General Krulak (No Transfer Questions allowed)

[OutByEaster?]

General,

Can you confirm when the first team will be back in for pre-season training?

There seems to be some confusion as to whether it's next week or the week after.

Thank you.

[Fuse]

General,

Can I point you in the direction of this article in today's News of the World here http://tinyurl.com/6k7con

It contradicts many things that the club have said about wanting Gareth to stay. What are your thoughts and reaction to this article? I am shocked that Gareth has gone so public with his criticism of MON and the club and if true it does not paint us in a good light.

You have asked us to trust you and we have done but it appears if this article is true that the club doesn't want to keep our captain,

Thanks

[jasthevillan]

General, the article says more about the character of our 'captain' than it does about the management at Aston Villa. If Gareth wants to go he can hand in a transfer request and waive his right to any monies from the transfer, you can't have your cake and eat it.

[hobbo]

General,

Agree with Fuse. If this is true, and there are a lot of quotes, this is a disgrace. It certainly makes me think long and hard about your comments about MON, etc. being on the phone continuously.

Someone's lying here. Yourselves, Barry (in which case he should be reprimanded) or the NOW (in which case they should be taken to court by AVFC, Barry or both).

[nrogers]

I agree with Fuse also, General, your comments would be appreciated here. I, if Barry's "Quotes" are true, would have the same feelings, if my manager was ignoring me.

[SeanO]

If Barry has said this and it is true General then your going to have a lot of unhappy posters on here!

On the other hand , why should he get a pay rise just because Liverpool want him? why should MoN or Randy tell him who we are after, NO one person is bigger than the club!

We understand you will not say to much on an open forum and that you yourself don't get involved in transfers but this article has brought MoN and Randy's reputations in to doubt and i feel someone needs to put our managements side to this story, don't let them take liberty's!!

[JohnCresswell]

Just another here to add to a bad Sunday morning you probably could have done without.

Can you confirm that Martin O'Neill hasn't spoke to our club captain over the past few weeks will off enjoying himself trying to be funny on the BBC?

And will AVFC be looking at punishing Gareth for his outburst? I don't expect details, but for example, these are comments that are unacceptable for a club captain to make and as a result I think it woud be right for captaincy to be stripped from him now.

We don't need details, but how are negotiations going for players JOINING the club? AVFC need players. Otherwise we might as well forget any European adventure now. We've saw this in January - have patience - and then nothing came.

[KSV]

well like MON said.. good players should be rewarded.. and Barry is probably entitled to a new better contract.. but as if he would stay even if we did.

Im dying to hear the response from MON or the General.

[hobbo]

We don't need details, but how are negotiations going for players JOINING the club? AVFC need players. Otherwise we might as well forget any European adventure now. We've saw this in January - have patience - and then nothing came.

Absolutely. This kind of comment only works once or twice and it's been used up previously. Also, as other clubs have started making signings, can we now move onto the next phase of excuse-making at least?

As our former manager said once, "Don't tell me, show me".

General - don't keep telling us all is well - show us with actions not promises which will probably fail to materialise.

[bear_1982]

Barry, Barry, Barry…

I will be sorry to see him go (if he does ever make it out the door), but in all honesty the Villa have bigger things to worry about! He has been a great servant to the club for many years, but is he irreplaceable? I personally think he is not.

I am sure, should he go, that the Villa will not let him go cheaply and for the money that has been talked about then lets cash in and build a team full of quality that actually wants to play for us.

As for his comments in the NOTW, well for a start it’s hardly the most reliable source, and besides I personally think its more damaging to him than it is for us. I do not believe for a minute the club haven’t told him they want to keep him, and to me it sounds like a big excuse to cover his own back with the fans.

I am not too worried about the whole situation, and have complete faith in the guys at the top and am I sure that whatever the result of this saga is, it will be to the benefit of our club.

The reality of the situation is that the Villa is on the up and clubs like Liverpool are, in my opinion, a nervous time bomb waiting to explode. What goes around comes around and they will have their comeuppance. In the meantime we will continue to march on, breathing down their necks. We are getting there, and these clubs are starting to realise that they need to do something quick before they are overtaken.

Keep striving on General (& the rest of team), Proud History, Bright Future…

…Up the Villa!

[bakerbob]

Hi General

If the NOTW are correct then Barry has every right to be upset and questions need to be asked about how Villa have handled the situation.

As AVFC are MON main employer he should be hands on not making smart remarks in a TV studio.

The team is very weak in numbers we look like we are about to let slip our best player,

I have felt for some time one of MON greatest weakness is in the transfer market.

Get a grip Villa.

