Cracker1234 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Read from the bottom up ... Paul Faulkner: There are still 3 weeks left in the window, so at this stage it's still a case of wait and see. Our plan was to do most of our business early in the summer for the reasons I've mentioned earlier, and hopefully we will see the benefit of that once we get into the season. Comment From Gareth Will there be any more players joining us by the end of the window? Paul Faulkner: No. This is another question that the Manager touched on last week at the Season Ticket Holder forum. We did make an enquiry about the player, but only the sort of enquiry that we make about lots of players during a transfer window. For some reason - and I have no idea why - his club decided to make that public, but the fact is that our interest never went beyond that initial enquiry. Comment From Julie B Will we be signing Kiyotake ? Paul Faulkner: I think it is a combination of factors. There is no doubt that when the team were struggling last season in late December and January the fans stuck with them and the support remained fantastic. That helped the team through that period and they responded by then rewarding the fans with some great performances. Comment From Jason Fross Paul, There seems to be a significant change for the better in the overall atmosphere surrounding the club. What, in your opinion are the biggest catalyst for the change? Paul Faulkner: I don't think that the Manager really considers any of our new signings as risks. He has faith in all of the players he has brought to the club and I think that has been justified. Don't forget that he made his professional debut as a 15 year old, so he knows himself what it is like to be a young player playing at the top level Comment From James Murdoch The fans seem to be excited by PL's 'Young n Hungry' signing policy - can you enjoy it fully too? Knowing that there is clearly a risk involved. Paul Faulkner: I think it is always difficult to set a specific finishing position as a goal, simply because the Premier League always seems to be so tight. Last year we finished 15th but were only 5pts off 9th place. I think everyone at the Club wants to build on the second half of last season when we really played well and carry that form into this season. If we do that then we will have an exciting year ahead. Comment From Jakob What would be a 'good' season for Aston Villa this season? Paul Faulkner: No chance! Comment From Matt Barton Hi Paul will you ever consider joining twitter? Paul Faulkner: I think it would have to raise serious questions as to why FIFA awarded the World Cup there in the first place if hosting a summer World Cup was never going to be realistic. Comment From Fred Clayton Paul what's your view on the world cup in Qatar being held in the winter? Paul Faulkner: That's good to hear. We believe that Villa Cash is a great scheme to reward our season ticket holders, and it's already proving very popular. It is new and we're going to keep looking at ways to improve it throughout the season as well. Comment From Jack I also want to say Thank you for the 5% villa cash, think its a brilliant idea!! Paul Faulkner: With Macron we now have a lot of input into the kit design, and they have been very open minded with thoughts around new designs. Personally I think it's good to have kits that are unique rather than just based off a template that you then also see other clubs wearing. Comment From Claret and Blue Villa How much input do the club or board have in designing and picking the new kits Paul Faulkner: I think that all the business we have done this summer has been important, be that new signings or contract extensions. Our aim was to get as much of our business done early in the summer so that new arrivals could settle in properly ahead of the season and there wouldn't be question marks over other players possibly leaving, and also so the Manager had as much time as possible to plan fully for the season ahead. Comment From Sachin Jaswal Would you say that the contract renewals of certain players outweigh the importance of new signings this summer? Paul Faulkner: First and foremost we always give priority for away tickets to our season ticket holders, as we believe that is the right thing to do in return for their on-going committment. The same is true if (when) we get to Wembley for a cup final. Comment From Dave On a twitter debate - Should non-season ticket holders get a better priority in away games as it's really hard for them to get away tickets, which is kind of unfair? Paul Faulkner: Any developments on a trial standing area at Villa Park? Noel Kavanagh - Not at present. As most people know, we were the first Premier League club to publically support the Football Supporters Federation's campaign for safe standing, and I know that has helped to bring the issue greater attention. It's a complex subject for a number of reasons, but I do fundamentally think it would be a good thing if done in the right way, and so we'll continue to support the campaign. Watch this space... Paul Faulkner: How do we have the best pitch in the Premier League? Can you give me the reasons? Jack Steele - We simply have great people working here at Villa, and their dedication and love for what they do is shown by the quality of the pitch, week in and week out. Not many people get to see the pitches