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

[QuintonK6]

Hi General,

Have the staff in the ticket office had some sort of training in trying to talk supporters out of cancelling there season tickets?

The reason I ask is, I phoned the ticket office this morning to ask how I go about cancelling my season ticket I've just renewed for the 14th consecutive season if we were to appoint AM as the 1st payment has left my account this morning. The sale chap on the other end was absolutely brilliant in trying to convince me not to do anything stupid on the basis of pure speculation and to await the outcome of the appointment, which I'll obviously do anyway. His manor was as if he was reading directly from a piece of paper in front of him? When i asked him if there had been others like me in enquiring or cancelling there season ticket he politely replied.. "Lets just say the phones haven't stopped ringing"

Does this worry you General and are the ticket office staff being briefed on what to say to fans looking to cancel season tickets?

[wedge]

General,

I've realised that the board is playing a silly yet effective and cunning game, kudos to you, I will have a drink on you whn Mark Hughes is duly un-veiled in July...

[BOF]

Dear General,

You have always said that you take the comments from this thread back to Randy or that everything you read gets passed to the relevant people. I can only hope that you continue that practice on this issue. Please do not underestimate the feelings of the fans on the potential hiring of Alex McLeish. Do not underestimate the backlash that will likely happen. I literally can not think of an appointment that would be more unpopular. If you ever want to listen to the fans on any issue, then now would be a very good time.

No-one is suggesting that the fans pick who the manager is, but sometimes they can let it be known who the manager isn't. I think at this stage they'd accept pretty much anyone else within reason.

Press reports suggested that Villa discounted Steve McClaren over the potential fan backlash. Whether that is true or not is immaterial, but any backlash for McLeish would be ten times that. The board try their best every day and while they may not always get it right, we as fans accept that they are always trying to get it right and trying to do the best for the club. But this would be a monumental error of judgement that would be very hard for them to recover from, in my humble opinion.

[steaknchips]

General,

Why have we contacted Wigan over the availability of Martinez? And now strong links to McLeish?

Why not get a guy in that can take us forward with a modern football approach? A guy thats in touch with European football and not "just" Premiership football?

Do you feel the likes of; Van Gaal, Rijkaard, Flores and Bernd Schuster(all available) are beyond our reach?

I was in the thinking that the Houllier appointment was to change our style to a more pleasing on the eye and modern approach? Yet the above managers ALL play excellent football, bring through youth, modern tactics and training and with bags of European experiance(surely where we want to be?)...

I just dont it that a club of Aston Villa's size is going after small fish with little experiance on the European playing field..

The game isnt just in England its global. Look how Barca destroyed England's best team.. Dont you watch that and think "thats where we need to be"???? Is Martinez or McLeish gonna get Villa to anywhere near that level??

Its NOT just about throwing money and backing the manager(as you keep mentioning)... Its also about instilling the right training programs into the kids/reserves/youth etc.. Again, if you look at the managers ive mentioned above they all have that ability to instill modern technics into the younger players. Rijkaard/Van Gaal etc can teach the kids alot about vision, movement on and off the ball. They grew up playing possessional football, they know it down to the finest details and can bring that knowledge with them into Aston Villa football club.. Their contacts alone knock the socks off managers like Martinez or McLeish..

[P3te]

General,

Would it perhaps be something that the club would consider to get a "football man" on the board somehow? Someone with a bit of experience on the football side of business who would advise and direct as necessary, without being particularly intrusive to the board itself but while being something more than just an external consultant or advisor?

[Biffta]

Hi General

if the statement on Facebook did indeed come from yourself can I pick you up on a point.

If Sir Alex is being used as a yardstick then please research Sir Alex's stance on Gabriel Heinz moving from Man Utd to Liverpool...then you will see you are breaking the ground rules that even Sir Alex follows

[Jod1]

Hi General

This appointment has been a bit of a pigs ear so far. For some reason I'm hoping that all of this is a smokescreen so that the board can appoint a genuinely respected manager that can unite the club and act as a statement of intent. Time to pull a seriously big rabbit out of an ever diminishing hat.

[ClarrieBlue]

Hi General, I think it is fair to say that this managerial selection process has not gone as well as you, Randy and Paul had hoped. The media are not happy about the lack of inside information they have been able to squeeze out of Villa Park. I for one am not concerned about the way you are going about selecting our manager. I think lessons have been learnt from Liverpool's choice of a very well respected and experienced manager in Roy Hodgson who had had a successful season with Fulham. Problem was he didn't fit into the lLverpool way. That is what you have to find, a manager who has the credentials but will fit in. I don't envy you your task but wish you good luck and trust you will get it right. Keep the faith.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

As previously posted - No more manager stuff. We've asked nicely, multiple times. Representative views have been aired. Permission to post on this site will be revoked if you ignore this strong request. This remains in place until/unless the situation changes re managerial appointments or any NEW statement from the club or other parties involved. If you wish to voice an opinion about McLeish, use the specific thread on the VillaTalk board please. Other issues are welcome, but please check if your question has already been asked (season tickets sales, info on new sponsors, shirt sales dates have already been asked, for example)

[barry'sboots]

Hi General

I hope the process of selection is going well.

