Hev Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 A Fans Liaison Officer is a great idea. I'd like that job myself in fact! :idea: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daholteend Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 And may I say that your light touch in coming directly to the fans, with humility and honesty, along with the huge breath of fresh air being blown round Villa Park, leads me to think you, Bob Kain and Mr Lerner may well become the most influential figures for Aston Villa FC since William McGregor, and if you achieve that, then to 42,500 sports fans, you will become truely "great". You will be in fine company if you can sit at thesame table as Mr McGregor when the history of Aston Villa is re written. . Cheers General Krulak While reading Juju's comments and some of the things that you have referred to earlier in the thread it occurred to me that Randy Lerner's City of Cleveland hosts the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in the USA . Considering that one of Aston Villa's founders was William McGregor and it was he who was instrumental in the founding of the Football League perhaps there is some virtue in the concept of establishing the "Football Hall of Fame" at Villa Park itself or somewhere close by? It is my understanding that AVFC still has properties nearby that were not sold off by the previous ownership. Could these be used in such a venture ? Villa Park has long been a famous host of international matches, and semi finals for the F.A. Cup in addition to being the home of England's most important founding team. What better place for such a venue? We are centrally located in the UK and host the NEC and International transport hubs ? Why Not ? I realise that there are a number of immediate priorities that require attention but perhaps such an idea may be worthy of consideration. It would certainly be in keeping with the rich traditions of Aston Villa and the game of football itself. Why not have a museum of such scope where it all began ? The NFL,the NBA and MLB also have members inducted into their respective Hall's of Fame, Is it possible that such an idea might be conceived in Aston ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 What a wonderful thing the interwebthingy is. Instant feedback from company to customers and vice versa I hope this level of communication continues beyond the "honeymoon" period and that such communication continues to be honest and frank in both directions, even though we both might not like to hear what the other has to say all the time Thank you General for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to keep us informed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrogers Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Can you please pass a message to MON, please bring back Hendrie, despite what some on here say... some are so bias, they can't see the wood for the trees!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleBrian Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Never mind Hendrie, pass the message to MON to please buy SWP! He would be awesome for Villa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJD Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 We seem to have a decent following in Scandinavia. English football is massive in Scandinavia and kids grow up watching the Premiership. Though Northern Europe may not be the largest market in the world in terms of population, there are many potential fans up here as the Premierhsip is so popular. Winning over a couple of young glory hunters from the cold North could boost our shirt sales quite a bit. We're wealthy too, you know, and plenty of oil money to spend on tickets and merchandise :winkold: It is a good idea. Why not take it a stage further by seeing how many of your fellow football fans (preferably Villa) would like to make a trip to a game? If you could get 40 or 50 I'm sure the club would do something, tell them what you'd like ie, short tour of the ground, photo's taken etc. A little organisation from your side could make the idea a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMcKenna Posted November 7, 2006 VT Supporter Share Posted November 7, 2006 Can you please pass a message to MON, please bring back Hendrie, despite what some on here say... some are so bias, they can't see the wood for the trees!! I assume you are talking about orange trees? :wink: :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicw8832 Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Can you please pass a message to MON, please bring back Hendrie, despite what some on here say... some are so bias, they can't see the wood for the trees!! Never mind Hendrie, pass the message to MON to please buy SWP! He would be awesome for Villa! As the General as stated repeatedly. Player selection and transfer decisons are up to Martin O'Neill, not Randy Lerner or General Krulak. Let's not make the General keep answering these sorts of questions/suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b23avfc Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Why not take it a stage further by seeing how many of your fellow football fans (preferably Villa) would like to make a trip to a game? If you could get 40 or 50 I'm sure the club would do something, tell them what you'd like ie, short tour of the ground, photo's taken etc. A little organisation from your side could make