General Krulak (No Transfer Questions allowed)

[ianrobo1]

Hi General, got to say the new location and style of the City Centre shop is fan-bloody-tastic it really shows who is the top club in the city and is far better than what I would have ever asked for

Just one point on the rebranding, with the kit photo's showing pictures of the Town Hall and Selfridges and now the shop there is clearly a deliberate attemt to captilise o n the 'home' market, something a lot of us said when Randy took over was needed.

well done

[jasthevillan]

From all accounts General my nephews Arron and Devon had a wonderful time on Wednesday night as the Villa mascots. They and my cousins enjoyed it and the boys now want to be footballers. I haven´t asked them but I bet I know who they want to play for. Will there be a story about them in a programme that we publish, it would be ok with us and show how the Villa family is spreading.

Kind regards,

Jas Basi

[joost1]

Another question regarding the official site,

Can we please ensure that it is accesible for all - ie, at the moment only people using Windows computers can access Villa World. With more and more people leaving Windows machines for Mac and Linux, to cut off this section of fans is disappointing.

This is a good point, General.

As a Mac user, I dropped my subscription to VillaWorld on the day the site moved to Windows-only digital rights management, since I was locked out of viewing any video content. So the club lost out on my money and I lost out on Villa stuff -- not sure the opportunity cost of fighting piracy is really worth it when we're looking to reconnect with supporters and raise the club's profile.

So if the rumours of free-for-all or at least revamped VillaWorld content are true, it has to be in the club's best interests to make the site available to as many people as possible -- Mac users, Linux users, mobile phone users, etc...

Using Flash video or something similar would surely be a better alternative than Windows Media.

General, again, thanks for being so open and forthcoming with the fans. It's greatly appreciated.

[MYSTERYMAN]

General ,

Just to say I have had the ok from Alison regarding the banner for the corner balcony of the Trinity Road but you also mentioned you were looking to get two banners done for the Holte End / North Stand .

Is that still the case ?

[runetune]

JC and joost1 - I know this is the generals thread, but thought this might be relevant. I did an online survey for Villa about the new site, and although I am still *grumble* a windows user, I did stress when asked what I would like to see is compatibility for Mac and Linux users.

I would imagine some others who did the survey also asked for this? I don't know if the survey is still running either, but it might be worth a look around the OS and see if it is to put your points across.

[DANNY_DYER]

General,

A couple of months ago it was mentioned on here if there was any possible 'link up' with tickets, offers etc with Birmingham Speedway.

From memory I think you said you'd look into it. Has this gone any further ? Think it would be another great link up considering the Brummies are on our doorstep.

Cheers General

[LJRM050389]

General the blues and the local police here in Kingstanding and Great Barr have teamed up for some soccer schools in the area over the summer holidays. Although a good scheme should this not be us instead of blues, especially as Great Barr and Kingstanding are traditional Villa areas and a core base of Villa support?

[villanfromluton]

General

You are doing great things for the club along with Mr Lerner. However I think the on line shopping site is even worse than before. We have just bought two pairs of shorts when we only needed one as it does not show the things. When you get to checkout, it is not correct. It is only when the receipt comes throught we realised we had two pairs of shorts.

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. Back from Board Meeting...will be flying to Columbus in about an hour.

2. For those who are concerned about tickets, receipts, getting into VP, etc. I have asked Nicky Keye this question a zillion times and she indicates that there will be no issues and if there are, there will be people at the gates with connectivity to computer that will ensure no problems. I have to believe that Nicky has had multiple "dry runs" on this system and that it works.

3. I am not sure that the previous owners did "medical on the cheap" but I can assure you, Randy will NOT do that. He is affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic (one of the finest medical centers in the world) and will always ensure that our Lads get the very best treatment.

4. MON Q/A...this sounds like a good idea but the reality is that he would probably be faced with 1000 Harewood questions, 1000 questions on why he hasn't signed 10 people including Ronaldo, etc. etc. I just don't think he is up for answering that type of question right now. EVERYONE recognizes that some Fans are upset with the summer transfer activity but, at the same time, the Club believes in MON and what he is doing. The only difference between some of the Fans and folks like myself is that I am not second-guessing MON or Randy.