I will not get into comments on specific managers as I am sure that you have got the message as to the fans feelings in this area but I do have a couple of related points:

1. PR - I understand the fact that the club do not want to play out their business in the media but I also think that the complete blanket over things/media silence is allowing the media to come up with stories that are making our club look rather amateurish. Whilst I, as a keen Villa fan, understand that these are media games there are many potential fans, possibly commercial partners and maybe even potential signings of the future that may not understand this and may turn this perception into a reality. IMO, this constant unanswered negativity in the media is harming our reputation. This may be unfair but that is the nature of things and the club needs to come up with a suitable communication strategy that doesn't give the game away or give the press any insight but does keep our reputation in tact. I think our general approach to the media is poor and creates a negative perception that surely must ultimately impact our commercial aspirations.

2. Player recruits - Clearly, the loss of a manager makes recruitment difficult. Whilst I can understand the time taken to select the right balti pie, errr I mean manager, I hope that this does not materially impact us on the player front. The one player that springs to mind is NZogbia - IMO the perfect replacement for Ash who we all know is off - where he is now, again if you believe the press, effectively in an auction process. In his case, I just hope that Whelan's positive comments over the Martinez approach mean that he will be well disposed to us as potential acquirers of NZogbia.

Please pass on all of our best wishes to Randy and Paul in ensuring that we get the best and most suitable manager for our great club!

[vivaashleyyoung]

Words fail me General. They honestly do. I think everyone is struggling to put into words how they feel at the moment.

The whole thing has been a farce. I dont claim to know what has been going on behind the scenes at Villa but from what is being said in the media I think the way this whole situation has been handled has been nothing short of a joke.

Who the hell runs this football club? Seriously? Who is this Faulkner chap? The whole of England is laughing at us. I went into Subway today to order a sandwhich in my villa shirt and the bloke behind the counter was just laughing. He couldnt understand why a club like Villa (a club who has signed players like D. Bent for £24m) is about to make Alex Mcleish our manager. A manager who has twice relegated our local rivals having spent millions of pounds?

To make matters worse, the other managers seemingly in line for the job were Steve Mclaren and Roberto Martinez. A manager who is generally hated by everyone English and another who has been fighting relegation ever since he took over WIGAN.

Who is behind this manager search. I could name 10 managers off the top of my head who would be more outstanding candidates than the absolute dross you have lined up to be our new coach.

Didnt it occur to the daft idiot who runs AVFC that when Mr Houllier went into Hospital with an almost fatal heart condition, that we might actually need a new manager? Heres an idea, how about making a shortlist then and speaking to managers about the possibility of taking over in the summer? you've literally had months to sort this situation out and the best you can come up with is Mcleish? ALEX MCLEISH? The man who has relegated Birmingham City twice?

Is this one great big F*&*^*g wind-up?

I absolutely love Randy, I always tell other teams supporters he is the best owner in the league. He has made a few mistakes but that is to be expected. This managerial debacle however has led me to believe noone on the villa board knows anything about football whatsoever.

Seems I wasnt lost for words after all.

Good luck watching Villa in front of 25,000 people next year.

Disgraceful.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Ok. No questions re a specific manager.

I would just like to say I am losing faith in the competence of the board at the present time. I want to see actions, not words. At the minute we are getting neither and it is disturbing.

Thank you for your time.

[jacketspuds]

Hi General. Just want you to know that I still expect Randy to continue to make the right decisions by our club and, particularly with the last club statement in mind, it is obvious that appointing a manager who will distance the club from it's fans is certainly a massive gamble if what SSN are reporting is true.

I don't think we've ever been in more of a state in my 20 years as a fan.

[Alec]

General,

This is taken directly from the statement just released by the club;

"We are determined, still, not to allow that three-and-a-half year post to disqualify him should he be the best candidate for the role of Aston Villa manager."

Who he worked for previously is not of major concern, it is purely his track record - as it should be for any prospective candidate. There is no possible argument that could be manufactured to justify how Mr. McLeish - a manager with two relegations from three seasons in the Premier League - could ever be seen as "the best candidate for the role of Aston Villa manager" so I trust that the club's interest will not proceed beyond the interview stage.

I appreciate that this game is all about opinions but every now and then an issue arises in which the facts are undeniable and speak for themselves, pointing to only one logical conclusion; that Mr. McLeish can not, and will not, ever be appointed as manager of Aston Villa on the basis of such a dismal and indefensible track record.

