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

[QuintonK6]

Hi General,

As has been mentioned in other threads our away support over the last few seasons has dwindled quite sufficiently and this was very evident on Monday night at Stoke by the huge number of red seats in our end of the Britannia stadium.

I myself have been a member of the away scheme for 7 seasons and attend all but 3/4 away games per season due to work commitments.

A few seasons back and even before the new era of yourself,Randy,MON etc our away support was excellent.

This is the 2nd season of the 3 ticket return rule and your out for away scheme members and I think this new(ish) rule has contributed to the low turn outs at away games. I know of 2 season tickets holders who have dropped out the scheme this season due to the 3 game rule.

Do you think we should go back to the old scheme in order to get the lost supporters back for away games as it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. VTID.

[Oaks]

Hi General;

I have to say i haven't been a big fan of the process in bringing in a new manager, and im also not the biggest fan of the choice of the new manager and also believe the whole process has taken a ridiculous amount of time. Also i was never gonna buy the new kit as i think it vile anyway.

Im just happy its all over now, and i can support the new manager, as he has the right to prove me wrong and i hope he does.

All the best, i hope the board have learned a great deal from the process.

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. Steve Stride asked to leave the Club. I am not sure of his exact reasoning but I would imagine he just felt it was time for him to go. I very much like Steve. He has a place just up the road from me in Florida and he and his family have been out to dinner with us on more than on occasion. A very good man.

2. Obviously I am not going to go into any details re. KM other than to say that no one was guaranteed a position within the Club. KM is very well liked by Randy and the Board...is a very good man and served selflessly when MON left. We absolutely want him to remain with the Club and believe that he will. He does a superb job and is an integral part of our Club.

3. GH and his timing. I am not sure how many times I have to answer this question. We made an agreement with him based on what he felt he needed to do to meet his obligations. I understand that some don't agree....but we felt it was important that he do what he felt was right.

4. Oaks: Sorry all of this took too long in your opinion...as I have said many times, it just wasn't as easy as most fans would imagine. Obviously you don't believe that...but it is a fact. Just look at the timing of the departure of MON and where other Managers were in their own seasons and perhaps you might get a sense of the beginning of the timing issues.

[jonno_2004]

What is your opinion of the Bolton game, General?

[PaulMcgrathsknees]

General,

I know this one is like a broken record, but...............

3 home matches so far. I only want 2 hot drinks at half time, but I can't get anywhere near the bloody counter! So far no half time spends at VP! Maybe I'm selfish, but I don't want to miss a minute of the match and get a half time drink?

Lower Holte by the way. If I want a Heineken - easy! Find one of those barrel carriers! But I go with the son and 5 years yet before we have a half time beer!

Just a coffee and hot chocolate......... Is it really too much to ask?

[NulliSecundus]

General please pass on my thanks to whoever got Heiniken on board for our drinks suppliers. Don't care for Fosters at all but it was so nice to have a real tasting lager today (Heiniken Export) rather than that piss water Carlsberg we were served last season. OK, it's not real ale, but it tasted like a Lager with hops, barley and malt in it and it was a very refreshing (literally!) change! I also bought it from the portable keg guys and it took all of 1 minute to get one, brilliant!

[granville]

General,

2 things:

1) The Speaker system in the Holte End today sounded faint and muffled. I couldn't understand a word the bloke said. It's been fine from when it was fixed up until now. What happened to it?

2) A suggestion about the scoreboard. I know the other big screen is gone, it's disappointing but I'm sure I'll live. The display on the scoreboard that's replaced it is a bit basic though; it has the teams names, then a big gap, then the scores, then a massive Villa badge, then the time. Is there no way the space on there could be used better?

Such as: Instead of team names just initials or even just "Us" and "Them", then the scores right close to that, no badge on there and then the time close to the scores. That way the other half of the board could be used for scrolling through the team lists, game stats, etc.

Also at half time could it please scroll through the scores from the other PL games? It can't be hard to set that up and everyone who can't see the other screen would really appreciate it.

Thanks.

[ShaldonAVFC]

Hi

Do you know when we will have pints of lager or bitter back in the lower north

Currently it's 2.80 for half a fosters in a plastic bottle! £5.60 for a pint,£6.20 for a pint of cider is a rip off . The staff just smile when you ask !!!

[hobbo]

hi gen

Did you attend the match yesterday? What are your thoughts?

[Brumstopdogs]

After a poor display as manager from Kevin MacDonald (we haven't played a team who finished in the top seven last season yet) at least he'll no longer be in charge of the first team.

