juanpabloangel18 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi General, I seem to be wading through more and more articles as each day passes about how this season has shown just how great MON was, and consequentially criticisms of Randy for 'not giving him the money he needed'. Is the club going to do anything to stop these lies? It makes my blood boil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-krulak Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 General Krulak here: 1. The noise of the Villa Fans on the TV was awesome! When Bent scored his goal, my TV set bounced up 2 inches!!! 2. The Game: I was so very proud of our Manager and of our Lads. GH obviously had a good plan and had the Lads ready to go and the Lads gave it 110%. Seriously, they played their guts out...and the defense was simply magnificent. For a Yank, Bent's goal was very instructive. You could see that, in many ways, it was "instinctive." It was almost as if he knew the ball was going to pop out and he was exactly where he had to be...and he knew how to put it in the back of the net. I went crazy!! 3. I thought the Reserve score was superb. Obviously we are very happy with the way they played...and the way our youth team and our younger players are doing. SO MUCH credit needs to go the KM and his coaches...we are blessed with some really great people who know how to develop young talent. 4. I have not much more to offer re. Ash than what the Manager has said. He was pretty clear that he didn't want him to go. 5. I obviously will not get into a discussion re. our previous Manager. I think it is pretty obvious by the amount of money that Randy has spent on players since his arrival at AVFC that he has supported his managers. I think that Randy has always made it a point to say, "Watch what I do...measure me on my actions." People just need to judge him by what he does. I will say that we have absolute faith in GH and believe that he is taking all the right steps to move us up the tables. This last game is a perfect example of where the Club is going. We still have a long way to go and there will be bumps in the road but we all need to get behind GH and the Lads because I am convinced they are going to do some very special things for our Club in the coming years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sit_Down_Potato_Head Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Welcome back Sir! In order not to fall foul of the Mods' deletion policy, my question is "Are you concerned about the attendance at Villa Park this season?" To me, I would've expected a the attendance to break the 40,000+ barrier, but we seem to be a few thousand less than that. I'd have expeceted the Man City game to be nearing a sell-out, given the new players we'd signed, but it being on TV and the cold could've kept some of us away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellyoakvilla Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi General, hope you are well. Are we any further on getting cashpoints inside the ground? The two nearest cash points (Tesco, newsagent near train station - where you have to pay to withdraw money!) are a bit out of the way if you are a Holte Ender like me. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oaks Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi General; Can i take it that we will never help out another team managed by Ian Holloway again after helping his team gain promotion by loaning Bannan last season and him forgetting this by calling us a "half assed team that used to be famous". Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1380 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi General - welcome back! My question is a bit techie! I have an iPad and every time I use the Safari browser to access the official site I get an advert to download the official app (which I have!!!) and I can't get rid of it rendering the official site unaccessible! Could you have a word, the app is good on my phone but not so good on iPad! Cheers! UTV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlewis Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi General My question is about the wage bill and the club going forward. As we are (and I believe now achieving) a significant reduction in our wage bill, what is the aim? I feel Villa should be looking to push their top salaries to perhaps add another feather to their bow when it comes to transfers. I don't know for certain what our MAXIMUM salary we offer is but I think to kick on we should be able to compete with any club outside the sky 4 and Man city. Obviously champions league money helps, but with so many youth players coming into our first team on long contracts and many older high earners leaving or on the way out is the goal to reduce the wage bill and keep it low? Or reduce the wage bill and use some of that saving to offer better salaries andbe more competitive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micflair Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 General, Sorry to re-iterate my question but when will the ticketing website be updated so we can pick our own seats for the games? Ive seen it on United's eticketing site, and now even Wigan have it before us! The ticketing website is also a pain, sometimes it wont allow you to book seats even though you have the correct amount of booking history etc.. Have a nice day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear_1982 Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 For multiple posters, please accept the thread rules. Thanks This thread is for Q&A, the raising of issues and the passing of info two ways ONLY. It is NOT for discussions or banter between posters. [Please look to see if your question has already been asked or answered before posting. Questions about transfers may not be asked, unless previously mentioned by the General. Posts which direct abuse or invective against anyone are not permitted and will be deleted, as will posts consisting solely of fawning praise. The General has stated that hard questions are welcome...the good, bad and ugly...that he is not afraid of them. If he believes any are too incendiary, he just won't answer them. If the General makes a specific comment on a transfer then that specific transfer is "fair game." He asks posters to please understand that comments made on the thread either by Fans or himself are "fair game" to the media and therefore to please understand that we are on an "open site" and the club may wish to avoid certain issues