General Krulak (No Transfer Questions allowed)

[ArthurRimbaud]

Real Madrid fan

To make things clear at the very beginning I will say that there is no "second favorite" club for me however there are clubs I truly despise and Villa is definitely not on the list.

It is rather clear to everyone who reads this that I went through the trouble of registering to write just a few or even one post and so I might give an impression of a person who has all the time in the world on his hands. I assure you that this is far from truth. Yesterday I read a column in the Guardian and was truly amazed straight away that something like this, a person so high in the club hierarchy speaking to fans this way, could even be possible.

It makes sense when you think about it just like freedom of speech makes sense, but it doesn't change the fact that many have forgotten freedom of speech under certain political systems and couldn't recognize it if it was under their noses.

I have been a Real Madrid fan all my life and since we live in a time where you need to justify yourself when supporting Los Merengues I will add that I am a pre-galactico era supporter. Yes, I am ashamed of our most recent history but not only because of the lack of trophies. I am ashamed every time I see other clubs overtake us in different aspects of football and this is what happened here.

What I have to say is less than complicated and speaks for itself when you look beyond that mind-block that we have. Real Madrid is owned by socios (us, the fans) while Villa is a private club of a certain gentleman yet the way the fans are treated and involved and respected says the opposite.

It is absolutely irrelevant at this point if Gen.Krulak and his appearance here is a smart move by management of the club and their effort to calm the fans down after a takeover.What matters is that it is happening and it is greater than some of you can imagine so I congratulate you gentleman and wish you all the best in the future.

I hope that one day Madrid will move closer to becoming a truly great club in a way that Villa has done in this small yet significant way.

Ps.

Do take David Beckham off our hands please. His quality is not in question but even the greatest could not take the pressure of recent failures and upcoming rejuvenation.

[nick76]

Sorry ArthurRimbaud, not sure you made a point in the end, appreciate you registering but I don't understand after the large text what your point or conclusion was? apologise if I'm dumb

[medradical]

General C Krulak,

Yourself and Mr Lerner have made a great start and have presented some very good ideas to the fans. While I've followed Villa for over twenty years I've also supported an Australian Rules football team called the Port Adelaide Magpies (renamed The Power to gain entry to the AFL, 1997). They are an amazing team- established in 1870, just as Villa were, in claret and blue. In 1902 they adopted a black and white strip they wore for eighty years. Their winning record is better than any other "football" club in English OR Australian history.

Their success is a result of the attitude of everyone assossiated with the club. Even the fans share this attitude. It's an arrogance that all other teams hate with a vengence. A belief that even if Port is down by 10 goals at three-quarter time (equivalent to, say, a 4 goal deficit at half time in Premier League) they KNOW they will kick 11 goals in the last quarter (insert 5 goals/last half) and win. PORT always EXPECT TO WIN. Between 1884-1996 they won the premiership on average every 3 years. You either really love Port or you really hate them.

That's the attitude we need here at Villa. Perhaps we could talk to someone from Port and use methods that made them a successful team, or better, get someone in from Port as an advisor (get in contact with RUSSELL EBERT- the best Australian Rules footballer that ever lived).

Port Club contact number: +61 08 8447 4044

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Adelaide_Football_Club

http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/port_adelaide.htm

Oh, and tradition is always something a successful club retains- really like the idea of resurrecting an old jumper.

OK, maybe not that one.

[ozvillafan]

Interesting point about the AFL.

Not an AFL man myself, but was not surprised when the Football Association down here (FFA) picked an AFL man as their CEO. These guys know their game inside out and the administration side (along with others) is done exceptionally well.

So what is my point? Just this: One sport is not too dissimilar from another in terms of management, administration, fitness and development. I would like the General to use all the knowledge and expertise possible from their involvment with the Cleveland Browns to instill success at Villa, as that would give us an edge no other Premier League club currently has in the areas mentioned.

Innovation is at the forefront of success.

[rsvdaz]

General,

my first request in this thread:

please, please please can the catering in the stadium be sorted ASAP

every game i got to...averaging...30k attendance by the time i get to the front of the que all the food has gone..bar some overcooked pies and chips.

yesterday at full capacity i queued for over twenty minutes..missing the start of the second half! only to find undercooked chips available.

I mean its not rocket science..why cant they be better prepared ?

you could get help from the fast food franchises to show them how its done (mc'd's, b/king etc)

I mean its all revenue, isnt it?

I sit in Trinity, C3, I see the girls with trays selling food in the Holte but not by me?

D

[Lombardo]

Happy Christmas General!!!!! Hope you have a very happy and prosperous new year...!!!!

[drat01]

Sorry ArthurRimbaud, not sure you made a point in the end, appreciate you registering but I don't understand after the large text what your point or conclusion was? apologise if I'm dumb

Nick - I think the man from Real is very impressed with the way our board have taken the time to talk to and listen to the fans and wish it was the same at his own club.

TBH the more you speak to fans of clubs all around the world you start to understand the uniqueness of this and how much others are jealous of our board and what they are doing.

Long may it continue

[c-krulak]

General Krulak here:

1. Just got back into the US after the ManU game. I thought our lads played their hearts out...particularly the first half. There were one or two miscues that cost us dearly. ManU has a great side...you cannot take that away from them. As Randy and I sat on the plane together, many thoughts and comments were exchanged. Number one among them was that we ARE going to get to a point where ManU fears coming up against Aston Villa. Today was not the day. Our team played hard but ManU executed extremely well. What can you say when Wayne Rooney is a substitute??? We do have a HUGE weapon in our kit...we have Martin and he will get us where we need to be. We need patience...and we need a few transfer windows....but he will get us there!!

2. It was great to see Paddy. What a good lad. He is fighting the good fight...and is Villa through and through.

3. I confess that I had not seen the Guardian article until I came on the site. I wish they had mentioned Villa Talk and NOT the "thong"...now I have my wife ready to kill me. The article missed some key points....first among them is that Randy DOES recognise the importance of the fans and does NOT view websites as an irritant...rather as allies in this fight to the future. This is NOT about General Krulak, this is all about Aston Villa.

4. ArthurRimbaud. Thank you for the kind words. I know that you meant them as a compliment to Randy, the new Board and to Aston Villa. Please accept my thanks for your posting. Again, the bottom line is that my appearance on the site is an acknowledgement that Fans are an integral part of the team. In the National Football League, the Fans are called the "12th Man" because they have such an impact on what is happening on the pitch. That is what the Villa Fans are to Martin's Marines!!

5. I spent time in the Lower Holte End and the Trinity Road Stand during and after half-time. PLEASE know that we realize there are major issues with catering, crowding, etc. etc. We are working on the catering issue...we realize that having sufficient food, of good quality, at fair prices is important. We have a way to go here....we are working on it. Regarding the crowding, I confess that I love the crowds because it means lots of fans...but I also know we need to do something there too. That will require a longer term resolution.

6. Away fans. I spent an hour with our ticketing people on Friday and an hour on Saturday. I watched how they sell tickets...I watched two lads come up and be asked if they were Villa Fans...they said yes. The ticket agent then went into the records and saw that the lads did not have a "ticket history" with A-V. It turns out they were really ManU fans...trying to get into the stadium under the guise of Villa. They were not sold tickets. I was told exactly the methodology used by our folks to determine who gets a Villa Fan ticket...ticket history plays a huge role. I believe we are doing a pretty good job of ensuring that the tickets go to the right people. Apparently we use the same system as most of the good Clubs. Obviously we aren't successful every sale but I do believe we have a good system. I have asked our folks to ensure that we follow our guidelines to the "T".

6. Ticketing. I know we are walking a fine line with regard to season ticket holders and trying to get fans back into the stadium. This is a hard line to walk...because the season ticket holder is the heart and soul of the club. At the same time, we need to get people to come and see the change that is taking place at our Club. To do this....to avoid having a stadium that is only half-filled, we need to take some action. We are looking hard at ways to do this...and still be fair to our season ticket holders. We will get it right...but "how to do that" is what we are working on now. The bottom line is that it does none of us any good to have an empty stadium. As I have said many times on this thread, the first and biggest key is to WIN ON THE PITCH!!! When we win, CONSISTENTLY, people will come back. Until then, we need to do something to show people we want them to come home. We will figure out a way to be fair and just to the season ticket holder. Deciding not to buy a season ticket and wait for "deals" is certainly not the way to go. In the end, the season ticket holder WILL get the best deal.

7. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[jasthevillan]

Amerry christmas to you and yours general! Regards to the rest of the board too, we are all appreciating your efforts!

[Guest LennonVanVliet]

Happy holidays to you too General and hope to see you up the North Stand one of these days.

[Condimentalist]

Thanks for the update General, hope you and your family have a great christmas. Wish Randy and the team the same from us too.

[Jez]

Merry Christmas to you and your family General, pass on my best wishes to Randy and hope he has a good Xmas too.

[Gringo]

Merry Xmas General, and thankfully (with a great debt of thanks to you and your team) we can look forward to a happy New Year.

[Guest RantinRob]

Thanks for the comments about season ticket holders General K.

That puts my mind at ease :-)

(PS hope I haven't ruined another thread)

[Up_The_BAROS]

Again General, another excellent post.

We have the best board in the Premiership, there's no doubt about that.

Hope you have a great Christmas and a great New Year. Up the Villa.

[pablopicasso]

thanks for the updates general..

warms my heart to hear you talking about the future in such a positive light..

will be nice when i dont have to listen to or read texts from brummy/devon reds going on about "xmas stuffings at villa park"...

nothing more i hate, than 'devon reds' like my mate who has never been further north than exeter, gloating and telling me my club is crap...

*calms down a little*

merry crimbo and pass on my best wishes to your family, to randy and his loved ones too...

[Ghost_of_Pongo_Waring]

Thanks for taking time to keep us informed General.

Thanks also for the season ticket deal for the Watford game. I'll be bringing four mates to the game, three of which will be seeing their first live game. Hopefully it won't be their last match at Villa Park

I hope you Randy and the board have a very merry Christmas and all you wish for in the New Year.

[bcarpet]

the problem i see with the ticket history is that alot of these man utd fans have got a ticket history cause they have gone to see villa man utd before. maybe it should be made so you have to go to three games in the season already or if it comes in an early game maybe three in the season before?

[kiddybloke]

6. Ticketing. I know we are walking a fine line with regard to season ticket holders and trying to get fans back into the stadium. This is a hard line to walk...because the season ticket holder is the heart and soul of the club. At the same time, we need to get people to come and see the change that is taking place at our Club. To do this....to avoid having a stadium that is only half-filled, we need to take some action. We are looking hard at ways to do this...and still be fair to our season ticket holders. We will get it right...but "how to do that" is what we are working on now. The bottom line is that it does none of us any good to have an empty stadium. As I have said many times on this thread, the first and biggest key is to WIN ON THE PITCH!!! When we win, CONSISTENTLY, people will come back. Until then, we need to do something to show people we want them to come home. We will figure out a way to be fair and just to the season ticket holder. Deciding not to buy a season ticket and wait for "deals" is certainly not the way to go. In the end, the season ticket holder WILL get the best deal.

I have to say that as a season ticket holder myself im delighted with the deal that lets me bring my mates for a £5. I bought 6 tickets for them on saturday and i could have done with more. Id much prefer the ground to be full than get bitter with someone over getting a cheap ticket this season. Dont forget that a lot of these people will buy programs, food and beer thus generating more revenue and hopefully a better atmosphere.

[runetune]

General once again thanks for your comments, and may you and your family have a great Christmas and 2007 is all you could wish for.

Happy Holidays.