5. JC. I have not personally read the "top class player" comment. I really haven't. My first question would be, "Did he mean this summer?" According to a future post, he did say "this summer." Secondly, what does Richard mean by "top class?" Does his meaning equate to your meaning? Seems to me that is an honest question. Reo may well be "top class" in Richard's book...obviously, he is not in your book. Does that make Richard wrong? The idea of Randy or any of the Board "lying" to the Fans is not only ludicrous but insulting. You all may be accustomed to people "lying" but I can assure you, Randy Lerner and General Chuck Krulak do NOT lie. As an example, I try to be as upfront as possible on these sites. Sometimes I will write something that "fails to happen." It is not because I was lying...it is because something happened that changed the end result. As soon as I recognize I have "screwed up", I try to notify folks that I did. No attempt to cover up. The idea that someone at Villa would try to fool people into buying season tickets by making all sorts of claims is also ludicrous. If we were going to attempt a deceit (yes, DECEIT) like that, we sure would have done a far better PR job...far more hype...etc. etc. One statement by Richard...without any context behind that statement...is a pretty poor attempt at increasing season ticket purchases...especially by someone who knows marketing inside and out. A statement like lying to increase season ticket sales is craziness.

The question about why I waited to post my comment about Richard's statement is simple....as I mentioned above, I didn't even know he made the statement!! I still haven't seen it. As soon as I realized there was an issue, I came on this site and wrote what I wrote...which I stand by 100%. Richard has zero to do with players. Pete 165 wrote a comment about "LOTS of other teams spending big money on big players...selling 8 potential 1st team players." I don't even know where to begin with that one! "8 potential first team players"?? In whose opinion? In Pete 165's opinion or MON's opinion? With all due respect, who's opinion should the Club seek? Seriously, do the Fans actually believe that MON is going to be out selling our 1st team players?? This goes hand in hand with the idea that we must "sell to buy." I can assure you that Randy is prepared to spend money on players...that the idea of "sell to buy" is NOT accurate and not what MON truly meant. He knows, better than most, that Randy WILL support him. What is printed in the news paper is not always accurate...or, more importantly, put into the context of what was truly meant. Again, MON knows that Randy has the money and will support him. Regarding "LOTS of teams spending big money on big players." I must be looking at a different transfer market than you are....I have seen a few teams spending money on good players...and I have seen one or two teams spending big money on good players but "LOTS"?? Not in my humble opinion. If you look at the money MON has laid out for players in the last year, I would venture to say that AVFC stands pretty high in the money expenditure list. And, by the way, I DO believe that we have signed some pretty good players! As I look back at all the posts I have made to this site and others, I do NOT see any comments where I have said that this summer would be the be all and end all of Villa. I have consistently said that we are on a 5 year plan and that MON will look at the needs of the Squad today and tomorrow and act appropriately. If his timing and his actions are not what you or some of the fans want, well that is your perogative. You spend the money to buy the tickets and you ABSOLUTELY DESERVE to moan if you are unhappy. Just know that MON and Randy are not going to change their plans because fans are unhappy...and I honestly don't think you would want them to change their plans. The day the fans start doing the job of the Manager and the Owner is the day that the Club goes down. In my opinion, we must trust MON and Randy...and if we don't, we might as well consider ourselves done. As for having Richard come out in the media or on a web site and try to explain what he said or why he said it or what context he was making his statement, is, again, not really going to solve anything. He said what he said. Fans have already made up their minds as to why he said it. Some think he was hyping sales, others that he was speaking out of school, etc. etc. For him to try and reconstruct the time, the feeling, the context, etc. etc. is not worth the effort...BECAUSE what is done, is done. I have spent the last 2+ weeks writing on 4 web sites about this entire issue. To me, it now has become as waste of my time and many of the readers' time. NOTHING I can say will cause any of those who are disgruntled to become happy. So let me say what I have always said: I don't pick players, MON does that! I don't spend the money, Randy does that (WILLINGLY)! I support both of them and I trust both of them. Neither starts each day by thinking of ways to screw up our Club or piss off the fans!!!!!!

6. Yes on photos of games.

7. Yes on banners...we will probably be asking fans to "pick" from some options.

8. Please call John Greenfield on the on-line shop issues. He will sort out the problem.

[markavfc40]

General as ever an honest and sincere post. I, like many on here, am fed up with having to see the same questions being fired at you so can see why are you now see it as a waste of time answering them.

You can be assured though General that 99.9% of Aston Villa fans are right behind Randy, Mon, Yourself and the rest of the board and appreciate what you have done and endeavor to do with this great club.

Like you said its a long term plan that you all have for improving the club and thankfully the majority of us are fully aware of and accept that.

