General Krulak (No Transfer Questions allowed)

[ramshackler]

Ian Taylor as one fo the favourite members of the villa team from 1994 through to 2004, but fell just a few months short of getting to his 10 year testimonial mark.

He was a real fans player and a great guy. A regular goalscorer from midfield, who gave 110% every game. He was also endeared to the fans as he was a lifelong fan himself.

His storybook ending of how he was in the stands for the 1994 league cup final and was playing AND SCORING 2 years later in the final against leeds utd is one of lifes real dream come true moments.

He is one of the most popular players to every don the claret and blue and I have always been saddened that he left while the club was in the doldrums. I feel it would be a magnificent night if he were to have a testimonal and a great send off to have as his lasting memory of his time here.

I have started this appeal due to the huge amount of fans i have spoken to that feel this is a great idea.

If this is possible how would i go about starting this and who would i contact?

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. 3 important off-field priorities: 1) Marketing the Villa Brand...around the Country and the World. 2) Improving infrastructure of Club...Training Ground, Holte Hotel, Inside of stadium, Villa Park itself, the downtown store, the Villa Park store, etc. 3) Getting all the great Aston Villa FC people pulling in the same direction and happy at their work. We have got great people at Villa Park and when they are all pulling together and happy, then the place runs like a well-oiled machine.

2. I am not involved in Player Selection...that is the remit of Randy and MON. As such, I do not even attempt to determine who they are looking at. I know you all think I have a "list" in my back pocket but I do not. I have said that time and time again....I am NOT involved in player selection in any way. I have tried to say this in as many ways as I can. Randy and MON are taking care of this area of the Club.

3. Once a player is selected and joins the Club, they are given all sorts of help. We have a "Club Mum" who is tasked with helping them find a place to live, good schools for their children, shopping locations, helping obtain driver's licenses, doctors, etc. etc. Videos and books on the history of the Club are part of the "package." We do a VERY good job of bringing our players in and making them feel part of the "Villa Family." Our team mum has an office right across the Hall from MON in the new Training Ground Building....she is that important.

4. Got it on Ian Taylor.

[The_Rev]

Just to reiterate Ian Taylor (though im sure you are more than aware!) he is truly one of the most revered players to have ever donned the Claret and Blue. I dont think anyone will say he was one of our most naturally gifted players, but thats not the point. He is just the ultimate "local boy done good" story, not a kid who got picked up as a schoolboy, but a fan who was standing on the Holte End with the rest of us who ended up playing for the first team and scoring in a cup final. He will be talked about in 20,30 years time by the likes of us telling our kids about him. There is still something of a cloud in that his sale to Derby was announced with him being unable to play again at Villa Park. Many fans see this as unfinished business.

Im interested in point three you make too General, it seems the club are learning from the hard time Juan Pablo had when he arrived here. Admittedly he had some extreme personal circumstances that have been well documented and probably fell outside of the clubs usual remit, but the feeling at the time was that JPA was a very young man many thousands of miles from home in a place where he didnt speak the language. In this day and age we dont just sign players who were born 50 miles from Birmingham, we sign players who were born 5000 miles from Birmingham. Placing a high priority on looking after them in those important first months while they settle is something that while unseen by most of the support surely has to be something to applaud.

[pablopicasso]

general,

quick question about the new shirt for after it is revealed....

is it possible to buy one from the club without the 32red sponsorship on the front?

if the shirt is the same as the leaked pics, then it is lovely, but i really would love the shirt even more, if it didnt have 32red huge sponsor on the front and i would definatelt buy one...

as it is, with the sponsor, then il probably just stick to another retro shirt...

cheers...

andy....

[ramshackler]

Thanks general. If it helps give the idea some weight behind it i can send you a petition with literally hundreds of names on it of fans who wish to see a taylor testimonial?

Also do you know when our season tickets are being sent out?

