The General C. Krulak Thread XV

[The Situation]

Hello General;

Please can we not ban the vuvuzuelas like small heath have done. Aston Villa could make some  money if we have our own official claret and blue vuvuzuela with the club badge on which could be sold outside the ground and inside the club shop.

[cdbearsfan]

If making money is all Aston Villa is interested in I think I'll give up football.

[lennythekad]

Hi General

MON is quoted today as saying that we are operating on a sell to buy policy! If this is cut and dry then to say im very bemused is an understatement. Can you explain any further?

With reference to the above General may I point you back to your statement at the end of last season wherein you confirmed in answer to one of my small queries that we were not as Mon suggests a selling club ?
Is this one of those cases of engaging mouth before brain perhaps?

As an aside has anyone any idea when our illustrious fan and military star, is returning to do his well appreciated bit on the web sites.

That is bang out of order, much more of that and you'll be the one taking a prolonged break.

paulie, I read the first bit as aimed at MON, and the second bit to be an unsarcastic question, unless I've misjudged it.

[rutski]

Hi General

MON is quoted today as saying that we are operating on a sell to buy policy! If this is cut and dry then to say im very bemused is an understatement. Can you explain any further?

With reference to the above General may I point you back to your statement at the end of last season wherein you confirmed in answer to one of my small queries that we were not as Mon suggests a selling club ?
Is this one of those cases of engaging mouth before brain perhaps?

As an aside has anyone any idea when our illustrious fan and military star, is returning to do his well appreciated bit on the web sites.

That is bang out of order, much more of that and you'll be the one taking a prolonged break.

paulie, I read the first bit as aimed at MON, and the second bit to be an unsarcastic question, unless I've misjudged it.

i think you misjudged it lenny!

[ckrulak]

General Krulak here:

1.  Sorry for being off the site...your "military star and illustrious fan" is back...and I didn't take the comment as sarcastic but, rather, as an indication that I am first and foremost a fan.

2.  I know that I have mentioned on more than one occasion that we need to understand that all Premiership Clubs...yes, all football clubs...are a business.  Revenue and expenditures need to make sense.  One of the issues we face, and we have talked about it before and so has MON and others is the issue of the on-going wage bill.  This issue needs to be kept in perspective and needs to be understood.  It is not just the cost of the transfer...it is the on-going wages.  If you don't get that right, you cannot adequately pay your good players much less go onto the market and get new ones.  What we see right now is the Club getting a handle on the wage side of the house.  This is no different than what we have done once before.  This means we have to sell some players...no different than most Premiership Clubs...you see them doing it all the time.  Randy has NOT lost his passion for the Club or has he lost his vision of the goal he has always set for the Villa.  He has spent more time in the UK in the last 2 months than he has ever done before...he has been focused on the Club and has been working closely with MON.  As always, I am NOT going to get into a discussion of transfers BUT I will say that everyone needs to cool down a bit and see what happens.

3.  At some point we can discuss the World Cup...a pretty big disappointment for me.

[pablopicasso_10]

disappointing...

maybe if the manager didnt keep buying players and then not using them, as he must think they are too crap to utilise, maybe we wouldnt have a huge wage bill that had to be trimmed before we can start to rebuild again...

i mean, how much is that useless donkey heskey earning? or sidwell? or shorey, and the likes...

i am fast falling out of love with the whole game...

[cdbearsfan]

General,

my comment wasn't about making money out of transfers, only vuvu-bloody-zelas.

Can we ban them please?

[Greg N'Ash]

General,

If it really is just an issue of controlling the spiralling wages bill, do you not agree there should be a much tighter control of this aspect and possibly the removal of the personel involved in agreeing these contracts from those responsibilities. It does seem that in the case of some transfers, we have been well and truly taken for a ride by the player's agents  

I think we'd all like the club to be able to afford to pay wages to attract the best players but paying reserves like Harewood what he was reportedly on, was a major mistake by someone.

[Mazrim]

Welcome back Sir. You've been missed.

[eastie]

General, Welcome back!

[Greg N'Ash]

aye. welcome back

[KevinGage]

Indeed General.

If the amounts that bit-part players like Sidwell, Shorey, Heskey and Beye alone are reported to be on it's no wonder the wage bill needs to be pegged back.

Will we be seeing a change in policy in future, namely those who arrive at the club uncertain of a starting place not having close to parity of pay with our best players?

Not leaving our business so close to the end of the window might help in that regard, as agents invariably play on the desperation as the Aug 31st deadline approaches.

Signing players of similar (or preferably better) ability from other leagues in Europe where the wages aren't quite as exorbitant might also be a way around it.

Finally: Are we in a position to complete new incoming deals even with these high earners on the books -on the proviso that they eventually do depart. Or do we have to wait until they actually leave first?

[ckrulak]

General Krulak here:

A couple of points:

1.  No matter what happens with Milner, and NOTHING is decided there, I think it is important to know that he has acted in a thoroughly professional manner and has great respect for the fans and for the Club.  He is a good man who keeps his head down and works hard.  I have a lot of respect for him.

2.  The following FACTS are presented...taken straight from the financial statements of the Clubs involved.  It demonstrates that Randy has been more than willing to put money against players in this league.

Net spend over the past few years:

a.  ManCity: 230M
b.  Chelsea: 112M
c.  Villa: 102M
d.  L'pool:  95M
e.  Spurs:  66M
f.  Everton:  23M
g.  Arsenal:  Actually have made 14M thru selling

[cdbearsfan]

Arsenal:  Actually have made 14M thru selling

Just shows, you can finish top four consistently without haemmorhaging money if you give your scouts passports.

Welcome back General.

Vuvuzelas?

[Mazrim]

You wont find many doubting Randy's commitment Sir. I think most fans are wondering "what happens now?".

Are you saying that Randy will continue to fund new players, that we can spend more than we recieve in terms of transfer fees?
We know the salary situation has to be brought under control and rightly so.

I must add that I personally dont mind if the answer is no. We cant expect to be propped up forever and if we have to be frugal for a while, so be it.