villafc82 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 General, please answer this question. I'm struggling to get my head around something as I can't understand the logic in this. After the West Brom defeat and conceding a goal from yet another set-piece, Gary McAllister repeated something in the press that Gerard Houllier has said previously. He said "we need to practice defending set-pieces this coming pre-season." Now this angered all of us fans because, A) We said this months ago and Houllier refused to change defensive tactics when reporters questioned him on it, & There are games still to play this season that the coaching staff, players and fans know we are going into unprepared defensively. We're an open target! The question I have for you though is simple, with Gary McAllister so insistent that the players need to be re-trained to defend better, why on earth has he taken a day off to play golf in the sunshine at the Belfry? I don't understand the logic in this, the game coming up this weekend against Wigan is crucial to our survival and not only is our manager not with us right now, but our caretaker manager is having a day off to play? Are Aston Villa taking the p***? Not being funny but Aston Villa V Wigan is a big game, one we are all nervous about and currently worrying over, yet the man who is in charge of our club whilst the manager is away seems to not have a care in the world after losing to a local rival. He insisted we weren't good enough defensively and needed improvements and the first thing he's done is play golf? My question is simple; WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??? Surely that day out could have been cancelled? Not sure about Gary McAllister but I consider Aston Villa's survival bid just a little bit more important than a round of golf!! Or am I being crazy? Please get back to me! p.s. I'm a loyal season ticket holder and should we lose this weekend I will boo Gary McAllister out of Villa Park! Edit: Somebody has mentioned that it was a charity event. I respect that and agree with the reasoning to have such an event, but I do not agree that in such a crucial week that Gary McAllister should have attended. Couldn't somebody who is less important to our preperations for this Saturday attend instead? E.g. I'm sure Aston Villa's Club Ambassador Ian Taylor would love to have gone! It appears from a fans point of view that Aston Villa are being lazy & hoping we ride our luck for the last few games. I'm not saying the club definately has but it appears that Aston Villa have currently got their priotrites all wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-67 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 General, The fact that we believe Aston Villa versus Wigan Athletic is a BIG GAME says it all about our season really. There was a time when Aston Villa versus Manchester United/Chelsea/Arsenal was a big game. Please, make the right decision and get it sorted as a board. Either make a statement that the club is going to back Gerard Houllier, thus settling the fans expectations down or dismiss him/retire him if the health issue requires it. We all wish Gerard nothing but the very best in any battle against ill health but the club must come first. I appreciate you coming on to this board to answer questions, quibbles, moans and groans. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbauer24 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I would hope I don't need to say this but I'll put it down in writing. I'm sure the Villa board are fully aware of this: Please, please don't buy or sell ANY players until such time Aston Villa have released a statement saying that Houllier is/ is not our manager and we have a clear leader who will be at the club in August/ September. I think it goes without saying that there will be uproar if this happens as it will be seen as either Board interference, or extremely poor running of a football club. I don't want to get into the Ireland thing again, but we all know what happened there regarding 'who bought him' and that was much more of a complicated/ surprising event. Fans, and the greater public, should know who's in charge for DEFINITE before any players join or leave. Please don't carry on regardless with Houllier's signings if we're unsure he's staying, as even with the best intentions they may not be who the next manager wants. Again, see Ireland. On the flip side, players who may have not quite seen eye to eye with Houllier and the management team may fit into any new systems. Finally, banging the same drum: when do you think we will be announcing a new sponsor? Is it dependent on mathematical safety? And how confident are you that the sponsorship issue will not effect the shirt release date? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoody Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 For once, I agree with JackBauer. Any sales or signings must only be done by whoever is our manager come September. If its Houllier by all means continue but if we start signing players instantly (y'know unless its Messi..or Baines hint hint) and then change managers it could completely be a waste of money. Dont mean to sound like im telling you how to do your job as your no doubt better at it than me but I'd be so stressed if we signed or sold players then changed the management team incase we'd thrown away usable talent and signed a load of dross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LockStockVilla Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Greetings General. Not trying to bombard you with more kit questions; however, on the JJB website they have a villa kit for preorder, and I was wondering if this kit was legitimate. It still has fx pro as the sponsor, but a new design. Here is the link for the kit: http://tinyurl.com/3f38u3s Would be surprised if they had our kit before the club were to unveil it, so my assumption is this is just some sort of mistake?? Thanks General! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 General, Having seen reports indicating that the kit images used by JJB are taken from prototypes and that the final design has not yet been confirmed, can the club please take this window of opportunity to take on board fan reaction in order to sidestep any further dissatisfaction? Everyone can feel free to argue the merits of collars versus crew necks and various detailing choices but we ALL agree on the following; Shirt - Claret body, blue sleeves Shorts - White Socks - Blue Any divergence from this is going to frustrate, disappoint and add to the growing feeling of apathy throughout a fanbase that feel the club simply aren't listening. It would've been nice, for instance, to see the new kit designs pay homage to those of thirty years ago when the club embarked upon its most famous and celebrated season. Obviously, there are more fundamental issues that need resolving in order to bolster the confidence of the supporters and renew enthusiasm ahead of next season with the appointment of a new manager being the first priority - but getting the kit right is an easy win for all involved so do us, yourself and Randy all a favour and forget about the white socks and just keep things simple! Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulver Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Dear General After a quick Q&A, contrary to Alec's views it seems a lot of us COULDN'T care less what colour the socks are Thanks Ulver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudevillaisnice Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 ^ General, will Randy be here for the last game of the season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingram85 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Hi gen, just wanted to say i think its wrong the new kit hasnt got a collar and how dare you allow white socks? I hope mr lerner is making the socks his number one concern, if not, my faith in the board has died. (the prototype is lovely, looks like a stunning kit. good work on making nike pull their finger out this year. Keep up the good work gen! Utv!) P.s. the socks are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregavfc Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 General, As an American military man, what are your views on the Bin Laden death? Are you happy/relieved/worried about future events? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegiddygambler Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Loving the white socks General. Not happy about the lack of a collar though. I haven't been able to do a collar up Cantona properly since the 1996 AST computer kit!! That kit got us 4th place, a league cup and a fa cup semi final so don't knock it. We'd give our eye teeth for that now. A class kit is powerful, 92/93 was our best kit ever and we finished runners up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellyoakvilla Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 General, Please take a look at the Manchester City Facebook page. They've got a landing page (if you've not pressed 'like') where you can suggest the page to your Facebook friends. It would be beneficial for the Villa official page to have one of those set up on ours... they have 587,000 fans and we have 170,000. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegiddygambler Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 General, Please take a look at the Manchester City Facebook page. They've got a landing page (if you've not pressed 'like') where you can suggest the page to your Facebook friends. It would be beneficial for the Villa official page to have one of those set up on ours... they have 587,000 fans and we have 170,000. Thanks Yes this is a very good observation General. Make sure whoever does the internet side at Villa is alerted to this. We're ten times the club Man City are! No way should they have so many more fans on facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fran_villa Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 General, I'd like to know if Houllier comes back to the club. What happens if we are left without a manager again if he has another heart problem. I think its bad on Randy and the boards part to keep going with Houllier now as it's putting the future of this club in a bad position. It's bad enough that Randy appointed him in the first place, but it's worse to stand by him now with blind faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 General, In light of the fact that my earlier comment regarding the new kit appears to have drawn some flak (and thanks to one insanely excitable/extremely sensitive forum member, I have just discovered I've even been quoted as declaring this is 'the end of days' on a YouTube video - rest assured I'll be basking in the minor celebrity of that little honour for as long as I can milk it), I thought I'd offer a little more context to what I thought was a fairly politely and moderately voiced opinion. As I stated earlier, of course there are more pressing issues but our colours are still important. Yes, the shirt is the first and most visible piece we are identified by, but consider the full kits of Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool; each are predominantly associated with red but I can't imagine Utd ever discarding their black socks, Arsenal their use of white in their shirts, shorts and socks or Liverpool tampering with their all-red. These are among the chief elements that differentiate them not only from each other as immediate