The General C. Krulak Thread XV

[ROBBO]

General it is a suppoerter website and like us all you will vehemently disagree with some and agree with others, as a guideline however i would say in the past when posters have been united in opposition to MON buying a player i.e Harewood and Heskey they are invariably proved right. I have great faith in the knowledge of posters on this site and if they say a player or manager is not for us, with one voice, it's worth listening to.

[west sussex villan]

Genera Krulak here:

1.  Wow, I go away for two days and the long knives are out in force.  Let me try and set a few things straight.  We have looked and are looking at many Managers.  We have certainly looked at Managers active with other Clubs, active in other locations, not active with other Clubs and within the UK.  We are doing JUST what ALL Fans would expect of a Club.  There are some who believe that we can go into any Club we want, throw a wad of money at the Manager and he just picks up his bag and moves...NOT quite like that!  Seriously, Fans MUST realize that things are not as easy as they believe and that we are absolutely leaving no stone unturned.  You can believe me or not...that is your option.  I might also add that any Manager worth his salt is going to do some due diligence on the Club...he may even look at Fan blog to see who is being looked at and who is rated by the Fans.  I am not sure that slagging some of these men while they are simply names in the media is real smart.  But that is just one man's opinion.  Comments about Randy not willing to spend money are just plain absurd and I will not comment on those again.  He has more than bought this Club three times over...not many Clubs can make a statement like that!!  Again, I am not sure what I can say to make people feel better...when everything I say is consider BS or PR.  For those Fans who have stuck with us during these times, thank you very much.  For those who have complaints, I am sorry.  BUT, to somehow think that we are not taking this seriously or have lowered our sights...that is pure crap. 

General, you sound a bit stressed? I hate to think what this section of the message board will be like if our new manager turns out crap. Could be interesting. I've been a Villa fan for years and I will always have my say whether it be a positive or negative opinion. But most of all I will always continue to give 100% support for the club.

[Olneythelonely]

General, don't listen to us with regards to whether we should sign a player/employ a manager (as suggested by a poster above). Continue getting advice from people who clearly know about football. We, as Villa fans, have never spoken with one voice.

I'm sure you didn't need that advice, but anyway.........

[midnite]

100% behind the new manager, whom ever it may be.
100% behind the board. You guys have done good so far so there is certainly no reason to doubt you now.

This is been a stressful time for all involved. But it's been no more than one big family having a few minor squabbles. We'll always be arguing and at each others throat but we love each other really.

In Lerner we trust!

[NorthYvillan]

Like many fans I feel frustrated at the current lack of news coming out of Villa Park, but then I stop and think.

Villa is being run like a club should be. Since the day Randy took over, things seem to have been done in the right way – in a way that makes you proud to be a Villa fan.

Sure it’s frustrating seeing the way other clubs are linked with players throughout the transfer windows whilst all is quiet at Villa Park. Do I think this is because Villa do not want to improve the squad and are intent on “standing still”? Sometimes I’m tempted!
Then I look at the way ‘Arry at Spurs, new rich kids Citeh and plenty of others “tap up” players by letting the media know that they want them – so blatantly that the FA, if they had the balls, could throw the book at them – and I realise how pleased I am that my club don’t do this.
Citeh’s pursuit of Milner this summer and Benitez’ pursuit of Barry in 2008 were both a disgrace.

It is frustrating, but right, that I will rarely hear about a player Villa have enquired about until the deal is virtually done. If the player’s current club tell Villa to f**k off then I will probably never know Villa were ever interested.

Same seems to apply with the search for the new manager. At times I wish we all knew more about what the board was thinking; who they were considering; who they had discarded. But the same thing applies. The club do things properly, so we will probably never know for certain who was approached; who was rejected; who rejected Villa – unless they choose to speak to the media. All we have to go on is the ill informed, more often than not, speculation of the media.

Is this frustrating? You better believe it!! But at the end of the day I accept this because I am pleased to see my club refuse to stoop to the low levels that others do and, based on his record to date, I trust Randy Lerner.

[villainjock]

i suppose it will be like introducing your first girlfriend to your parents, you hope its long term and you dont want them to embaress you!

[villainjock]

oh yeah, and you want to buy them nice things to make them look good 

[midnite]

i suppose it will be like introducing your first girlfriend to your parents, you hope its long term and you dont want them to embaress you!

