Unai Emery

[brontebilly]

I think I'm going to like Unai more than any other manager we've had apart from Saunders. Nothing won yet but in a short space of time he's shown what can be achieved with a plan and some coaching...good owners helps too. I think everyone is buying into it including the fans.
 
If we're using Saunders as the starting point for me it goes...

1.a)Saunders b)Barton
2.BFR as a manager great, as a person, not really.
3.SGT brilliant manager loses 2nd spot for taking the England Job, what could have been?
4.Sir Brian gave his all.
5.Smith, knew what was needed and carried it out successfully.
6.Gregory, got results for a while, over achieved with a swagger then really underachieved.
7.MON. All that good work he did ruined by a moment of spite.  It cost us dearly.
8.Sherwood, should be erased from my memory but that FA cup semi was unforgettable.
9.Bruce. Nice bloke but largely dire football.
10.McLeish, tried his best out of his depth.

These could be in any order.
11. D O'L, thought he was too good for us.
12. Gerrard, thought he was too good for us.
13. Lambert, just awful.
14. Di Mateo, daft experiment.
15. Garde, dafter experiment.
16. Venglos, an experiment.
 

Houllier was dreadful possibly the worst. DOL finished badly but improved SGT2 shocking team. Doesn't belong in the disaster class crew (10+) for me, SGT2 definitely does.

Is Gregory a bit overrated I wonder? He arguably left the club in a worse state than MON in terms of over the hill players on big contracts. Some of his signings like Steve Stone were just so lazy for little value so don't think Ellis can be fully blamed for the clubs decline during that time. Especially if there is any truth in the often told story about declining to sign Robbie Keane from Coventry at the time.

BFR is overrated on here for me. The title chasing team declined far too quickly under his tenure that the LC win glossed over. Little had to sort out a right mess.

Emery has had a great start, I like the evidence so far that he has improved existing players rather than required a blank chequebook to get going. Letting Ings go was ballsy, can't imagine many of the names above would have allowed that transfer without a confirmed replacement. Really looking forward to see how he integrates the likes of Archer/Iroegbunam/A Ramsey into the squad next summer too.

Unfortunately given we are competing with clubs backed by nation states, it's a lot more difficult now to achieve consistent European football than it was back in BFR/BL/MONs time.

[LeeB]

I think I'm going to like Unai more than any other manager we've had apart from Saunders. Nothing won yet but in a short space of time he's shown what can be achieved with a plan and some coaching...good owners helps too. I think everyone is buying into it including the fans.
 
If we're using Saunders as the starting point for me it goes...

1.a)Saunders b)Barton
2.BFR as a manager great, as a person, not really.
3.SGT brilliant manager loses 2nd spot for taking the England Job, what could have been?
4.Sir Brian gave his all.
5.Smith, knew what was needed and carried it out successfully.
6.Gregory, got results for a while, over achieved with a swagger then really underachieved.
7.MON. All that good work he did ruined by a moment of spite.  It cost us dearly.
8.Sherwood, should be erased from my memory but that FA cup semi was unforgettable.
9.Bruce. Nice bloke but largely dire football.
10.McLeish, tried his best out of his depth.

These could be in any order.
11. D O'L, thought he was too good for us.
12. Gerrard, thought he was too good for us.
13. Lambert, just awful.
14. Di Mateo, daft experiment.
15. Garde, dafter experiment.
16. Venglos, an experiment.
 

Houllier was dreadful possibly the worst. DOL finished badly but improved SGT2 shocking team. Doesn't belong in the disaster class crew (10+) for me, SGT2 definitely does.

Is Gregory a bit overrated I wonder? He arguably left the club in a worse state than MON in terms of over the hill players on big contracts. Some of his signings like Steve Stone were just so lazy for little value so don't think Ellis can be fully blamed for the clubs decline during that time. Especially if there is any truth in the often told story about declining to sign Robbie Keane from Coventry at the time.

BFR is overrated on here for me. The title chasing team declined far too quickly under his tenure that the LC win glossed over. Little had to sort out a right mess.

Emery has had a great start, I like the evidence so far that he has improved existing players rather than required a blank chequebook to get going. Letting Ings go was ballsy, can't imagine many of the names above would have allowed that transfer without a confirmed replacement. Really looking forward to see how he integrates the likes of Archer/Iroegbunam/A Ramsey into the squad next summer too.

Unfortunately given we are competing with clubs backed by nation states, it's a lot more difficult now to achieve consistent European football than it was back in BFR/BL/MONs time.

Whilst we've covered the unpleasant side of BFR, I think that sentence contradicts itself somewhat given that in those 3 and a bit years we had one of only two title challenges and one of only two trophies we've won in 40 years, plus the football played during 92-93 was as good as anything I've seen at Villa Park

[PeterWithesShin]

I'm in the BFR was overrated camp. We had 92/93 and we played some fantastic stuff at times and scored some great goals, but our goalscoring record was pretty shit under him.More a case of style over substance. Our 3 full seasons under him.

7th. 48 goals in 42 games, joint 14th in goals scored
2nd. 57 goals in 42 games, joint 8th in goals scored
10th. 46 goals in 42 games, 16th in goals scored. Even Swindon with their 5 wins scored more than us.

[rob_bridge]

I'm in the BFR was overrated camp. We had 92/93 and we played some fantastic stuff at times and scored some great goals, but our goalscoring record was pretty shit under him.More a case of style over substance. Our 3 full seasons under him.

7th. 48 goals in 42 games, joint 14th in goals scored
2nd. 57 goals in 42 games, joint 8th in goals scored
10th. 46 goals in 42 games, 16th in goals scored. Even Swindon with their 5 wins scored more than us.