[The_Rev]

“It’s seven weeks now since the season finished but while the gaffer’s found time to be a pundit for the BBC at Euro 2008, he hasn’t found the time to speak to me. But Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has shown how much he wants me at Anfield.

“I am obviously flattered that someone as successful as Rafa Benitez thinks so highly of me.

“And that he’s not been afraid to put his valuation of me in black and white for Villa and all the world to see.

“But have Villa offered me anything to try to persuade me my future is at Villa Park not Anfield? Not a thing.”

When the biggest selling newspaper in the country prints stuff like that and says its a direct quote from your captain, its worrying reading. The manager hasnt spoken to the captain in seven weeks despite him being subject to a transfer bid? I cant believe that is true, but surely that would make Gareth Barry a liar?

[pablopicasso]

post removed and content pm'd to you pablo - for if you want to put it in the thread it belongs - the Barry thread, not one for Q&A for the General. Could posters please use this thread as per the site guidelines, not for random discussion. Thanks.Blandy

[RossAndreas]

General, I for one am getting very frustrated with yet another, to now, very poor transfer window from Villa.

We are showing absolutely no ambition to get the best players while our rivals snap up the best talent. It's time for some answers with us having such a small squad and yet so little investment in the first team squad relative to teams of even a smaller size to us.

Sadly losing faith in the board quite fast. Actions speak louder than words and the only actions we see is O'Neill on BBC while other clubs snap up players. :shock:

2008 transfer activity:

Villa : £1.25m purchase of Routledge. Net spend £1.25m

Spurs: £2m purchase of Guenter, £8m purchase of Woodgate, £9m purchase of Hutton,

£2m purchase of Gilberto, £16.6m purchase of Modric, £4.7m purchase of Dos Santos, Gomes £7m, sale of Defoe for £7.5m and Routledge for £1.25m. Net spend 40.55m

So one of our rivals have a net spend of around £40m more than us so far this year. Forgive me for thinking we have a few problems and all is not so rosy at Villa Park.

[Peter1968]

General, there is a small selection of fans that have the beleif that Martin needs to sell Gareth to raise funds. :?

Looking at the quotes by a rather treacherous former Captain in todays papers, are the minority correct in their assumption, and is Gareth Barry a liar? :shock:

Also, what effect does this have on our ability in convincing potential recruits to the club, of our ambition? :oops:

And lastly, will we have a signing this week? :winkold:

[NASTY_LEE]

This is all going to take some explaining. If these comments are true then, as a fan, you can't help but feel let down by the club. This report certainly does not match the picture that has been painted over the last 8 weeks. General, I will be interested to see how the club handle themselves over the next month because I for one feel very flat at the moment. There are also nagging doubts about how much clout we actually have in the transfer markets since this is another transfer window that promises much, but like most of the others has failed to materialise. I understand it is still early doors, but am not convinced we are able to compete in the market you are portraying. With rumours of our other top targets considering elsewhere it is not exactly inspiring. If this is the case, then the club need to understand - when you target a player other clubs want the only way to get him is to offer more money. If Bentley is going to Spurs over us then we need to convinve him otherwise. This is threatening to be another summer of discontent.

[evnsj6]

Hi General,

As you can see the article in question is stirringthe Villa fans even more than usual. I think we should just wait and see what becomes of this, as articles such as this, will only divert attention to the Liverpool end of the row.

I agree and have listened to your earlier posts and will wait and see what happens at the end of the transfer window to see where we stand, but you cannot help the fans for being a little bit upset by all the rumours being flung around in the news. Abnd I believe if Barry did speak to the papers it was under the influence of a so called Red Team.

If true we also have grounds for tapping up as Barry states, Rafa Benites has told me how much I mean to them!!!!!

Let battle commence, IN MON I TRUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest Ricardomeister]

General, in light of the News of the World article, what will the club do with all the remaining copies of the Gareth Barry 10 years dvd and signed Gareth Barry shirts? I would suggest a charitable action of donating them to the homeless so they can top up their fires over the winter!

UTV SOTC

[Villarevolution2007]

General, as stated many times in the press, Liverpool have not offered a substantial enough bid - or one that is of our valuation of Gareth Barry - do you believe this article will give us less chance of gaining our valuation in the transfer? (i.e:- we have to sell Barry for a lower price) or will the club still maintain an attitude of full price or he stays... despite Barry's open minded declaration that he 'MUST' leave Villa park?

Have faith in everyone at AVFC- yourself, Randy and MON.

[KT3AVFC]

General there will be any number of people demanding that you reveal details of planned transfer activity in the light of the comments allegedly made by Barry in the NOTW.

No other club would outline their transfer plans in public - except for the beneath contempt redscouse - so I for one will be fully supportive if you maintain your position on not discussing transfers.