General Krulak (No Transfer Questions allowed)

[thegiddygambler]

Hi General, you've no doubt seen the old Trinity Road pics but the link below really does capture the old Trinity Road in all its glory.

I realise even you guys can't bring it back :cry: Just wanted you to see why so many of the supporters are angry at what happened.

Kind Regards and a happy new year.

http://www.apwj49.dsl.pipex.com/lost/trinity.htm

[OutByEaster?]

General,

Now that the official site has its message board back up and running, you're not going to leave us are you ?

:cry:

[privateer]

General, is there any chance you can scoop in the old Aston Tavern as part of the restoration/regeneration programme? It closed in 1995 but to many of us older fans it was a big part of our matchday experience.

It went something like this: In to the tavern for a few beforehand, go to the match, roar the boys on, have a few in the Tavern post-game. There was nothing modern about the place but that was its charm, it had character and history. It strikes me that it would make a superb "real ale" type place to have close to the ground. There are dozens upon hundreds of warm English beers that could be sold there, but half a dozen or so would do the job! I can supply you with a list of beer brand candidates very easily, although I suspect you have sampled a few of our offerings already. I don't deny it will take some coin to get it open again and the return will probably only really come in on matchdays. However, it is/was as much a part of Villa as the Holte Hotel in may ways.

One other point, can we have our AV floodlights back, please? They were truly splendid.

[Condimentalist]

I want to ask you about Darren Bent but I can't.

After all, we might not want him. (though I can't understand why on earth not!)

I could ask you though whether you actually know about who we're after, even if you won't tell us, or is that only Randy, Martin and Richard Fitzgerald?

[ferguson1]

General,

I must agree with the above post, surely after todays announcement from Charlton that they are now willing to listen to offers for Darren Bent, we should place a bid at the very least?

After years of dissapointment general, some of us are a bit sceptical when transfer windows are open!

[sm]

Quite right.

The General is not going to answer them. Why should we announce our targets - so some of you can say we did not get them. How stupid!

I can understand the scepticism - after years of lies from Dolally. But this is a new era.

Have faith in MON and Randy. They have done nothing to say they won't take the club forward.

MON is one of the best managers around. Certainly too good for a club like ours who have under-achieved for years. Would some of you prefer DOL back?

We do not have the team or depth to finish above tenth at the moment. The club has been run into the ground by Dolally. It will not change overnight. Spurs and other clubs change their fortunes by years of investment. Yet we are supposed to do it almost overnight. Some of you need to get real.

The General is kind enough to come on this, and other, site(s) to answer questions. No other clubs do that. Don't abuse it and ask stupid questions and then whinge when he chooses, quite rightly IMO, not to answer them or cannot answer them.

Afterall, how many other clubs announce their targets on the web? None, until they have signed.

[ianrobo1]

General, SM is talkinhg a lot of sense, I have total faith in you guys and I wil be patient.

Maybe we need some kind of statement from the club setting out our long term aims again, too many people (not just here, I heard similar things at Chelsea and some perspetive is needed

[ahamaad]

Can we keep it on topic please and not ruin this thread by bickering about this that and the other

[TheSufferingVilla]

New York to Villa Park:

Hi general I went to see Villa play Man U as a little Christmas present to myself, after a stopover to see my parents in Dublin I set sail for Birmingham that chilly Saturday, here are my thoughts on the whole adventure most of the issues have probably been raised before but some might be interesting as they come from a first time visitor to VP as an adult (I was there once as a little kid).

1: Getting on the plane I immediately noticed a good number of Irish fans traveling over most were of the Villa persuasion but there was a few United fans on the early flight. Arriving in Birmingham I was surprised to see no Villa presence in the airport, I suppose this was to be expected after the previous regime’s lack of marketing prowess but it would be nice to see something there even a advertisement saying "Welcome to Birmingham home of Aston Villa FC" or anything mentioning the club. Considering the vast quantity of people traveling to the city on business or to the NEC the Airport would be a great place to promote the team maybe even get one of the vendors there to sell our merchandise.

2: Arriving in the city was surprising, fantastic city center full of great shopping and places to eat, I was very impressed by Brum but once again unimpressed by the lack of Villa presence especially when I made my way to the club shop at the Pavilions center, not that it's a bad shop although the walls did seem a bit bare of stock but the location is poor, right down the basement you would really have to go looking for it to get there. On the other hand our fierce rivals have a shop in the palisades (I think you call it) a terrible dump of a shopping complex which I suppose suits them. However walking through there I passed their shop, the point I'm making is that the placement of their store regardless of its shabby surroundings gets a lot more passing foot traffic than ours. Ideally we would have a nice shiny retail space in the Bullring and I could only imagine the cost but it is key to the clubs image that our presence in the center of the town mirror the size of the club. I also think it would be nice to see some advertising for the club on the high street, be it for the club shop, tickets or stadium tours. there must be a lot of visitors staying in the city year round due to the NEC surely it would make sense tapping their wallets to fill seats on midweek games or bring merchandise back to their kids.

