolic and not good enough for this league? Yes injuries and suspensions have hit us hard (we said this during MONs tenure aswell as he stripped the club to the barebones).

I still don't know how I feel about whether Mr Houllier should still in charge of this club. The rational side of me suggests he deserves the January transfer window to strengthen the club significantly (whether money is available is something that only yourself and Randy know) and hope that we can all pull together to get out of this mess. Although the football fan in me suggests just get rid of him as he has insulted us one time too many.

Also, his PR response was laughable.

The next two games are games where would be expecting 6 points, although at the moment I would suggest we won't even get 2. There's no passion, hunger, clue, desire on the pitch and every club would love to play us at the moment. A feeling that could well see us relegated unless drastic measures are taken to address this.

Im sorry for the rant, but just wanted to air my feelings.

UTV and Merry Christmas.

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. To all Fans: I have read ALL of your comments regarding the L'pool game in general and the remarks made GH in particular. I can assure you that I have passed on your thoughts to Randy, the Board and to our Manager. I am unable to get into GH's mind nor am I able to truly understand what he was feeling before, during and after the game....feelings that led him to make the comments he did. Equally, I am not going to try to minimize what he said...make excuses...or anything else. There is no denying what he said...it is there for all to see. What I don't know, as I indicated, is what was going through his mind at the time...and neither does anyone else. What I DO KNOW is what he put forth in his statement that was put out yesterday is FAR CLOSER to the reality of how he feels about our Club and our Fans. "...and I say emphatically that we will battle through. Building a lasting success at Aston Villa is my focus and my commitment to this challenge is resolute. It is down to us collectively as a Club to work hard to bring joy and success to the fans because the fans are the most important. They are vocal and fantastic, which I stated when when I first came here. They know we are in this together." I know that his comments and actions on Monday evening seem at odds with this statement BUT I have talked with the man, seen him in action at Bodymoor Heath and seen his devotion and passion for the Club and ALL are at odds with what took place on Monday night. Nothing can be done to retract what happened on Monday night...it is what it is. What I am saying is that I think I have a good sense of how he feels about the Club and Fans and it is exactly what you would want him to think and feel. Again, I am not in a position to understand what GH was feeling when he entered the Liverpool stadium on Monday...I only know what I have seen and heard as he has worked hard for our Club. We now have some fans who find fault with his statement...again, that is the right of the fans. I personally feel that the statement reflects the views of the man...that building "lasting success at Aston Villa is my focus and commitment to this challenge is resolute." Those who are looking for GH's head...who are asking that he be fired...have the right to feel that way....they buy the tickets and can say what they want. At the same time, Randy and the Board need to keep focused on the overall goal and we believe that GH plays a key role in achieving that goal.

2. Believe me, there is not a single person at Villa Park who does not understand where we are right now and how the fans feel. I cannot begin to tell you how much effort is being expended to get us on the right track. To think we are just sitting back and watching this all happen is to not know Randy, the Board or the Club. We are focused, driven, and working our bums off to get the ship back on track. Each fan has the absolute right to come on this thread and rant...I have NEVER shied away from the "good, bad, and ugly." At the same time, I feel I have a HUGE responsibility to NOT feed the Fans "spin" and PR but, rather, to give you my personal opinion and to help give the Fans a sense of where the Club is. Right now, we understand how you all are feeling and we are working hard to move forward. We have a good portion of the season ahead of us...we MUST NOT throw in the towel at this point...we need to all pull together.

[markavfc40]

General,

A very generic answer I feel but not answering any specific issue.

As one of the 1500 or so supporters on Monday night I am far more concerned that Houllier failed to acknowledge us at the end of the game but had a love in with the Liverpool supporters. This after we'd been served up typical Houllier tripe on the pitch yet still out sung his beloved kop. I don't really care about his comments afterwards and I know many others don't so please don't make that the big issue.

In fact in comparison to results even the issue of not acknowledging his own teams supporters pales in to insignificance.

How many we expecting on Saturday? lets hope its a big vociferous crowd and we can do the job this manager clearly can't and inspire the lads to 3 badly needed points. If we can't god help us.

Kind Regards

Mark

[lexicon]

Thanks for being patient with some of the angrier fans, General. I for one do believe you and I trust that you and everyone at the club are working as hard as you say are. This not an easy time for anyone here and the last thing anyone really needs to do is to fly off the handle and make a rash judgment/knee jerk reaction. I just hope that GH is backed sufficiently in the transfer market this winter.

[AshVilla]

General,

Thanks for your response I respect what your trying to say and i really want to give the manager time but after his comments the other night i cant forgive the guy he's made our club out to be a circus and a laughing stock in the eyes of the media.

