The General's thread - do not respond to other posts!

[Undesirable]

Hi General

A group of us were planning on taking a number of flags and "2-sticks" (it's a banner with a stick either side, like the giant Dalglish one they had in the kop at anfield the other day, only smaller and not with dalglish on!) into the game against Blackburn on Saturday. The 2-sticks celebrate Villa's illustrious history of FA Cup triumphs, with an image of the FA Cup painted on all 7 2-sticks. The idea was to put these up in the air as the players came onto the pitch and then place them on the floor when the game kicked off. The flags were to be waved when we scored a goal and at the start and end of the 2nd half.

I spoke to Paul Owens earlier today to run the idea past him and let him know of our intentions so that there would be no problems on the day. While Paul was helpful and polite i was told that we wouldn't be allowed to take the flags and 2-sticks into the ground on the basis that they would restrict peoples views. Taking into account our plan to only have them hoisted before the start of the game and only to wave the flags when the game is not in play I was wondering if we could at least negotiate this decision with a view to the security team reviewing their decision?

When the club gave out flags to fans attending the Blackburn Semi Final last season Villa Park looked incredible and i believe the flags helped to lift the atmosphere inside Villa Park. We want to make Villa Park a cauldron and make every game an occassion to be remembered, we want to improve the atmosphere at the ground and get behind the lads on the pitch for 90 minutes but we can't do this without the cooperation of the club. If we want to get Villa Park full and rocking again then we have to bring back the sense of excitement and occassion at games, I feel that denying us entry with flags and banners will only work to further dampen the atmosphere inside the ground.

Thanks for listening.

[ShaldonAVFC]

General surely we are not going to ban flags from villa park ???

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. sellyoakvilla: Obviously it would appear that the simplest way of getting Fans to Villa Park would be to lower prices...makes all sorts of sense. The problem is that we can't lower the cost of stewards, ticket takers, people providing food, etc. etc. Those are pretty much fixed costs and lowering the price to bring more people in does not make up for the costs associated with such action. If you look hard at the numbers and the average price per Fan, one could even make the case that it is more cost effective to have the 27K at regular prices than the 40K at much lower prices. What we need to do, especially for these games, is to get the "right" pricing that will be effective at getting Fans to the Park and not cost the Club revenue. We are looking closely at this.

2. Gabby0878: Obviously I am not going to comment on the rumors that have flown around re. the dressing room and training ground...other than to say that the media has made much ado about nothing...a mountain out of a mole hill. I can remember last year that we heard the same sort of rumors coming out of the dressing room...people unhappy because they weren't playing, etc. We are talking about very competitive players who want to get on the Pitch...nothing that I have seen or heard is any different than what I see and hear back here in the US with our sports teams. When a new manager arrives at a Club things are going to change...that is not only natural but it is expected. I just wouldn't put too much credence to what you read in the papers.

3. Undesirable: I have not heard anything about this. Let me see if I can look into the issue.

[sellyoakvilla]

Thanks for the reply. Obviously you need to maintain a level of revenue without losing money but surely with the season we're having the club should lower prices to get as high an attendance as possible? I'm not talking lower prices completely so you'd lose out on money but if you are clever about it then you can still get a decent amount of fans in. Have the club ever thought about an 'early bird' ticket scheme for cups? Where if you buy your tickets within the first week of going on sale you get a certain amount off, say, £5. It would encourage fans to buy tickets early and therefore give a better forecast on attendances and you can see what areas you need to improve on. I know if a ticket was £15 but £10 in the 'early bird period' I would rush to get mine for £10.

Just an example... we get Blackburn (again) in the 3rd round of next year's FA Cup... the club decide to charge £15 for adult tickets and £10 for children. For the first week of sale if the tickets were lowered to £10 adult and £5 children, fans would have no excuse... that way you have the opportunity of offering cheaper tickets for a certain amount of time and there's still an opportunity of higher revenue after the first week of sales. Did the club think about a £25 family combo? 2 adults and 2 children in... getting 4 people in at a time then instead of one... just a thought!

I'm all for paying the prices set but this season when we've played Blackburn a million times over the past two seasons and we're having a poor season by all accounts I think it would have been better to take the hit, not that there would have been much of a hit if we had £10 adult tickets (26k at the average of £15 = £390,000, 40k at the average of £10 = £400,000). There are a lot of factors to take into account and of course there is the 1pm kick off time but as long as we can get the fans in then who am I to judge the ticket office !

Also would the club ever consider offering cheaper cup tickets for season ticket holders? I'm a bit fed up of seeing all these Premier League ticket offers for non season ticket holders - meaning our season tickets don't actually hold much value, when we don't get any money off for cup games for being valued supporters.

Have a good weekend.

[will-avfc]

Hi general welcome back.

I also think there should be better deals for season ticket holders for cup games. We keep seeing deals for league games which we have already paid for. I know like last season when successful we get tickets to cup semi finals and finals due to holding season tickets. I feel loyal supports who turn up week in week out get forgotten. Could you not bring in offers for season ticket holders who have the cup scheme?

Up the villa!

[Wainy316]

Hi General, great to have you back making Aston Villa a truly unique club once more.

One question with regards to the summer Hong Kong tournament.

Before or after the tournament, is there any chance of any other areas in East Asia being visited maybe as part of a tour?

Not offering any specific suggestions of course. :winkold:

[markavfc40]

General,

Regarding attendances etc. I have been going regularly to Villa Park for around 30 years and last 23 as a season ticket holder. At one time the Holte End used to be the cheapest area of the ground and would always be more full than other stands when a game did not sell out. Now however that is not the case and I always think it is a great shame when our attendance is lets say 37k and 3k of those empty seats are in the Holte. Would the club consider making this stand the cheapest to ensure it is the most likely to be full for every game. I would also think it would be better if added to that the lower tiers of the Trinity Road, Witton Lane and North Stands were then all much cheaper than the upper tiers to ensure these tickets sell as for me having the seats closet to the pitch full can create a more intimidating atmosphere.

I'm not sure what the average attendance will be come the end of the season but I'd hazard a guess around the 36k mark so between 2k and 4k down on averages of the past couple of years. Now clearly poor results/league position have had an impact but it also needs to be taken in to account that this area as been badly hit by job losses etc and this is only going to get worse over the coming months. With this is mind the club really do need to be mindful of how they price season tickets for next season or attendances will again be down.

I believe a full VP can have a massively positive influence on performances and couple that with the more people you have in the ground the more that are likely to buy a program, food/drink etc then what you may lose by reducing ticket prices you gain back in quite possibly improved results and also increased revenue from spending whilst at the game. Attending games can also become like a drug and once you get people coming regularly they won't want to stop. I hope the club will price season tickets at a level that ensures they will sell in high numbers. In the long run this can only benefit the club.

Many thanks

Mark

[Villarocker]

Hi General,

Hope you and your family are well.

Can you give us an insight into GH's feelings with regards to the homegrown players he has at his disposal? I mean, is he excited at how many players we have brought through the youth system and into the first team squad? How impressed is he at the quality and quantity of homegrown players that we have?

There can't be many teams that use 8 or 9 homegrown players for league combat in one season, especially in the Premier League. I am referring to the likes of Hogg, Herd, Clark, Bannan, Lichaj, Baker, Delfouneso and Gabby of course. I have probably missed one or two out as well! I would assume that GH is very excited about developing so many players through our youth system?

UTV

[GeorgeVilla82]

Hi General, hope you and the family are well.

Quick question - I'm a season ticket holder, but live in Hertfordshire. Time tends to be pretty tight when I come up for the games, so I don't usually have time to go to the Villa Village (the queues are huge!) or go into Birmingham to the Villa shop there. Is there any way that the merchandise range could be expanded on the website as it's quite poor at the moment - I'm a woman, and the women's clothing range is terrible compared to what's available in the store. I know I would definitely spend more if a wider range was available for mail order.

As always, thanks for your time.

[itbrvilla]

Hi General, the atmosphere at Villa Park is rubbish and there are many contributing factors. But if you want to see what can be acheived with cooperation between club and fan groups then take a look at the German League in particular Borrusia Dortmund and St. Pauli. Perhaps someone could contact those clubs or visit them to see how they do things there.

[Undesirable]

Thanks for passing my query onto the relevant people General, much appreciated.

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1). Lot's of comments on lowering ticket prices and I understand why that is...cost during the economic downturn, performance on the Pitch, etc. etc. At the same time, I have trouble getting my head around the fact that we ALREADY have some of the very lowest prices in the Premiership...we have actually had a period when we did not raise ticket prices due to the economy. We just spent a good deal of money to bring in some quality lads to the Squad and re-signed some of our other lads. We continue to invest around the Park to make the Fan experience better. Yet the cry is for lower ticket prices. At some point in time we all need to understand that NO Club, no matter how much money is associated with the owner, can just splash money around and, at the same time, lower ticket prices. None of us could run a business or a family budget following that formula. Randy DOES CARE about pricing and I think he has demonstrated that during the time of his ownership. At the same time, he isn't making pound notes in his basement. Re. Season Ticket holders....they remain THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY to attend games!!! We are very careful to ensure that remains a fact. Equally important, ST holders have the edge when we end up playing for silverware....as we saw last year. Rest assured we "run the numbers" all the time to get the right balance when it comes to attendance. Finally, we played ManCity the other day...a huge game against a top team...introducing two of our new signings...and couldn't get 40,000 at Villa Park. Lower ticket prices might look good but I am not sure it is the only solution.

2). GH is very please with the Youth Program at Villa and credits our Youth Coaches for doing a superb job.

3). Itbrvilla: If the atmosphere at Villa Park is "rubbish", I am not sure that we should be looking to the Club to improve it. We understand we need to put exciting, consistent, winning Squads on the Pitch but the Fans need to " own" their share of the atmosphere.

4). Store website....got it.

[markavfc40]

General,

Looking at average attendances over the last few seasons shows ( 07/08 ) 40012, ( 08/09 ) 39812 and ( 09/10 ) 38373. Now this season is likely to be around 35k-36k and I would accept that results/league position and performances have had an impact but it is clear that average attendances have dropped as the economic downturn as gotten worse. Job losses in Birmingham and the surrounding area have been some of the worst in the country and pay freezes/reductions in pay have become common place. Energy/fuel prices are rising and quite simply people have far less disposable income. This situation will only get worse in the coming months with hundreds of thousands of jobs likely to be lost due to the spending cuts. You can't therefore seriously expect to have poor results on the pitch this season coupled with the economic situation and then be surprised that attendances have dropped. Unless the club seriously look at reducing prices next season then attendances will only get worse.

I am not sure how the club balance the situation. I would look at it that 30k season tickets sold at say an average of say £200 is better than 20k sold at an average of £300 simply because the more people you have in the ground the more revenue you will get from the sale of food/drinks/programs/merchandise. It also needs to be remembered that if people simply get out of the habit of going to games then when the economic situation does finally pick up and they are in a position to pay the higher prices they will simply be out of the habit and won't return. The flip side of that being that if you can get people in by reducing prices it can become a drug and they therefore pay more when the prices rise if they are financially in a position to which I have found myself is the case having had a season ticket for 23 years on the spin.

A final thought. Given that supporters are taking a hit in the pocket during the economic downturn are players willing to take a hit in the pocket thus allowing clubs to reduce prices and ensure that the ground is full giving the team greater support. A 10% pay cut by the players would pay for a huge reduction in ticket prices. Simple fact is that at this level players wages are extortionate and this issue needs to be tackled across the board.

Many thanks

Mark

[imavillan]

General,

Can i please ask that we no longer do any transfer business with a certain club from the other side of town.

In recent history we have now sold them three players. Now some might say that those players are not that good or have not progressed as much as they should have and they are not good enough for the Villa, but if they are and have been good enough to play for us then they should not be good enough to play for them!!

Now i know business is business but consider this. They are our bitterest of rivals. They treat our fans with comtempt. They over charge our away fans. Our away fans are placed in a dangerous situation when they visit them, they offer us no protection.

Look at Manchester United and take a leaf out of Sir Alex Fergussons book....he will never sell a player to there bitter rivals Liverpool. I would suggest that we adopt the same approach and do not sell any more players to them.

All we are doing is helping there cause and making them stronger. We should not be doing this at any cost.

You sir should know better than anybody....when the enemy are running short of bullets you simply do not give them some to help them get stronger!!!

....and in all Villans eyes they are the enemy.

[Biffta]

Hi General,

My question is in regards to Brad, who has been an absolute professional at our club

If his problems are as reported can we not arrange him a testimonial against Blackburn? I know its not the done thing these days and he's not been at the club for 10 years but he has been a model professional and an absolute credit to the game..I also think it would be great PR and would show Villa as that 'Family' that we talk about

[dudevillaisnice]

General,

Hi, I agree with Biffta about Friedel... Do you know if he has any "coaching" badges or anything? It'd be a shame to let him go from VP once he retires.. perhaps a coaching role behind the scenes could be on the table for big brad once he retires.

