The General C. Krulak Thread XV

[claretandblue barmy]

General just what is the point of us shelling out good money to watch european games if the club dont take the competition
seriously?  Why bother trying to qualify in the first place? ... Surely the main aim at the start of any season is to finish as high
up the league as possible and qualify to Europe (With the current situation I very much doubt we'll be doing that anytime soon again)

Secondly could you just run through the current status with regards appointing a manager. ie timescales etc

Regards
C&B

[Small Rodent]

JamesMilnersNo8Shirt, excellent post.

It would have been apart from the player "nicknames".  That's usually when the recipient of such a letter decides to ignore the contents.

[jembob]

To use some British military parlance, 'Don't panic, don't panic'. Well it was Dad's Army but the message is right.

We have only played twice this season in the PL. The Newcastle game was a freak result and obviously damaged a bit of confidence, nevertheless we still have 36 PL games to go in the season. If it takes us another 10 to 14 days to find the right man (we don't play again until Mon 13th) we will still have 35 games left. The choice of new manager will be vital but the right man will be able to turn it around pretty quickly, he may even decide to deploy players in their right positions! That leaves a huge chunk of season left to qualify for Europe again which is quite feasible in my view with our current squad (Davies & Beye not included). For the past few years Everton have had really bad starts to their season but have redeemed themselves later on so it frequently happens.

I hope Randy doesn't rush into the wrong decision because fans are getting the jitters and coming up with some really absurd stuff. He's got more sense than that though.

[kingus]

General,

With so much wrong at the club, it seems a bit churlish of me to mention this, but the service in the Lower Holte food stands was awful last night (worst it has been for years).  If my daughter hadn't of come out without having any dinner, there was no way I would have queued that long.

The bloke who served me (eventually) couldn't have gone much slower, and really just couldn't be arsed. 

I got into the ground an hour before kickoff, and by the time I had bought Little Miss Kingus a pie, the programme kiosk had closed and the teams were on the pitch.   

As I said, in the grand scheme of things, not that important... but it did add to what ended up being a very poor night at the Villa.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Unfortunately, Randy hasn't got a great record of appointing the right man for the job at the Brown's

[Ger Regan]

General,
While I've been fully supportive of Randy's ownership of Villa, I cannot help but think that a lack of a "football man" on the board is seriously undermining efforts. While I know you have said in the past that Randy is his own man and it will ultimately be his call, I really fear that without someone with an extensive knowledge of the game, he will not be able to make the most informed decision.

Has Randy ever considered, or would he consider, appointing such a man, such as Graham Taylor (just picking a name here, not necessarily advocating his selection) to help Randy, not just in terms of picking the right manager, but in general going forward. I'm struggling to think of any successful club that doesn't have such an individual in place.

[eastie]

graham taylor is watfords chairman now so couldnt be considered , ron atkinson?

[Ger Regan]

graham taylor is watfords chairman now so couldnt be considered , ron atkinson?

Again, I was only using an example. There are plenty of options out there if they are willing to look. It needn't even be a full time position.

[Chris Harte]

Dear General,

It is very rare for me to post on your thread(s), but right now I feel that I need to just to try to convey my fears for the club.

After last night's result, it feels as though all the efforts of finishing sixth last season have counted for nothing. For the second season running we have failed to actually qualify for the second tier European competition. It all seems a very long way from what I, and possibly others, had hoped for when we were presented with the "Proud History - Bright Future" fanfare over three years ago.

For all of Mr Lerner's efforts -  the Acorns sponsorship, the external work on the Trinity Road Stand, The Holte Hotel renovation, free transport to Chelsea and Sunderland, completion of the training ground, and the small matter of team building which I understand has cost an average of approx. £40M per season so far, and other stuff that I presently haven't recalled - I feel that there is a very real chance that unless we get a manager from the very top of the game then when Mr Lerner at some point hands the club over to someone else (as will surely happen in time as nothing is forever) his tenure will be considered one of window-dressing and false hope of something better, sadly.

I would urge Mr Lerner not to in any way go for the cheap option (doing stuff on the cheap was something the previous Chairman was regularly accused of) when acquiring the next manager. To do so would be folly. Aston Villa Football Club needs an established manager with a proven track record, in my opinion, to have any chance of competing at the top level on a consistent basis.

I realise that this isn't really a question, just what I'm thinking at this juncture.

Thank you for your attention, General.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Has this already been asked?

When O'Neill left Villa, was there an agreement/payment made which meant that he couldn't speak publicly about his departure or is he just choosing to say nothing?

[Hookeysmith]

Dear General

Through all the teeth gnashing and vitriol being spouted at the moment through pure frustration i for one appreciate in the cold light of day that finding the right man would be hard enough under normal circumstances but to find a credible replacement at this time is to ask a working manager to do a "MON" and walk out just like he did. I for one do not think there is anyone who would be that disrespectful to their current employer as MOn was.
I would imagine that Randy is feeling very hurt and betrayed at the moment by a man who he gave control of the club to and supported financially more than any other manager in our history only to have it thrown in his face like it has been.

I could spout off like a lot of fans through frustration but i will not - i will however ask a simple question.

