c-krulak

General Krulak here: 1. The new shirt sponsor will be officially announced on the 3rd of June. As soon as it is announced, I will give background info on the decision. 2. We will be working on the official site this summer...we still do not have it where we want it to be. I am a great fan of our Reserve and Youth Teams so I agree we need to do something there. 3. Good question re. age of our fans. I do not know if we have such stats but Nicky reads this site so she will get me the answer if we have it. 4. It is interesting to me where we show up in Nike adverts and stores. I was at Heathrow and we were not in the store there...I called John Greenfield about it. At the same time, I went to the Nike store in Philadelphia and there was a Villa shirt. Amazing. Obviously, we have work to do.

General Krulak here: 1. MON has put the players up in more than one hotel...and is not wedded to a particular location. When I first started coming to games and would stay at New Hall, the team would be there too. Now they go somewhere else. I am not sure what will happen next fall. Potential signings can stay and do stay at multiple locations. 2. Tours: My best recommendation would be to contact Nicky Keye and see when tours are provided during the summer. The tours will be somewhat shortened because of the work being done in the Trinity and the fact that work is also being done in the dressing rooms.

General Krulak here: 1. Back in US after good stay in UK. Lot's accomplished. Randy over next week to keep ball rolling. 2. Michael Cunnah: The announcement pretty much says it all. He came, not with a specific title, to help us in a variety of issues...primarily surrounding the stadium and commercial activites. He did a fine job and has now moved on to other challenges. 3. Timing of the kit. We hope to get it out earlier this year but....realize that the decision re. sponsor was made a bit later than we hoped. On the 3rd of June, all of this will become clear. I will also come on the site and give a little "deep background" as to what transpired. Bottom Line: we will get kit out as soon as possible. 4. Believe me, as soon as we know about Barry, the fans will know. 5. coolohandluke: Thank you for passing on the kind words. We have an owner and a Board that have spent a good part of their lives in the business world...and accomplishing quite a bit. Hopefully that does, indeed, translate into a professionalism that will be recognized and make a difference for the Club. 6. Coach/mgt development: I am sure that the day will come when we move in that direction but...we still have a very long way to go with our Club. 7. I have never heard Bouma make such a statement. At the same time, we probably aren't considered a "big" Club at this time...if you call the top 4 the "big" Clubs. The key is not what people think we are but what they think we will become. Certainly Randy and the Board are NOT satisfied with being "one of the others." First and foremost, we need to move forward to the point that other Clubs look at us differently. To do that, they need to ALWAYS be concerned when they play us. We WILL get there!! 8. Blandy: You are correct, the video and I cannot both be right. I am right!! Time will prove it so.

General Krulak here: 1. Season tickets: First and foremost, the 27,000 number is not a number that has been decided at all. Simply put, it is inaccurate. The number will be decided by Randy later. The key is to have the "right" mix of season ticket holders and open tickets. We need to be fair across the board. Part of our time this week has been spent sussing out this issue. We will do the right thing. 2. Barry stay or not: Of course I am going to say 100% stay!!! To say anything else would be to court disaster. 3. copenhagen: I totally disagree with you. I know a wee bit about ballistics and simply put, the entry and exit wounds could only have been made from a certain vantage point....the book depository Comments about "puffs of smoke" from the grassy knoll or the sound of shots from that location are just that..."puffs". There is not a credible expert in the field that would go along with some of the theories surrounding the death. The FBI has investigated this issue for years...ABSOLUTELY seeking a conspiracy. The results have been 100% corroboration of the initial investigation. 4. V111a: Thank you for the kind words. I will certainly pass them on to the folks who truly deserve them...MON, the Team, the folks at Villa Park and, of course, Randy.

General krulak here: 1. pablopicasso: You are obviously much more expert than I am....but then I am a foot soldier.

General krulak here: 1. jez.villa: I would say that both Randy and I feel we are basically on schedule. To be totally honest, we probably ended the season one place higher than we thought...but it was always a 6-8 place in our mind. Oswald did it on his own. Toad in the Hole. 2. peter1968: Yes, Randy and I will be spending a good deal of time at Villa Park and Bodymoor Heath. 3. V111AFC: a. Nothing at Roswell of importance. b. Yes, I have been to Area 51 but no aliens. c. MM was not killed by the government. d. JFK was killed by Oswald...conspiracy theory is just that...a theory that has been proven to hold no water. e. Trade Towers: A very sensitive issue for all Americans. I have a good deal of intelligence on this and I can assure you it was brought down by terrorist action to the great loss to the US and UK and other countries who had citizens in the towers. f. Titanic was built in UK (i think) and therefore could not have been built to sink. g. Hitler was, indeed, light in the loafers.

General Krulak here: 1. stevenjos: Thank you for the kind invitation. I am here until Saturday but tonight I have a previous engagement. My sense is going to hear you all play would be a helluva lot better than what I will be doing! 2. MON and GB continue to talk. The talks are very friendly and we, AVFC, are obviously VERY hopeful that GB will be wearing the Claret and Blue next season. If it doesn't happen, it will NOT be because we haven't given it our all. 3. Yes, I did watch the Champions League final. I thought it was brilliant football...only marred by a bit too much diving and complaining. I thought the pace exhibited by both Clubs said a good deal about English Football...the two teams went after each other with abandon. I would list it as one of the top matches I have seen. Yes, Randy and I do watch other games. Ahhh, Tranmere... 4. pw: We have basically put Claret and Blue on everything that we "control." We can't just go splashing our colours on things we don't own. 5. roger_moore: Yes, JFK had a major impact on the US and, in part, the world. The family has, for the most part, lived off of his legacy. 6. Home Office was here to hold their annual conference...a tribute to the drawing power of the Villa! We were very pleased to have them here. 7. No summer vacation plans at this time.

General Krulak here: 1. I have been at Villa Park all week but have been VERY busy. 2. Randy looked at many Clubs but always had Villa as first choice. 3. I like beer/lager. 4. Again, it is no use me speculating on signings. I do know that MON and Randy are on top of this and we just need to wait it out. I know that is tough (for me too) but we just need to trust them. 5. Yes, you will be able to get kit in Ireland...we are pressing Nike for greater distribution at this time. We will not be playing a friendly in Ireland this year. 6. I see no reason that the Club will not be ready to host a game in 2012. 7. Nath182. Please call Nicky keye at ticketing. 8. Obama..in dem race and in final election. 9. Worst moment at Villa Park? Sunderland...I was absolutely gutted. 10. I spoke with Alison Plant about healthy foods and she said "absolutely" this coming season. 11. If I had my choice to pick any player in the world to come to Villa???? My wife at right back.

General krulak here: 1. the-savman: No...that is not correct. Nothing took place during that time that Randy did not approve and put money against.

General Krulak here: 1. paulanddonya: See here mate...I am more than willing to provide a ticket for your sweet lady to go to Maritiusm but for you, a bus ticket to Walsall for the afternoon. Of the Paul and Donya, only she rates the good trip. She rarely comes on this site and asks me what is going on in the transfer department or when I am going to start serving beer in the Lower Holte...administered off of my back. You on the other hand...its Walsall or nothing.

General Krulak here: 1. evnsj6: As I have mentioned often, a CEO of AVFC is NOT going to "help MON in transfer dealings." Randy and MON work the transfer window.l..Randy with money and MON with finding the right players for our Team. When it comes to a CEO, his/her efforts are not focused on the Football side of the house...that is the purview of the man charged with running that side of the house...in our case, MON. MON does have people who help him with transfers...he has lawyers, coaches, scouts, etc. etc. He does not need a CEO looking over his shoulder...and he does not have one. :wink:

General Krulak here: 1. You Tube...amazing. 2. villahero: Let's you and I have a call....give me your phone number and I will call you when I get to Villa Park next week and we can see what we can do.

General krulak here: 1. As of my last conversation with Nicky...two days ago...the waiting list was 1300+, 2. We have yet to set a final number of ST's to be sold. We absolutely want to keep enough tickets for fans who cannot make every match. 3. We anticipate the team playing in the new kit. 4. Corporate sponsors: We are constantly on the look out for more sponsors...and are actively seeking new ones and to renew old ones. As much as some complain, these corporate sponsors help us keep the Club going in the right direction. 5. Again, I am not prepared to speak to construction or nenovation around the stadium. We have not set a deadline on HOK because not much can be done this summer. The overall blue print for Villa will be ready, hopefully, next season. 6. The trinity road renovation is, for the most part, internal. Yes, we can get photos. 7. Tryout for youth team. I am not sure of how this would be done. My sense is it would start with a Coach calling into the Club with a "hot" prospect. I do not think that there would be much luck with a Dad calling up and saying what a good lad he has.

General Krulak here: 1. At airport on stopover. 2. I would imagine that Randy and/or I will go to Europe. 3. jamesvilla: As I have said before, HOK has been in looking at all of VP. We are not prepared to determine concrete plans yet...they need to do their work. 4. Richard: "Right" players are ones that MON believes will be good for the club...now and in future. Players who "fit" into our ethos and style of play. 5. V111AFC: Obviously I cannot answer a question like yours on an open web site. Just would not make any sense to talk about a pay scale that we would or would not accept. 6. We do have plans for the Holte Suite but not ready to make them known at this time. 7. Regarding Tickets: The following is from Nicky Keye...any questions on what I write can be answered by Nicky or her team. * Away leg of I-Cup: As soon as we know who the competition will be and how many tickets we will be allocated, we will issue details on ticketing section of website. * Priority will be given to season ticket holders who have renewed for 08/08 season who travelled to away games last season. Fans who travelled to the majority of away games will be given first optiion. * Waiting List looking to buy additional seat for son. At this time, we are selling renewals only. STH's who wish to purchase additional seats are encouraged to join waiting list. The reason for this is to allow current STH's the flexibility to move to any "available" seat in the stadium befoe season ticket sales are increased. * Seats whcih are not renewed by 4 July will then be made available to customers in B4 and B5 as a priority. * On saturday 5 july at 1pm, STH who have renewed for 08/09 season can try and improve their current seats and relocate to other available seats. * Waiting List applications will be dealt with from Wed. 9 July. We will be communicating with those on waiting list. * We currently have over 1300 on waiting list.

General Krulak here: 1. New kits will be seen sometime after 30 May...which is the earliest that we can even legally and contractually state a sponsor. 2. "Tapping": In fact, the FA do NOT have to have an official complaint to act. 3. Summer Transfer Season: Well, only took two days to get to it. Let's look at this seriously: Martin has seen every single game that each of us have seen. I think he has demonstrated a superb ability to run this Team. He has made very good use of his players and no matter what folks feel, he has chosen some very good players who FIT INTO HIS STYLE OF PLAY..a KEY point. He can count as well as we can...he knows the size of the Squad. He has a good idea of who is leaving and what position they play. He knows he needs replacements AND new players. Randy is also pretty smart. He runs two football teams that count on good players to perform on the Pitch or Football field. He, like all of us, wants to win. He does not like sitting in the stands and watching us lose. My simple advice to EVERYONE is to let these two professionals do their jobs. Martin knows he has Randy's support for funds and Randy knows he has Martin's support in getting the RIGHT players. Remember, who the Fans want is NOT what is important...who Martin and Randy want is what counts. :D

General Krulak here: 1. Legendary_10: Simply put, our focus will be on 3 areas...1) Improving the Squad so we can continue to challenge the top. 2) Improving the catering and distribution of food and drink...to include variety. 3) Improving infrastructure at Villa Park and Bodymoor heath...to include the store. 2. Number 4: Thank you for your comments and yes, we recognize we need work in the ladies area...clothing on sale. 3. We have found it very tough to get with players after they leave. 4. I will be traveling to Minneapolis, MN tomorrow until Thursday. I then fly to B'ham over the weekend and will be at Villa Park all next week. I will be back on net on thursday and all the time whilst at Villa Park. Over the summer I, along with Randy, will be making frequent visits to Villa....lots of work to do.

General Krulak here: 1. VERY exciting game today! I won't even go into the "might have been" scenarios...it is what it is. We are 6th and in Intertoto. GREAT credit must go to MON and the Squad...to Randy and all the folks at Villa Park and, OF COURSE, to the FANS! In a word, they have been SUPERB all season. I thank you! Randy thanks you! MON thanks you! The Team thanks you! The people at Villa Park thank you!! 2. Dale: I was going to answer but Paddy and Ricardomeister gave very complete and good answers. (Thanks to both!!) Disabled fans are important to the Club and we do our very best to help them. Parking is VERY tight so Paddy's solution to that issue is one to think about. 3. Villafromluton: I am ready to listen...but need to be very careful about passing names to MON. The last thing in the world I would want is for him to think that I am now into his scouting combine...or that I do not think he has access to the good, up and coming players. At the same time, he is never one to turn his back on a prospect. 4. Paulmcgrathsknees: Bonds is not respected here in the US (except for San Franciso) because of his use of steriods. He was a great player without the "juice"...he destroyed his reputation by taking it. Vick is a superb athlete but, like Bonds, has lost his following due to how he handled his private life. He is going to jail and that never helps with the fans. NE will not lose their titles because of "spy gate." 5. b6bloke: I have no solid numbers for waiting list...1000 may be the number now but I don't know that for certain. I will ask Nicky Keye. 6. I have not been made aware of any plans for an affiliation with another Club in a lower league. 7. NZvillanman: Thank you for your comment. I am not in a position to say that the Club can provide Villa Kit for your young lads. We obviously have similar requests every year. Please contact Lee Preece and let him know what you are seeking. 8. Highlight of the season for me????? 5-1 at the Holte End!!!

General Krulak here: 1. rjw63: I am glad things got sorted...and glad to be of some help. Nicky and her team are great. 2. Liverpool and "tapping": I am sure that the RA has watched what has transpired and do not need us to sort thru what has occured. None of us are really privy to communications (offical or not) so I would hesitate to comment other than what I just said. 3. Denis_B: I am not sure I agree with you...and I can assure you that Randy would not agree. Simply put, Randy runs Villa and the Browns in basically the same way. He is VERY hands on and has many people assisting him on a day-to-day basis. The title of CEO just isn't one that we feel is necessary at this time. Randy is too involved to give that "handle" to someone at this moment. As an example, one of the Directors is at Villa right now...and I will be over there for about 10 days starting week after next. The Club is in good hands. 4. Gabby15: My family and I are fine...thank you for asking. My son was with me for the Wigan game (burp) and as I indicated above, I will be over at Villa a week from now. My wife is a real trooper...putting up with all my travel. I am gone on business trips about 2 weeks out of the month (will be in Minnesota next week) and she puts up with it. Of course I get major heat for all the time on the computer!!!

General krulak here: 1. Timff: Please call John Greenfield (01213261507) and tell him I asked you to call. Tell him what you are looking for re. kids kit and see if he can help point you in the right direction. 2. Gareth Barry: Rockafella and others: As I have said before, I think we ought to let this one "play out." Everyone is talking as if he is gone...that it is all up to the negotiations at this time. Let's let MON and Gareth talk and reason before we all conclude that our Captain is out the door. None of us knows what is going to happen....so maybe the key right now is to let all the media calm down and let our Manager and Captain talk. Let me say a few things about Gareth: I really don't know him well at all but....I do know how the Mangers and Coaches view him . He is a very good person...aside from a good player. He is considerate of others, a role model for how players should act (on and off the field) and a leader for our Squad. I hope and pray that he remains with us...but we need to wait and see. 3. outbyeaster: It was a great day for almost 300 kids at Villa Park...and yes, shirts for all. I guess we could/should "blow our own horn" about such events but, as you have seen, that is not really our style now. As Randy continually reminds us, "Actions speak louder than words." "Good deeds will be recognized...and are most enjoyed when done without fanfare."

General Krulak here: 1. Yuen_biao: We are currently looking at both of the ideas you raised...thank you. 2. Tomaszk: Obviously, I do not feel I am naive. Perhaps the one that is naive is Rocafella. Does he expect us to handcuff Barry to a stand to keep him at Villa?? Simply put, we will do ALL in our power to keep him in claret and blue!! If he goes, we will bargain hard!! Both Randy and I have had years of experience bargaining....if I can cut a good deal with Richard Branson, I feel I am pretty good. Randy, obviously, has cut deals across both the sports world and financial world. 3. ahamaad: As I have just said, we will do all in our power to keep our Captain. I have already described, earlier, my feelings about using the term "acid test"...it has far too many pitfalls in my opinion. 4. In ALL of this discussion about Barry and the Summer Transfer Season, I would ask that you go back a week or two and read the "stick" we took over season ticket prices (still among the VERY lowest in the Premiership) and the increase in revenue opportunity in the Trinity. PLEASE...we cannot have it both ways. We cannot expect to keep the great players and/or bring in new ones at the same revenue scale we have now. It doesn't work for the Chelseas and ManUs of the world and it won't work for us. Randy is definitely putting his money up...but even he can't do it all. 5. I understand the concern about Liverpool and their actions...or percieved actions. I think that MON addressed this issue better than I could ever address it. I can assure you we are pursuing the issues raised by MON. 6. granto: Not looking at player issues, I would say that our biggest focus outside of that area (which is our LARGEST area of focus) is infrastructure development. We want to make Villa Park a place where people come...not just on game day...to enjoy themselves.

General Krulak here: 1. My odyssey is over...a long trip from Utah to B'ham and back to Florida. My plane was late so I barely arrived in time to do any of the things I wanted to do before kick off. I did get to meet with some of the "Trinity Road 400" in the stand itself. They were very definitive in their feelings and made sure we understood where we went wrong. Although some were satisfied with what had happened and their new seats, many were not. We got the word!! Although the visit in the stands was "painful", I think it was very necessary. We needed to hear, first hand, what the feelings are. 2. The game was sad. To say I am gutted would be an HUGE understatement. I cannot sugar coat what took place...we just never seemed to be in the game. I know that the Squad is now kicking themselves...because the chance to go forward at the end of the day...and with Sunday's result...was in our grasp. Now we must depend on a million circumstances. Flying back to the US was a nightmare...having to remember every minute of the game. 3. I would be remiss if I didn't thank you, the fans, for the support during the game. I thought you were great!! From the minute the Flag went up until the last walk-off by Olof...you all were superb!! Thank you!! 4. Flag: The flag was a direct result of a post by a member of the sites. We had to go early with it because it was the first time we were going to attempt to move this huge flag across the seats and we weren't sure how long it would take. 5. I think that if you asked Randy, he would say that we are probably (at this moment) slightly ahead of where we expected to be...but not by much. 6. I have heard nothing about a Celtic game this summer. 7. We are looking at multiple ways to dispense the beer in a quicker manner. This summer will see Alison Plant and her team working hard to iron out some of the remaining "bugs" in our catering. 8. Acid Test: Let me tell you why I don't like to look at this situation as an "acid test": To me, an "acid test" is just that...fail the test and everything is a failure. It is like making a person an objective in combat...ie. "get Bin Laden", "get Geronimo"...when you don't "get them", the entire operation looks to be a failure. We, YOUR Club, cannot afford to put a line in the sand re. success or failure around one player. We just can't. I have said, ON MULTIPLE POSTS, that we do NOT want to lose our Captain and that we will do ALL in our power to keep him. At the same time, if he wants to go...if he no longer wants to wear our colours...it is hard to keep him. The key will be to get his value!! Again, we do NOT want him to go. We will get to Europe and it would be wonderful if our Captain was here to lead us on that path.

General Krulak here: 1. First off, if this issue is the "acid test" for our Club, then heaven help us. Let me, once again for the record, state the following: Your Club does NOT want our Captain to leave. MON's comments are spot on...they represent the EXACT feelings of Randy and the Directors. We ARE a top tier Club and will act that way in all of our dealings...we are professionals and we will act that way. If our Captain wants to go to Europe, what better thrill, challenge and "high" than to lead our Club to that "Promised Land"??? He knows we want him...he knows our vision and goal...and he knows he will be compensated properly. At the same time, if he wants to play for another Club...if he doesn't want to wear our colours...then it doesn't make much sense to say "no." I think we should all settle down a bit and trust MON and Randy...trust our Captain...and let this play out.

General Krulak here: 1. Obviously I am not involved in transfers...and have not been since the beginning. At the same time, we are not some small time Club that serves as a "feeder" to other Clubs. You can be assured that MON and the Board have expressed our feelings in the manner and place where they should be expressed. "Sticking a middle finger up at them" may make an individual "feel good" but it is not the way to get results. Before everyone gets carried away, let's just see what happens.

General Krulak here: 1. On a stop-over in Philly...will be catching a plane to UK today. 2. Villa TV: This is something that we will look into. 3. Mrs "K" has not been to Villa Park yet...she will come next season. She is a HUGE fan of football...played the game herself...but NOT right back so no help there!! 4. We do scout players world-wide. 5. music8832: Obviously you do not read my posts very carefully. I have already explained that you totally misunderstood my comment about someone else "buying your ticket." To continue to use that comment as a rationale to give up your tickets is, in my opinion, unfair. I have explained the comment and put it in perspective...you obviously have decided to disregard what I wrote. You also have decided that a pm to me would be a worthless exercise...again, your decision. I wonder if there is any other Club in the Premiership who has a Director who has asked a fan to pm them so that there might be a dialogue and possible resolution to the fan's issue?? I doubt it. But the offer has been made to you and you have just blown it off. If you want to go support another Club that is your right. If you want to blast me on this site, that is your right. I just hope that the rest of the readers understand that I did not insult you...that my comment was taken in the wrong way...that I re-stated my comment to be clearer...and that I offered, twice, to engage in a personal dialogue with you and that you said, "thanks but no thanks." I am not sure what else I, as a Director of the Club, could do to be more forthcoming. 6. I really have no info on the size of our waiting list nor on the mechanics of how the new swipe cards will work if seats are changed....I will ask Nicky Keye to give me info on this. 7. mark8691: Yes, Utah is a VERY beautiful state. Salt Lake City, sitting in the valley surrounded by mountains, is truly a sight to see...especially swooping down from the air.

General Krulak here: 1. In an airport on the way to Salt lake City...grabbed another computer. 2. Thank you for the kind remarks. As you all know by now, this is NOT a PR move by your Club. Randy does NOT want me to stop talking with fans and neither do I...you all are critical to our path forward. As an example, we held SCG-5 yesterday and had families there. We ARE consullting with the fans and ARE listening. I will confess that my precious wife sometimes wonders if the sites are now my full time job...I have to break it to her gently that they are not. :oops: 3. I am totally unaware of a plan that has us building 2 bed flats and houses. We are a Football Club, not landlords. This is not part of our plan. :?: 4. "The creeping prawn sandwich brigade"...do NOT be worried about them. We do NOT see a large increase in the numbers...what we do see is a far better package for those who are with us now..at a higher price. ALL intended to help us move forward. 5. Silverware!!!!! Great performance by our reserves...on top of the continuing performance of our youth.