3: After a bit of shopping, some food, browsing the German market and numerous trips to the bathroom (dodgy Chinese meal the previous night) we set out early for the stadium. Big problem - no idea what train to take. Not for a lack of trying we followed a bunch of Villa fans and ended up in Aston station when Witton Station would have been the better choice. It would be well worthwhile to pay a couple of kids to hang around the main train station giving directions to Villa Park, it wouldn't cost much and it would greatly benefit first timers like myself as well as visiting away fans. Failing that a couple of posters on match days indicating what trains to take and at what times.

4: On arrival in Aston I followed the other fans towards the ground. No offence to the locals but the area around the stadium looks a bit run down there's definitely room for improvement and I sure many ways the club could assist. Walking up to the stadium I passed the Holte Hotel in it's construction glory, elegant looking building should be a great pre-match spot once it's done cause the location is unbeatable. Circling the stadium I must say it still looks very impressive the Holte, the Trinity and Witton but the North stand looks miserable from the back, dull concrete facade definitely in need of updating. The next stop was the club shop which was totally mobbed, wasn't too impressed by this years selection of gear provided by Hummel compared to last years catalog which had a much better selection of ladies wear (for the missus) and a couple of hoodies and jackets I fancied for myself, still it didn't stop me spending 150 pounds on goodies for myself and our supporters club here in New York. I was impressed by the efficiency and friendliness of the staff in the shop, the place was packed but they were in complete control. The decor in the shop needs a bit of updating but the space itself isn't bad, maybe there could be a couple of other merchandise stalls littered around the ground on match day just like most US stadiums which have plenty of spots to purchase all the supporter needs.

5: Our seats were in the Trinity right beside the player’s tunnel. My impression entering the trinity was not great. The refreshment area was barren and charmless, more like a warehouse than the type of place you'd like to eat and drink, the exposed roof and exhaust ducts make the lobby look cheap and tacky. Definitely a small bit of interior design could make a huge difference. The food and beverages on offer were far from spectacular especially when compare to American sports grounds but at least the prices were somewhat reasonable. The seats in the Trinity are quite good, plenty of leg space no complaints there. The crowd around me was mostly families and the environment was very accommodating to small kids. Prior to kick off the atmosphere was superb especially as Ron Saunders came out, fantastic moment, wonderful idea. The game didn't exactly go according to plan but I still had a great time.

6: Heading back to the airport was a harrowing ordeal especially since I had no idea how long it would take, we hot footed it to Witton station where we somehow managed to get on the first train after a long cold wait, for some reason we found ourselves in a carriage packed full of opposition fans, not the most comfortable place to be but could have been worse if they happened to be a nastier bunch. I've no idea how this happened but there should be more separation of home and away fans going to the station as I could well imagine trouble arising under certain circumstances. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare but I think we could do with some other service to make the airport more accessible. One idea would be a shuttle bus from the stadium direct to the airport, visitors could buy their tickets at the airport upon arrival in Birmingham that way you could ensure that their are enough seats to accommodate passengers well in advance. It might even help attract more fans to fly in for games.

In conclusion the trip was very enjoyable and Villa Park is still an impressive venue to behold, there is definitely a lot of room for improvement but the platform is quite solid. Hopefully next time I'm over I can take the stadium tour to see the rest of the facilities and hopefully I can get back over sooner rather than later.

Thanks General, I hope the comments come in useful, it turned into a bit of an essay in the end but I had plenty to say.

[ianrobo1]

great post TSV and every one of your points is spot and is all to od with image and being customer friendler.

the one point I would like to expand on is the surronds to VP.

I walk also from the direction of Aston Station and despite the ground only being a short distance away there is no signage, no feeling that VP is close, nothing.

We did have something called Aston Pride that Villa were part of but we never saw any material difference to the surrondings we could make a massive difference along with the council

[TheSufferingVilla]

I'll agree with you there Robbo, if I wasn't following the other fans I'd surely have gotten lost, maybe we could have a marked walkway to the stadium with special paving stones, it wouldn't have to be the Hollywood walk of fame just slabs that maybe commerorate past players or club staff like the tiles out the front of the Trinity for fans, it wouldn't cost an awful lot and it would be nice for the kids to stop and look at them on their way to the ground and maybe give us space to pay tribute to our heroes when they pass.

[ianrobo1]

well for certain TSV we are having this walkway of fame near the holte but all we need is the signage and some C&B colouring

[atalbot01]

He's right about the concourse areas and refreshments as well.. although they have been well documented I hope that this is near to the top of the agenda for Ground improvements.....

The food is simply awful.... The beer is average.. the concourse areas are full of smoke... (though there is a no smoking area in the Trinity which also had kids face painting as well.. thats a nice touch!!!)

I'd like to see more no smoking areas and wider concourses.. they are simply too crowded for the big games, and this can be a frightening experience for little uns, and an unpleasant one for parents!!!

Great post though TSV.. and far more constructive than blowing smoke up the generals arse (no offence General sir..... wheres the smoke..?? !!)

[OutByEaster?]

I don't know if anyone has wandered around the jewellery quarter, but if you get the chance they've done a great job of branding the area with a few banners on lamposts and some pavement details with a little bit of info every few hundred yards. ( I think it's called the jewellery quarter discovery trail and you can actually follow it to find the complete history of the area.)

None of this looks like it broke the bank, but you're in no doubt where you are and it's very effective.

Why not have a look General, you could pick something up for Mrs Krulac while you're there, make up for all this time you've been spending on the internet.

[Daholteend]

One thing is certain OBE and that is if the General does pick up any jewellery (or jewelry as Americans spell it) it won't be a golden lucky charm depicting a thong for Mrs Krulak to add to her bracelet

Meanwhile back on topic, OBE you are absolutely right. There is no reason why Aston Villa can't begin a revitalisation of the "Villa Neighbourhood" . I will not be surprised to hear that that is on the agenda along with the Holte Hotel restoration.

I believe I read earlier in this thread that AVFC have considered ways of making Aston or Witton stations more attractive with claret and blue colours. For new visitors to Villa Park how about claret and blue arrows leading the trail to Villa Park all the way from both stations like the colour coded directions you see sometimes in hospitals to help you find your way around only in this case along the streets and pavements.

No doubt the City Council is going to have some obstacles or permit requirements for something like this but something along those lines might be achieved if it would help boost the appearances and the user friendliness of the Villa Experience.

[Ginge]

Excellent post from tsv have to agree with everything he has pointed out, nice to hear it from an "outsider" point of view. Have to say though i have never found the food served to be poor just the service.

[brummie]

you knwo what Wigan is no smoking and was enforced easily enough, by the tme we get to the first home game people will be used to it

(no fags now for 5 days !!)

But with our pansy stewards, can you see it being enforced?

I think someone has had a word with the stewards and bucked their ideas up.

At the Man U game, they were constantly scanning the crowd and chucking out anyone who even looked like they might be an away fan in our ends. I've never really seen them that bothered before.

I even saw them chuck out a group of about five pissed up blokes despite being outnumbered.

[jasthevillan]

We are only there for around 60 hrs a year lets concentrate on transport, the stadium and results on the pitch.

Been busy General, long time no speak. The conference must be to put it politely boring the crap out of you!

[TheSufferingVilla]

so your not expecting/asking for much then!!! i think everyone knows aston is not the nicest area but it is alot to ask of the club to change the whole area!

I'm not talking about rebuilding Aston, just polishing up the walk between train stations and the ground so that visitors don't get lost and to add to the whole Villa experience.

[Daholteend]

so your not expecting/asking for much then!!! i think everyone knows aston is not the nicest area but it is alot to ask of the club to change the whole area!

I'm not talking about rebuilding Aston, just polishing up the walk between train stations and the ground so that visitors don't get lost and to add to the whole Villa experience.

I agree with you TSV. I also enjoyed your post and comments on your recent visit to Birmingham. If Aston Villa was located in the USA I think the host city as a matter of civic pride would have contributed something towards the immediate areas around and approaching Villa Park.

As it is, Aston Villa is proudly located in B6 and British local governments and authorities barely keep up with the tasks they are mandated to do so we would be lucky if the public sector steps up and says "OK Chaps here is a non repayable grant to go and spruce up your local square mile." Nice thought if that would ever happen but this is merry old England after all.

Any sprucing up of the area most likely would have to come from the private sector and first of all for Aston Villa such charity (and costs) begins at home as with the restoration of the Holte Hotel.

The General has indicated that there are a number of other projects that are to be addressed in the immediate Villa vicinity.

However, there may be an other alternative for Aston Villa. We have heard musings about the possibility of Aston Villa finding a major sponsor possibly in the form of renaming parts or the whole of Villa Park.

As proud supporters of a club that has been located at Villa Park for over 100 years there may be some resistance to a renaming of Villa Park hypothetically and for the sake of example something like "MBNA Stadium" .

However, it might be a reasonable way around the issue to say rename the pitch to something like "The MBNA Arena at Villa Park", OR even better than that, lobby the local governments to rename our square mile neighbourhood of Aston to Villa Park and then call the stadium what you will. Everyone will know that the stadium is located at Villa Park.

It might also be feasible to find more than one sponsor, say one for the naming of the stadium within Villa Park and possibly several others for parts of the Villa Park square mile and then the new sponsors could bear the costs of sprucing up the Villa Neighbourhood while at the same time promoting themselves in association with Aston Villa. Every body wins .

This may sound convoluted but who knows Villa's executives might find something in the idea.