the idea a possibility. I can do the photos and live 5 mins from the ground.. hint hint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrobo1 Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Can you please pass a message to MON, please bring back Hendrie, despite what some on here say... some are so bias, they can't see the wood for the trees!! Never mind Hendrie, pass the message to MON to please buy SWP! He would be awesome for Villa! As the General as stated repeatedly. Player selection and transfer decisons are up to Martin Neill, not Randy Lerner or General Krulak. Let's not make the General keep answering these sorts of questions/suggestions. excellent point , the general is responsible as a board member for off the field stuff and providing MON with the best possible support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsby Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Corner Flag Resteraunt. General, I enjoyed a meal at Villa's resteraunt on Saturday, the staff were excellent, the service superb - and the food was delicious. The only thing that perhaps let the experience down was that nobody in the resteraunt could see the stadium / pitch as it wasn't lit up in any way. The strapline for the resteraunt is 'A unique outlook' and I think its an opportunity missed to not have the stadium / pitch lit up in some way. It would make a dramatic back-drop for those eating in the evening, and it seems such a waste of a great USP. Cheers Digsby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-krulak Posted November 7, 2006 Author Share Posted November 7, 2006 General Krulak here: A couple of quick answers: 1. Re. Scandinavia: Several weeks ago I was at the Villa Park reception area and saw a family of 5...with a young lad in a wheelchair. The family was from Trondheim, Norway and were avid Villa Fans. They try to make the trip once a year and were just at the park early to let the children feel the atmosphere. The young lad in the wheelchair had never been on the pitch so we arranged for the whole family to go down onto the pitch...and after the game, took them in to see Martin and the Team. They all got autographs and by the time they were ready to leave, all of the family were in tears. The point here is not that the family was taken care of by YOUR Club but that this wonderful family, with handicapped child, loved Villa enough to come all the way from Norway to see a game. SO, when you read about someone from Scandinavia that is a Villa Fan, salute them!! Just like fans all over the world...they love YOUR Club and want to be a part of it. We are going to work very hard to make all our fans feel appreciated...because they are. 2. Football Hall of Fame. I am not sure how far we can or should go in that area but I can tell you that we will have a statue of Wlliam McGregor at our Park!! You can count on that!! Plus, we will have a museum that will honor the greats of our past. I know that some might say that we should look to the future vice live in the past....well, we are not living in the past...we are honouring those who have gone before. Believe me, we want fans 50 years from now to "honour" the teams of today and tomorrow. 3. I thank those who are helping to make clear the issue of player selection. That is NOT something that Randy or any Director will do....that is Martin's role. He knows the team...he knows what they need (now and in future) and he knows what is available. We need to trust him to do his job. He certainly has shown he deserves our trust. 4. Lights on the pitch at night....not a bad idea!!! Thanks. Semper Fidelis, General Krulak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCresswell Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 but I can tell you that we will have a statue of Wlliam McGregor at our Park!! You can count on that!! Plus, we will have a museum that will honor the greats of our past 8) Absolutely fantastic. Thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmygreaves Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Brilliant!! It still feels quite astonishing that we are able to have direct feedback from the "bigwigs" at Villa. Your time is very much appreciated General, thank you............... had a chance to look at the possiblilty of that terracing thing??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 7, 2006 Moderator Share Posted November 7, 2006 General Krulak here: 4. Lights on the pitch at night....not a bad idea!!! Thanks. Thats actually just remindedme tbh if theres to be any redesign of Villa Park is there any chance of us having our AV floodlights back? I know this must appear a daft question but those floodlights were distinctive and you could see the AV lights from miles around, I miss them, they were part of the character of Villa Park for me You might not know what I'm on about here General but we used to have floodlights one in eack corner of the ground, two of them in the shape of a V two in the shape of an A - they were unique and distinctive, set us apart from other teams grounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee_av Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Thanks for that General. There are a lot of fans from other countries that support our club. Have you any plans to canvass the secretarys of these clubs to see how the Villa Park experience improved for them also. There are also a lot of local Supporters Clubs, that I think