And out comes the photo album!!

[Simba]

For God's sake. We do not have any say in this decision. I wish we had but I would ask any politician with knowledge of the past thousand years of British History to find a consitutional allowance. In example and thus precedence for us as supporters to guide the owners. Ours is the only major Nation without a written Consitution. Truly we have guided this Country and past Empire , two thirds of this planet, without anything in writing. Just common sense.


The simple fact is: they have bought, with their own money, this company. Our Aston Villa.


What we have is opinion. Our own opinion. And very unusual in our place as fans- an outlet to express it. To the management. Yo their credit.

Perfect? No. Well give me another way. Another way to run this club. This business. Beyond money and someone to supply it. We need an idea.

I have one: Let us buy shares in this club again. A very old idea.

[pauliewalnuts]

What we have is opinion. Our own opinion. And very unusual in our place as fans- an outlet to express it. To the management. Yo their credit.

This forum is not a place to express our opinions to the management, it is a place to express our opinions *full stop*.

I sometimes think people forget this.

To be entirely honest, I agree with a lot of what the General says, there has been some embarassing turning on the leadership of late, some of the stuff has been - in my opinion - utterly cringeworthy. Having said that, it is the right of those people to express those opinions.

But if it comes to suggesting we shouldn't be moaning about potential managers just in case they read it, then I'm sorry, but the General, and anyone else who follows that line, is way, way wide of the mark.

That is exactly the type of thing this forum is for, and the day we stop doing it because the club suggest we shouldn't is the day we might as well give up. This is an independent fans forum with a thread where a member of the club board posts. It isn't a club forum where the kids get let out to play.

[Bigmelonface]

General, don't listen to us with regards to whether we should sign a player/employ a manager (as suggested by a poster above). Continue getting advice from people who clearly know about football. We, as Villa fans, have never spoken with one voice.

I'm sure you didn't need that advice, but anyway.........

Can I just point out you are giving him advise should he listen to you? :-))))))))))

[Simba]

Well said Paulie: You are right. It is a place to express our opinions. But. This particular thread is an opportunity to do something else. To express to management, which is unusual. That is what  I was trying to say. I see you agree.

As  you said : it isn't a forum where the kids come out to play. No it is not. Possibly the only one. Doesn't a representative of the club demand some respect and expect some valid debate with mature arguement where he can respond within the construct of an adult  interaction?  I would hope so.

I would like to quote you: :"This an independent fans forum --- where a member of the club board posts".  Yes of course. And does that preclude us from doing exacty what you say in your previous paragraph. No.

Except,  we can moan and complain especially about the possibility of a manager we do not agree with. Bloody hell what's more important? But there are other forums to do it. Perhaps you expect this forum to give you  Minutes of Directors meetings. Do You?  You are putting your opinions/questions to a senior member of our club who volunteers his time and that deserves anybody but kids out to play. Or discussions that he cannot comment on.
You see, there are  business ethics, and laws in place to protect those truths.


You are right again. . This particular thread is for "grown ups".

c'mon Paulie You are one of the smartest, This ain't the thread, that's all. You know that.

[Simba]

Oh , General. With respect. Don't call your people or us fans; "Blokes". Somehow it just does not work. No offence. Man. Dude. etc.   

[old man villa fan]

General,

As always, your posts are well received by this Old Man.  It is great to get the opinions of somebody who is at the top within the club.  The fact that the comments are your comments and not quotes that are then spun by the press makes it special.  Like you, I get very frustrated reading some peoples comments and think how can they logically write that but, there again, football supporters and logic don't go hand in hand.

I believe that the task that Randy has is so much bigger than many people understand.  It is not only appointing a manager but building a football management infrastructure that we currently do not have, other than Kevin Mac and his team.

I have written a long post on the thread about a replacement for MON and I am not going to repeat it here.  All I will say is that Randy has a major task on to get the appointment right and I understand it will take time to do this but look to the future and not the past regarding the suitability of the candidate for the manager's job.

One question, how has Randy been able to go about this task outside of the public eye.

[eamonn]

I still remember old division 2 and 3 players from the 90s for no reason other than loving football a bit too much when I should have been out chasing girls!

Yeah, as dreamy as Brett Angell and Steve Palmer were, you'd have been better off chatting up they young lovelies of Walmley.