I think 6 points out of our next 2 games is a minimum for him to even attempt to start getting the fans back on side.

[Richard]

General, I am not going to thank you for being patient or sycophantically say things like "god some of our fans general believe me they do not know how good we have it" or some such because quite frankly it was your decision to come on here and you take the rough with the smooth, that is part of the job.

The question from me, however, is that you have quoted large parts there of "Houllier's statement". Seems to me that is the corporate line the club is now using. Can you advise who wrote that for Houllier please and why that person neglected to include the words "I'm" and "Sorry"

[Rodders]

Hi General,

thanks for doing your best in trying circumstances. There are a larger section of support than might be supposed who are willing to give Gerard Houllier more time, and I for one am glad that Randy is definitely not one for listening to people at their emotional angriest peaks. ( that's not to diminish some of the genuine concerns by the way ).

As per Lexicon's words, I look forward to seeing the manager backed as necessary in the window.

UTV

[Maradona10]

General, but there is no apology from either yourself or Gerard clearly ignoring the Villa fans at Anfield and before we put a PR spin on it?I really hope our fans do not support or chant his name at Villa Park. As the board feel he's the right man, then i also hold you the board responsible for his actions on Monday.

Also General do the board feel a remarkable job is being done at the moment? Lets not bring excuses into it i.e. injuries. What is the overall perception of our team at the moment?

[fran_villa]

at what point does Randy sack this manager,how far does he have to push us down the league before things are done to prevent us from religation.imo,this man hasn't near done enough with this team to address the problems in our side.and he has only added fual to the fire with his Liverpool love in.he's a shamefull man that doesnt deserve this club and the great fans it has..shame on Randy for appointing such a pathetic clueless manager that has know feeling for this club..

i have to say from my own opinion,you're statement here has only made me feel even worse about the club,and the people that are running it..had a read of you're post again and its the same old PR again.

[Bebbo75]

Hi General,

How do you feel that the manager thought the 2nd goal was vital because it means the game is over, when there are still 60 mins to play out of a 90 min game?

[ONO]

How can an over the hill manager, unable to motivate anyone around him, even the fans play a key role in our future? Absolute madness. O'Leary mark 11 - Hiding away in the dugout and the constant romanticising about times gone by at another club. It is absolutely embarrassing and every Liverpool fan are laughing at us.

[VillaAndLoyal]

Hi General,

How do you feel that the manager thought the 2nd goal was vital because it means the game is over, when there are still 60 mins to play out of a 90 min game?

I too would like an answer to this question General.

How can the club continue to back a 'manager' with that defeatist mentality? Comments like that make his position untenable in my eyes and many others.

[villianusa]

General,

I appreciate you coming on the forums and reading all the open views on Monday's situation. I for one have backed GH and will continue to do so even though our position is very worrying. But, I have also stated that our fans were insulted by GH's actions and they deserve an apology. I don't think yesterday's statement was. I don't think he mean't it to come out the way it did but they were insulted none the same.

As my wife often says "Sorry goes along way. "

Looking forward to the next Villa game like I always do after the last one finished. That won't ever change not matter what division we are in. I do pray that is in the PL next season though.

[norton65ca]

I opened up the ESPN Soccernet site this morning (west coast of Canada here) and lo and behold, an interview with the Villa manager....

...about Liverpool.

I am appalled. Disgusted.

I have never posted here on your thread general, I have to be honest, not seen the need thus far as the club has been for the most part, steaming along nicely, and even when Martin left I had high hopes the board knew what they were doing and could find us a suitable replacement, and I have supported the new manager wholeheartedly, right up until this.

THIS. I will NEVER support a manager who has behaved in this manner towards the fans and the club. To add fuel to the bonfire by simply refusing to say sorry, well, General Krulak, that is the end for me. I do not wish to have any support for a manager who is so obviously a fan of another club, and won't stop talking about it. I never want to hear another feckin word about the reds and GHs time there, I'm sick to death of it to be honest. Enough is enough. A REAL apology is required, he has emphatically lost the fanbase with this stupidity, a 3-0 loss is one thing, to embarrass us all through this passionate love affair with the bin dippers and to display ones affair in public like this is a disgrace I will never forgive.

Houllier OUT. There, I've said it. Begone Monsieur Houllier, You're not welcome at my club anymore.

[Richard]

General, further to my earlier question I have read and re-read your post and have to say I am a little confused.

On the one hand you say you cannot get into Houllier's head and understand what he is feeling, but on the other hand you say you know him sufficiently well enough to know how he works and what he feels about the club.

How does that work then? I mean if you are unable to be clear on what he is feeling or get in his head over one thing, then how do you genuinely know what you feel to be correct on the other side of the coin is actually correct?

[Razor]

very generic response General, dissapointing.