Unai Emery - our manager

[Rigadon]

Maybe the whole premier league (Chelsea aside) has been / is watching to see what happens with Man City and their apparent rule breaking, before spending eye watering amounts on players.  It wouldn't surprise me if that's the case.

[LeeB]

Maybe the whole premier league (Chelsea aside) has been / is watching to see what happens with Man City and their apparent rule breaking, before spending eye watering amounts on players.  It wouldn't surprise me if that's the case.

Meanwhile at Stamford Bridge......

[N'ZMAV]

Wonder if the Saudis at Newcastle are getting twitchy about their future approach

[Ads]

I'm not sure I reconcile our current form, ever improving use of the ball (by and large) and improved movement, leading to better results, as giving up. We're capable of top 10 and we'll give it a good go of achieving. I don't see any giving up.

[Dave]

I'm not sure I reconcile our current form, ever improving use of the ball (by and large) and improved movement, leading to better results, as giving up. We're capable of top 10 and we'll give it a good go of achieving. I don't see any giving up.

I don't think we've given up, I'd just question whether some of the work being done off the pitch is good enough. Because I agree, the work on the pitch looks like its going nicely in the right direction.

Or to put it another way, should Lange and Purslow be the ones overseeing "making things better" or is upgrading them part of "making things better"?

[Drummond]

I'm not sure I reconcile our current form, ever improving use of the ball (by and large) and improved movement, leading to better results, as giving up. We're capable of top 10 and we'll give it a good go of achieving. I don't see any giving up.

I don't think we've given up, I'd just question whether some of the work being done off the pitch is good enough. Because I agree, the work on the pitch looks like its going nicely in the right direction.

Or to put it another way, should Lange and Purslow be the ones overseeing "making things better" or is upgrading them part of "making things better"?

I don't think there anything wrong with Purslow; the one mistake (albeit a big one) was Gerrard. Other than that he's doing ok.

As for Lange, that's a tougher call. Emery was rumoured to wanting a different bloke, which may make his role a little unsettled now, does he get the summer is the question?

[Risso]

I can see a mutually convenient retirement or parting of the ways at the end of this season. He used to be front and centre of everything, now you hardly hear from him so I'd guess he's had his card marked. Purslow's probably a perfectly competent football administrator when it comes to sponsorship deals and the like, but I think you need a more modern approach these days. However, what we don't know is how much he's just carrying out the owners' wishes, such as the lack of spend this January.

[Drummond]

I could see that after the North Stand is done.

[SoccerHQ]

Real Sociedad DOF apparently someone Emery rates very highly.

They had an amazing transfer window a few years back. In a few months they picked up all of David Silva, Nacho Monreal, Merino, Isak and Odegaard on a years loan.

Perfect mix of youth and experience and they finished 6th to quality for the europa and won Copa Del Rey for first time in 30 years.

If we want to be achieving stuff like that in near future those are sort of transfer windows we need to be conducting rather than flip flopping between buying potential or players coming up to 30 as happened with previous windows.

[Footy-Vill]

Maybe the whole premier league (Chelsea aside) has been / is watching to see what happens with Man City and their apparent rule breaking, before spending eye watering amounts on players.  It wouldn't surprise me if that's the case.

Another reason and chance to why we can beat Man City on Sunday due to their off field issues will have some impact on them.

[eamonn]

I can't see Jackie Grealish struggling for sleep ahead of the match as he worries about how Der Spiegel's Footyleaks treacherously set in chain these current events at Wastelands but who knows?

[Dave]

As for Lange, that's a tougher call. Emery was rumoured to wanting a different bloke, which may make his role a little unsettled now, does he get the summer is the question?

I guess the problem (in principle) with that is that it's supposed to be the other way around. The DoF is supposed to be the continuity, providing the structure and vision so that different managers and coaches can fit in and out of as needed.

Obviously we're all happy with Emery, but I'm not sure it's wise to rebuild everything from the ground up only to find ourselves in three years bemoaning the fact that there wasn't any forward planning or continuity.

[brontebilly]

I'm not sure I reconcile our current form, ever improving use of the ball (by and large) and improved movement, leading to better results, as giving up. We're capable of top 10 and we'll give it a good go of achieving. I don't see any giving up.

I don't think we've given up, I'd just question whether some of the work being done off the pitch is good enough. Because I agree, the work on the pitch looks like its going nicely in the right direction.

Or to put it another way, should Lange and Purslow be the ones overseeing "making things better" or is upgrading them part of "making things better"?

I don't think there anything wrong with Purslow; the one mistake (albeit a big one) was Gerrard. Other than that he's doing ok.

As for Lange, that's a tougher call. Emery was rumoured to wanting a different bloke, which may make his role a little unsettled now, does he get the summer is the question?

Purslow almost certainly went on the solo run to get Ings in. Expect his fingerprints were all over the disastrous loan deals for Barkley and Drinky too. But the decision to get in Gerrard was a spectacular failure which really should have ended his time as CEO.

I think it's clear Emery has been given MON style control on football matters at the club by NSWE. I don't see how Lange (or anyone that Emery doesn't nominate) retains any credibility as an objective DOF. So we are back to that single point of failure risk again. I think both Purslow and Lange will be gone in the summer.

[OCD]

Real Sociedad DOF apparently someone Emery rates very highly.

They had an amazing transfer window a few years back. In a few months they picked up all of David Silva, Nacho Monreal, Merino, Isak and Odegaard on a years loan.

Perfect mix of youth and experience and they finished 6th to quality for the europa and won Copa Del Rey for first time in 30 years.

If we want to be achieving stuff like that in near future those are sort of transfer windows we need to be conducting rather than flip flopping between buying potential or players coming up to 30 as happened with previous windows.

If they are going to bring him in, I hope they do it quickly. He needs time to get up to speed before the summer window.

On Purslow, he's a minority shareholder so he's not someone we're going to get rid of quickly. Happy for him to be going quietly about his job and working on the commercial side.

[ChicagoLion]

Real Sociedad DOF apparently someone Emery rates very highly.

They had an amazing transfer window a few years back. In a few months they picked up all of David Silva, Nacho Monreal, Merino, Isak and Odegaard on a years loan.

Perfect mix of youth and experience and they finished 6th to quality for the europa and won Copa Del Rey for first time in 30 years.

If we want to be achieving stuff like that in near future those are sort of transfer windows we need to be conducting rather than flip flopping between buying potential or players coming up to 30 as happened with previous windows.

If they are going to bring him in, I hope they do it quickly. He needs time to get up to speed before the summer window.

On Purslow, he's a minority shareholder so he's not someone we're going to get rid of quickly. Happy for him to be going quietly about his job and working on the commercial side.

i don't think his shareholding makes the slightest difference about whether he stays or go's.