may have been neglected a little in the past. In the early 80's, the club actively encouraged players to visit local pubs and clubs as away of bringing the club and the players closer together. I know that times have changed and football has moved on a little, but you have seen first hand now how kids feel when they meet their heroes. The Villa have lost a lot of the "Liquid" support in the Midlands over the last 20 years or so, but we should be encouraging kids in the Midlands to bind their loyalties to their local club at an early age, and not just support Teams from their armchairs. That's what happenned to me and I have been bound to the club through thick and thin since the late 70's. Perhaps the club can be a proactive and canvass these clubs for ideas on how communiction can be imporved. The club to be fair have improved over the last few years, but I'm sure that there is more that can be done from both sides. Keep up the good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b23avfc Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Fantastic news about the William Mcgregor Statue, i actually said YES out loud. Also, guys stop harassing the General about buying players.. how many times do you want him to repeat that it is down to MON and that the Board will back his decisions?! Keep up the hard work General.. you can see how it´s appreciated. The cancer has finally been removed from OUR club and the antidote is now in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrobo1 Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 General Krulak here: A couple of quick answers: 1. Re. Scandinavia: Several weeks ago I was at the Villa Park reception area and saw a family of 5...with a young lad in a wheelchair. The family was from Trondheim, Norway and were avid Villa Fans. They try to make the trip once a year and were just at the park early to let the children feel the atmosphere. The young lad in the wheelchair had never been on the pitch so we arranged for the whole family to go down onto the pitch...and after the game, took them in to see Martin and the Team. They all got autographs and by the time they were ready to leave, all of the family were in tears. The point here is not that the family was taken care of by YOUR Club but that this wonderful family, with handicapped child, loved Villa enough to come all the way from Norway to see a game. SO, when you read about someone from Scandinavia that is a Villa Fan, salute them!! Just like fans all over the world...they love YOUR Club and want to be a part of it. We are going to work very hard to make all our fans feel appreciated...because they are. this is the kind of simple things that make the experience of supporting a club so good. It is the simple things like this that make the experience so good and makes the club one that people want to feel part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossman Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Considering that one of Aston Villa's founders was William McGregor and it was he who was instrumental in the founding of the Football League perhaps there is some virtue in the concept of establishing the "Football Hall of Fame" at Villa Park itself or somewhere close by? It is my understanding that AVFC still has properties nearby that were not sold off by the previous ownership. Could these be used in such a venture ? Villa Park has long been a famous host of international matches, and semi finals for the F.A. Cup in addition to being the home of England's most important founding team. What better place for such a venue? We are centrally located in the UK and host the NEC and International transport hubs ? Why Not ? Pretty certain that this already exists at Preston's ground, Deepdale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsby Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 General Krulak here: A couple of quick answers: 1. Re. Scandinavia: Several weeks ago I was at the Villa Park reception area and saw a family of 5...with a young lad in a wheelchair. The family was from Trondheim, Norway and were avid Villa Fans. They try to make the trip once a year and were just at the park early to let the children feel the atmosphere. The young lad in the wheelchair had never been on the pitch so we arranged for the whole family to go down onto the pitch...and after the game, took them in to see Martin and the Team. They all got autographs and by the time they were ready to leave, all of the family were in tears. The point here is not that the family was taken care of by YOUR Club but that this wonderful family, with handicapped child, loved Villa enough to come all the way from Norway to see a game. SO, when you read about someone from Scandinavia that is a Villa Fan, salute them!! Just like fans all over the world...they love YOUR Club and want to be a part of it. We are going to work very hard to make all our fans feel appreciated...because they are. this is the kind of simple things that make the experience of supporting a club so good. It is the simple things like this that make the experience so good and makes the club one that people want to feel part of it. I read that and yet again had to pinch myself at who we now have in charge. This demonstrates a thorough understanding of the Football Club. It is simply fantastic to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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