Was the General right to comment on O'Neill

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I don't have 'fondness' either. I don't know him, and all I care about are the results of Aston Villa. I won't grieve unless results get worse, and then it will be for The Villa, not some multi-millionaire ex-manager.

Absolutely.

[peter w]

This part is crucial, I think:

For the section of our own support who seem to have a problem with the General's comments most (but not all) seem to be in the group that still feel the need to defend MON -even now.

I'm aware that PeterW for example -who wanted MON for a while- was also less than impressed with the General's comments.

But it seems that the most vociferous critics (and I wouldn't have actually put you in that bracket John) of what was said are also the same people who are looking to justify MON's actions. Or blame the board for not being clairvoyant enough to second guess MON's walkout last Monday. Or both.

Not at all. I thought the General had every right to express his opinion. But what I did question was using fans sites as a vehicle for what was a statement to the press. With that in mind I'm not sure how much of it was actually an opinion. Either way I'm happy that MON has gone but I don't think the board are out of the water at all on this one. If results dip there will be not only a fan's backlash, but also a press backlash. Which serves us no good whatsoever.

[Billy Walker]

You people dont half talk some tosh. All Mr Krulak did was give the clubs side of the story to the fans which needed to be done.

The messiahs followers are feeling bitter and sore and are searching for anything they can for comfort. Pathetic really but it's what we've come to expect. I fully expect a few people to be ex Villa fans when MON rocks up at another club.
[/quote]

I agree - however the remark about O'Neill thinking he was bigger than the club was - in my opinion - pretty out of order.  It just drags the club down and makes us look fairly sad.  Obviously I can understand the General's feelings but our club should be above bickering in public.  I qualify all of this by stating I am a big admirer of General Krulak and all of the work that he has done at Villa - let alone elsewhere in his career.

As for "Messiah" etc.  Look, I'll back any man charged with managing Villa.  I support the club and will back everyone and anyone putting in a shift for it.  This idea that people follow Martin O'Neill as opposed to the club is absolutely beyond my sphere of understanding. 

[Chris Smith]

I picked up a magazine being sold outside Villa Park on Saturday. I read this line "one thing the Villa do now is act with a bit of class. I doubt they will say much on the subject either." That's what I'd expected and why I'm disappointed that they didn't.

[dave.woodhall]

I picked up a magazine being sold outside Villa Park on Saturday. I read this line "one thing the Villa do now is act with a bit of class. I doubt they will say much on the subject either." That's what I'd expected and why I'm disappointed that they didn't.

They didn't say much. They said all that needed to be said. 

[Chris Smith]

I picked up a magazine being sold outside Villa Park on Saturday. I read this line "one thing the Villa do now is act with a bit of class. I doubt they will say much on the subject either." That's what I'd expected and why I'm disappointed that they didn't.

They didn't say much. They said all that needed to be said. 

It didn't "need" to be said, they just wanted to say it. That's their prerogative but we're no better understanding what went on last Monday and it was a long way from acting with a bit of class.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

That's what happens when you wrestle with pigs.

[dave.woodhall]

I picked up a magazine being sold outside Villa Park on Saturday. I read this line "one thing the Villa do now is act with a bit of class. I doubt they will say much on the subject either." That's what I'd expected and why I'm disappointed that they didn't.

They didn't say much. They said all that needed to be said. 

It didn't "need" to be said, they just wanted to say it. That's their prerogative but we're no better understanding what went on last Monday and it was a long way from acting with a bit of class.

According to you. To me it was the perfect retort, and had the desired effect.

[paul_e]

Have to agree with Dave here, if we'd said nothing or just gven a bland statement, even if it was full of truths the reaction would be that we weren't upset so clearly O'Neill wasn't in the wrong to leave how and when he did.  By having these digs it shows that the club think he's acted like a child.  It's all well and good wanting them to act with a bit of class but there's no class involved in dumping on a club 5 days before the season having led the media all summer to make yourself as the victim.

[Pongos hat2]

This part is crucial, I think:

For the section of our own support who seem to have a problem with the General's comments most (but not all) seem to be in the group that still feel the need to defend MON -even now.

I'm aware that PeterW for example -who wanted MON for a while- was also less than impressed with the General's comments.

But it seems that the most vociferous critics (and I wouldn't have actually put you in that bracket John) of what was said are also the same people who are looking to justify MON's actions. Or blame the board for not being clairvoyant enough to second guess MON's walkout last Monday. Or both.

Either way I'm happy that MON has gone but I don't think the board are out of the water at all on this one. If results dip there will be not only a fan's backlash, but also a press backlash. Which serves us no good whatsoever.

Why would there be a backlash by the fans and media?. The club has been spending well beyond it's means for the last 4 years surely people understand that cant go on indefinately?.

As a sidenote it'l be interesting to see if our next manager can match or better MON's record without lavish spending wont it?.

[Percy McCarthy]

This part is crucial, I think:

For the section of our own support who seem to have a problem with the General's comments most (but not all) seem to be in the group that still feel the need to defend MON -even now.

I'm aware that PeterW for example -who wanted MON for a while- was also less than impressed with the General's comments.

But it seems that the most vociferous critics (and I wouldn't have actually put you in that bracket John) of what was said are also the same people who are looking to justify MON's actions. Or blame the board for not being clairvoyant enough to second guess MON's walkout last Monday. Or both.

Either way I'm happy that MON has gone but I don't think the board are out of the water at all on this one. If results dip there will be not only a fan's backlash, but also a press backlash. Which serves us no good whatsoever.

Why would there be a backlash by the fans and media?. The club has been spending well beyond it's means for the last 4 years surely people understand that cant go on indefinately?.

As a sidenote it'l be interesting to see if our next manager can match or better MON's record without lavish spending wont it?.

I'm surprised you're not certain of it, considering you think MON is such an incompetent buffoon. And why no lavish spending? Even under a sell-to-buy policy, the new manager could have £70m to spend if he got rid of just three of the dross-like squad MON assembled.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

MON is such an incompetent buffoon.

Bit harsh that, Percy.

[sfx412]

oh it needed to be said alright the change in the media after it was proof enough.
Yes it tarnished your idol Chris but the bias needed to be addressed as I'm sure it will again.
Mon is too vindictive for it not to be

[old man villa fan]

I believe the General was right to post his comments on our former manager.  At the time the supporters wanted information as to why he just walked out 5 days before the season started.  This cataclysmic event demanded some straight answers to put supporters minds at rest.  The media were having an anti-Villa field day with totally one-sided views of the situation.  I believe that the Generals comments were to the supporters and he was not using the various fans sites as a stage for putting out a club statement to the wider public, knowing that the media would pick up on it.  I may be being a bit naive but that is what I believe.

Somebody has already said that it sounded like a man sticking up for his best mate who had been wronged unfairly.  I would agree to some extent in that the comments did sound very personal and not a cold calculated statement.

Before the General comments were posted, I myself had said that I wanted clarification on the sell-to-buy statement.  I also, like many others, said that the club was bigger than any person.  So the Generals comments were only answering the questions that were being put forward by the supporters and to dismiss unfounded rumours that were spreading like wild fires.  The General went further and added some meat to the bones regarding MONs actions or, more to the point, non-action.  Although many sensed that things were not right within the club, I like many didn't fully understand the depth of the issue.

I do not believe that this was a case of washing our dirty linen in public and do not see it as being unprofessional, just saying it as it is.

At the end of the day, the fans make the club and so, in a way, they are the most important.  Without the fans, there would be no club and therefore Randy and the General have to put the fans before our former manager or the medias feelings.  The club have to be honest with the fans, even if it upsets some people.  Time will tell whether everything that the General said is fact and I would like to believe that it is so.

[BannedUserIAT]

On Monday night Randy was taking a lot of stick on here and I understand that elsewhere it was even worse. Throughout the week some were saying that the atmosphere on Saturday would be poisoous, with fans fighting amongst themselves.

On Saturday the crowd was solidly behind the board, Kevin MacDonald and the club even before kick-off. Much of the reason for this was the way in which the club had handled the week's events. Max Clifford couldn't have done it better. We had something like 35,000 Villa supporters solidly behind the team for 90 minutes, and if the reason why annoyed Oliver Holt, that's just a bonus.

Well said.
The General (or anyone in a position of seniority at Villa) needed to come out with a statement. That statement needed to have a little bit of bite. It did just that. It wasn't over-the-top hyperbole, it wasn't massively derogatory. It was a very well measured response indeed.