at Bodymoor Heath, but they are as good as the pitch at Villa Park, and it's a real testament to the quality of our entire team of groundsmen. Paul Faulkner: Would you look at extending Paul Lambert’s contract? Damian Bradley - Paul answered this question himself last week at the Season Ticket Holder forum at Villa Park when he said that it is something that we will look at when the time is right for everybody. We have a fantastic relationship with Paul and his backroom team and he has been great to work with from my point of view. I know that he loves being at Villa and we're looking forward to trying to really achieve something together over the coming years. Paul Faulkner: How much would the current board love to win a cup – especially the FA Cup? John Johnson - It would be fantastic to win a cup and bring some silverware back to Villa Park. I'm very conscious of how much the FA Cup means to the fans, and the fact that we've won the League Cup, the League and European Cup since we last lifted the FA Cup in '57. It would be amazing to finally win that again. Paul Faulkner: How impressed are you with the mentality Paul Lambert has brought to the side? Michael Norbury - Very impressed. It really starts with the work Paul and his backroom team do at Bodymoor Heath behind closed doors. They have really transformed the attitude and mentality of the squad, and I think we all started to see the impact of that in the latter half of last season. Paul Faulkner: How many season tickets have we sold? Are you happy with the number? Anthony Hayden - We've currently sold just over 20,000 season tickets, which is the best number at this stage of the year for a few seasons. Great support from the fans and very much appreciated by the Manager and players. Paul Faulkner: How does it feel to wake up every day knowing you run the greatest football club in the land? Paul Thomas - It's an absolute privilege, and something i am conscious of every single day Paul Faulkner: Hello everybody. Great to be with you here on the latest Live Chat. To start with, I’m going to answer a few questions that have come in via our social media sites. Will try to get through as many questions as possible in the next hour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadenb42 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Lol @ the Julie B question 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enda Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Julie B, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracker1234 Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 (edited) From bottom up again. Paul Faulkner: Yes, I spoke with him last week. It was his Grandson's birthday and he'd bought him the new away shirt as a present...apparently he wouldn't take it off and is totally Villa mad Comment From Villa Si Have you heard from the general lately? Paul Faulkner: That's a difficult question to answer in a few words, but one of the key elements was the very strong relationship that Christian has with the Manager. There is a strong bond of mutual respect between them, and in the end, after a few twists and turns, we were able to reach an agreement that worked for everybody pretty quickly. I know that Christian loves it at Villa and he's already been showing how happy he is with his performances in pre-season. Comment From Dave How hard was it to keep Benteke? and how far do you think he will go? Paul Faulkner: Brown sauce all day long. Comment From PWS Hi Paul, us Villa fans have a long running debate on the merits of red sauce or brown sauce on a bacon sandwich. Where do you stand on this vital question? Paul Faulkner: It's a bit unfair to single out any particular player as the whole squad have such a strong team ethic right now...having said that I love watching Ashley Westwood play, as I think he's a really intelligent footballer, and I'm looking forward to seeing his first goal at Villa Park early in the season! Comment From Dave Favourite villa player? Edited August 12, 2013 by Cracker1234 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feidhlim Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 What a waste of a first question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feidhlim Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Ask about adding mobile support for avtv or have we plans to try and enhance our presence in Asia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I asked a few questions, none of which got answered... 1. What are the most important lessons you have learned during your time in the job? 2. What is the hardest part of your job? and then... finally, 3. Was appointing Alex McLeish the worst decision in the history of football Obviously it was more important to hear about brown sauce on his sandwiches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracker1234 Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 He answered questions first of all that were tweeted to the @avfcofficial account. He never answered my 2 questions, I didn't think he would and I don't think they would have wanted to show them and the answer. Wish I could remember what I asked now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandaq Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 lol that was funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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