Did you turn on Randy like a den of vipers?

[Reality]

It turns him on.

[sfx412]

I was interested that General K in his column on here seemed unaware that he'd written such as that reported. Could other sites use ghost writers in his threads perhaps.

[davevillan]

Its amazing how a simple statement can be turned round like chinese whispers.
How can 'some fans turning on Randy like pit-vipers' be translated into 'a den of vipers'?
The General was right to say it, as there have been some pretty crass comments made on various sites/facebook where 'Villa fans' are basically blaming RL for our ex manager walking out 5 days before the season started, and saying things like he should sell up etc as he is just like Ellis.
Imo these people havent a clue, and just believe what they want to believe, ie what they read in tabloids and take as gospel.
When a club sacks a manager they normally have an idea of who they want to replace, in this case with our ex walking out like he did, it totally threw our pre-season plans into disarray, with a busy 2 week schedule at the start of the season.
Personally, i think the board have gone about it in the correct way.

[BannedUserIAT]

I was interested that General K in his column on here seemed unaware that he'd written such as that reported.

My guess is that not everyone keeps track of when they say something stupid.

[Concrete John]

I don't think anyone has turned on Randy, I certainly haven't, but some are asking questions, of which I am one.  All he needs to do in order to answer them, and make people like me look like an idiot for asking in the first place, is to continue doing what he's been doing since he bought the club 4 years ago.  He gets a free pass this summer due to Martin leaving and the understandable focus on clawing back a wagebill that had gotten out of control, but then January and next summer become the true tests.

[willywombat]

Generally I think the response on this site to the unfolding events of this summer has been measured and intelligent. I dont visit other sites so I cant comment but some of the embarassing bollocks that has/is being posted on facebook and skysports etc is almost beyond belief. For example, one retard suggested that Houllier would be a disaster compared to MON, (who he described as the best manager we've had for years), because he signed Emile Heskey for Liverpool! Many others seem to be of the opinion that because Randy hasnt barged in and taken Jol/Mourinho or AN Other from his current contracted employer then he isnt trying and we're heading for oblivion. Maybe these are some of the pit-vipers the General is referring to

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't think anyone has turned on Randy, I certainly haven't, but some are asking questions, of which I am one.  All he needs to do in order to answer them, and make people like me look like an idiot for asking in the first place, is to continue doing what he's been doing since he bought the club 4 years ago.  He gets a free pass this summer due to Martin leaving and the understandable focus on clawing back a wagebill that had gotten out of control, but then January and next summer become the true tests.

If he gets a free pass this summer because the manager shat on him, and if needing to rein in the wage bill is understandable, what are you actually asking questions about?


As for people not turning on him, sorry,   but you must be joking. There have been plenty of people calling him cheap, telling us that he hasn't spent much money, that he changed the agreed transfer plan and drove the manager out etc.

Call it "asking questions" if you like, but it had looked more like ungrateful petulance to me.

[peter w]

I still have faith in randy but I;m not sure how he has got away without criticism this summer. MON threw his toys out of the pram and created this situation, or at least part of it, we don't know what was said to him in terms of money promised etc we only know one side of the story.

When was the last time we were thumped 6-0 at an average team, and then dumped out of Europe playing poorly, went through a transfer window doing virtually nothing but sell arguably our best player, and still sat back thinking outr owner's great?

Other fans have started to laugh at us again. They see we have no money, or that it won't be spent. I'm not sure what the reality is, I believe that randy  is working hard for us but questions need to be raised and answered, but aren't. Is their a budget for Villa and Cleveland Browns? When we were getting money spent on us they were complaining that they weren't being spent on. Now they spend vast amounts ($50m?) on one player and we get nothing. Is there a correlation?

All in all I'm content with the way things have gone but am annoyed that we are currently in the situation we are. Anyway, good luck to Houllier. Randy needs it.

[peter w]

All I know is that that Den off Eastenders was a bit of a snake.

