Unai Emery

[Small Rodent]

Ten Haag was a genius playing their reserve goalkeeper.

[LeeB]

I don't think we can judge the line up until we see how they play under this manager. Under Gerrard this would be a disaster. I'm going to play the wait and see game.

Well having waited and seen, it was every bit as bad as anything Gerrard served up. Crap starting line up, poor formation, and subs that Bailey apart, made things even worse.

This is utter nonsense, with all due respect.

I'm not happy that we're out of the cup, and I think he got it wrong last night - we should have played a stronger team. But the crap starting line up was doing alright until half an hour to go. We completely nullified them in the first half, and looked dangerous on the break when we grew into the game at the start of the second half - which I think is evidence of an actual game plan. We utterly capitulated in the last 25 minutes, which is unacceptable. It seemed to come from making too many substitutions in key areas - I agree that we looked worse after the subs were made.

But I think we need a bit of perspective here. Yes, it's frustrating, and yes, it seemed unnecessary. But Emery needs to asses the squad, and I can only assume he used the match last night to get an idea of what they are capable of - the sort of thing you can't always learn about in training (how long have we had a team that were always world beaters in training, but useless in a match?!). There will be some players that he found out a lot about, which will benefit us in the long run.

I'm certain that we will get better and better under Emery. There were plenty of positives last night, which were over-shadowed by the fact that we were knocked out the cup. He's two matches in, and we've won one and lost one - both against a 'top 6' team that has been in great form. Supporting Villa has been miserable for most of the last year, but we finally seem to have a good thing going. So I'm going to try to enjoy it as much as possible, even through the setbacks like last night.

Exactly how I saw the game, thought we were executing the plan really well up until the second equaliser. Unfortunately what transpired after that is all too indicative of what we've seen before from this group, the abillity to compound unforced errors.

Dan Rollinson's put a stat up on twitter of how many times recently we've conceded just after we've scored, it's ridiculous.

[Footy-Vill]

While the starting XI wasn’t t the one we all wanted, the fucking mistakes were incredible. These are professionals and those mistakes were absolutely inexcusable.

Will have to get use to the errors while the players learn football. Playing out from the back led to a goal for us as well as them.
Probably have to get use to the rotation thing too.

I'm with you on the mistakes and they were costly at times however I'm viewing it all as a process.
We have the right manager now the players in time will also be right as well as upgrades will come in to improve us.

It was quite apparent to me how well set up and organised the players were. A good structure and foundation.

Positives a plenty since Emery has been here and look forward to the match versus Brighton which I think will be entertaining and very strategic.

[Rory]

I agree with Risso

There's a surprise 😉

[john2710]

Unai has come in & said it's a clean slate for everyone. He wants to look at all senior players in the 3 games before the world cup. He's then got a few weeks with them before we restart & the transfer window opens.

I don't think he'll have learned anything that most of us didn't already know? But he will get it right & we need to be patient whilst he does it.

[astonvilla82]

Unai has come in & said it's a clean slate for everyone. He wants to look at all senior players in the 3 games before the world cup. He's then got a few weeks with them before we restart & the transfer window opens.

I don't think he'll have learned anything that most of us didn't already know? But he will get it right & we need to be patient whilst he does it.

we had a whole 12 months of it, he now seeing just after one game

[wince]

Cannot believe some of the posts I am reading in here.

We haven’t won a cup for 26 years mate or finished in the top half of the prem for a decade
Once we give up And accept rubbish lineups rubbish performances and rubbish players Nothing will change

It doesn’t matter whether the manager has been with us for 2 games or 200 games you should never throw in the towel, Which is effectively what happened last night

I get your point but I would rather no write him off after a couple of games. In those 26 years we have been in 4 finals (I dont count the play-offs), 2 FA cup (2000 and 2015) and 2 league cups (2010 and 2020) and as you said not finished top half for over a decade. In those years we have also in the last 10 tried to get the right manager in, using new manager bounces, tried and tested, young and hungry, any stable pair of hands, up and coming and it has had limited success with a few false dawns.

What is the alternative? Keep the merry-go-round of managers until we find one that will bring success, using the new manager bounce? Constant approaches that do not work? In that 26 years we have had 4 owners with varying levels of success. 
I am not saying we accept mediocrity at all. I just think we need to be realistic that this group of players who can give the performances ala Brentford and last Sunday are also capable of capitulation now under a third manager. One who I believe will sort this mess out.
In short, the same group of players who havent looked like ripping up the league still dont look like they will so Emery will have to work with what he has, reinforce where he needs and build a squad up that can handle being in the Europa league if and when we get there.

I just think we have to at this point in time be a little more patient and realistic, focus on getting us up that top half, get the team coached and have a damn good run at the FA cup as that is the one I want us to win. I just want us to walk before we run.

We all want the same thing at the end of the day but I do feel we are getting ahead of ourselves a little as we know this team can perform. They just arent consistent at it. I do believe that he was naive yesterday in the team selection but at least now he knows what he is working with. Martinez is frustrating as we need to get stronger and tell internationals its club over country. We pay the wages and as a keeper, he is low risk enough he could have been played but do many prem sided field their first choice keepers?

I am angry over last night but I could see it was a little heated on the boards so kept away but I dont think we need to throw the baby out with the bath water just yet. If it all goes tits up, then I will be the first to admit I was wrong. I just have a good feeling about this manager and the success he could bring.

[Risso]

We all want the same thing at the end of the day but I do feel we are getting ahead of ourselves a little as we know this team can perform. They just arent consistent at it. I do believe that he was naive yesterday in the team selection but at least now he knows what he is working with. Martinez is frustrating as we need to get stronger and tell internationals its club over country. We pay the wages and as a keeper, he is low risk enough he could have been played but do many prem sided field their first choice keepers?

Eddie Howe played Pope for Newcastle, who essentially won the penalty shoot out for them.

[PeterWithesShin]

No one has "written off" Emery. And other sides don't have someone as shit as Olsen as back up. He's now played in 3 games for us and had a car crash collapse in all of them. 3 goals conceded in 5 mins v Man City, 4 goals conceded in 23 mins v Newcastle, 4 goals conceded in 40 odd mins last night.

[ChicagoLion]

We do not have the luxury of being able to rotate the squad as the back up in
Sent good enough.
The selection threw away the momentum. I am not writing off the manager I am glad that we have him, but he picked the team and it conceded 4 goals.

[Ian.]

Amazing really how we have gone from expecting to be beaten in the cup by Wigan to expecting to beat Man Utd away from home.

I like it.

[Risso]

Amazing really how we have gone from expecting to be beaten in the cup by Wigan to expecting to beat Man Utd away from home.

I like it.

The only thing I expect is to for whoever is manager to take cup competitions seriously. No good has ever come from playing weakened teams.

[PeterWithesShin]

I expect us to have a good chance of beating the Man Utd side that started last night. Put it this way, how many of their starting 11 from last night would you want starting for us on Sunday?

[TonyD]

I agree with Risso and John e.

And me. 
There was no need at all for that line up.
If his video team looked at recent performances with that line up he would have known.
And Olsen should have been subbed within 15 mins.  He was a ticking time bomb. 
Sunday’s team would have wiped the floor with that lot again last night. 

[cannock villa]

Reading some of the comments on here, surprised no one has started an Emery Out thread