To think that he was even being considered for the full time role is a huge concern - as I said weeks ago he's completely out of his depth and sadly I've been proven right.

When I saw the starting line up vs Bolton and saw no Reo Coker and Carew it just made be cringe to think we've allowed someone so inexperienced to manage what was supposed to be a top four challenge. Arguably our most physical player in midfield and up front sitting on the bench while our team clearly lacking balance struggled again.

Fingers crossed for Houllier. Let's hope the Board give him the financial backing he will need after the lack of investment this year that has, as expected, led to Villa being less competitive on the pitch.

Do you agree that the lower attendances (home and away support) is reflective of the average fan's declining confidence and belief in the way the club is being run?

[bubbadog]

Good Morning General Sir.

I sent you a PM over a fortnight ago. I appreciate you are a busy man but I would have liked an acknowledgement that my issue was being dealt with somewhere at the club.

If you get the chance would you take a look please.

Many thanks

[Don_Simon]

Morning General,

Hope you are well and enjoying a lazy Sunday.

Im going to give you a little insight into my VP experience yesterday, it will probably bore you, and you may even ignore it altogether (i probably would!), but getting it off my chest may help me put it into perspective, so here we go...

Yesterday at VP, when sat in the Holte, I see the screen by the North Stand has been taken away. I understand this has been discussed already, possibly many times, but it does detract from the experience for fans in the Holte End who cant see any replays of action. Fortunatley, the "football" on offer yesterday was so woeful, i wouldnt have wanted to live through it twice.

The PA system in the Holte End seems to have reached an all time low in terms of audible quality. Literally not one announcement was understandable, which although not a great concern, is something that should be addressed, for safety purposes if nothing else.

At half time, when we had hit our inevitable apathy and lethargy on the pitch, my brother and I decided to nip down to one of the concourses in block K2 to get one of the tasty new Heineken beers, with the intention of hopefully raising our spirits given the players were doing such a grand job of dampening them. Having queued at the woefully understaffed concourse for 10 minutes, we were told very abruptly that the Heineken's "not working, just pick something else". Thus, we were left with paying, i think, £2.80 for a bottle of warm Fosters.

As the second half started, the football was typically abysmal for Aston Villa when playing at home. Cant be bothered to go into the match itself in any detail, im sure you are well aware that Messers Houllier and Mcallister have a great deal of work to do. I dont know the exact statistics, but I would hazard a guess that our home record over the past 3 seasons would see us hovering slightly above the relegation zone in terms of league placing. Something must be done here, otherwise the 10,000 empty seats we saw yesterday will become the norm, rather than a blip.

The reason for this post I guess is just to make you aware that yesterday, were it not for a bit of banter with my chums, was a truly rubbish experience at Villa Park. It seems more and more that a total overhaul of all things Villa is needed at the moment, and im not quite sure where you guys should begin.

My faith in Randy, however, is unwavered.

All the best General,

Don Simon.

[ChrisNichollsToe]

General, a question on our catering.

Sad to say that this is now the second game in a row that i have gone for something to eat at half time, only to find that there is nothing left.

I should really diet, but my kids get hungry and should surely be able to get something to eat at half time if they wish?

[Villarocker]

Hi General,

I would like to make you aware, just in case you aren't already, of a terrible incident that happened at yesterday's game with Bolton. A 77 year old Bolton man died at the game. Here is a link to this sad news http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/8400831.Bolton_fan_dies_at_football_match/

I think it would be nice if the club could do something for this poor man, maybe send a wreath on behalf of everybody at AVFC? I am sure I speak for all fans by sending our condolences to the family and friends of what must have been a loyal supporter of Bolton Wanderers. Put it this way, I hope I am still able to go and watch my team when I am 77.

Thanks for your time General UTV.

[Brumstopdogs]

It sounds like we are losing a fair bit of revenue with the way the catering is set up at present.

When is someone going to get a grip on this? These are the same issues people have been mentioning for ages.

Surely whoever is responsible for sorting these issues out need to pull their finger out?

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. The game: I am sure that my feelings mirrored most fans. I thought we started off brightly but then lost the sharpness and movement that characterized the first of the game. I was gutted by the result because we are a better team than that...but we didn't show it. I believe we have the lads to do the job but we need to be consistent. GH saw everything that you saw and I am sure took note of what he saw.

2. Catering: I have passed all comments on to the Head of Catering Although some feel we have made little progress in this area, I can promise you we have made great strides. Our problem remains the same as we have had since we arrived...the infrastructure of our facility is so tight that the ability to get people into concourses in a timely manner is difficult. We recognize this fact and have taken steps to expedite the movement of food and drink but there is only so much that can be done in the space and time allotted.