/taxi

Don't get Den in a taxi for f***s sake...

[Concrete John]

If he gets a free pass this summer because the manager shat on him, and if needing to rein in the wage bill is understandable, what are you actually asking questions about?

Fair point.

As an example, here's a question I posed to the General on his thread.  I asked it twice and did not get a straight answer:-

"If the reports are to be believed, and some of your comments would seem to lend them credence, we had a task this summer of cutting the wagebill.  As we understand it, a number of high earning players, who were not being picked, needed to be shed in order to control the wages/turnover ratio and make room for new signings, which is perfectly understandable from a business perspective.  However, it does raise of the question of whether this would be the case had they played more often?  We often debate on this site that the manager should have changed things around a little more and utilized the players he had brought.  Yet had that happened would we still be talking about selling them to save wages?  So basically I'm asking what was the bigger issue - the wages total or the wages utilization?"

This season has been one of upheaval so curcumstances can be blamed.  But we've still had a summer we're we've lessened the wage bill and made a transfer profit, which is not how you build a side/club and qualify for the CL.  Was this the plan anyway or did what we were going to do get scuppered when Martin left?  Time will tell and that's why I'm not on the boards back now, but do this again in 2011 and I will be - and I won't be the only one!       

[Billy Walker]

how many of those who turned on Randy on the various sites saw and obviously still see Mon as their hero.
How many who have cast slights on the Board especially those who consistently do so have replied to the Generals accusations on any thread let alone the Generals.
I'm sure at some time in the past many of us have questioned General K and received the full blast of his retorts but its never stopped us replying or asking new questions. So why have so few of the Randy conspiracists yet to take the General to task.
Lacking the bottle perhaps or just a genuine lack of a sensible reply.

This is wummery of the highest order!  Genuinely. 

I find all that you have written here to be totally at odds with the incredibly snide comment that you left on the General's thread suggesting/hinting that his actions to lay off posting were "strange".   "Strange"?  What astonishing language choice.

The wording of your posts seem to suggest a desire to inflame, arouse anger and sow discontent amongst posters and Board members alike.   I'm not sure it is adding anything constructive to the debate.

[LeeB]

I still have faith in randy but I;m not sure how he has got away without criticism this summer. MON threw his toys out of the pram and created this situation, or at least part of it, we don't know what was said to him in terms of money promised etc we only know one side of the story.

When was the last time we were thumped 6-0 at an average team, and then dumped out of Europe playing poorly, went through a transfer window doing virtually nothing but sell arguably our best player, and still sat back thinking outr owner's great?

Other fans have started to laugh at us again. They see we have no money, or that it won't be spent. I'm not sure what the reality is, I believe that randy  is working hard for us but questions need to be raised and answered, but aren't. Is their a budget for Villa and Cleveland Browns? When we were getting money spent on us they were complaining that they weren't being spent on. Now they spend vast amounts ($50m?) on one player and we get nothing. Is there a correlation?

All in all I'm content with the way things have gone but am annoyed that we are currently in the situation we are. Anyway, good luck to Houllier. Randy needs it.

Pretty much summed up how I'm seeing things at the moment.

[Dave Cooper please]

The reason I'm a bit loath to criticise Randy is that because of the timing of O'Neill's departure I just don't know what his plans were or how much he was willing to allow the manager to spend.
We know (or at least we think) that there were concerns about the wage bill but I didn't see any indications that O'Neill wouldn't have got some money to spend, but we'll probably never know because he left just at the time when he usually finally stumbles, blinking into the transfer window.

[Astral Weeks]

I was interested that General K in his column on here seemed unaware that he'd written such as that reported.

My guess is that not everyone keeps track of when they say something stupid.

I certainly don't. I have a wife to do that for me.

[Simon Ward]

I was interested that General K in his column on here seemed unaware that he'd written such as that reported.

My guess is that not everyone keeps track of when they say something stupid.

I certainly don't. I have a wife to do that for me.

Tee hee