Unai Emery

[steamer]

After our long list of failures, most of whom you knew would be failures before they started, it is good to have someone who has won something.
However the wary Brummie in me, used to disappointment will try not to get excited before we have won the double and the champions league.

[Toronto Villa]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/martinez-emery-aston-villa-arsenal-28319455

Let's hope that Emery and Martinez can get on together.

The headline is bollocks. And especially when you consider this bit in the article

“Martinez was one of the few Arsenal players to issue a statement of his own. The shot-stopper even apologised in light of the decision, writing: "Thank you @UnaiEmery_ and Javi [assistant coach] I’m sorry we let you down, it’s our fault for not performing the right way, I’m sure we will meet again."

[jwarry]

Yeah I'd love to be bored with 5th.

Indeed, there can't be many bigger cities than Brum that have never had a team play in the Champions League. (yes, I know football existed before it was invented). I want us to be top 4.

Top five could be enough in a couple of seasons.

Anyway, you inspired me to look this up. European cities bigger than Birmingham that haven't had a team in the Champions League Group Stage...

Minsk*
Kharkiv* (although Shakhtar Donetsk played home games there between the 2014 and 2022 Russian invasions)
Nizhny Novgorod**
Tbilisi*
Samara**
Ufa**

*have played in qualifying stages
**Russian city currently ineligible for European competition

If that’s from this list then it’s misleading.  Brum is not £1.1m but I guess we don’t know where they think Brum starts and finishes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_European_cities_by_population_within_city_limits

[cdbearsfan]

What about Berlin?

Surely the most underperforming large football city in Europe?

Hertha Berlin have played in the Champions League, making the Second Group Stage in 1999/2000. Union Berlin must have a decent chance of qualifying in the next few years, currently top of the league.

The other great underperforming German city (in recent years) is Hamburg. However, despite their current second tier status, even SV Hamburger have managed two Group Stage appearances.

[Sexual Ealing]

He was also succeeding Wenger, a club legend. That kind of role is virtually impossible from the start.

Not sure how he's going to do following on from Gerrard then.

I've heard he wants to change the walk-on music to RHCP...

This must stop, Rory.

[cdbearsfan]

We were all having a nice time, too.

[stevo_st]

Didn’t realise he was only 50, looks older than that

[Risso]

He's a month older than me which is good. We've never had a decent manager who was younger than me.

[chrisw1]

This is a really good video on Emery's tactics at Villareal.  Also very good knowledge of our players and how it could fit us.  I'm very impressed with this analysis

[Chico Hamilton III]

Didn’t realise he was only 50, looks older than that

A young pup. He reminds me a bit of Robbie Fowler

[Risso]

This is a really good video on Emery's tactics at Villareal.  Also very good knowledge of our players and how it could fit us.  I'm very impressed with this analysis

Unai Emery is the new manager of Everton. Eh?

[chrisw1]

Yeah, he has a laugh about that in the comments.  Watch the video and see what you think.

[London Villan]

Thats unwatchable!

[Risso]

I can't speak for his analysis of Emery's tactics at Villareal, but for us I think there's absolutely no chance of him playing 4-3-3 with a midfield three of Luiz, McGinn and Buendia, which is what the video suggests. That would lead to even worse results than we had under Gerrard.

[chrisw1]

I can't speak for his analysis of Emery's tactics at Villareal, but for us I think there's absolutely no chance of him playing 4-3-3 with a midfield three of Luiz, McGinn and Buendia, which is what the video suggests. That would lead to even worse results than we had under Gerrard.

It's very similar to the 4-2-3-1, with Buendia drifting in towards No 10 as he talks about, Bailey pushing on and Watkins drifting wide.  The only issuse it has is McGinn, but clearly that's interchangable.