thamutznutz Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Dear General Alot of people are asking you questions that you either do not know the answer to, or more likely are not willing to answer... such as who is coming to the club and so on and so forth. You have said you do not wish to talk about individual transfers but have been more than happy to state that if MON wants the money, he has it. Obviously this is a somewhat general statement as if he asked for 500 million to form a new real madrid, it would be laughed at and understandable so! But what i do ask is, as there obviously must be a realisitic limit, can we get a ball park figure of what randy is willing to put into transfers this summer, on the assumption martin finds players he really wants at the upper end of the quality and thus price scale? Obviously you know, and i am sure fed up of hearing what villa needs at the moment. this ball park figure will probably give the fans the insight they are after but asked for in the wrong way. MON is trying to break into the top four and has admitted we need several top quality signings to stand still. If this quote is true, then either: The money is not there to buy said players (i hope not nad somewhat doubt) He has the money but refuses to pay "the going rate" for quality players and is remembering the good ol days when Shearer broke the Premier League transfer record with a £15 deal These top quality players that we have the money for and MON is willing to spend on are unwilling to come to villa park and prefer locations like Portsmouth and Manchester or... MON is searching for players that do not exist or wont realistically come, leaving us with 2 mascots who may be forced to adopt full back roles. I guess with this post I would like to realisitcally understand what Randy's Financial intentions are for the club, is this to make as much money as possible in the short term, or is it a long term plan that results in me booking flights to the likes of Nou camp and the bernabau? what are his limits on transfers this summer, and why is it that martin is not making use of the available funds when all managers around him are spending like their money has a sell by date on it? Technically no questions about individual transfers, no "I know more than MON" advice, just questions about Randy's intentins and limits On a final note, your work here is very much appreciated, I have just purchased my first season ticket and i hope to have the enthusiasm to pruchase one next season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablopicasso Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 General Krulak here: ....and I apologize for being a tad passionate myself. I am a fan JUST like you all. only way it should be... think a lot of frustration is being let out in the thread, and as much as some concerns of the fans are valid, for me, we need to trust the club is being run the right way... martin o'neill will metaphorically live and die by his actions... at the moment, he seems pretty healthy to me... time will tell whether that remains to be the case but to expect the board to get involved in transfers, is going back to the dark days under ellis... i do NOT want the board to interfere with the footballing side of the club... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimthevillian Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Mods I realise we are not meant to get into a discussion on this thread with other posters... so don't do it then, please and don't tell other posters to "grow up". Thanks, Blandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff43 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 general, i am glad you are at the villa - you randy and the others I back you guys all the way and thanks, where barry is concerned no one man is bigger than the club we need players which i know he has got the money for, just why is he scared to spend it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfee Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 General Krulak here:....and I apologize for being a tad passionate myself. I am a fan JUST like you all. General you have nothing to apologise for!!!! Some people have short memories.Mine however is longer ,i remember us playing in the old 3rd division! Then 2 years ago we loked liked we might be heading back there.This year we are in europe and still people moan. I still bellieve that players will be signed and we can move on It seems to me that only one man is to blame for this mad hysteria and that man should take a good look at himself and ask if he has been honest to the club and manager who made him what he is today (an established england player). If it's the boards fault that Barry is leaving isn't it the same board that are to blame for last years success? Keep up the good work and thanks for your patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thamutznutz Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 deleted. Stop arguing and name calling between posters. stick to the site guidelines please. Blandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 General, to be honest...i am one of the most frustrated supporters, however i am not going to get into a disrespectful tirade against you or the board. I saw where you mentioned that your sense was "if we were in the top 4" etc some people would still have something to moan about. I have seen the same line bandied about by a few posters on the forum and if people are to be objective and realistic it is blatantly a far fetched notion. In my personal case this has nothing to do with "frustration" from the previous regime or anything of the sort. It is all about the here and now! The fact is that we are playing very dangerous games with ourselves as it stands...and IMO MON is risking the future of the club with these very awkward decisions. We can go on forever about how "we finished sixth last season". while a great achievement...nothing in the premier leaugue is guaranteed two seasons in a row bar maybe the top 4. There were a range of things which helped us to finish where we did last season...Other teams having off seasons...going through management changes and instability etc...and by saying this i am in no way trying to discredit the players or MON for it. We are approaching a new season...where there are squads which already had more "quality" individuals within their team...but were not able to gel together or compete as normal due to injuries etc...and the other things we have mentioned....AND WE WERE BLOODY FORTUNATE WITH INJURIES!!! General....any person who really cares about this football club...and even external viewers....can see that we are in a desperate situation...as a matter of fact General it is quite embarassing...and if i myself were Randy...i would feel a tad bit embarassed. Sometimes we do over react....and talk alot of nonsense...and truthfully none of us can claim to know how to run a football club better than the board or MON. Yet there are some things which IMO are pure semantics and common sense...and unfortunately it is leading me to repeat the same things a million people have already said! No right back for two years???(general now seriously...that is not even funny)...The smallest squad in the leaugue....at the moment we have no business comparing ourselves to the other teams as none of them are in as dire need of reinforcements as we are......how will you and Randy feel if this all blows up and we fall flat on our faces,....and it is proven that because of stubborn and outdated mentality and dealings we have failed...and even gone backwards. I am not even in the dream land of thinking about breaking top 4 just yet general...but as even MON himself said...just to stand still...we need quality reinforcements......if we dont get enough bodies i honestly can see us having to once again accept mid table mediocroty....because all the teams around us are getting richer and stronger....we were lucky to be taken over by Randy at the time we did...and we had a glorious opportunity to steal a march on the opposition and get the quality players in at that time before everyone else...and at far less inflated prices....when we see teams like Portsmouth beating us to quality players....how do you expect the fans to feel???Especially when they are for positions we are crying out for players... with all due respect General... I don't need to hear how well Martin did for us last season...or who he signed last season...or about Ashley young...or John Carew....because believe it or not....when everything goes buts up these will be the same players looking to leave us....and i cannot help but think....(of course i'm only speculating)...that if Gareth Barry had enough faith in MON to bring in some quality players to help us push on....and play some quality football....he would not want to leave! I could go on and on Gen.....however i realise i am just one of many saying the same things....you do not even need to answer my post...and in no way am offering any disrespect....but i just wanted to once again add my voice....and let it be known that while i am not an "ass kisser"...i am also not just a "doom mongerer" or someone who choses to come on to your thread just to create more havoc.....I just want to express to you that the concerns alot of fans as well as myself are putting forward are convincingly warranted. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossAvFc Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 general i have just brought my son the new top and training tops as he asked for them, which is not bad as for the last 2 years he has spent for his sins following chelsea ,he wants to start going down to Villa park again and thats down to the way the club is being run by all there and that has got to be a good thing,all the hard work is bringing people back who have lost intrest in the club over the years of crap that we have had to but up with To end ,keep up the good work and by the way i,ve let my son move back into the house know instead of the garden shed as he follows the Villa know :winkold: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villarocker Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 General, Thanks for your efforts on here. Not all of us wish to think you are all hype and spin! I BELIEVE totally that Villa were sincere with the statement regarding GB last Wednesday. Christ almighty, don't people think that some thought would have been put into it before the statement was made? It says that MON had agreed with GB and his agent that, if the deal wasn't reached by a certain deadline, then GB would be staying. GB agreed to this remember! It is quite obvious that HE is the one going back on his word and I am sure that his agent is having a major factor in all of this. Remember that this is GB's first ever transfer and it is all new to him too! MON said on Saturday that GB's head is "all over the place" at the moment. He is caught between staying and trying to realise is dream with us or moving on and getting their quicker with Liverpool. You could see MON's disappointment and frustration at this saga so we're not the only ones. GB obviously gave us the indication he would stay if the deadline wasn't met and now he has changed his mind, probably due to pressure from his agent! That is not important any more. Let him go and get "the price" for him and let's move forward and prove to him he made the wrong decision. Transfers, you just cannot win General! I understand MON trying to get his plan A targets first before going for lesser quality players that we need to fill the positions. Surely that is the most obvious thing to do? It isn't rocket science really is it? You have a list of targets of the quality you would like to add, then if they are not available or choose not to come, you move on to plan B and so on unti you end up with a player for that position. Who in their right mind would go out and buy someone just for the sake of it when someone better may be available instead? The fans would have wanted MON's head if we had bought a couple of journeymen right backs at the start of the window and then along comes a top quality right back who says that he would have loved to have come to the Villa! I read through a few of these last pages and then had to stop because it was embarrassing for me as a Villa fan to read. General, a question to keep in line with the thread. If you had taken a lot of these folks into Vietnam with you, do you think Vietnamese would now be the first language of the USA? BTW, my Niece served in Iraq and a lot of her equipment was faulty (boots melted in the heat etc) but it didn't stop her from going out their and doing her job well enough to come back safely! Come on Villa fans, lighten up and let MON do his job and wait and see what the season has brought us at the end of next May! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxVillan Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Can I just say, a number of fans posting in here are absolute disgraces. If you don't appreciate Randy and the general, there's a club run by a couple of men in the porn industry just down the road. I expect this will be deleted, but it's a shame you don't delete the accounts of some of the morons who post absolute drivel to the general. we try to be patient as mods, but sometimes it's difficult. this thread is NOT for people to pass comment on other posters, it is for Q&A and comment for the General. Please respect that. Patience is fading. Stick to the site rules, please. Blandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Hierro Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 In fear of getting accused of sucking up.....keep up the good work General :!: :!: :!: Never been proder of being a Villa-fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walmley_Villa Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 A number of people on this site were panicking this time last season, we finished 6th and got into Europe. A number of teams will not sell players until they have replacements in place. Things will get manic for the MAJORITY of clubs in the next 3 weeks and we will be in the thick of it. Let MoN manage and judge him on results, his record is pretty good and he has been in the game a lot longer than us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1380 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 general it's clear that you are getting frustrated, and unlike some of us perhaps you have more reason to be! i know some bright spark will no doubt slag me off for being an arse kisser but never the less we, villa fans in general, need to remember that your participation in the fan threads is something that is unique to our club, and irrespective of how this thread reads at times, we are all gratful for that. unfortunately the more success we have the more we will expect, we have suffered mediocrity for too long now and crave what a club of this size deserves. irronically, most of the over reaction you are experiencing at present is probably due to the lack of transfer links, the exact cause of frustration when we are linked with every tom, dick and harry! lets hope that MON pulls 5 or 6 rabbits out of the hat in the next 10 days and you can look forward to another round of grief in january! keep the faith! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ricardomeister Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 General, I think that for the most part we have handled the Barry saga very well. I think that we come out of it with honour, which cannot be said of Barry and his agent. My only criticism is that we were very naive in coming out with the statement that Barry was now staying as the deadline had been missed. Yes, we made that statement in good faith...Yes, Barry and his agent went back on their word but it was still very naive imo to come out and say what we did. On the Wednesday evening I posted this on another forum: " I will still be surpised if Barry is a Villa player on 1st September. Plenty more can happen in 5 weeks." I don't think you had to be Einstein to realise that Barry still wants to go and that we are highly likely to accept an offer for the full asking price if and when it arrives. Hopefully we will learn the lesson for next time as the climbdown yesterday was somewhat embarrassing imo. The important thing for me now is who we get in to replace Barry as this will be a good indication of our ambition. I will await with baited breath. UTV SOTC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 you had your say. Stick to the rules, DO NOT argue with other posters in this thread. Last warning. Blandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryShawsSocks Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 General, One thing that should happen with Barry, is that if he wants to leave he should be told he has to make an official transfer request. That way, he loses any percentage cut of the deal that he may be entitiled to. First post BTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulanddonya Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Gen Again, thanks for your update - and I think everyone does know what has gone on with this saga - it's plain;y obvious to all that it was all agreed, it didn't go Barrys (or , more to the point) the agents liking - so come Thursday, they have thrown the toys out of the pram and demanded everything left right and centre. This is the bit I don't understand (and it isn't a criticism, I don't know the politics that go on in football clubs - it's just a uestion) The way I see it, one person has more to lose than anybody in this - gareth Barry - he is the one that is hanging on to an England place, he is the one that desperately wants to play in the Champions League. No matter what happens now, we will be playing a 1st 11 without gareth Barry, I think we all know that. So, if (as stated) we are not short of money on this one, why cave in !!. From what I can see, there is nothing illegal about paying GB his wage, making him train (and if he doesn't, stop his wages) and making him play in the reserves !! To me, surely this wouldn't kill team morale, because the players more than anything must dislike Barry after all this, he doesn't get his way, we carry on without him, and Liverpool don't get the player they want. He loses his England place and screws up his career If, as expected, they get the 18m together - there is only one loser and that is us !. We have 18m in the bank, but money isn't a problem anyway, Barry laughs all the way to the bank, as does his agent, Liverpool claim victory, they get the midfield pairing they want and make it harder for us to get into the top 4. Therefore, and not a dig, just a question from a guy that doesn't understand, and sorry if that makes me think - but honestly - why don't we take a stand on this in the same way as man U did with gabriel Heinz ??. Surely if we have been totally up front on this, and the others have been so underhand - we are quite within our rights to say - you are not going, you will play out the remainder of your contract so tough !!! Gotta say, incoming transfers, I don;'t share the same pessimism as others - I am sure we will get whats needed in the coming weeks. I am just ultimately upset with this whole saga -especially the massive elation of Wednesday that turned to despair on Saturday !! And whatever - as pointed out elsewhere - we ALL know how lucky we are to be given this opportunity to speak to you - I would never be disrespectful knowingly - but there is a difference between telling the truth as you see it, and being disrespectful !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tubby Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 General, I for one am with you all the way. Maybe we jumped the gun with a top 6 finish last year and that is why such a level of anxiety has occured this time round, but you are the professionals and we must trust you. If it doesn't happen over this next month many a fan will come down on you as a representative of the clubin the line opf fire, but there are some of us out there who are willing to wait, knowing that things have never been better. A realistic eye can acknowledge that we are not the only club struggling, Everton have yet to sign anyone - I do believe - and they finished 5th! and Man Utd have still got the same squad as last year. Much like we have no need to sell our players, we also have no need to buy everyone elses cast offs. We are building for the future and that involves getting the right players through the door who want to play for us, not buying the quick fixes or acting as a growth hormone for "big 4" talent. A pure example of our position was the Gareth Barry saga. An unfortunate end to what has been a truely forthright and honest approach from our club - It's just sad that a head can be turned so quickly through no fault of our own, but in my opinion we are better without the prima-donna attitudes regardless. I bought a season ticket this year for the first time. I didn't do it because of our success on the pitch - admittedly it is entertainment and I would like to be entertained for my hard earned money - but I did it because this club is now healthy and will continue to be so for at least the time we have with Randy, MON and yourself. I would still have my season ticket in League 2 as long as you guys were in charge and that is not a joke. We have come a long way and we have a long way still to go. That is the reality and a lot of fans know it, more than the number who have verbally shit themselves on here at least. General, sincerely many thanks for your continued efforts on here as an unpaid liason to the heart of the club. I would not begrudge you to go awol until the new year but I just know that is not your character. Stick it out and know that one day, when you are smiling prouder than anyone else, that you were true to yours and Randy's intentions. All my best to Martin, Randy, yourself and everyone working hard at Aston Villa Football Club. Keep up the good work... Up the Villa Jon (I think my signature says it all) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekka Posted August 3, 2008 VT Supporter Share Posted August 3, 2008 General, I know the Cleveland Browns have many websites such as this, but do the fans get as passionate (and in some ways aggressive) as some of us do on here? I also thought you may like to see this thread if you haven't already. Many thanks again, Dean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbonus Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 thanks for the postings general. I'd be happy enough if you said you had said all you were going to say on the subject of transfers until the window closes. you've made your points and if people choose not to agree, they'll have to wait and see, as we all will. And I wouldn't have to wade through all these repeated points trying to find your posts! but, :-) ,on the subject of barry and the statement, can i just reiterate the generals request to read between the lines. does anyone really think the club and MON just sat down and wrote out a press release in the couple of minutes after the 5pm deadline had passed? I would imagine the staements had been agreed with barry and his agent when the deadline was set. one last thing general, grab yourself a cold one and chill, you've earnt it reading through these repeated posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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