Davkaus Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 45 minutes ago, M_Afro said: I genuinely don’t understand the grief that this guy gets. Significant revenue growth is absolutely essential to our goals as a club. Our owners want us to consistently compete at the highest level of football. That cannot happen until our revenue increases significantly. Chris Heck is the only person, in the last 40 years, to make significant strategic changes, that are driving the revenue growth required to close the gap and enable us to compete. He is doing a splendid job as far as I’m concerned. His job requires him to focus things that are to the benefit to the club, but that are to the detriment of many fans. Not exclusively of course, because more income should lead to better players, and potentially more success, but to get us there, he has to do some unpopular things, there's bound to be some friction. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adman Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 6 minutes ago, Zatman said: Does he call himself The Heck? The heck he does. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 12 hours ago, Villa Gaffa said: Heck interview with some unknown podcaster - We were on track to launch our new kits after the euro's. - Due to lack of interest and demand from the fans, we moved the launch back to August. - The data and fan survey shows that the fans prefer to wait till August to see the new kit. I'm not sure what's more disturbing... Some people actually not realising that this post must be satire, or the fact that some are desperate for it to be true. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 (edited) 1 hour ago, Deano & Dalian's Umbrella said: Where can I find this interview? Probably in the same place as the Twitter allegations from a few months ago .. up someone batty. Edited July 16 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 35 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: I don't think NY Red Bull fans hounded him out of their club because he was American. Ginger hating c*cksuckers!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 They couldn't accept that he was basically a chilled out entertainer. People see him, they see the suit and they go 'you're not fooling anyone', they know he's rock and roll through and through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Davkaus said: His job requires him to focus things that are to the benefit to the club, but that are to the detriment of many fans. Not exclusively of course, because more income should lead to better players, and potentially more success, but to get us there, he has to do some unpopular things, there's bound to be some friction. it's a balancing act.....and I suspect timing can be a significant element. Right now, we maybe in the eye of the financial storm, but as he becomes more successful at securing revenue, a more relaxed attitude towards fans is likely to occur. It may seem right now, he is not considering us, but that may change as the pressure he is under to perform, relaxes slightly as demands are met, and deals are done. I don't believe he has no interest in the fan experience.....I think the pressures and demands of meeting objectives right now may suggest that, more than it be so. I don't believe anyone with a anti- fan attitude, would survive working at our football club......Its fundamentally central to everything they do. Edited July 16 by TRO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 1 hour ago, M_Afro said: Chris Heck is the only person, in the last 40 years, to make significant strategic changes, that are driving the revenue growth required to close the gap and enable us to compete I think this is unfair. Significant changes were made by Purslow, Langham, Fox and countless others. We've brought in good people who've done, in places, good jobs. One picked the club up off the floor. And drove a strong strategy which provided us with the majority of our most significant playing assets... Heck in many ways has by far and away the easiest hand, a successful team on the pitch, a stadium that's oversubscribed, marketable players and coaching staff. If he can't succeed, there can be no excuses, everything is on a plate (as far as it can be). Think where people are less keen is the gaslighting around badge, seats etc. The withdrawal of a scheme that excited people and refreshed the stadium (much overdue)... There are ways to succeed and carry people with you, Heck appears quite bulldozer-y which I don't feel is necessary. Also, way too selfaggrandising, which as Brits we have a natural dislike for... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dale said: I think this is unfair. Significant changes were made by Purslow, Langham, Fox and countless others. We've brought in good people who've done, in places, good jobs. One picked the club up off the floor. And drove a strong strategy which provided us with the majority of our most significant playing assets... Heck in many ways has by far and away the easiest hand, a successful team on the pitch, a stadium that's oversubscribed, marketable players and coaching staff. If he can't succeed, there can be no excuses, everything is on a plate (as far as it can be). Think where people are less keen is the gaslighting around badge, seats etc. The withdrawal of a scheme that excited people and refreshed the stadium (much overdue)... There are ways to succeed and carry people with you, Heck appears quite bulldozer-y which I don't feel is necessary. Also, way too selfaggrandising, which as Brits we have a natural dislike for... I don't doubt some of your points have merit......But it might be worth pointing out different times. We are now, looking at £50 million transfers......That ups the Ante, immediately.....He has far more money to find. I don't agree with your reference to "Bulldozing" sometimes , conciliatory action, is labour intensive and as they say " Too many cooks can spoil the broth".....Sometimes grabbing the subject by the throat and dealing with it, has