Thanks.

[covcat]

General,

I'm all for keeping the prices down and boosting the crowd but I'm getting a bit fed up with this change of price after you have purchased.

I sit in the upper Trinity block A2 and the price given was £20 adults and £10 kids for the Blackburn game. My mate who sits with me got his at this price, I decided to have a change and save a few quid to go in the North stand and got tickets at £18 & £5. I now see on my home page of the ticket site that my ticket is available for me at £15 & £5 right next to my mate who paid £20 & £10. To compound this further it is now said on this site that Trinity Upper wings are £10 & £5 ?????????

It would have been a lot simpler and easier to said £15 and £5 everywhere and stuck to it.

[Tubby]

General Sir, glad to have you back.

Variety is the spice of life as they say, so an NFL question if I may. Do you expect there to be a lockout for the forth coming season? I believe this would have a great detriment to the Browns given how much work they need to do in free agency this off season.

Thanks in advance.

[sellyoakvilla]

General Krulak here:

1). Lot's of comments on lowering ticket prices and I understand why that is...cost during the economic downturn, performance on the Pitch, etc. etc. At the same time, I have trouble getting my head around the fact that we ALREADY have some of the very lowest prices in the Premiership...we have actually had a period when we did not raise ticket prices due to the economy. We just spent a good deal of money to bring in some quality lads to the Squad and re-signed some of our other lads. We continue to invest around the Park to make the Fan experience better. Yet the cry is for lower ticket prices. At some point in time we all need to understand that NO Club, no matter how much money is associated with the owner, can just splash money around and, at the same time, lower ticket prices. None of us could run a business or a family budget following that formula. Randy DOES CARE about pricing and I think he has demonstrated that during the time of his ownership. At the same time, he isn't making pound notes in his basement. Re. Season Ticket holders....they remain THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY to attend games!!! We are very careful to ensure that remains a fact. Equally important, ST holders have the edge when we end up playing for silverware....as we saw last year. Rest assured we "run the numbers" all the time to get the right balance when it comes to attendance. Finally, we played ManCity the other day...a huge game against a top team...introducing two of our new signings...and couldn't get 40,000 at Villa Park. Lower ticket prices might look good but I am not sure it is the only solution.

General, I think you're missing the point in regards to ticket prices.

I am aware we have some of the lowest ticket prices in the league, but it is the cup games you need to think about. I'll keep using Brighton as an example and even Blackburn in the FA Cup last season... we had £10/5 anywhere in the ground and drew decent crowds, particularly against Brighton where we got just under 40k.

My season ticket is a great price for the value etc yes I am aware of that BUT why don't the club do cheaper cup tickets for season ticket holders?

I go on the Villa site almost every day and see these ticket offers for Fulham, Man City, etc. but never anything for season ticket holders. Yes there is the advantage for Wembley, away games and everything - I'm aware of that, but surely to offer a discount for STH to cup games means the majority of fans will come to the game?

Today we got 26,067. Pretty poor for a Saturday game if you ask me. I know the kick off time would have affected some but it's our 8th game against Blackburn in two years, do you not think the club should have put this as a main factor? Who wants to see Blackburn in every cup competition every season? I don't..

What about my early bird suggestion? Family cup tickets? There are plenty of ways to maximise attendance without actually taking too much of a hit in revenue...

Thanks

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. markavfc40: Believe me, we have run all the numbers....done the math. We have pursued the issue you have raised and the numbers are not as you have indicated. Their is a "tipping point" where numbers of fans plus food and drink do cross over the cost of ticket line....but we remain where we need to be. As I have said many times before, we have some of the lowest prices in the League...we have spent money to buy players and to enhance to Park...we cannot just give our tickets away or we will be dead in the water.

2. Cup games. We have had multiple pricing for Cup games since we arrived at Villa Park....check it out. At the end of the day, the numbers have not fluctuated much based solely on price of ticket. We continue to look at ways to get people to Villa Park and Family Cup tickets might be a good idea. Just understand that "taking a hit in revenue" is not something we can continue to do.

3. I don't think there will be a lockout in the NFL this season.