We obviously would not hesitate to purchase a player for 3/4/5/6/7 million so surely we could afford the alledged buy out clause that Ajax put on Martin Jol when Fulham went calling.

Is this something that would be considered?

Also without giving too much away could you explain the actual process - surely its not like any normal recruitment is it - i mean wher potential applicants forward a CV and then a series of interviews take place? PLease tell me it is more a case of knowing who you want and then legally sorting out the right deal (severance pay / how we conduct it in the nedia so the releasing team dont lose face etc)

Communication (which since Randy's tenure you have been praised for) could not be more important at this time.

The biggest issue is that we are hearing only platitudes nothing of a firm plan is in place

Either way the best of luck - surely Randy knows this is the most important decision he will make since he bought the club and one that will dictate his legacy with the Villa

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

the longer the uncertainty exists, and the more bad results we get, the less attractive we become to prospective managers and new signings (can live in hope!!!)

if we have a bad season, then other players will be looking to leave at the end of this season, players such as Ashley Young etc.

Decisive action to appoint the CORRECT manager is needed NOW general

[BannedUserIAT]

General,

Some clown on here has insisted you get  manager in by Monday. Just grabbing someone, (anyone) you can to appease fools like this by the first day of the working week is going to help no-one. It's clear that this season will be one of transition. It'll cost Randy in season ticket sales and merchandise, no doubt but that's just for this season. Provided we finish as the top midlands team and try as hard as we can for a European spot, then that's as good as we can expect given the bizarre circumstances of the last few weeks. Just get the RIGHT person. Not just some bloke who can start Monday.

Now, I'm sure....100% sure....that if my missus had been in charge for the Vienna game, we'd have won. Why? Because she knows nothing - NOTHING - of football. So, she'd have to walk around asking each player who they are and where his normal playing position is and play them there. I promise you, that would have resulted in a far better outcome than the one we've seen.

I have to ask why?

We all thought it was the dawning of a new age when we slaughtered West Ham. Players in their correct positions, players motivated, players using modern tactics and skills you'd expect of someone getting thousands of pounds per week. So what has happened between then and now? Sure there are injuries but not one fan on this board (and I'll take a stab that no-one at VillaTalk either) has come up with an explanation as to why we have players in positions that are completely foreign to them. Not one. I hope that Randy has issued a 'please explain' to Kevin Mac. And I hope that explanation becomes publicly available because the only reason I can see that this has happened is that he was TOLD to throw the game......and I don't want to go there!

And surely to God it must make you sick when you see a player that has cost Randy 10 million quid (say it slooowly - "ten m-i-l-l-i-o-n") and gets paid probably double the money in one week that a US Marine getting his arse hammered in the mid-east gets in a year, who can't even perform to a level that would give him a starting spot in a decent pub team.

A possible solution?
Get eleven ex-marines....I mean some real bad-ass mofo's....one for each player. Get these men on the side-lines giving each player the death stare and ready to give an almighty bollocking when they balls it up. These lads need to feel the humiliation and public embarrassment that we, as fans, have felt.

[deero83]

Sp

General,

Some clown on here has insisted you get  manager in by Monday. Just grabbing someone, (anyone) you can to appease fools like this by the first day of the working week is going to help no-one. It's clear that this season will be one of transition. It'll cost Randy in season ticket sales and merchandise, no doubt but that's just for this season. Provided we finish as the top midlands team and try as hard as we can for a European spot, then that's as good as we can expect given the bizarre circumstances of the last few weeks. Just get the RIGHT person. Not just some bloke who can start Monday.

Now, I'm sure....100% sure....that if my missus had been in charge for the Vienna game, we'd have won. Why? Because she knows nothing - NOTHING - of football. So, she'd have to walk around asking each player who they are and where his normal playing position is and play them there. I promise you, that would have resulted in a far better outcome than the one we've seen.

I have to ask why?

We all thought it was the dawning of a new age when we slaughtered West Ham. Players in their correct positions, players motivated, players using modern tactics and skills you'd expect of someone getting thousands of pounds per week. So what has happened between then and now? Sure there are injuries but not one fan on this board (and I'll take a stab that no-one at VillaTalk either) has come up with an explanation as to why we have players in positions that are completely foreign to them. Not one. I hope that Randy has issued a 'please explain' to Kevin Mac. And I hope that explanation becomes publicly available because the only reason I can see that this has happened is that he was TOLD to throw the game......and I don't want to go there!

And surely to God it must make you sick when you see a player that has cost Randy 10 million quid (say it slooowly - "ten m-i-l-l-i-o-n") and gets paid probably double the money in one week that a US Marine getting his arse hammered in the mid-east gets in a year, who can't even perform to a level that would give him a starting spot in a decent pub team.

A possible solution?
Get eleven ex-marines....I mean some real bad-ass mofo's....one for each player. Get these men on the side-lines giving each player the death stare and ready to give an almighty bollocking when they balls it up. These lads need to feel the humiliation and public embarrassment that we, as fans, have felt.

Spot on Troy.

[jembob]

Decisive action to appoint the CORRECT manager is needed NOW general

The CORRECT manager is (currently unemployed) sitting at home waiting for the call. All it takes is for Mr Lerner to decide NOW to call him. It's so obvious when you think of it rationally.