rivals but the many other teams that play in the colour. Claret and blue may not be as prevalent, and over more than a hundred years of history we may have had more different variations than some might think, but the basic model as I described in my earlier post is, for better or worse, what is perceived as 'our' kit. The claret socks of this year took us toward what is recognised as West Ham's traditional kit so, in this respect, white may be seen as an improvement. I also have no doubt that we will return to blue socks, make other changes and experiment with other aspects of the kit over time but when we are trying to establish ourselves as a brand that can compete both here and further afield, having a consistent iconography is significant (as demonstrated by the three clubs I mentioned - although winning league titles, FA Cups and playing in Champions League finals may also have something to do with it!). Given we, like most Premiership clubs, change our kit every twelve months it's a relatively short period to put up with any aspects that aren't especially liked. But it's worth remembering that there was a real clamour for the first Nike kit ('07-'08 ) and I think it contributed to the general feel-good factor around the club at the time. I actually quite like the new shirt (if it does, in fact, turn out to be very close to the one 'previewed' this week) and with the right sponsor think it will look pretty good. I just don't think the white socks seem like they suit us and don't feel like they seem traditionally Villa. On another note, I think the club have done a good job with this morning's unveiling of season ticket details. Although the 'added' benefits are negligible, the payment options are good and offer greater flexibility and the I think the minor price increases are satisfactory (+£15 for me). I know some will be unhappy with any increment after such a disappointing season but from a commercial perspective, between rising VAT and slow progress made pulling out of recession, the prices seem like a sensible compromise. The only caveat would be that the club will need to sort out the manager's position very quickly after the season ends in order for people to take advantage of the more attractive payment plan which I believe will have to be applied for by June 15th. This option will give many the chance to go for a season ticket where they may not have previously been able to but if they're in two minds, they club will only have a small window of opportunity to convince them. Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparey16 Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 General, my sister is very much into Build-a-Bear Workshop. Where you stuff a teddy bear, buy clothes for it, etc etc. In the few shops i have been into (Derby, Bullring, Solihull) they have football kits for Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and casual items for them all + Arsenal. They are priced at £13 an outfit, for top, shorts, shinpads and usually an ball or something. I would very much pay that for a villa one, and im guessing dads/brothers of other little 'uns that live at Build-a-Bear would too. Any chance of getting this looked into? Even if it is sold at the villa store, or even just the bullring shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avfcgoodie Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 General, Please take a look at the Manchester City Facebook page. They've got a landing page (if you've not pressed 'like') where you can suggest the page to your Facebook friends. It would be beneficial for the Villa official page to have one of those set up on ours... they have 587,000 fans and we have 170,000. Thanks Aston Villa Facebook page. 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bully Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 General, Perhaps you could enlighten me as to why at the Villa golf day on Tuesday, for which I paid a substantial sum to bring along some very disappointed clients, there were none of the first team squad in attendance either to play golf or at the dinner. It was very disappointing and totally unacceptable. I was told by a member of the coaching staff that the decision was made that the players would concentrate on football matters...... I would like to know who was coaching them as all the coaching staff were there! Unfortunately I have been unable to voice my disappointment to the commercial dept as my calls dont seem to be getting through. Please feel free to PM if required. Bully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacehead Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 General I think the general consensus from the season ticket thread is that the increases in price are broadly reasonable and that the "extras" such as AVTV and flexible payment options are welcome. I briefly had a look at the Birmingham City website this afternoon (don't worry, my PC has been thoroughly cleaned now) and they have an interest free option over 8 months using the exact same finance company as our scheme which is only over 4 months. Is there a reason why we limited our interest free option to only 4 months when an identical solution over a longer period exists with the same supplier? Also their concessions for kids runs to 18 not 16 which for kids still at school doing their A levels seems eminently sensible. Apart from this, I'm positive about renewing and will be doing so for me and my 2 sons. Thanks General Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maloneyt Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Also their concessions for kids runs to 18 not 16 which for kids still at school doing their A levels seems eminently sensible. Yes please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts