General Krulak (No Transfer Questions allowed)

[RossAndreas]

If there is a problem now (which there clearly is) let's sort it out now rather than wait until 1st September. We have time but it is running out. Through you General please pass on our strong fears and displeasure at the way our squad size is being managed.

[Phoenicks]

General

I am a Villa season ticket holder - that's all. I do not have any ITK knowledge - I know what I am told by you on here, and what I read in the press. Therefore, I have no idea who is to blame in what proportion for the Barry mess, the transfer mess, the state of the squad at this key stage etc.

All I know is that it has been a long time since I have felt so negative about the start of a Villa season, and surely that shouldn't be the case?

[AstonMartin82]

General,

Even though I have been reading VT for a long time, I have never felt the desire to post anything until today. The frustration of the fans is coming to a head and in doing so most are not thinking with their brains. I am delighted that we have the board and owner that we currently do and it would be disasterious if any of these other fans were in charge instead. Can they not see that we have the best owner and board in the league? Can they not see that we are building for the future? Can they not see that having a Spurs style assult in the transfer market is not only unsuccessful but also expensive?

Unfortunately people only seem to shout when they are unhappy, so please know that there are still many fans who aren't shouting in these forums who are delighted with the way the club is being run, and would be absolutely devastated should the board loose interest and leave. I can see that we are building something for the future. We may not be great next season, but one day we will be great. Good times are around the corner... and it's the very same fans that are slating MON and Randy today that will be cheering them in jubilation in the future.

Keep up the great work.

[Digsby]

General Krulak here:

Do you understand, MON believes it is HIS role to not only manage the team but to obtain the players too...players that he is responsible for molding into the type of team he feels he needs. He sees this is TOTALLY his responsibility

e) All I see now is some people bailing out as fast as they can...and crying for the "good old days."

Hi General,

Thanks for getting back to some of the points raised on the last few pages of this thread, people shouldn't be getting personal with anyone, least of all you - I think the majority not only understand, but fully appreciate you coming on here - and do not want to lose that.

With regards to the points quoted above,

(a) I think everyone is fully aware that MON is responsible for all aspects of the Team, including the obtaining of players. This however seems to be the problem as he doesn't seem very good at it.

As others have stated, we have positions on the pitch that have not been covered for 2 years.

We now have less players than at any time I can ever remember - it doesn't point towards a bright future - and if the money is there, as you say, then serious questions need to be posed to O'Neill.

(e) I don't see people bailing out and crying for the 'good old days', to be frank, I don't think the majority of us can ever remember the 'good old days' - we had 20 odd years of Mr Ellis.

Whilst things were rotten under Ellis, we knew they were and cut our cloth accordingly. We have now been given hope and reason to believe that things will be different under Randy - so far, they don't appear to be, with regards to player aqusition.

I still force myself to believe that Randy is true to his word based on the 'off the pitch' projects he has delivered, and so I have to assume that the problem must lie with MON.

History dictates that Villa fans, en masse, have got used to things falling around them every 3 years - if it happens under this regime then I think all good feeling will be lost forever, and you will have a fanbase more cynical than ever before.

[AVFCGB]

General,

We are in the midst of battle. The early stages have gone well, but we are not pushing on as expected. Ground is difficult to gain & morale is low. Discontent is appearing amongst the rank's & battle plan's are being questioned.

No doubt you have been in this situation many times? But as a leader of men you draw on all your powers & deliver a battle cry. A Major Tim Collins, an Henry V speech of such magnitutde & manner that all become uplifted. A united front is shown, all feel unbeatable. The cause once again becomes paramount.

I think now is the time to deliver that speech?

[sickmick99]

General

1) I have listened to a lot of Mons interviews yesterday (and it was not pretty to see someone so enthusiastic looking and sounding so dejected), he stated that Liverpool had been spoke to before the wednesday deadline and they could not meet our price. Then on thursday morning GB and his agent went to Mon as they believed that LFC could still do the deal. My question is, if liverpool are not allowed to make contact with the player or his representatives untill given permission by Aston Villa, where the hell are they getting their info from? And do the club believe there has been illegal contact with GB at anytime over the last few months?

2) And if the rules about clubs approaching players are got around with backdoor contact via agents / 3rd parties, is there anything we can do to stop this kind of shite situation happening again ? If not i think most of us are worried that we will be facing again next summer with Ashley Young.

3) Do you mind that a lot of fans use this contact with you to vent their frustrations , even though most of what has been said a million times before ?

On a personal note looking at the way LFC have conducted themselves this summer over Gareth Barry and Robbie Keane, and knowing that they will end up getting what they want makes me sick. The people who run the game should be ashamed of the fact that they continue to let this happen. None of the chasing clubs will ever be able to challenge again if we don't get some protection in keeping our best players.

Anyway here's to looking forward to better days ahead.

[Jimthevillian]

General,

Firstly I would just like to state that you have my total respect for continuing to post your thoughtful and detailed responses on this site despite the fact that some are not actually asking questions but making childish and unfounded personal attacks on yourself and others at the club. I don't think I could be as gracious.