its merits too....When an organisation has lots of actions to process.....procrastination and bureaucracy can be the biggest enemy. Personally, I am not in favour of fans choosing the badge on the basis of too many contrasting opinions, that deem us no further forward, and it results in some fans, feeling snubbed, or their offerings ignored. A badge should be a simple task to an historically informed senior executive ......I don't see the egoistical, arrogance you suggest.....I am more inclined to see a man in a hurry, who has many, many tasks on his agenda and is motivated to get on with them. The club employ folk to do a job, and I presume they are elite, else they wouldn't be taken on.......That is the way, I presume, Nike, Addidas, Apple, Google, all the big companies, determine their logo's by the company decision. I for one, have never had any input to any Aston Villa Badge, and never have desired to.....I just embrace it, when we get it.....I take the premise if they want my opinion, they will ask for it, and after that, its their decision. Edited July 16 by TRO 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M_Afro Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 58 minutes ago, Dale said: I think this is unfair. Significant changes were made by Purslow, Langham, Fox and countless others. We've brought in good people who've done, in places, good jobs. One picked the club up off the floor. And drove a strong strategy which provided us with the majority of our most significant playing assets... Heck in many ways has by far and away the easiest hand, a successful team on the pitch, a stadium that's oversubscribed, marketable players and coaching staff. If he can't succeed, there can be no excuses, everything is on a plate (as far as it can be). Think where people are less keen is the gaslighting around badge, seats etc. The withdrawal of a scheme that excited people and refreshed the stadium (much overdue)... There are ways to succeed and carry people with you, Heck appears quite bulldozer-y which I don't feel is necessary. Also, way too selfaggrandising, which as Brits we have a natural dislike for... Non of those guys managed to put strategic plans in place to increase revenue. They all did some good things whilst in charge but we have missed so many opportunities to open up new revenue streams. Heck is the first guy to recognise this and have a plan to do something about it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 1 hour ago, M_Afro said: Non of those guys managed to put strategic plans in place to increase revenue Are you sure. Purslow for instance vastly increased our revenue as he had at Chelsea and Liverpool. Fox was a commercial guy first and foremost and had delivered a very successful plan at Arsenal prior to us. Truth is, Heck has a more constrained role than any of them, so this is all he talks about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allani Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 (edited) On 11/07/2024 at 01:09, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said: My takeaways of the photo based on feelings. If you hate Heck: " Wow, what a disrespectful photo to choose, riddled with expletives...destroying the fabric and decency we've fought to build for over 100 years Hold on a minute, the guy in the photo giving Ollie the middle fingers IS Chris Heck!!! "" If you're neutral: " Strange photo to choose but get in Ollie! " If you're philosophical: " The photo could actually be symbolic of him coming through adversity/being the underdog and sticking one back up to his doubters " Me:"*Grabs Popcorn I think there might be another potential viewpoint. There are some mummerings that Chelsea have expressed interest in Watkins (nothing worthy of being much more than the usual Twitter horsepoo). Maybe something was said during the negotiations regarding Duran and Heck has deliberately used this photo to "remind" Ollie that Chelsea fans gave him a load of stick when he scored for us but is universally loved at Villa and / or to remind Chelsea that Ollie is very much our player. I mean there's a LOT of reading between the lines there - but maybe, just maybe there's more going on in the selection of this photo than might appear to be the case on first impression. Edited July 16 by allani 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Stevo985 Posted July 17 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted July 17 21 hours ago, M_Afro said: I genuinely don’t understand the grief that this guy gets. Significant revenue growth is absolutely essential to our goals as a club. Our owners want us to consistently compete at the highest level of football. That cannot happen until our revenue increases significantly. Chris Heck is the only person, in the last 40 years, to make significant strategic changes, that are driving the revenue growth required to close the gap and enable us to compete. He is doing a splendid job as far as I’m concerned. All that is true. But also he appears to be a bare faced liar. Which doesn't help things 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Django_Zooms Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 3 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: The redevelopment was never dependent on railway management or local infrastructure. The planning permissions were signed off by the council as-is. Yes, but didn't the useless service through Aston & Witton stations put off the club, not the council? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 18 minutes ago, Django_Zooms said: Yes, but didn't the useless service through Aston & Witton stations put off the club, not the council? Well no as I would doubt they would have put in the revised application dropping Villa Live but at that time to still progress with the new stand. They were also in close contact with Andy Street who in fairness to him was trying to push the Witton station upgrade before he got voted out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted July 17 Moderator Share Posted July 17 My bad - can we move redevelopment chat to redevelopment and keep this one for Mr Heck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 (edited) 23 hours ago, Dale said: Are you sure. Purslow for instance vastly increased our revenue as he had at Chelsea and Liverpool. Fox was a commercial guy first and foremost and had delivered a very successful plan at Arsenal prior to us. Truth is, Heck has a more constrained role than any of them, so this is all he talks about. If Purslow was doing the job, the owners wanted, he would still be there....I have no beef with him, but so far the owners, ( who have more to lose in the club than anyone else) have been magnificent. I am not privvy to the inner workings of these senior execs, like Chris Heck, so I don't know the frustrations they harbour.....but I am fairly clear in my head, that our owners know what quality senior managers look like. I am happy, to leave all those decisions to them, and trust the process. No every decision will be right, but if they get more right than wrong, we are on the right track......and if they are not doing a good job, we have owners, who will soon tell them....I think Steven Gerrard and Christian Purslow, would agree with me. Edited July 17 by TRO 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 (edited) On 16/07/2024 at 12:12, OutByEaster? said: I guess it's because there's more than one facet to the job he's doing - and he's choosing to ignore anything but the focus on increasing income. He's said that everything he's doing is for the fans, and you can see how that argument works, but it's probably more honest to say that everything he's doing is for the team - it's the team that benefits from increased revenues. For fans, winning is fantastic, but it's also about the experience and about belonging and feeling like a part of the club, it's about the people you sit next to and 'being Villa', about knowing what's happening and feeling involved as a fan, good communication, good services, a good experience in ticketing, merchandise, matchdays and the like - it's about pride and about being at the heart of what the club is. He's to a large extent sacrificed all of the that in favour of making money for the team, because a winning team is what fans want - and I get that, but I'm not sure it's the only thing that fans want. He'd be absolutely brilliant as someone employed to drive revenues, working for a CEO. In an ideal world, thats what would happen. Reality suggests, that the guy who brings in the money, gets the keys to the castle eventually, because it's the main function....perhaps in the biggest of organisations, not so much as it becomes more political/ ideological at the top. Right now the goose, who is laying the golden egg, is Unai......hence he has the keys.( within reason)...and Chris is well aware he is tracking behind, right now. but in my experience, the men who make the biggest impact on revenue generation, and profitability, get the top job. There will always be exceptions, particularly in Non- Performance driven Orgs. I have a suspicion and that's all it is....Purslow was in a position, to stifle Unai's decision making, being technically above him....... hence a new structure was born, with Chris Heck and Unai, working on parallel lines, in charge of their own agenda's Now I would guess, to a large extent, they keep out of each others way,( simplistically) but still knowing ultimately each mans success, will ultimately effect the other.......how that synergy is managed, I am uncertain. I only guess each one is kinda joint CEO of their own dep't/agenda....with both reporting to the owners. If its so, it could be quite smart. Edited July 17 by TRO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 29 minutes ago, TRO said: I am fairly clear in my head, that our owners know what quality senior managers look like. Yes. And has to be said they wanted to keep Christian Purslow in a less football facing role, which I imagine would've meant that Heck was working on a V Sports level more than an Aston Villa level. He chose not to continue in a more constrained role. He was also at Aston Villa for more than 5 years of growth in profile and income which is a pretty good stint for a CEO in the English football (and exceptional at Aston Villa - only Doug lasted longer than that and only because he couldn't be removed)! I think he'd have provided a good counter balance to Heck and Heck would probably be less of a figure of ridicule/concern for having someone who could give him a great level of insight into English football (and football in general). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 (edited) 47 minutes ago, Dale said: Yes. And has to be said they wanted to keep Christian Purslow in a less football facing role, which I imagine would've meant that Heck was working on a V Sports level more than an Aston Villa level. He chose not to continue in a more constrained role. He was also at Aston Villa for more than 5 years of growth in profile and income which is a pretty good stint for a CEO in the English football (and exceptional at Aston Villa - only Doug lasted longer than that and only because he couldn't be removed)! I think he'd have provided a good counter balance to Heck and Heck would probably be less of a figure of ridicule/concern for having someone who could give him a great level of insight into English football (and football in general). Purslow used to get incessant grief from a set of fans for everything as well. Now some of the people who hated Purslow, like/tolerate Heck, some who liked Purslow, hate Heck. A few are a reasonable in-between of trusting the owners to make the right decisions, and even if they make decisions which eventually turn out to be wrong, addressing them. So the passionate meltdowns one way are the other are hilarious at times. ( And this is not be discrediting anyone's opinion either ) Long story short, a set of people will always be unhappy with something, and it swings and changes in pendulums. Edited July 17 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts