Not the General Krulak Thread

[john e]

when you have a direct line from a board member to fan forums, its inevitable that every now and again there will be a few problems.
especially as he seems to be a straight talking man

i never post on the generals thread, but i am glad we can read his thoughts, even if they are tempered.

i am happy he posts on Villa sites, gives us that little bit of inside information that other clubs fans dont get,
we would be worse off without his input in my view

[adam#1]

Re the board. In my opinion, you cant deny some of the great things they have done for the club. The last for years have been the best in my Villa following life. (I was around in the 90s, but not going regularly)

However, some things that have been questionable are very quickly glossed over and forgotten. i think there should be as much talk about the negative things as the positive things, rather than people being shot down for their views when they say something that goes against the 'Best board in the country'

I'd like to second that. They have done an awful lot of good, but some things have gone wrong - they must take some responsibility for the manner of MON's departure - they knew the man and therefore how best to manage him. They stumped up the money and salaries for the current players, and appear to now be repeating a mantra about making us live within our business structures, however it doesn't appear that our revenue streams have increased dramatically enough to allow us to grow effectively within the current business model to become the top 4 club we want to be. We still couldn't sell out against Arsenal this season, and yet there are discussions about expanding the stadium to increase capacity.

They've done a lot of good, but at least allow some criticism to come their way, they're not the messiah!

[richard moore]

Seeing as this is a thread we can finally speak freely on I agree with Pestria in his response to the replies he has got to his post.
He does not sound to me as if he is saying anything provocative or even in my view, that remarkable. The replies mainly make the mistakes of selectively interpreting what he has said and joining in the stoning of the infidel.
I don't necessarily agree with the totality of his post but find no reason to round on him for voicing his concerns and implying betrayal, lies and deceit in his comments.
Before I am subject to the same, I would ask, please can we all just stop beating each other up? I understand why people would feel a strong need to defend the board and the club. Like me, many of us have given years to it before the Preeemiership was invented by Doug, Edwards and  Bates
Mods, as usual, I am probably being drawn in to an argument I do not have the full facts about, but I am only going on what is actually posted above-not on the last years of semi-deleted history.

I agree. Well done to Pestria for at least raising a subject that he must have known he would get a lot of flack back on. And he is expressing a view which, whilst many won't agree, merits discussion. I posted on the General's thread the other night in the heat of the moment and now wish I hadn't for a lot of the very good reasons that others have elicited here. That tends to be my nature as I can fly off the handle and I do my best to rein it in most of the time. Half the time these days, I think I am probably venting my spleen more at the state of football in general rather than specifically about the Villa!

[TimTheVillain]

A Director of the club taking the time to post on Villa message-boards like the General does is something other clubs would dream of.

I think we must not start ( as fans ) to take his postings for granted.

Pity he has to temper his posts and be careful with his words - nonetheless it's still fantastic to be taken seriously by a member of the Board in this way.

[peter w]

randy has been brilliant from the off. Its difficult to say 'the board' have as well as we don't know who they are and what they have done. But, up until this summer everything was fine.

But, whatever happened with MON is definitely not just one way and we don't know what went on and the reasons he's left. Whilst O'Neill has kept his own counsel the General came on here to appeal to the fans need for someone to blame, used infallmatory anti-MON language which was jumped on by supporters and the press alike. Although I wasn't unhappy to see him go I don't think the board have dealt with teh situation since then at all well.

First of all they tried to give Kevin McDonald all the time in the woprld to get things right even when after a game or two we could all see that it wasn't going to work. They decided that they would not appoint a manager until after transfer deadline day because they wanted to gamble on us not being this bad on the pitch. Forget all about the 'we had to wait to get the right man' nonsense because it is that. Losing 6-0 at Newcastle should have gotten the alarm beels clanging for all they're worth but didn't. It is no surprise that Houllier was appointed on Sept 2 ( I think - not withstanding actual start dates) so fans couldn't expect signings.

Under the previous manager there would have been contact with certain players/agents. Even without MON being there we could have looked to follow that through if the player was deemed good enough. But any signings have been conveniently forgotten and overlooked.

I am still prepared to give Houllier time, but the time is looking very very poor at the moment and we are conceding left right and centre. We have the look of a relegation bound team with the defence thatw e have at the moment. It also appears that the manager, and the coaching staff cannot do anything to drastically change the situation. Is this what the board were gambling with? Our season? If things do not change soon - and the January sales are invariably hit and miss, then you can't just blame O'Neill walking 5 days befopre the season as the reason alone that we are this poor on the pitch. You have to look at the current management, and te only constant throughout this season, which have been the board.

They gambled and at the moment it hasn't paid off. It could get worse - probably won't - but they should be held more to account for poor decision making.

[Greg N'Ash]

Can't see how the board could have handled it any differently personally. Basically they had to rip up all their plans at 5 days notice and start again. I'm sure Mcdonald was given a go in the hope that he would provide some continuation but it didn't work out. As for going for the transfer targets that MON had earmarked, its a brave/stupid chairman who stumps up the clubs money  on players the new manager may not rate. End of the day, MON strung the club along for a good 6 months before walking out, all the time keeping his options open in the hope the bindippers would take him on. If they made one error it was trusting him for so long and not kicking him to the curb earlier but then they weren't alone in that making that mistake.

[sfx412]

Locking it was the correct decision. To much juvenile ranting from (a few) posters who could not respect the opportunity of talking to a Director.

I agree entirely. It's almost as if it gives some poster's a bit of power, being able to ask a director of a football club questions. I'm surprised the thread is not locked more often to be honest.

therefore could you possibly explain to me how on the most 'open' site of all, the General's thread is closed yet on other less open supposedly sites, are keeping theirs running?

I have to admit, I have a long history with many of the site owners but in fairness to them they are the least 'controlled' by the Villa hierarchy and this site remains the most impartial concerning Villa matters. If anything that's why I queried the veracity of the decision. Again I say though it was a brave one and may in the long term prove to be exactly the right one.

[sfx412]

If they made one error it was trusting him for so long and not kicking him to the curb earlier but then they weren't alone in that making that mistake.

Nice to see you again

Was it a mistake though? There are plenty of fans, many on here in fact, who still try to shift the blame away from Mon, for the way he left.
Even above some still apportion some unknown blame to the Board.
Had Randy sacked him and them appointed say Houllier, imagine the flack they'd be having here and most everywhere else now. Mon would be turned from the Messiah to the Martyr of Aston

[dave.woodhall]

They decided that they would not appoint a manager until after transfer deadline day because they wanted to gamble on us not being this bad on the pitch. Forget all about the 'we had to wait to get the right man' nonsense because it is that.

Which is exactly why they've become reluctant to talk, when someone with no evidence at all calls them liars.

[Villa'Zawg]

If they made one error it was trusting him for so long and not kicking him to the curb earlier but then they weren't alone in that making that mistake.

Nice to see you again

Was it a mistake though? There are plenty of fans, many on here in fact, who still try to shift the blame away from Mon, for the way he left.
Even above some still apportion some unknown blame to the Board.
Had Randy sacked him and them appointed say Houllier, imagine the flack they'd be having here and most everywhere else now. Mon would be turned from the Messiah to the Martyr of Aston

You keep telling each other how right you were and we'll be fine.

2009/2010
   Aston Villa    16    8    5    3    26    14    +12    29

2010/2011
   Aston Villa    16    4    5    7    17    27    -10    17

[derek.anon]

A Director of the club taking the time to post on Villa message-boards like the General does is something other clubs would dream of.

I think we must not start ( as fans ) to take his postings for granted.

Pity he has to temper his posts and be careful with his words - nonetheless it's still fantastic to be taken seriously by a member of the Board in this way.

On thw whole it is an excellent method of communicating with the fans but some will also see it as a method of manipulating / spinning the fans and getting the news/opinions they want to get out

[peter w]

You could argue that this is the first time in 4 years that the club have had to look after the football side and have not done a good job thus far.

[dave.woodhall]

If they made one error it was trusting him for so long and not kicking him to the curb earlier but then they weren't alone in that making that mistake.

Nice to see you again

Was it a mistake though? There are plenty of fans, many on here in fact, who still try to shift the blame away from Mon, for the way he left.
Even above some still apportion some unknown blame to the Board.
Had Randy sacked him and them appointed say Houllier, imagine the flack they'd be having here and most everywhere else now. Mon would be turned from the Messiah to the Martyr of Aston

You keep telling each other how right you were and we'll be fine.

2009/2010
   Aston Villa    16    8    5    3    26    14    +12    29

2010/2011
   Aston Villa    16    4    5    7    17    27    -10    17

Does anyone wish to state the obvious at this point?

[Greg N'Ash]

If they made one error it was trusting him for so long and not kicking him to the curb earlier but then they weren't alone in that making that mistake.

Nice to see you again

Was it a mistake though? There are plenty of fans, many on here in fact, who still try to shift the blame away from Mon, for the way he left.
Even above some still apportion some unknown blame to the Board.
Had Randy sacked him and them appointed say Houllier, imagine the flack they'd be having here and most everywhere else now. Mon would be turned from the Messiah to the Martyr of Aston

well i don't think the sun shines out of Lerner's behind, but there's no doubt as far as chairman go he's a manager's dream compared to the likes of the newcastle clown, Ambramovich etc.,.. Lerner isn't stupid and if was him wanting to part ways with the manager or even a joint decision he'd choose a better time to do it than the eve of the season. MON threw a hissy fit basically and fucked us over intending to do maximum damage in the process. I think a lot of clubs have looked at the way MON behaved and no doubt whispers have reached them about what went on which is why a manager who got consistant top6 finishes can't seem to get a job

[peter w]

They decided that they would not appoint a manager until after transfer deadline day because they wanted to gamble on us not being this bad on the pitch. Forget all about the 'we had to wait to get the right man' nonsense because it is that.

Which is exactly why they've become reluctant to talk, when someone with no evidence at all calls them liars.

Where exactly can you back up your claim that I called them liars? If not then I'd assume you'd happily retract the post inferring that I have done so.

It was in their own interests to leave the manager appointment until after the transfer deadline day had passed. They even commented that they wouldn't appoint anyone until after the transfer deadline day had passed. Why? Because only after August 31st would they know the man they wanted in? Is Septmeber the month when they can only start seeing things clearly? Of course not. The purposely picked a date after the window had shut.

We know little about why the previous manager went but assume it was due to O'Neill not shifting players of the wage bill, and wanting to spend the Milner money but the board decreeing otherwise. Fair enough. If they chose to say no then they must have been aware from the moment he walked that they were just hoping to get lucky with Kev Mac. After 6-0 at Newcastle and resulting poor performances they must have known they were then gambling with our start to the season.

If players were being looked at under O'Neill and they must have been at an advanced stage seeing when he left, then the board must have pulled the rug from under the feet of any further negotiations. Further gambling with our season.

They weren't to know we'd get injuries, but anyone could have predicted us going backwards with no money being spent on players. They chose to take us down this route post-MON and know we are paying for it. For that they should hold their hands up. Also, why is MON's departure still shrouded in secrecy? You usually know more or less why a manager's gone but this time we are still completely in the dark.