Emi Martinez

[Risso]

In all of this debate about progress over the last 2 years, the single biggest constraint on progress was the appointment of the scouse fraud.

I'd argue it's the players and the whole recruitment process. Lose tomorrow and against Arsenal, and Emery's record in his first ten games is the same as Gerrard's first ten. I don't know how many times people need to see Watkins miss a sitter, or Mings/Konsa make a mistake until the penny drops that this is a mid table squad at best. It needed improving on, and we actually made it weaker in the short term. Look at Newcastle, Howe followed on from Bruce, probably the shittest and most dismal manager the Premier League has seen for a very long time.

[pauliewalnuts]

In all of this debate about progress over the last 2 years, the single biggest constraint on progress was the appointment of the scouse fraud.

Quite, and worth remembering, he didn't mysteriously rise to the top like Tory leaders used to, or get elected in some white smoke situation - he was chosen and appointed by the people running our club. They actually - and enough of us thought it was fucking nuts at the time - looked around and thought he was going to be the man to take us to the next level.

Remarkable levels of stupidity and another less-than-great mark on the record of our leadership.

[pauliewalnuts]

It needed improving on, and we actually made it weaker in the short term.

This is it, not improving it is one thing, making it WORSE is another.

And no amount of "yeah but Traore is back so that's a new signing" twisting in the wind is going to change that.

[Clampy]

In all of this debate about progress over the last 2 years, the single biggest constraint on progress was the appointment of the scouse fraud.

I'd argue it's the players and the whole recruitment process. Lose tomorrow and against Arsenal, and Emery's record in his first ten games is the same as Gerrard's first ten. I don't know how many times people need to see Watkins miss a sitter, or Mings/Konsa make a mistake until the penny drops that this is a mid table squad at best. It needed improving on, and we actually made it weaker in the short term. Look at Newcastle, Howe followed on from Bruce, probably the shittest and most dismal manager the Premier League has seen for a very long time.

On the other side of the coin, we have a manager who seems to know the kind of football he wants to play, we have at times played some very very good football, we've won our last three away games. Of course there are going to be bumps in the road, but hey if we lose tomorrow to one of the best teams in Europe and next week, its Gerrard like again.

[Drummond]

And we're back where we've been before - it's always the next window.

And this time we've a manager who will know what he's after. He'd been here for a few weeks before January.

I'd go as far as to say the club should have no excuses in the next window. None whatsoever.

[brontebilly]

In all of this debate about progress over the last 2 years, the single biggest constraint on progress was the appointment of the scouse fraud.

Yet the Scouse fraud was key in getting in some big name players. Getting in the right players that fit into the group is key not vanity signings like Ings and Coutinho.

[Drummond]

There's an awful lot of making stuff up going on here. People seem to have completely ignored the bit where he says he wants to win a trophy with the Villa.

[Drummond]

In all of this debate about progress over the last 2 years, the single biggest constraint on progress was the appointment of the scouse fraud.

I'd argue it's the players and the whole recruitment process. Lose tomorrow and against Arsenal, and Emery's record in his first ten games is the same as Gerrard's first ten. I don't know how many times people need to see Watkins miss a sitter, or Mings/Konsa make a mistake until the penny drops that this is a mid table squad at best. It needed improving on, and we actually made it weaker in the short term. Look at Newcastle, Howe followed on from Bruce, probably the shittest and most dismal manager the Premier League has seen for a very long time.

Last season you criticised people for projecting a loss that we'd not had, yet you're now doing the same.

Gerrard started well, which shut a lot of us up, and he was given a chance. It didn't take long for that to unravel though. Do you think the same will happen with Emery? Because I don't believe it for a second. We look like we're trying to play football, and that we know how to do it.

[KevinGage]

Martínez: “But it’s complicated.. we were eliminated from the FA Cup in January. You should never lose hope. We’ll see what happens. I have the feeling that today I have a level to play the Champions League & try to win it..”

Pissing away the cups was a great idea.

He still seems bothered by our piss-weak attempts in both. Which is good. I'm not sure some of the others are.

Stoke away in the fourth round and would have been Brighton at home in the fifth. Not a walk in the park by any means, but doable compared to some of the draws we've had in recent years. Well doable for sides that don't piss the bed to a 4th Division mob at home, obv.

[pablo_picasso]

Sad, but not unexpected. Although so much for that loyalty he felt he owed us... I really do despise everything about modern day football.

[KevinGage]

Recruiting Emery was a good first step, but we needed to take the second step in this window, because the clubs between us and the European spots are there for the taking right now, and next season they most likely won't be.

Yep. The idea that we'll just sit a play or two out and see how it all unfolds before acting is for the birds. It presupposes that the clubs above us, around us and lower will all be locked in neutral as well. Don't really see that being the case.

[Beard82]

I think Emery will progress us in the long term - it won’t be quick enough for EMI though. 

We need sustained development for a number of season and that involves properly backing Unai and getting our purchases right.  I would argue that the last two managers weren’t really backed to the hilt - not saying they should have been - but this one does otherwise we might as well give up

[Risso]

Gerrard started well, which shut a lot of us up, and he was given a chance. It didn't take long for that to unravel though. Do you think the same will happen with Emery? Because I don't believe it for a second. We look like we're trying to play football, and that we know how to do it.

Emery is a great manager, potentially the best we've had in 20 years. But he's not a miracle worker, and even if he gets say 20-30% more out of the curent crop of players, that's still only really going to see us around the mid table places. Even with how good he is, he's bollocksed up both cup games horribly, and now he's giving it the old "our only remit is to stay up" nonsense, so he's got plenty to do yet to prove his mettle.

[mrfuse]

Let's take Guendouzi for example. If you believe what you read, it seems we tried to get him in and for whatever reason, it didn't happen. Maybe in the summer there might be a shift and it happens. That's what I'm trying to get at, using him as an example.

No. We didn't even make an offer, and that's straight from his chairman's own mouth. We didn't even try, that's the whole point. If that's your example, you've just proved the exact opposite of it.

I suspect we did try but our informal approaches were given a resounding "back off (till Summer)", so no formal offer was made.

That's not trying. Trying would be here "here's £60m of your foreign Euros". At least they'd have a decision to make then. We didn't bid for him this January, and I confidently predict we won't in the summer.

I'm going for something like we sounded out if it was worth trying but the odds are that it wasn't going to happen. Possibly the player didn't want to leave mid season and his family didn't want to be uprooted at short notice. A Big offer might have changed that but we are willing to wait until the summer to which is better for all concerned. I think we will make an offer in the summer, whether or not it happens im not sure. If Emery wants him we will do our best to make it happen.

[Clampy]

His club are also second in the league so selling one of their best midfielders whilst going for a possible title and a Champions League spot wouldn't have been in their best interests really.