[remotevillan]

and 99.9% of us are extremely grateful to have you guys on board and I for one wouldnt choose another manager in the world over MON or for that matter another chairman over RL. Keep up the stellar work.

[chefdoc2000]

I agree with you so much general, it is a shame you have to come on and deal with this over and over again. I can't count how many times you have had to say you have noting to do with signings! What’s worst is that there is noting to complain about, it’s not as if we have lost the first 4 games in the league. Martin O'Neil has his starting eleven I think and by he end of august he will have backup for injuries in the winter months, I think the vast majority of Villa fans believe this too. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with this kind of ABUSE again.

Enjoy Ohio. 1 – 3 I predict!!!

[PW]

General, the 5-year plan. Where do the board expect us to be in 4 years time? What is Randy expecting for as a return for his input? Would Randy accept a trpho-less 5 seasons?

[rjw63]

That's one hell of a feckin reply General :-)

[carlitobrigante]

nicely put General, however I dont think anyone was accusing the new board of lying or decieving us, they meant its important we dont 'feel like we have been'...

I dont see what the big fuss about myself and I fully back every decision MON and Randy have taken thus far..

I think it is the situation with having no first choice right back that has got people panicking. But MON is a clever man, who takes his time to get it right and though this might be frustrating for some, I am sure we will reap the rewards soon enough...

OK, can we move on now, please folks. The General has answered the deceit point thoroughly. thanks. Blandy

[JulieB]

General hope you don't mind but as beer got mentioned on the Columbus Thread .....when I was over in Cleveland I got taken to the Great Lakes Brewery in the city and the beer was great! Thought it might be nice if the Holte sold some of the beers from the Gt Lakes Brewery as its only up the road from the Brown's stadium and its so much nicer than the usual American export of Budweiser etc! In fact I was asking about American beer at our local supermarket, which sell brands from all over the world and the guy who I spoke to is a bit of an expert and he was saying that some of the American brands are reputed to be some of the best in the world.

[PW]

He'd be wrong then! As i have to ask a question..General, now that you're spending to in a country and continent that has real beer, castles, history etc etc what lagers do you like?

[Mark8691]

General, I'm sure this as been asked before. I know the board are looking to improve many aspects of the club and many things have been addressed in the first year. One thing i would implead for improvement are the matchday commentaries on VillaWorld. For those of us who are living abroad, this is the only way we can usually listen to a match. However the standard of the commentary is so poor we often have no idea what is going on. Commentary has also been known to disappear! I know the board are trying to improve the villa experience for all fans...please improve the matchday experience for those fans who can't get to Villa Park!

[El Zen]

General, I'm sure this as been asked before. I know the board are looking to improve many aspects of the club and many things have been addressed in the first year. One thing i would implead for improvement are the matchday commentaries on VillaWorld. For those of us who are living abroad, this is the only way we can usually listen to a match. However the standard of the commentary is so poor we often have no idea what is going on. Commentary has also been known to disappear! I know the board are trying to improve the villa experience for all fans...please improve the matchday experience for those fans who can't get to Villa Park!

Good shout that. Luckily, I get most games live on telly in Norway, but a few times per season Villa World is the only way I can follow the Villa live. And I'm sorry to say, but the product provided simply isn't good enough. The sound tends to disappear for minutes, and when it returns the journalistic standard of the reporter (Jack Woodward) is well below what one may expect. The standard of the news bulletins aren't very good either, to say the least.

[paulanddonya]

Blinking heck gen - thats one long reply !!! And I tell you something, no one is ever going to agree on everything all of the time, but I agree with everything in your post there. Before I ask my question just gotta say in jest - when you are in the UK - for god sake don't call yourself chuck - its an old slang term for a lady - as in see ya chuck !.

Anyway, I want to go back to a question I posted about 8 months ago, which was obviously too early then, but maybe you may be able to give your thoughts now.

Think about Villa park and on the top of the Witton (and if you want to get everyone happy again - you only have to change that name to do it !!) are a load of flagpoles, hardly any of them are used and the ones that are are flags that don't mean anything.

We have been talking about Villas greatest, and the OS have a poll at the moment. Wouldn't it be an idea to honour these greats on the flag poles. Each flag with either a greats name / or even a photo of them. I'm sure it would hardly cost a penny and would be a great way of remembering them all.

And one last bit - reading The Times article on Mon's fascination with murderers - if you ever fall out - I'd watch your back if I were you !!!!