Secondly, I think a lot of this frustration has all come out of the Barry turnaround and it is pretty obvious it was his turnaround not the club's. However I am concerned that his agent (correct me if I am wrong) does represent other players at the club. (Barry Bannan perhaps?) Would it not be a good idea to ban this agent from the club and insist that none of our players are represented by him as he seems to be the one who has convinced Barry to go against the deadline deal.

Finally, as for the other transfer talk, talk is all it is and I for one would rather have a club in Europe than one that splashes the cash and shows no standards in terms of the players they acquire (e.g. Newcastle). However, I like the rest of us on here only has an outsider's view on how transfer dealings actually work, it would though seem that we are not doing the groundwork on deals fast enough before the window opens and appear to wait for it to open before making the first moves for players. Would it not be better to signal our intentions early in the window so by bringing in one or two very good players early on, it would signal to other targets later in the window that we are indeed a club on the up. Is this just an outsider's view general or do you think there is anything truth in this?

Thanks for your work for the club general, and I really do think we have the best men in place to do great things at Villa.

- Jim

[bilbao]

General,

I truly believe that the tough times we and you are experiencing now will make our inevitable success even more sweet when we acheive it and look back at these "dark days".

Please can you inform us whether or not Barry has now put in an official transfer request because in my opinion that would be the only event significant enough for us to move from the Wednesday deadline which was agreed by BARRY.

[MYSTERYMAN]

General ,

What are you reading is typical football fans and they are looking for a scapegoat in the Barry saga in hindsight the only mistake may be releasing a statement about a deadline when you are dealiing with someone who doesn't really want to be at the club . The frustration for MON is if they don't come up with the dosh does he go out and get a replacement or hang on . Think now he has to just go out and get that replacement now and if Liverpool don't come up with the money then thats tough on Barry he becomes a squad player not first team .

The hysteria is typical of football fans and admit myself MON's dealing are slow and it appears the likes of Portsmouth who average 20000 supporters in a championship ground with training facilities to match signed people like Diarria and Defoe / Johnson and the Man Citry centre back who would all get into our first team . They won the FA Cup last season and again have bought well in Crouch .

I have total faith in the Board and I know along with MON you are buliding this football club on concrete foundations not quick sand the worry though for me is the affect on the likes of Young if we don't sign people of better calibre than the likes of Knight and Harewood then he will be next to go .

Don't think we could get a better board and suppose not a better Manager but the worry is how long he takes to do deals . Saying that I can go back to the bad old dark days and this club is a million miles from that but another million miles to make it into the top 4 . People expect us to compete with spurs who are miles off top 4 yet their turnover is double ours frightening but its a fact .

[Don_Paulos]

Hi General,

I dont want to write 'Ignore all these fans who criticize you, 99% of fans are still grateful for everything thta has happened' because obviously i can't vouch for 99% of fans. What i do want to say tho is that i beleive the vast majority of ALL football fans are impatient and fickle, and not just at our club. Up and down the country fans are writing the same kind of depressing comments on their relevant fansites. Of course the difference with us is that we have a board member actively listening and responding to our comments.

I am disappointed, like yourself, that most of the posts on here are judging our performance in the transfer window before it has even closed. I am also disappointed some of the posts are personal rants against yourself.

I believe we have acted responsibly over the 'Gareth Barry affair'. We set our price, Liverpool have failed to meet it. It seems such a simple story that has, due to this country's ridiculous thirst for gossip, scandal and intrigue, and with the aid of our pathetic media, been blown out of all proportion.

I would like to share my embarrassment with you at some of these posts and 'rants', and although i respect peoples' right to air their views, i believe they should wait for some real news, events or evidence upon which to base their 'arguments'.

Please pass on to Randy that I, and i hope mnay other fans, are still very grateful for the progress the club has made, and that i am still incredibly grateful that Randy decided to buy our wonderful club. I can't think of many clubs who wouldn't want to switch their board for ours.

[Peter1968]

General Krulak here:...Finally, the transfer window: I honestly understand ALL that you are saying. I am a fan too!!! I spoke with Randy at length about your feelings...he, too, understands. Simply put, he has placed his faith in Martin...he has told him to get the players and not worry about money. He has said that since the day he took over the Club. He looks at what MON has done in two years and he is happy...he sees a Club in Europe and in 6th place. Much of the credit goes to the man (MON) that many fans are pilloring. We ALL know we need more players!! We ALL know it. We trust MON and believe he will do what needs to be done. REMEMBER, YOUR idea of who we ought to be bringing in is NOT important. What IS important is who MON feels he needs. HE is the Manager. We need/must trust him...to know what the Squad needs and go get them. Randy WILL pay the price...believe me.

General, i do believe you are sincere in everything you say. However, what i witneseed out on the pitch yeaterday, tells me the reality of the above statement, because the facts were there on the pitch.

Yes, weve made huge strides. But finishing sixth last season was, last season. Its here and now that matters general, and at this moment, we have not backed up that progress of last season with any substancial team strengthening.

Yes, UEAFA cup football is great, but only if we remain in the compitition, and i can confidently predict that without MAJOR investment, we will be out of the compition as soon as we come up against any decent outfit.

When you look at the size of squad and the lack of real quality, and you look at the way the last regime operated, you cant blame fans getting a little anxious over things, when all they hear are statements. Weve heared and seen it all before General, weve been brought up to be cynical, which makes it doubly important that our actions over the next couple of weeks match these grand words!

I swear, you give us the team to challenge, and you will need to build two Villa Parks to seat us all. Do it General, and then watch the place rock.

[JoshClem]

With all due respect, General, How do you feel about often being reffered too as Randy Lerners "PR" Man? I think the General has answered that, Josh. Can we stick to stuff about the club please. Ta.Blandy

If I make a mistake, I am the first to admit it. BUT, I do NOT lie and I do NOT play the PR card!!

[b6bloke]

When times are tough people need to keep their heads and stick together, they need to have faith in their leaders and support them. General although i am panicing i still have faith though i am ashamed of some of the postS aimed at you, Randy and MON.

I think that you have to make allowances for those who think they know what they are talking about because they have read a newspaper, i mean, that can be the only reason why people still go on about the Bentley bid even though you explained what happend on 4 different sites. We all know that we made the highest bid and that he made his intentions clear to MON that he wanted to join spurs.

Honestly people you won't realise what you had until you have lost it, there are some short memories out there who seem to forget the bad old days. Wait till the transfer window closes before you start trying to lynch people!!!

I myself will bump some off these posts when we have got our squad together just to remind some of you how pathetic some of your post were.

[Luke]

General,

Where are the big names you promised us last year? Where are the signings? I was told being a Villa fan I should be really excited about the transfer window as MON will be bringing in the stars.

And with Gareth potentially going, we won't have a chance. He's a quality player maker and center midfielder who will be missed. Will we get a replacement or just rely on the youngsters? Is the money there to look at or to be spent?

I believe your just as anoid as we all are but believe me, we can't rely on set pieces this year to score our goals.

And all this business about pushing towards being a top four team? Dear me, we have a long way to go and at the moment I am not looking forward to the 2008/2009 campaign.

[margarito]

Do you understand, MON believes it is HIS role to not only manage the team but to obtain the players too...players that he is responsible for molding into the type of team he feels he needs. He sees this is TOTALLY his responsibility

Do you and MON understand that Routledge, Knight, Harewood, Kaboul and co are not the type of players who at the end of this 5 year plan will have got us into the champions league??

We need some quality players. Now either MON doesn't have the money it is claimed he has or MON deliberately avoids signing quality.....which means Lerner is smoke and mirrors or MON needs to be replaced, we'll just have to wait and see which it is.

[TheFirstMan]

The general has to take the rough with the smooth, i'm sure he doesn't expect everyone just to roll over and just ask him nice questions, he's not stupid, he knows exactly what he's let him self in for coming on the net talking to supporters, especially this site. he's a wise man, a top bloke reading from his posts.

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. Why do I post on this site???? I spend an hour constructing an answer to your questions and it is almost as if NO ONE reads what I wrote.

2. P3te: I answered every one of your questions and comments...try doing me the courtesy of reading what I have written before you pile on again.

3. sickmick99: I have answered everyone of your comments and questions over the past few days. Please read what I have posted.

4. peter1968: "give us a team to challange....etc" At this point, I am not sure I would agree with you. My sense is that we could be in the top 4 and Europe and their would be something that would cause moans and whinges...and threats of avoiding Villa Park like the plague.

5. Luke: You are amazing!!! "Big names I promised"???? Where the hell did you find a statement by me promising "big names." NEVER!!! It is folks like you...who absolutely put falsehoods on this thread...that drive me up a tree. Do me a favor: Go over the past 501 pages and find me a single place where I promised "big names." Get your shite together before you post again.

6. margarito: Yea, Randy Lerner is "smoke and mirrors" and I tell lies....and you know more than MON about the players he needs to win. I am so happy to have you providing me insights on individuals in the Club.

7. Look, I know you all are frustrated. Randy and MON know exactly how you feel. At the end of the day, they will do what they feel is "right" for the Club...and they will do it because they know what they need to do...not because they sway with the wind of fan approval or disapproval. A Club cannot survive by being run by 50,000 people and their views of what should or should not be done. MON needs to do what he thinks is right. This is NOT a case of no money!!!! Obviously this VERY BASIC fact is missed by many of you!!!

8. Coming on this site and ranting and calling people names or insinuating that they are "smoke and mirrors" is beyond the pale. Just who do you think does not recognize the size of the squad??? Let MON do his job.

[Awol]

General,

I think you all still have the full support and confidence of the vast majority of Villa fans, who I believe share my embarassment and bewilderment at the comments of a lunatic fringe.

Many thanks and keep up the great work.

[rjw63]

I think you all still have the full support and confidence of the vast majority of Villa fans, who I believe share my embarassment and bewilderment at the comments of a lunatic fringe.

Seconded

[Rodders]

Just a bunch of hyperactive over emotional spoilt teenagers being morons. Don't take it to heart, General, it will happen every window. We could sign Ronaldo, and some fool will claim it's a PR stunt.

The frustration is legitimate, given the proximity of the season, but the abuse and random rantings is well out of order. Do your sanity a world of good General and have a break from here