DJ_Villain Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I was born in Sutton Coldfield to an entire family of Villa fans and have supported them since I have ever been aware of the concept of club football. We have been battling relegation all season and have been suffering what can only be described as humiliating losses (Chelsea, Wigan, Bradford and Southampton all spring to mind). 5 years ago? We had Laursen, Mellberg, Carew et al.... Footballers that really seemed to enjoy wearing our club shirt and playing for us... but thats when RL had it in his mind that those players were affordable... Then in 2010, Paul Faulkner arrives.... and we have taken what can only be described as a nosedive of biblical proportions since... I may be wrong of course... I have been reading this forum for many, many years. I would like to know what other peoples opinions were on the subject vis-a-vis our clubs ambitions compared with the ambitions of the money makers at the top. Kinds regards Phil Painter AKA DJ Villain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I don't believe so. We don't know what Faulkner's remit is. He could be doing an absolutely pristine job as per the terms of his employment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villan_007 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 We have fallen massively and aren't even considered a midtable club anymore. What hurts the most is that if you watch any kind of footy show and they are talking randomly about a player going to a big club, it now tends to be "he needs to be going to a city, or arsenal type club, not a wigan, villa or norwich" That kills me, and I find it very disrespectful, yes we have been woeful over the last few seasons but come on we dont deserve to be thought of like that. As for Faulkner - good at what he is trained in, awful at any football related decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oaks Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I don't believe so. We don't know what Faulkner's remit is. He could be doing an absolutely pristine job as per the terms of his employment Indeed i think it was to cut the wage bill while keeping the team competitive. Ultimately all the big decisions (e.g. hiring a new manager) will be on Randy Lerner, so i dont see how the major problems he inherited can be blamed on him. Yes there has been a down fall since he arrived, but thats mainly due to the chairman cost cutting and selling our best players and not replacing them. This is all due to mistakes which happened before Falkner arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 No one knows what Faulkner does or is responsible for. Blaming him for anything is pointless. Even if you think he's 100% at fault then surely you need to blame the man who hired him and who keeps employing him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 No one knows what Faulkner does or is responsible for. But that in itself is quite worrying, is it not? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 No one knows what Faulkner does or is responsible for. But that in itself is quite worrying, is it not? To some extent yes. But I don't think he can be blamed for what's happened to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I've noticed our decline coincides with our lack of bearded players. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciggiesnbeer Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Yes I think it does have a lot to do with him. He is the man who signed all our bad deals (and our good ones), lets face it our bad ones are the vast majority. He is the man who spends way more time addressing non issues like our FA relationship vs actual things that improve the club. I have a very strong suspicion he was a firm believer in Alex McLeish and helped engineer the move. I think that is Faulkner's style. Finally and this is just a small data point but for me a telling one, there was a period of a couple of months last year when he was in full charge of the club. no interim manager just him and his judgement. At that time he specifically chose to let Guzan go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PompeyVillan Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Yes, yes it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AValon Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 No one knows what Faulkner does or is responsible for. Blaming him for anything is pointless. Even if you think he's 100% at fault then surely you need to blame the man who hired him and who keeps employing him. Have to agree with this. The buck stops literally at the top. Faulkner could quite easily find himself something of a scapegoat here, although I'm convinced (purely my own opinion) that he was out of his depth on several levels from the off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie09 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 He's been a contributory factor in our decline as he is Lerner's eyes and ears whilst he's in the US. As Ciggiesnbeer rightly states he's been party to a lot of the decision making so I'd find it hard to absolve him of any blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudevillaisnice Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 We have a similar thread to this every season and the same answer is given every time - no one knows what Faulkner does so to blame him is unfair. Until you know his exact involvement you can't praise or blame the man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 He's the head honcho in the uk so yes, he takes some of the blame. Non football man, yes man, bag carrier. At least Steve stride knew his football. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Finally and this is just a small data point but for me a telling one, there was a period of a couple of months last year when he was in full charge of the club. no interim manager just him and his judgement. At that time he specifically chose to let Guzan go. If true then surely you blame the man who decided to give someone like Paul Faulkner that much control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 It's my fault. Sorry guys. I've dropped the ball on this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Gingers always get blamed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Did Faulkner let Guzan go ? Or Eck ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I heard Faulkner was spotted smoking aboard the Hindenburg shortly before its demise. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciggiesnbeer Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Finally and this is just a small data point but for me a telling one, there was a period of a couple of months last year when he was in full charge of the club. no interim manager just him and his judgement. At that time he specifically chose to let Guzan go. If true then surely you blame the man who decided to give someone like Paul Faulkner that much control. Lerner of course is at the top but he also is a busy man whose primary focus is not the club. You can blame lerner for everything bad in the club if you want but the op was asking a question about Faulkner who is in a very powerful position at the club. In this case I think Lerner's employee has let him down badly. Did Faulkner let Guzan go ? Or Eck ? Guzan was released after Eck left. Regardless Faulkner had a window there to do whatever he liked. In that one case he had no manager to hide behind and he made a bad call. I cant remember but I think Heskey was also released in that time (could be wrong) so we can give him credit for that if we like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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