[metalhead_villain]

hay general,

i know people have talked to you about songs for the team to run out too on match days, but i just wanted to say, it should definatly be a song by ozzy osbourne, he is the most famous musician to come out of birmingham, and he is from aston.....so i think you should give consideration to the songs "crazy train" orrrrr "i dont wanna stop" off his new album "black rain" the lyrics to that song go

*all my life iv been over the top, i dont know what im doing all i know is i dont wanna stop, all fired up i wanna go till i drop, your either in or in the way dont make me, i dont wanna stop*

i think those lyrics give a never say die attitude.

or maybe one day you could get in contact with ozzy osbournes management if at all possible, and get him to come to a villa game, im sure that would raise the profile of the club.

i know this post is a little random, but i just wanted to say HI also, because i havent yet. but yeah give it some consideration or pass it on to the people who can.

thank you sir

[Gizmo]

2. I am not involved in Player Selection...that is the remit of Randy and MON. As such, I do not even attempt to determine who they are looking at. I know you all think I have a "list" in my back pocket but I do not. I have said that time and time again....I am NOT involved in player selection in any way. I have tried to say this in as many ways as I can. Randy and MON are taking care of this area of the Club.

Thanks General. Sorry if the question annoyed you.

There was no ulterior motive - I was just curious.

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. Gizmo: Please believe me, your question did not "annoy" me....and you have every right to ask it!!! I was just trying to make the point that I really don't get involved in player selections and have no secret list in my back pocket of those players who we may be looking at.

2. I am not sure about the shirt w/o 32Red.com on it. My recommendation is that you call John Greefield at AVFC (The Store) and ask him...he will be able to give you the answer.

3. We will do something for Ian...don't worry. Equally important, our "Team Mum" is hugely effective and well loved by all the players and their spouses. She sits with the spouses at every game and is very adept at making everyone feel like they are part of a "family." When emergencies arise, she is normally the first on the scene with a solution.

[paulanddonya]

The general has replied to those asking about a 'testimonial' for Ian Taylor, so we can drop that now - ta. LV

Gen, main reason for post - with all the fuss about England playing on plastic in Russia this week I am sure I heard the quote "David Beckhams first game will also be on plastic in Toronto". Obviously we are going there, does that mean we are playing on plastic and does this create worried over wierd injuries / burns , juust before the season (AND DON'T LET DELANEY ON IT IF IT DOES !!)

[bickster]

Posts deleted,, please keep to questions and comments for the general, also please keep your own personal agendas against certain people out of here, not interested, Ta - Bicks

[hobbo]

General,

A cursory glance around this website will tell you that many, many fans are becoming extremely worried, and at times, angry about the apparent lack of transfer activity at the club. We are hearing nothing and this makes people believe that the ambitions we all had for this forthcoming season will not come to fruition. With the no. of games until the season starts, and given the team's tour of the US, it makes the likelihood of starting the season with a stronger squad a near statistical impossibility.

What we need are a) player signings and more communication from yourself, Fitzgerald and/or MON, as to what is happening and why. Sunderland did this recently with Keane and I believe it calmed some fans down.

At the end of the day, football is entertainment and like it or not, the club exists to serve it's fans. I'm sorry General, but with the greatest respects, the club is failing to do that on one front currently. On others, such as the Holte Hotel, the training ground, etc. it is doing excellent work. However, again, like it or not, most fans would take a great playing squad over a rebuilt pub any day of the week.

Moderators - this isn't a common-or-garden transfer question, so don't block it. I do not want names, titbits or anything as crude as that. I'm just looking for a more comprehensive response from the General and/or AVFC to a fair grievance which thousands share.

[daz316]

General,

A couple of very quick questions for you. Firstly, My Mother and father celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary next year and they held their wedding reception in the holte hotel all those years ago, I still have a picture of them outside it! Do you think it would be possible for me to book something for them to celebrate, I know it would mean alot if they could celebrate in the restored hotel. It is in July of next year so I would just like to know if it would be an option really. The Anniversay is on the 15th July 2008, 29th anniversay on Sunday!

Also, has the "Team mum" always been at Villa or is she....If it is a she, new to the Villa since you arrived?