That the club have decided to pursue their interest in him as a candidate this far gives me and the majority of Aston Villa supporters grave cause for concern in the board's competency in as far as identifying the criteria they see befitting of a potential manager. I suggest that that Mr. Lerner, Mr. Faulkner and the board recognise the sheer folly of continuing down this line of enquiry, go back to the drawing board and start from scratch because clearly the entire selection process is flawed if it has brought us to this point.

As of right now, nothing has been done that can't be undone - the situation can still be reversed. There remain a number of highly qualified, extensively experienced managers who are not currently employed. We have options.

I sincerely hope that reason prevails.

Thank you.

[Tubby]

This is a message to the fans of Aston Villa.

The Club has been reluctant to elaborate publicly on our search for a new manager and, in particular, to confirm or deny our interest in specific candidates.

This is not a new policy, indeed it is the approach that we have taken both in regard to managerial prospects, and potential player signings.

The Club understands that Alex McLeish is a free agent. We therefore intend to interview him imminently in order to make a decision regarding his candidacy to become Villa manager.

From the beginning of our search, we have set out criteria based on proven Premier League experience, compelling leadership, an ethic for hard work and, most importantly, sharing our vision for Aston Villa as we know that without a shared vision any appointment, however attractive, will ultimately fail.

Since 2006 we have approached our custodianship of Villa based on a broad-based strategy of significant investment to improve the squad, the training ground and Villa Park. We feel it is essential to select a manager who understands and supports our strategy for the Club to grow and to be sustainable. Otherwise, the natural tensions and competitive pressures that are involved with every season will ultimately cause instability and make continuity impossible.

We would, however, like to emphasise that in deciding to interview Alex McLeish, the Board has taken his tenure at our local rivals and the strong emotions associated with this very seriously.

We are determined, still, not to allow that three-and-a-half year post to disqualify him should he be the best candidate for the role of Aston Villa manager.

AVFC statement

General, I note in the statement above - which was shown on the OS - that there is no mention of playing attractive football entwined with a winning philosophy in addition to experience of promoting youth. Don't you think these are all things that will bring the fans to Villa Park?

The worst thing is that these are the things implemented by Mr Houllier and are now about to go to waste. My view is that the manager mentioned in the statement is not the man to continue Mr H's good work or to lead Aston Villa forward. This is purely based on ability to do the job and not his recent connections. The free agent market has much more on offer and you can forget Premier League experience, it is not a proven formula for success.

I admire the credibility of the Board, especially Mr Lerner but it's ticket sales that will keep him there and not credibility.

[ChrisNichollsToe]

General,

Please go away, and sell our club to people that really care about it.

Your propaganda no longer washes, and i thnk you need to buy Randy some new clothes.

Absolutely disgusted in you and Randy and all the other clueless muppets you have taking the piss out of us.

[Biffta]

Hi General,

Even interviewing Alex McLeish is giving the big bird to every fan! Do you hold us in such contempt? I will wait until anything is announced but if it transpires that McLeish is employed 4 season tickets will be going back.

We have to endure GH all year, I saw some of the most boring, toothless football last year and I was willing to stick with your vision, but not if it's McLeish...the board made that appointment and screwed it up, your about the screw it up further but we need to be good little fans and except it? Because you, who have only been in football for a few years, say so?

I was born a Villan and I will die a Villan the only experts you need to listen too is the ones who make this club thrive, which is us...go and do what you want but don't go crying about fans not turning up

Let me assure you, you have made a massive error of Judgement, I might be insignificant to you as a fan but I am not alone

[Brumstopdogs]

Extremely disappointed with the Board at the moment over numerous issues.

Sponsorship - what is happening?

Kit - why haven't we learnt the lessons from the previous season?

Playing staff - why don't we have a first choice goalkeeper, right back, left back and central midfielder to replace NRC? Add a replacement to Young (another of our best players sold)

Communication - poor and making us into a laughing stock in the national media.

Leadership - what leadership.

Manager selection and keeping Houllier - clear mistake as proven.

Recruitment process of new manager - dithering and coming across desperate.

All we need to add now is an unpopular managerial appointment.

My suggestion would be a complete change at Board level as from the departure of O'Neill onwards in my opinion the current board of directors has proven totally inadequate at taking this club in the direction it needs to go.

Do we have fan represenation on the board as it comes across like some members of the Board are well out of touch with what the fans want and expect?

[Cracker1234]

Hi General,

I have 3 questions

1: Does the club have any plans to lower the seat prices to try and entice some of the fans back that will be staying away from Villa Park if you employ Mcleish?

2: I don't know if you watch much Scottish football General, but would Rangers appoint Neil Lennon as manager if he left Celtic?

3: How does the club intend to stop our best players leaving?

[blandy]

OK, Fire way, previous request now revoked, following latest AVFC Official statement here