The General C. Krulak Thread XV

[pauliewalnuts]

General. The next time a manager resigns can Randy please ensure he is in the UK. The carbon footprint of this whole process has been horrendous. Thank You.

And thanks adam for making me smile.

Ditto.

Excellent stuff.

[Risso]

These latest comments from the General on Villa Talk sum it all up for me:

"As an aside, no one person is bigger than our Club...not me, not Randy, not Paul, not Martin. What is interesting is that, apparently, only three of those named understand that fact."

I always thought O'Neill was an arrogant fool to be honest and leaving only a few days before the season starts justifies that further.

MON really does think he is Brian Clough ! Smacks of Cloughie when he left Derby. Perhaps he`s being watching "Damned United" on his BBC I - player?

It's just a shame that he lacked his mentor's ability to play nice football and win things.

[Namaste]

O'Neill has walked out on every club he has managed...ok I know one was due to his wife's illness but even so for the others he was just full of his own self-importance!

[stuart r]

General Krulak here:

1.  Risso:  Your comment that things don't seem "right" at this point are understood.  I think what you are feeling is the combination of the huge spend that is taking place with just one or two Clubs in the Premiership, the continuation of the Barry saga...now with James, the lateness of the kit, etc. etc.  Although none of these are really under the control of the Club, they still go to make many fans very nervous.  All I can say is that Randy is, in fact, totally dedicated to the Villa...more than ever before.  He knows this is like to War on Terror...it cannot be won without a well thought out plan and never in a year.  Battles can be won in a short period of time but the war takes longer.  I remain hugely confident that we are on the right track and will reach our goals.  I have been around "combat" long enough to know that there are always bumps in the road.

2.  Namaste:  Believing that the only way to the top is through a huge wage bill and heavy debt is not the answer for our Club.  Just watch the Clubs who spend like there is no tomorrow and amass a huge debt...it is not long before things start to fall apart.

3.  We expect around 19,000 at the Valencia game.

4.  sfx412:  I am sorry you are disappointed.  I am not sure what I can do to change that for you.

Hello General Krulak... I think its ok that you post the club’s PR on forums such as this. It makes for interesting reading sometimes. And I’m sure that you sometimes take on board the points that are made by folk here if you agree with them..... Also it is understandable that you make analogies with being a soldier and war and combat in your posts all the time.... but please don’t compare running a football club with the war on terror (or War on Terror as you may prefer). I think thats over-egging things a little bit.
Good luck with finding a new manager

[H00513R]

The silence is deafening.

I think the US military term is SNAFU.

I was going to say FUBAR

[Griffy1987]

I dont see that he is 'over-egging' things, But simply breaking it down in a way he knows best....

Doesnt seem to be bother many people either when the General does this...

Unless he really offends someone, (which would no doubt be picked up by the mods...) I dont reallly think the man needs
telling how to put his opinions accross.

Griffy

[stuart r]

I dont see that he is 'over-egging' things, But simply breaking it down in a way he knows best....

Doesnt seem to be bother many people either when the General does this...

Unless he really offends someone, (which would no doubt be picked up by the mods...) I dont reallly think the man needs
telling how to put his opinions accross.

Griffy

Fair enough... But I wasn't claiming to represent anyone elses opinion but my own... thats the point of the thread aint it?

[martin@ardenley]

The General is having problems posting at the moment, he has asked me to post this for him:

General Krulak here:

1. Again, rather than try to answer everyone's specific questions, let me try to continue to feed info as it becomes available.

2. Obviously I am not in a position to name "targets" for the new Manager...that would not be a smart thing to do. What I will say is that we recognize this is an important decision and one that needs to be done rather quickly but, equally important, in a manner that gets the right man. We DO know how important this will be...no one is thinking it will be easy. Reality is that we have 4 days before our first game and rushing out to get a Manager is not the smart thing to do...just to have someone on the sidelines. One of the sad things about this whole affair is that Martin left when he did. I agree that the Club needs to come out with a statement...and they will. Likewise, Randy will have something to say. Speaking as a Fan, I have read every article about Martin's departure and must say that they are pretty one-sided. There is absolutely no question that Martin did a good deal for Villa and I have said, over and over, that I felt he did a fine job. At the same time, I can promise everyone that he knew and understood the long range plans for the Club and bought into them. He knew full well about the need to bring wages in line with revenue...the same as every Premiership Club. He was absolutely supported by the owner during his time with the Club...all one needs to do is look at the money spent. The reality is that the wage to revenue issue was not addressed and Martin apparently was unwilling to help address it. He quit. Do I think we have some rough times ahead? Probably...but nothing that we can't handle. I have been in some tough scrapes before...and I never got out of them by "wishing it away". I just put my head down and continued to grind it out. At the end of the day, is the aim to get into the Champions League? Absolutely! Is this realistic? Absolutely! Do we still have a way to go? Absolutely! As an aside, no one person is bigger than our Club...not me, not Randy, not Paul, not Martin. What is interesting is that, apparently, only three of those named understand that fact. We will continue to try to do what is right by the Vlla...with the very best of intentions. Will we always get it right...probably not. But we will work damn hard to do the right things.

[Griffy1987]

Have always thought the point of the thread was to put questions to the General regarding all things Villa actually...

Fail to see how you picking at the way he expresses himself falls into that category....

[Risso]

Well said General.

[Concrete John]

Have always thought the point of the thread was to put questions to the General regarding all things Villa actually...

Fail to see how you picking at the way he expresses himself falls into that category....

I think the General has more on his plate right now than answering our questions.  He's trying to give an overview of the position, which would answer most people's queries, and I appreciate that.

[Griffy1987]

Totally agree John M,

Just trying to outline what the thread is about during 'normal' times...

[Chris Smith]

the reality is that the wage to revenue issue was not addressed and Martin apparently was unwilling to help address it.

General, I believe that this requires a little more explanation. In what way was he "apparently unwilling"? I suspect it means that he wanted to sign players but the board would not support him. That is their prerogative, of course, but I think we are within our rights as the paying public to expect some clarification.

[BILL DE VALL]

"The reality is that the wage to revenue issue was not addressed and Martin apparently was unwilling to help address it. He quit."

Well there you go-it's all about the money.

Question to the General:is there a specific financial formula that the board/Randy has in mind?
Is the club aiming to buy younger,less well paid players and then sell them on to replace them with younger/less well paid players ad infinitum/relegation?

[Hookeysmith]

More than likely it means

"we supported you to buy and pay donkeys such as Heskey, Harewood,Sidders etc loads of money - no problem if you intend to use them - but if not then can you please ship out the shower of shit before you spunk anymore of my money"