3. "pm's": For those who have pm'd me (39 in the queue right now) and have not received an answer...I promise I will get to you. I pass on all major issues immediately to the Club so it i not that action hasn't been taken. The issue is simple: I have been so busy answering issues re. the Manager, kit, etc. that taking time to answer pm's has been difficult to say the least.

4. Re. the attendance: Yes, I would imagine that the play of the team and the issues of the summer have impacted on the attendance...I am not sure what the Club can do about it at this point in time. We need to win games, simple as that. What I would hope is that the Fans continue to support the Club and get behind GH. We have a long season ahead of us and we can still do good things. Our goal and ambition remains!! Randy will support GH.

[paulanddonya]

Gen

I know this is a small thing, but it is a small thing I have raised time and time again on here - and still it hasn't been sorted.

I went to the Bolton game, and forgive me if I am wrong - it didn't kick off a 10.23.

CAN YOU PLEASE FIX THE CLOCK IN THE LOWER HOLTE CONCOURSE !

3 yrs we have had a lovely, Victorian timepiece that someone can't be bothered to put a battery in.

It may seem a little thing, but we aren't talking a million pound to put it right. In fact, put a ladder by it - and I'll bring the battery !.

Seriously, you go down to have a chat with your mates at Half time and you don't know if it is time to go back up.

I can't understand the problem, surely we have a maintenance person who can change a battery !, or are we that hard up

Edit

On above, listen to the fans. the worst league attendance for about 4yrs. I've raised the concern each April for 3 yrs. As Whitney Houston said "I believe that children are our future" - so if you agree, stop hiking the kids season tickets up, and maybe people will bring their kids, the attendance will rise, the kids will want the kit....etc....etc....etc.

The match day prices, I admit cannot be beat. But ST's for kids have rocketed over the past two years, and you are now paying the price.

[atalbot01]

General

Just thought I would share my experience of the Bolton game, as it was a momentous occasion for me taking my 4 year old son to his first game....

Firstly, he loved it, the atmosphere, set up etc.... think we have another fan for life...!!

However, we sat in the Family enclosure in the Trinity Road.... and whilst I can say that the general set up there is very good... our seats were extremely disappointing, and the use of Industrial language was can I say 'disappointing'.

Having been a season ticket holder for a number of years, I am all too aware that you cant control the use of bad language as sadly its part and parcel of watching the game... but the fact that a Family enclosure is populated by groups of Non family attendees only increases the use of language which is not acceptable for a 4 year old to be hearing (and then subsequently repeating when we got back home to see mum..)

What was disappointing about this I guess is the fact that the stewards did not appear to be controlling the behaviour and language of the non family ticket holders...

I also mentioned the view... when the tickets were purchased we were advised that we 'may' have a barrier in our line of sight... but it shouldnt pose any problems... let me tell you the barrier DID obstruct our view... and we were both unable to see the activity in the Holte End goal area... luckily the game was so poor that there wasn't any meaningful activity to view other than the Bolton goal... The seats were chosen on the basis that should I need to move up and down to the toilet or concourse area to keep my son busy (unpredictable 4 year old...!) to ensure that we would cause minimum disruption to others around me...

The seats were terrible, and we were definately misadvised by the club ticket office.

Finally... others have mentioned this... but the Half time refreshment facilities are poor... the queue was massive, and by the time we got to the front, there was nothing left...

Overall, as mentioned the experience was a good one because it was his first game at the Villa... but it could have been so much better.

If you need further info, please feel free to PM me...

Thanks

Andy

[Razor]

Hi General,

this is just a minor annoyance rather than a proper complaint, but anyway....

i ordered a Villa jacket from the online store which was XL, first of all the sizes are ridiculous, im not even that big, 5 foot 10 and 12 stone but this was way to small for me, anyway, after sending it back to ask for an XXL (im not sure how this would fit any larger person and this is the biggest size), i was sent a letter saying i would be charged £5 for returning it. It wasn't a request, they just TOLD me they would take £5 without checking it would be ok, which i found pretty rude, what if i didn't have £5 in there and it made me go overdrawn and recieve a bank charge? Fortunately i did, just about. It doesn't cost anywhere near £5 to send it, i payed £2 odd for recorded delivery to send it back. Anyway, a slight change of policy needed there imo.

Keep up the good work and i can't wait to see how GH moves us on.

[ChrisNichollsToe]

General,

Did Houllier enjoy his first training session with the lads?