as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-krulak Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Generaal Krulak here: 1. Attendance at Villa Park is slightly concerning. When you have a game such as ManCity and we are introducing new players...and we still can't fill the stadium, it is a concern. Likewise, we have had many games where the attendance has been well below what was hoped for. The reasons are legion...the economy, the timing, the play on the Pitch, etc. etc. At the same time, we all recognize that AVFC, like all FC's, is more than just a Club, it is a business. Attendance plays a role in the revenue to expense equation. We really need to see our Fans filling up the seats and when that doesn't happen, the entire Club suffers. Randy and the Board recognize our responsibility in this equation and we just hope that the Fans come out to see the Lads play. 2. Cash Points: As I have said before, we have asked several banks to support our effort here but they are reluctant to install cash points (costs them money and costs them labor) at a location that only gets business on certain days. We are continuing to push. 3. I will check on the iPad issue...I have an iPad and I have not run across the problem you describe. 4. Wage bill. A key part of any football Club is the % of expense related to wage bill. If that % can be kept to a manageable level, then many things are possible. We are working to manage our wage bill and have been since taking over the Club. It is an issue that is on every owner's mind...not just AVFC. If we can keep the wage bill within the right % points, then we can be far more effective in the transfer markets and in paying the players we have. ALL Clubs are working towards that goal. 5. As you know, we have been working to get the ticketing web site updated...and we should have it ready to go soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 General, welcome back and thank you for the comical answers to the questions the other day. Question, did Ian Holloway ever make advances about taking over from MON? Legal complications I know, but would be interested if there was an answer you can give. It might explain his irrational behaviour towards avfc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukedaw Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 what are Villa goals for now and the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolteEndRob Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hi General, Are there any plans to rename the Doug Ellis Stand back to the Witton Lane Stand? I personally think that it is long overdue. Keep up the good, hard work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maloneyt Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hi General great to have you back. A group of us are messaging across the AVFC forums about creating a club anthem. We are looking to set up a poll on each in the near future and then add up the results to give the winner which we would like to hear at the ground. My question is whether you and the club would be behind it if we came to you when we have our decision? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-krulak Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 General Krulak here: 1. The Club would absolutely support an anthem that had the sponsorship of the Fans. I have long felt that such an effort should be fan-induced vice by the Club. 2. I am sure that Randy would be reluctant to change the name of the stand...it would be like a punch in the face to Mr. Ellis. That is not Randy's style. 3. dodgyknees: That is one that is not worth talking about...and not one I would even know about. 4. Our goals remain the same...to provide consistent, winning, exciting, football. To win as much silverware as we possibly can. To build on the strong traditions and ethos of Aston Villa Football Club. To understand the importance of the Villa "Family" and strive to ensure that the "Family" is always proud of the Club. To build the Club for the long term...to understand that infrastructure is critically important to long term success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heystally! Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Hi General, Regarding the club anthem idea, many people have suggested a full version of the song Holtenders In The Sky. Now don't get me wrong, I love singing "Holtenders in the sky, Yippee Yi Yaaaay, Yippee Yi Ohhhhh" as much as the next Villa fan, but if you have read the Project Anthem thread you'll realise what the full lyrics of that song relate too. Now as you said the club would fully support an anthem, would that include one with lyrics that would (in my opinion) most likely show off a negative image of our club and supporters? I certainly want a decent, original song to be belted out by the Claret and Blue Army, but is this particular one a no-goer? Best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Hi General, I realise it's a while away but are you planning on coming to any home games this year, in particular the last game against Liverpool at home? UTV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jez Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 General, Is the North stand still being re-developed? Is there a time frame for this if so when, or does it depend on performance on the pitch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maloneyt Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Great to hear your behind the club anthem idea. would be really appreciated if you could get this poll or a link to it on the Official site... http://sigpoll.com/34554.html thanks again, much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-krulak Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 General Krulak here: 1. Micflair: Nicky Keye has provided an update of ticketing. "The select your seat solution has been escalated to the sender developers at Ticketmaster. We apologize for the delay in bringing this to our Fans. We hope to update you as soon as possible once the issue has been resolved and tested. In the meantime, to purchase a particular seat, pls contact consumer sales on the free phone 0800 612 0970 or call into the Villa Village ticket office or City Center store." Nicky indicated if you would call her, she would help in any issue you might have right now. 2. I will absolutely be at the Liverpool game. 3. The North Stand will be renovated...and as I have said before, one of the keys to the redevelopment will be a desire to see an increase in attendance at matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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