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

[ChrisNichollsToe]

General,

Congatulations to the catering staff this evening.

I actually got hold of a pie at half time!!!!!!!!!

Good win aswell

[b6bloke]

Hi General, just letting you know I posted you a PM a while ago about text competitions and my ideas about them from a marketing and revenue generation point of view. No rush on getting back to me but would appreciate a response from yourself when you get the chance, and perhaps forward it onto anyone who deals with competitions or the text system, or maybe a contact I could send the idea to directly.

This was raised for you at the SGM by Kiddybloke, there is a thread on this with an answer.

[John_Lerwill]

Hello General,

A question was put to the SCG last week about the proposed museum and whether someone sufficently qualified as a Villa historian would be appointed to advise on the proper display of the club's history;

This was the response given to the question as reported on Villa Talk:

8. Museum Progress - ... We have a new archivist but apparently we have very little to put in a museum due to a "lack of vision in safe guarding our history in years gone by". They dont envisage this will have mass appeal to non-villa fans so will try and make it an interactive experience, aiming at school kids etc.

As you know I was formerly the Club Historian and did not and would not agree with this response. Though there is a shortage in terms of artefacts, there is no reason why the museum could not be on a par with any other Premier museum with the application of proper imagination and effort in my opinion.

Regardless of that, I happen to know that there is at least one former player who has a wealth of artefacts he would offer to the museum at least on a loan basis.

I gave my clear opinion on this in 2009 to a meeting I attended which included various senior members of the club's management, including how a well-designed museum could be a considerable attraction and submitted financial projections to match those claims.

There are many Villa fans that would be interested in a proper museum allied to visitors from the fans of other clubs who are keen to visit such places. Manchester United often achieve 300,000 visitors per year. I have no doubt that Villa could attract at least 50,000 or much more if a museum is properly designed.

General, the club has a wealth of history that is perhaps better than any other club in respect of the number of years Aston Villa has been a significant club. I submit that the club can and should reveal its history in a manner according to the majesty of that history.

I would like to propose that an advisory group be established under the direction of (perhaps) Charlie Aitken in order to identify what can and should be done in this regard.

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

Hi Gen!!

Ashley Young...

He said: “I’ve always said that I’m willing to sign a new deal. If it comes along then I’ll be delighted to sign.

“When things change at a club you are looking forward to a new regime, with the new manager coming in who has his own way of thinking.”

Now do it

[TrentVilla]

Hi General,

Picking up on the museum question, is it possible to ask what exactly was meant in terms of the lack of vision in 'safeguarding our history'? I know the old Trinity stand was knock down with little though to the past but surely there are plenty of other items within the club that would be of interest.

I used to be a member of the old McGregor club in the old Trinity Road stand and there was a wealth of historical items in that club that I was amazed at as a youth. What has happened to these? Could these not be displayed? Also their is the trophy room which I seem to recall from visits as a kid was stuffed with 100 years plus pieces of silverwear.

In addition if a museum would be a viable proposition would it not make sense for the club to be investing time, resources and perhaps money into securing items that could fill in gaps left in our history. I myself have seen former players medals and England caps up for sale.

In addition given the marketing slogan the club has used in recent years should the club not be making an effort to right the wrongs of the past in this respect. I know some effort has been made on this front with the outside of Villa Park but a museum would seem like the next logical step.

One last question, what steps are being put in place now to protect the history of the future and preserve items now which will be of interest in the future?

[John_Lerwill]

Hi General,

I used to be a member of the old McGregor club in the old Trinity Road stand and there was a wealth of historical items in that club that I was amazed at as a youth. What has happened to these? Could these not be displayed? Also their is the trophy room which I seem to recall from visits as a kid was stuffed with 100 years plus pieces of silverwear.

If I could just butt in here :winkold: I know what you are referring to, and, yes, some of those items would be applicable for re-display or cycled to give variety from time to time.

However, in terms of substantial 'relics', most are already on display in the Legends Lounge and The McGregor. There are not that many, but amazing things can be done these days to represent history without the objects being available.

