Who is Paul Faulkner?

[DBTW]

I have had the pleasure of Paul's company a few times over a few beers. He is a really down to earth kinda guy, very honest and approachable. He went out of his was a few times to help me and with him as the CEO we wont go far wrong.

He worked for RAL holdings before joining AVFC and has always been alongside Randy, but this is his most profile post.

He is from Norwich although i'm not sure if his father played.

He even sponsored me for the marathon a few years ago.

A Gentleman.

[Villa'Zawg]

...

Nor am I surprised to hear the final straw for Paul may have been MON asking for "whatever it took" to get McGeady which is something I was told this morning.

So this mysterious young Mr Faulkner was making decisions about who the manager could buy? Or was McGeady out of our price range?

So what should he have said? "As much as you want, sure". What if they asked for 15m? 20m?

They've already accepted a bid from Moscow so the price is set, it's nonsense to suggest those figures.

I'd expect the manager to be able to choose how he spends his budget within the club's transfer policy and I'd expect Paul Faulkner to help him get the job done. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

[Risso]

I'd expect the manager to be able to choose how he spends his budget within the club's transfer policy and I'd expect Paul Faulkner to help him get the job done. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

Yes, but there has to be an inbuilt safety switch whereby any manager coming in and asking for £10m to spend on Aidan McGeady is given a boot up the arse and told to shut the door on the way out.

[ptwhinger]

so this is his dad?

http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/p1926/People/Faculty/Visiting-Fellows/JohnnbspFaulknernbsp

[Chris Smith]

I'd expect the manager to be able to choose how he spends his budget within the club's transfer policy and I'd expect Paul Faulkner to help him get the job done. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

Yes, but there has to be an inbuilt safety switch whereby any manager coming in and asking for £10m to spend on Aidan McGeady is given a boot up the arse and told to shut the door on the way out.

I'd trust gregnash before I'd trust Paul Faulkner or Randy Lerner to pick a player and I think greg's a basket case. I really, really hope that there isn't any suggestion of outside interference on choice of players.

[pauliewalnuts]

...

Nor am I surprised to hear the final straw for Paul may have been MON asking for "whatever it took" to get McGeady which is something I was told this morning.

So this mysterious young Mr Faulkner was making decisions about who the manager could buy? Or was McGeady out of our price range?

So what should he have said? "As much as you want, sure". What if they asked for 15m? 20m?

They've already accepted a bid from Moscow so the price is set, it's nonsense to suggest those figures.

I'd expect the manager to be able to choose how he spends his budget within the club's transfer policy and I'd expect Paul Faulkner to help him get the job done. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

No, the fact they've accepted a bid from Moscow isn't the point.

The point is that there has to be some limit to the funds available, to say "as much as it takes" seems to me to a bit confrontational and naive, if that's what has happened. Like you said, "budget" - there is one, maybe he's decided he can't work with it.

Whatever has happened, we don't know yet, I suspect it will come out in the wash, but the one thing we do know is that he's fucked off a few days before the start of the season.

I'm inclined to give the board the benefit of the doubt for the moment. I'm just surprised that you've decided to turn on them quite so thoroughy of late, and now seem to be looking for a nefarious bogeyman to point the finger at.

[Risso]

I'd expect the manager to be able to choose how he spends his budget within the club's transfer policy and I'd expect Paul Faulkner to help him get the job done. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

Yes, but there has to be an inbuilt safety switch whereby any manager coming in and asking for £10m to spend on Aidan McGeady is given a boot up the arse and told to shut the door on the way out.

I'd trust gregnash before I'd trust Paul Faulkner or Randy Lerner to pick a player and I think greg's a basket case. I really, really hope that there isn't any suggestion of outside interference on choice of players.

I doubt they actually went down the routw of picking players, but you can't blame them for not wanting to sign McGeady if it's true we wanted him.

Given O'Neill's transfer record, I'd take greg's views over him as well!

[Villa'Zawg]

...

Nor am I surprised to hear the final straw for Paul may have been MON asking for "whatever it took" to get McGeady which is something I was told this morning.

So this mysterious young Mr Faulkner was making decisions about who the manager could buy? Or was McGeady out of our price range?

So what should he have said? "As much as you want, sure". What if they asked for 15m? 20m?

They've already accepted a bid from Moscow so the price is set, it's nonsense to suggest those figures.

I'd expect the manager to be able to choose how he spends his budget within the club's transfer policy and I'd expect Paul Faulkner to help him get the job done. Isn't that how it is supposed to work?

No, the fact they've accepted a bid from Moscow isn't the point.

The point is that there has to be some limit to the funds available, to say "as much as it takes" seems to me to a bit confrontational and naive, if that's what has happened. Like you said, "budget" - there is one, maybe he's decided he can't work with it.

Whatever has happened, we don't know yet, I suspect it will come out in the wash, but the one thing we do know is that he's fucked off a few days before the start of the season.

I'm inclined to give the board the benefit of the doubt for the moment. I'm just surprised that you've decided to turn on them quite so thoroughy of late, and now seem to be looking for a nefarious bogeyman to point the finger at.

I haven't turned on them at all. I have questions the same as everyone else, albeit probably not the same ones as you.

If, if Paul Faulkner is making decisions about playing matters as suggested in the post I responded to, I think my questions are worth asking.

[Salsa Party Animal]

is he causing the problem for Martin O'Neill to jump ship.

We do need someone in the club responsible for buying and selling and transfer and wages budget. Managers need to focus on picking team, coaching and setting football policies.

I don't know enough about him to say if he a good or bad employee of the club.

[pauliewalnuts]

I haven't turned on them at all. I have questions the same as everyone else, albeit probably not the same ones as you.

You've spent most of the last few weeks berating the board for their lowered expectations, sell to buy policy and lack of understanding about what is needed to break the top four.

I'm surprised, that's all, as I thought you were of the same opinion as me and most on this board for the last few years, and that they'd built up a bit of credit in the trust bank.

Also, it seems a bit harsh to equate "no, you can't have that much money" to the far more emotive (and different) "making decisions on playing matters", and if you're going to do that, then every single chairman in the league (bar one) will surely be guilty of it.

I also thought your opening post on this thread was somewhat loaded. Just who is this Paul Faulkener? Seemed to have the air of a suspicious enquiry to me, but apols if I'm wrong.

[Claret trim]

I also thought your opening post on this thread was somewhat loaded. Just who is this Paul Faulkener? Seemed to have the air of a suspicious enquiry to me, but apols if I'm wrong.

Again Paulie, all things considered, it is a fair question.

[Villa'Zawg]

I haven't turned on them at all. I have questions the same as everyone else, albeit probably not the same ones as you.

You've spent most of the last few weeks berating the board for their lowered expectations, sell to buy policy and lack of understanding about what is needed to break the top four.

I'm surprised, that's all, as I thought you were of the same opinion as me and most on this board for the last few years, and that they'd built up a bit of credit in the trust bank.

Also, it seems a bit harsh to equate "no, you can't have that much money" to the far more emotive (and different) "making decisions on playing matters", and if you're going to do that, then every single chairman in the league (bar one) will surely be guilty of it.

I also thought your opening post on this thread was somewhat loaded. Just who is this Paul Faulkener? Seemed to have the air of a suspicious enquiry to me, but apols if I'm wrong.

I hadn't paid Faulkner any real attention until this came up yesterday. When I discovered that whatever went down was between him and O'Neill I wanted to know more about him. I couldn't find anything much on the net so decided to ask in here.

They have built up credit but something appears to have changed at the club and I haven't heard what it is or what those changes mean.

When Randy spoke at the end of the season he suggested we have a general sell to buy policy now but there is money there to invest in the team. I've got no problem with that He also said Milner wouldn't be sold and there was no mention of wages being a problem.

The General then popped up a couple of weeks ago to say that we have to get a grip of wages and we have to sell some players.

It wasn't me that changed, it was the messages from the club.

Nothing has changed in my level of support for the club but I'd like to understand what has changed in the boardroom and I'd like to understand what those changes mean for the future.

So if we've got to reduce wages, how much do we have to reduce them by? If Faulkner is deciding the manager can't spend some of the Milner money on McGeady, what is the transfer policy now? I'm hoping we can get answers to those type of questions.

[Risso]

So if we've got to reduce wages, how much do we have to reduce them by? If Faulkner is deciding the manager can't spend some of the Milner money on McGeady, what is the transfer policy now? I'm hoping we can get answers to those type of questions.

As if you're ever going to get detailed answers to questions like that.

[Villa'Zawg]

P.S. I'm hoping is was all a bluff to get rid of O'Neill and Pelligrini gets appointed tomorrow and given £75m to spend.

[pauliewalnuts]

P.S. I'm hoping is was all a bluff to get rid of O'Neill and Pelligrini gets appointed tomorrow and given £75m to spend.

Ha ha, very good.

Don't worry, I'll be burning the same effigies as the rest of them if it turns out to be Bob Bradley with 750k in his pocket.