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

Hobbo: I am not sure what you want me to say that I haven't said before. I am not involved in Player signings...nor should I be. You indicate that the fans "need more communications from yourself, Fitzgerald and/or MON." I could not disagree more. Player signings involve "give and take"...sensitive negotiations. The last thing you want the Club to do is come on the sites or in the media and provide "information on what is happening and why." This would NOT be a smart thing to do and might well "nix" a deal in the making. We are not at all interested in what Sunderland did or why. It may well have "calmed some fans down" but, then again, we have absolutely zero idea of what their situation was at the time of the communications. We are not Sunderland...we are Aston Villa. To indicate that we should follow the lead of another Club makes no sense to me. Obviously, MON knows more than any of us. He knows his squad. You say that the "likelihood of starting the season with a stronger squad is a near statistical impossibility"...I say that MON is the Manager and it is his call as to what the Squad needs to look like and what needs to be done to get it ready. You are asking MON, or me, or Richard to "go live" with what is "happening and why"...a bad thing to ask for. There is HUGE risk to our efforts by pulling a stunt like that. If "serving the fans" means laying out what is "happening and why", well, that is BAD service and dangerous. I am sure that MON knows what he is doing and I, for one, support him in his position. I hope you all know me by now....I am not being critical nor am I upset. I am just giving as honest an answer as I can give to a legitimate question. NO ONE needs to agree with me...EVERYONE has the right to say what they want. BUT, I also have the right to make my views known.

[trekka]

General,

Regarding the comment that "many, many fans are becoming extremely worried" I would take with a very large pinch of salt. It is merely on the transfer dealings front where SOME fans believe we would have more signings by now and it is nothing against the way Randy, yourself and the team at VP are running our club. One drop of water does not make an ocean and all that. We're all extremely grateful for everything you guys have done and extremely proud that our club is roaring again. I think (and others do too!) the season ticket sales are proof of that. There is a sense of optimism around Villa Park and a genuine feeling of excitement and I for one think we've never had it so good in modern times!

So, one voice amongst a plethora of fans and I say thank you Sir and we're all keeping the faith. Thanks for keeping the faith with us, even though we get the "unbelieving" few who don't realise patience is a virtue and reaps good things!

[LukeMoore]

General,

i've been meaning to ask if there will be another open day training session at villa park this summer?

[JohnCresswell]

OK guys. Any further posts about the signing of players (and lack of it) will be deleted unless there is a signifcantly different question. If it's just "why haven't we signed anyone" it'll be deleted, it's been asked many times and the General has answered it. thanks

[ianrobo1]

General, it has been a year since Randy's interest in Villa become known and boy how things have changed

Can you sum up after a year how Randy feels about the takeover and subsquent events ?

Do you think he has ever had a second thought about the takeover ?

[tricella]

General Krulak here:

1. 3 important off-field priorities: 1) Marketing the Villa Brand...around the Country and the World. 2) Improving infrastructure of Club...Training Ground, Holte Hotel, Inside of stadium, Villa Park itself, the downtown store, the Villa Park store, etc. 3) Getting all the great Aston Villa FC people pulling in the same direction and happy at their work. We have got great people at Villa Park and when they are all pulling together and happy, then the place runs like a well-oiled machine.

3. Once a player is selected and joins the Club, they are given all sorts of help. We have a "Club Mum" who is tasked with helping them find a place to live, good schools for their children, shopping locations, helping obtain driver's licenses, doctors, etc. etc. Videos and books on the history of the Club are part of the "package." We do a VERY good job of bringing our players in and making them feel part of the "Villa Family." Our team mum has an office right across the Hall from MON in the new Training Ground Building....she is that important.

Thank you for these answers! Good to know whats first on the agenda... :winkold:

It will be absolutely brilliant when I visit Villa Park to see these people of claret and blue run like a well-oiled machine. I hope it will affect the players on the field too! Lovely. I´ve never been at Villa Park...yet there is few places on this earth that I love more...isnt that unbelievable?

I´ve been on my way on a few occasions but I have always got something else to disturb my plans. One of the reasons are that my family (wife and three kids) are afraid of letting me leave...because I wouldnt come back. I´ve always said that when I come to Villa Park I´ll put a chain on my wrist and never leave the place!

By the way...is there any guided tours at Villa Park for fans from abroad? That would be a dream to not only visit Villa Park looking a game (which is a dream within itself of course) but to actually have a look at the most places at Villa Park?

[Villaninoz]

By the way...is there any guided tours at Villa Park for fans from abroad? That would be a dream to not only visit Villa Park looking a game (which is a dream within itself of course) but to actually have a look at the most places at Villa Park?

no need for the first bit - jc

Are there any tours of the ground General or any plans to start one??

And how about throwing the training ground into the equation to make a real day of it???

On my Annual pilgrimage from Australia i couldn't think of anything better than to have a guided tour and maybe even meet MON, Randy and your good self!

[Denis_B]

There are daily guided tours of the ground