Unai Emery

[Risso]

It will take money and the desire to be something other than mid-table fodder, and the will to seize a chance when it presents itself. The desire to not settle for second best and hope for a better year next year, every year.

[Clampy]

I think it was a little optimistic to expect the club to get everyone Emery may have wanted in one transfer window. He's only a few months into a five year contract.

[Risso]

I think it was a little optimistic to expect the club to get everyone Emery may have wanted in one transfer window. He's only a few months into a five year contract.

I don't think anybody was expecting 6 new first teamers. But likewise I don't remember in years gone by anybody ever saying that actually weakening the team was a good strategy either, or that having two keepers on the bench was the way forward. Somehow, Traore has also managed to improve while being injured most of the time away on loan as well.

[WarszaVillan]

We didn't weaken the squad. We replaced Ings with Duran - hopefully an upgrade - and added a new attacking full-back. Trarore at worst doesn't weaken us. So the only 'loss' is Samson, who hardly played. More in would have been nice, but it's obvious they decided they couldn't get the players in that we need. The summer is the test to see how serious they are about challenging for the top 6.

[Risso]

We didn't weaken the squad. We replaced Ings with Duran - hopefully an upgrade - and added a new attacking full-back. Trarore at worst doesn't weaken us. So the only 'loss' is Samson, who hardly played. More in would have been nice, but it's obvious they decided they couldn't get the players in that we need. The summer is the test to see how serious they are about challenging for the top 6.

In absolutely no way on earth can Duran be considered an upgrade on Ings yet. He looks a promising young player, but for all his limitations, Ings was a goal scorer and indeed, was our top scorer at the time.  Even if we'd kept Ings, we'd have had a choice of striker to bring on, depending on the circumstances. How a squad with the bench we had against Man City can't be described as "weaker" is baffling.

[Clampy]

With regards to the weakening the squad, maybe Emery has just decided who he plans to work with long term and got rid of those who dont feature in his plans, which makes sense to me.

[Risso]

With regards to the weakening the squad, maybe Emery has just decided who he plans to work with long term and got rid of those who dont feature in his plans, which makes sense to me.

Fine. The squad is still weaker though.

[Clampy]

It's weaker for the next 16 odd games. We could have put those who he didnt see in his long term plans in some kind of bomb squad I suppose but that would have been pointless.

[Risso]

Or just kept Ings and sold him in the summer. Without the 4 points that Ings won in games under Emery, we'd be 15th, behind Leicester, Wolves and Forest.

[johnc]

Maybe we were tempted by the extra money Ings attracted in Jan window which we mightnt get for him in the summer allied with fact that Emery did not want him and Ings wanted to go. How much diffrence would be have made between now and the end of season.
I have decided to accept whatever Emery does after a year of watching Gerrard unable to find his arse with both his hands. I do believe there is a plan and it may well be the summer before we see it begin to bear fruit

[Clampy]

Or just kept Ings and sold him in the summer. Without the 4 points that Ings won in games under Emery, we'd be 15th, behind Leicester, Wolves and Forest.

Let's be honest, you hardly had a good word to say about him when he was here. You accused him of running round like an old man a few times.

I'd have kept him but like it's been suggested, he wasnt in his long term plans and it was good money for him.

[Risso]

Maybe we were tempted by the extra money Ings attracted in Jan window which we mightnt get for him in the summer allied with fact that Emery did not want him and Ings wanted to go. How much diffrence would be have made between now and the end of season.
I have decided to accept whatever Emery does after a year of watching Gerrard unable to find his arse with both his hands. I do believe there is a plan and it may well be the summer before we see it begin to bear fruit

We got £10m plus potential add ons for Ings, if that really makes that much difference to the owners then forget about ever being top half. It's impossible to tell how much difference Ings would have made had he stayed, but he'd have obviously got more goals than not having him here. And I thought one of the benefits of Emery was that he'd get the best out of players in a way that Gerrard and Smith couldn't? Not much sign of that so far, and indeed if we lose to Arsenal his points tally after ten games will be exactly the same as Gerrard's, with the added minus of buggering up both cup competitions, and the January transfer window.

[Risso]

Or just kept Ings and sold him in the summer. Without the 4 points that Ings won in games under Emery, we'd be 15th, behind Leicester, Wolves and Forest.

Let's be honest, you hardly had a good word to say about him when he was here. You accused him of running round like an old man a few times.

I've already said he had limitations, and running around like an old man was one of them, it's hardly a relevation or a view that wasn't widely shared on here. But he was a striker, an experienced player to bring on, he scored goals, and he was our top scorer. I don't think he had a long term future with us, but selling him in January was stupid and has left us with a depleted squad. That's hardly controversial.

[chrisw1]

It's weaker for the next 16 odd games. We could have put those who he didnt see in his long term plans in some kind of bomb squad I suppose but that would have been pointless.

It's weaker for half a season.

The thing is we've at the minimum put this seasons league place at risk.  If Watkins picks up a serious injury we may have even been looking at potentially sliding into a relegation fight.  It may all turn out fine - Duran looks to be settling in well and Watkins is in fine form, but even so it was still an odd decision to weaken our squad like that.  I don't for one minute believe Emery would have agreed to it without a strong expectaion that we would have got someone in in January.

I just feel that we need to kick on now.  If we had managed a positive second half of the season, maybe pushed to 6 or 7th, then I think the conversation around Martinez would be very different than if our season fizzles out and we finish 12-15th.  Same for player recruitment discussions.  I appreciate Ings was no guarantee either way, but as Risso says we would be a stronger squad with the option of at least havings him on the bench.  The few points difference that may have made could have been more valuable than some think.

[Ian.]

It did seem odd to sell, especially after letting Archer go out on loan. I was convinced we had an incoming of some experience to replace him. I do get that he would never fit into any system we will be playing, but he was a very useful substitute. Or they really do have very high hopes of Duran being that player to come on instead.

I wonder if Ings didn't fancy sitting on our bench and thought he may have more chance of starting under a manger like Moyes.