The General C. Krulak Thread XIV

[Clampy]

Geneeral Krulak here:

1.  pauliewalnuts:  Simply put, your concerns do not mirror mine.  I look at the stats that you displayed and there is MUCH that I take away as positive.  You, on the other hand, see negative.  That makes horse raising.  We lost, at home, the same number of games as ManU, Arsenal and Liverpool...at the beginning of this season, would you have been happy to say that?  I expect you would.  Only one team in the entire Premiership has had as many away wins as we have.  At the beginning of the season, would you have been happy to say that?  I expect you would.  And, oh by the way, we have lost fewer away games than any of the current top 4!! Do you think, just possibly, that teams that come to Villa Park know full well that our strengths are found in a blistering pace, etc. and that they come to defeat that strength...and that in their efforts to do so, they force an "ugly" game?  Isn't that what the game is all about...putting your opponents strengths in jeopardy?  We do the same thing when we go away!  The big difference, in my opinion, is that when we go away, our opponents play a more open game that allows us to capitalize on our strengths.  Thus, our record away.  Our squad is our squad...we play the way we play because MON, like any good manager, strives to capitalize on the strengths of his lads.  I am not sure what you would like MON to do...alter tactics even though it would not be advantageous to the play of our lads?  I am sorry, I just don't buy your premise...and I certainly don't feel that 64 points with 2 games to go is something to feel bad about.  Sure, I would have loved to have won more home games....but it is what it is.  At this stage of the season, I am not about to worry about what happened in the past...I am concentrating on the future.

Clappy Thingy.

[FrankyH]

General Krulak here:

1.  I have been following the game thread and have a tough time reading some of the comments.  We have picked up 9 points in basically one week.  We have played a team fighting relegation and we have played a team that we knew was going to put up a huge fight.  We won all of them.  It just amazes me that our own fans bust on our Lads and our Manager after such a tough week...a week where we had to win and have won.  So it wasn't as pretty as some would have liked it to be...well, when you play a derby, things aren't always pretty.  I watched the ManU-ManCity game and didn't think it was too pretty...and a goal with 17 seconds left could be termed fairly "lucky"...if a penalty can be considered lucky.  Let's just give our lads and our Manager their due...let's just applaud the fact that when the chips were down, they won when they needed to win.  We are on 64 points right now with two more games to play.  If we could have been guaranteed 64 points at the start of the season I would bet that there would have been fans who would have taken the points!  All the negativity from some of the fans just gets old after awhile....why can't we just enjoy the win...recognize that beating the Blues will never be a walk in the park (aside from 5-1) and give MON and Cuellar a rest.  They really don't deserve all the crap they get from a minority of fans.  I cannot imagine coming out of a battle that I won...and having people who didn't take part in the battle telling me I was lucky to win or that I fought poorly.  We won!  For just a day, let's be happy about it.

Amen Brother

[Dave Cooper please]

General. why are you having a go at Pauliewalnuts? Probably one of our most loyal fans. Someone who follows the club home and away.

We were utterly cack (a Midlands word for shit) for most of the game today, we are allowed to mention this on an internet forum aren't we?

General, I have the utmost respect for you, but please do not come onto OUR forum and tell us what we can and can't say about the club we have invested a huge amount of our time and money following.

[CBAV06]

General. why are you having a go at Pauliewalnuts? Probably one of our most loyal fans. Someone who follows the club home and away.

We were utterly cack (a Midlands word for shit) for most of the game today, we are allowed to mention this on an internet forum aren't we?

General, I have the utmost respect for you, but please do not come onto OUR forum and tell us what we can and can't say about the club we have invested a huge amount of our time and money following.

Suddenly everyone doesn't have a right to an opinion...

[saunders_heroes]

General Krulak here:

1.  I have been following the game thread and have a tough time reading some of the comments.  We have picked up 9 points in basically one week.  We have played a team fighting relegation and we have played a team that we knew was going to put up a huge fight.  We won all of them.  It just amazes me that our own fans bust on our Lads and our Manager after such a tough week...a week where we had to win and have won.  So it wasn't as pretty as some would have liked it to be...well, when you play a derby, things aren't always pretty.  I watched the ManU-ManCity game and didn't think it was too pretty...and a goal with 17 seconds left could be termed fairly "lucky"...if a penalty can be considered lucky.  Let's just give our lads and our Manager their due...let's just applaud the fact that when the chips were down, they won when they needed to win.  We are on 64 points right now with two more games to play.  If we could have been guaranteed 64 points at the start of the season I would bet that there would have been fans who would have taken the points!  All the negativity from some of the fans just gets old after awhile....why can't we just enjoy the win...recognize that beating the Blues will never be a walk in the park (aside from 5-1) and give MON and Cuellar a rest.  They really don't deserve all the crap they get from a minority of fans.  I cannot imagine coming out of a battle that I won...and having people who didn't take part in the battle telling me I was lucky to win or that I fought poorly.  We won!  For just a day, let's be happy about it.

You tell 'em, General. I'm fuckin delighted tonight, and I'm sick to death of the negativity on here. Well done, Martin, the players and Randy. You deserve it!

[saunders_heroes]

General. why are you having a go at Pauliewalnuts? Probably one of our most loyal fans. Someone who follows the club home and away.

We were utterly cack (a Midlands word for shit) for most of the game today, we are allowed to mention this on an internet forum aren't we?

General, I have the utmost respect for you, but please do not come onto OUR forum and tell us what we can and can't say about the club we have invested a huge amount of our time and money following.

All I've heard for ages on here is doom and gloom from Pauliewalnuts, so I don't blame him for having a knock or two back at him.
And we weren't 'cack' for most of the game either. We should have been two up by the time Small Heath decided to cross the half way line today.

6 derby wins on the trot and there's still no pleasing some people.

[ozzjim]

I think it is a little harsh to single out Paulie, as his views are fairly close to mine much of the time and many, many others on here for the last few weeks.

[OldUser]

Well said General!

[Somniloquism]

I think it is a little harsh to single out Paulie, as his views are fairly close to mine much of the time and many, many others on here for the last few weeks.

Personally I thought he was replying to paulie like someone might reply to you on another thread raising his point of view. Not singling him out as such.

[pdiddybaby]

General. why are you having a go at Pauliewalnuts? Probably one of our most loyal fans. Someone who follows the club home and away.

We were utterly cack (a Midlands word for shit) for most of the game today, we are allowed to mention this on an internet forum aren't we?

General, I have the utmost respect for you, but please do not come onto OUR forum and tell us what we can and can't say about the club we have invested a huge amount of our time and money following.

All I've heard for ages on here is doom and gloom from Pauliewalnuts, so I don't blame him for having a knock or two back at him.
And we weren't 'cack' for most of the game either. We should have been two up by the time Small Heath decided to cross the half way line today.

6 derby wins on the trot and there's still no pleasing some people.

echo this, no one cared how we won today, how we played, how it went it

what matters  is that we have progress by just two games left and a live chance of 4th

[ozzjim]

I think it is a little harsh to single out Paulie, as his views are fairly close to mine much of the time and many, many others on here for the last few weeks.

Personally I thought he was replying to paulie like someone might reply to you on another thread raising his point of view. Not singling him out as such.

Fair point. I still think views from match threads are usually fairly emotive, and much of the points made have been echoed by large parts of the board regarding how poor we are at home, lack of rotation, limitations etc. I agree today is a day for celebrating though and this should be discussed at a future point.

[pauliewalnuts]

Geneeral Krulak here:

1.  pauliewalnuts:  Simply put, your concerns do not mirror mine.  I look at the stats that you displayed and there is MUCH that I take away as positive.  You, on the other hand, see negative.  That makes horse raising.  We lost, at home, the same number of games as ManU, Arsenal and Liverpool...at the beginning of this season, would you have been happy to say that?  I expect you would.  Only one team in the entire Premiership has had as many away wins as we have.  At the beginning of the season, would you have been happy to say that?  I expect you would.  And, oh by the way, we have lost fewer away games than any of the current top 4!! Do you think, just possibly, that teams that come to Villa Park know full well that our strengths are found in a blistering pace, etc. and that they come to defeat that strength...and that in their efforts to do so, they force an "ugly" game?  Isn't that what the game is all about...putting your opponents strengths in jeopardy?  We do the same thing when we go away!  The big difference, in my opinion, is that when we go away, our opponents play a more open game that allows us to capitalize on our strengths.  Thus, our record away.  Our squad is our squad...we play the way we play because MON, like any good manager, strives to capitalize on the strengths of his lads.  I am not sure what you would like MON to do...alter tactics even though it would not be advantageous to the play of our lads?  I am sorry, I just don't buy your premise...and I certainly don't feel that 64 points with 2 games to go is something to feel bad about.  Sure, I would have loved to have won more home games....but it is what it is.  At this stage of the season, I am not about to worry about what happened in the past...I am concentrating on the future.

General

Serious question - did you actually read my post before replying?

I specifically raised the performance away versus home precisely because, firstly, Guy M raised specifically that in a very good post he made, and secondly because whilst the away form is excellent, the home form is poor, and that is why people might be grumbling a little bit about it.

I'm fully aware, too, that teams come to Villa Park knowing the way we play. I think (almost) everyone has realised that.

In saying you don't buy my "premise", I don't really know what you're referring to? That the home form isn't as good as the away form, by some distance?

You've just said yourself that it is the case, so I don't really see why you're getting quite so annoyed.

Still, I'll consider myself "told" and leave you to it.

[The Walshmeister]

General. why are you having a go at Pauliewalnuts? Probably one of our most loyal fans. Someone who follows the club home and away.

We were utterly cack (a Midlands word for shit) for most of the game today, we are allowed to mention this on an internet forum aren't we?

General, I have the utmost respect for you, but please do not come onto OUR forum and tell us what we can and can't say about the club we have invested a huge amount of our time and money following.

Suddenly everyone doesn't have a right to an opinion...

Ironic to have a go at the general saying he shouldn't comment on other Villa fans. He wasn't disrespectfull so no problem.......lighten up and anyone can so what they want as long as not rascist, sexist, personal etc.

[pauliewalnuts]

General. why are you having a go at Pauliewalnuts? Probably one of our most loyal fans. Someone who follows the club home and away.

We were utterly cack (a Midlands word for shit) for most of the game today, we are allowed to mention this on an internet forum aren't we?

General, I have the utmost respect for you, but please do not come onto OUR forum and tell us what we can and can't say about the club we have invested a huge amount of our time and money following.

All I've heard for ages on here is doom and gloom from Pauliewalnuts, so I don't blame him for having a knock or two back at him.
And we weren't 'cack' for most of the game either. We should have been two up by the time Small Heath decided to cross the half way line today.

6 derby wins on the trot and there's still no pleasing some people.

I take exception that that.

My "gloom" comes from the fact that I don't like the style of football we play, and I'm not massively convinced by the manager.

I can point you in the direction of plenty of posts where I've been very positive about things if that helps you out.

re your last line, that's something I've pointed out myself, and did in the reply to the General, that it really doesn't matter how we play right now, all that matters is the result.

[hilts_coolerking]

I think it is a little harsh to single out Paulie, as his views are fairly close to mine much of the time and many, many others on here for the last few weeks.

They're certainly very similar to mine.  But regardless he certainly doesn't deserve to be taken to task by the General merely for pointing out that our home form this season has not been great and that we don't play very sophisticated or attractive football.  The second is a matter of opinion, granted, but the first is a matter of fact.  Yes, it is possible to point to only 2 home defeats but that is to ignore the more important stat - the number of home wins.

I'm not aware of anyone who "feels bad" that we have 64 points with 2 games to go.  But if we do end up falling just short then it will have been our home form that has let us down.  So I'm not sure it's something that can be dismissed as lightly as the General appears to want to do.  To simply say "it is what it is", as if home form is something that can't be influenced in any way, is missing the point.

I would hope and expect that when he sits down to analyse this season and what might be improved for next season, Martin will identify our home form as one of the key areas.  He'd be blind not to.  So while your concerns do not mirror paulie's, General, he's not wrong.