In addition if a museum would be a viable proposition would it not make sense for the club to be investing time, resources and perhaps money into securing items that could fill in gaps left in our history. I myself have seen former players medals and England caps up for sale.

I agree. Some of that was done whilst I was there ... important medallions from the 1880s and 1890s were acquired. Plus a donation of several of Albert Wilkes' caps but which are in need of restoration etc.

[andycv]

General,

My question is about sponsorship. We signed up several major new partners during the summer. I've noticed that neither Heineken nor viagogo have exposure on the led perimeter hoardings where their predecessors did - is there any particular reason for this and does it mean that these partners have paid us less than previous partners that took the official ticket exchange partner and beer and cider supplier partners? The previous partners had a significant presence on the perimeter advertising.

Second, related question, does Villa limit the number of partners that we have so as to increase the value of each partnership to the club?

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. villa4europe: As I am sure you are aware, we do not a) schedule games, schedule locations of games, c) schedule kick off times. I am sorry you found yourself in a traffic jam but I am afraid there is not much that we could do about it.

2. paulanddonya: Will get the clock fixed.

3. John-Lerwell and Trent Villa: We will have a museum. That has been a goal of the Club since Randy arrived...it will happen. I stand by the comment about not "safeguarding artifacts." Simply put, when we arrived and started to look into the establishment of a museum, we were surprised by the lack of artifacts available....and the condition of those that were available. I have been involved in the establishment of the US Marine Corps Heritage Center and although you would expect there to be many artifacts for that museum (and there are) I expected some sort of historical program to exist at the Villa. It may have existed but there was no real effort to maintain what artifacts we had and to collect others. I am not deriding anyone on this point, just stating the facts. Having to rely on asking "former players" for artifacts is NOT a professional way to run a railroad. We will get the museum up and running and it will be very nice. We do have an archivist working with us now and hopefully we will begin to compile those artifacts that will make our museum a wonderful place to visit.

2. A good win last night. I thought that GH had a good formation and that, after a slow start, we really picked things up. He had a nice mixture of experience and youth and used them well. I disagree with the "hint" that we are not interested in winning this Cup...quite to the contrary, I believe GH has been very clear on this point.

[TrentVilla]

Great news General, thanks.

[John_Lerwill]

General Krulak here:

3. John-Lerwell and Trent Villa: We will have a museum. That has been a goal of the Club since Randy arrived...it will happen. I stand by the comment about not "safeguarding artifacts." Simply put, when we arrived and started to look into the establishment of a museum, we were surprised by the lack of artifacts available....and the condition of those that were available. I have been involved in the establishment of the US Marine Corps Heritage Center and although you would expect there to be many artifacts for that museum (and there are) I expected some sort of historical program to exist at the Villa. It may have existed but there was no real effort to maintain what artifacts we had and to collect others. I am not deriding anyone on this point, just stating the facts. Having to rely on asking "former players" for artifacts is NOT a professional way to run a railroad. We will get the museum up and running and it will be very nice. We do have an archivist working with us now and hopefully we will begin to compile those artifacts that will make our museum a wonderful place to visit.

Thank you for your comments and your time.

Forgive me, General, but would it be possible for you to expand on the museum plans so we have a better idea of what is planned, including its size? The SCG feedback seemed to indicate mainly an interactive provision for youngsters, hence the original question I raised.

Thank you.

[villacrossthemersey]

General - I note your comments re asking former players for articles to be included in the new museum - why not put out a general request to fans for their artifacts - we may well uncover items that people have held in their families for many years.

Regretably one of the Gold brothers purchased a replica of the cup stolen from our custody back in the day. Said replica was recently displayed at the Football Museum at Preston - it displayed blue and white ribbons - most amusing as the rabble have never won it!

Rather than attempt to prise this away from Mr Gold perhaps the club could commission a local silversmith to produce another replica - I am sure that there is a company in the jewellery quarter (Hockley) that would be honoured to have the business.

[Richard]

General since we have changed manager has there been a change in policy in the following two areas

1. Do we still operate sell to buy

2. Does the new manager still need to "get a handle" on wages

[JohnGoodman]

General,

Picking up on the issue of artefacts for a museum, I for one would be happy to donate on a permanent basis all the bits and pieces I have collected over the years, happy in the knowledge that they would be enjoyed by other Villa fans. I'm sure I would not be on my own.

[Rodders]

General,

how is Fabien Delph's recuperation going and is back in training yet?

thanks!

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. villacrossthemersey: Perhaps you are unaware but....Randy did commission a silversmith to produce a 100% accurate replica Cup...and has had it on display since we honored the '82 lads.

2. John_Lerwell: We have had several looks at the design for the Museum...from a stand alone building next to the Holte End to rooms in the Holte Inn to a location in a newly designed North Stand. We have not yet homed in on a particular location at this time because we have not finished with the work of our archivist and obtaining artifacts. Yes, it will be a place for our youth...to hopefully become familiar with this great Club and its history. At the same time, it will obviously be a place where adults can come a remember "the old days."

3. richard: As I think I have tried to make clear on multiple occasions, we do not have a "sell to buy" philosophy. What we do have is the common business sense that you cannot continue to operate with a wage bill that exceeds the % desired to achieve a revenue to deficit ratio that makes sense. If you have players that are not part of the Manager's overall plan but are still on the Club's wage bill, it makes sense to see if a sale can be achieved that is fair to the player and to the Club.

4. Fabien is recuperating according to schedule.

[c-krulak]

General krulak here:

1. I have just finished my backlog of pm's. I want to sincerely apologize to those who wrote me and had to wait for so long for a reply. Some issues were overtaken by events...and, again, I am sorry. I also greatly appreciate some of the kind messages re. the past couple of months. I tried to pass all of them to Randy. Again, I apologize for the delay.

[rjw63]

General krulak here:

1. I have just finished my backlog of pm's. I want to sincerely apologize to those who wrote me and had to wait for so long for a reply. Some issues were overtaken by events...and, again, I am sorry. I also greatly appreciate some of the kind messages re. the past couple of months. I tried to pass all of them to Randy. Again, I apologize for the delay.

No need to apologise General, we know you've been a bit busy :-)

[hobbo]

I heard that the kit launch delay was down to a certain someone intervening at the last minute based on their liking of the Croatia kit - nothing to do with Nike. I heard this from somebody very well connected.

Any comment?

[bakerbob]

Hi General.

I was reading yesterday that our new manager had signed his contract, this was on SSN and the BBC and what have we got on the OS ....... 00000.

If Villa are trying to increase its income from the OS then I think it must improve on its news coverage and be the FIRST with Villa news.

[John_Lerwill]

General Krulak here:

2. John_Lerwell: ... Yes, it will be a place for our youth...to hopefully become familiar with this great Club and its history. At the same time, it will obviously be a place where adults can come a remember "the old days."

General, it fills me (and, probably, quite a number of others) with disappointment to read between the lines here and see that that it is not likely that there will be a museum near the same scale as (let's say) Manchester United, particularly as Aston Villa's longer history is in fact much more significant to the entire footballing world.

I never thought that a museum on the scale of Barcelona's would be a requirement, but there are quite a few that thought that a half-way house would be the outcome for Villa. Some consider that Ajax's museum could be a suitable model.

As a fan recently wrote (to me): "... there should be no reason that a proper museum of artifacts, photographs, newsreel footage and so on could not be gathered and presented in a fantastically interesting way. It's not about attracting new fans to the club. It's about strengthening the bonds within the Villa family. It's about showing your kids and grandkids things from matches you attended and telling stories."

The absence of many artefacts is probably the basis for your reasoning, but, with imagination, displays could be produced that would really fire the interest of supporters and non-supporters alike. There are so many stories that can be brought to life and which do not rely on artefacts and which perhaps would not be best presented in interactive facilities.

Of course, expenditure could be a matter of concern and the thought that, within the confines of Villa Park, large space given over to a museum might be better utilised for something else.

However, I recognise the great effort made by Mr. Lerner in presenting a hugely more positive face to Villa Park, and for that I am sure he has the fans' deepest gratitude.

Thank you for responding to my queries.