Just seemed the 92/93 was so exciting - but you are right the goals weren't great and failing to score at home v Spurs and Coventry cost us dearly despite dominating the matches. Even scrappy 1.0 wins would have give us a buffer over ManU.

BFR though also had Tranmere SF, League Cup final win and Inter Milan and they are 3 of the best days for many Villa fans especially those too young to appreciate title winners.

[GordonCowansisthegreatest]

I'm not suggesting that anyone is lying. I am saying that circumstances may have been different then and he did what he thought was right.

From personal/professional experience You'll find that paedophiles are some of the most devious and manipulative people you will ever meet!

[clash city rocker]

To summarise then...for years we have had too many managers who never really delivered. Hope Unai does as I think he's not just a decent bloke but a true professional.  Blimey apparently he spends hours at the training ground . Perhaps former  managers  didn't get that if they don't do the long miles at the training ground then they aren't going to get the results come a Saturday. I wish him all the very best of luck not only to make us successful but because I think he's a genuine person.

[pauliewalnuts]

The biggest indictment of our previous managers is to ask yourselves how many of them left here to go to a better job.

One in my lifetime (54 years), I reckon.

[Lucky Eddie]

MON can't be judged aside from you 'one moment of spite'; the c unt squandered millions.

[Rigadon]

The biggest indictment of our previous managers is to ask yourselves how many of them left here to go to a better job.

One in my lifetime (54 years), I reckon.

Yes indeed.  And even a job a similar level / at all.  We really have taken some daft managerial decisions over the years, but that stats also tells you that we have employed managers who couldn't have hoped for a bigger job.  Only Emery (and maybe O Neill) in recent years would've had a realistic shout at a job at a higher profile club.

Emery feels like being the exact right choice for the Villa.  Just need the club to go and back him with transfers and we can dream big.

[paul_e]

I look at it the other way round, I couldn't give a fuck where a manager goes once they leave us but I do care deeply about whether the squad they leave behind is better than the one they inherited. I know that's not entirely on them because some managers were operating under very different financial circumstances but even if you take that into account it's clear that some managers (MoN, Bruce) have left a fucking mess to fixed by the next guy, and that plays a big part in me marking them down.

Lerner made a big deal about the custodian thing (and he was right even if he didn't live up to the standards he set for himself) but I think that applies just as much to managers.

[pablo_picasso]

I look at it the other way round, I couldn't give a fuck where a manager goes once they leave us but I do care deeply about whether the squad they leave behind is better than the one they inherited. I know that's not entirely on them because some managers were operating under very different financial circumstances but even if you take that into account it's clear that some managers (MoN, Bruce) have left a fucking mess to fixed by the next guy, and that plays a big part in me marking them down.

Lerner made a big deal about the custodian thing (and he was right even if he didn't live up to the standards he set for himself) but I think that applies just as much to managers.

And some managers earn their next job on fabricating their reputation by leaving a shit-show & getting their mates in the media to say "hey, look at what a great job 'manager x' did before 'manager z'."

O'Neill & Bruce were kings of that tactic...

If they worked as hard at their actual jobs as they did at fabricating their reputations, they might not have needed to fabricate their reputations.

And yes, I understand that O'Neill got us 3 top 6 spots & a League Cup final, but he also spent untold millions on players, swapped Gary Cahil for Zatiyah Knight & purposely made the signings of Steven Sidwell, Emile Heskey & Habib fucking Beye...

Plus he is a twat.

[hilts_coolerking]

And yes, I understand that O'Neill got us 3 top 6 spots & a League Cup final, but he also spent untold millions on players, swapped Gary Cahil for Zatiyah Knight & purposely made the signings of Steven Sidwell, Emile Heskey & Habib fucking Beye...

That's a bit #RootMaths.  If you take away the things he achieved with us, he didn't achieve anything with us.

[john e]

my picks were not done on stats, trophies, winning percentages but just on how I felt when watching their teams play

Saunders,Taylor,BFR,MON,Smith those were the teams that gave me the most pleasure when they played, I loved watching them
obviously it didn’t last for most of them but that’s what I remember and that’s what it’s all about for me

Obviously I still want to win stuff but you only do that when you’re playing good stuff anyway,
big hopes for the guy we got now

[brontebilly]

MON can't be judged aside from you 'one moment of spite'; the c unt squandered millions.

For sure but Lerner should never have given him that level of autonomy in the first place. We blamed MON for years afterwards but it was still a very strong PL squad he left behind, in European football too. Given he had been making noises about leaving from the previous April a competent board should have had a decent contingency plan in place. Instead we ended up with that clown McDonald initially, who should have been nowhere near the club, and later the disastrous Houllier experiment.

Lerner ended up giving Houllier more than 30m to spend that January anyway on Bent and Makoun. For every Beye, Heskey or a Sidwell, there was still the likes of Young, Carew, Milner and Downing. The development of Gabby from an average enough young player to a very good PL forward. Also a very solid PL team for the duration of his time. The game moved on and left MON behind subsequently anyway but I think the end clouds a reasonable appraisal of his time at Villa Park.

[rob_bridge]

MON can't be judged aside from you 'one moment of spite'; the c unt squandered millions.

For sure but Lerner should never have given him that level of autonomy in the first place. We blamed MON for years afterwards but it was still a very strong PL squad he left behind, in European football too. Given he had been making noises about leaving from the previous April a competent board should have had a decent contingency plan in place. Instead we ended up with that clown McDonald initially, who should have been nowhere near the club, and later the disastrous Houllier experiment.

Lerner ended up giving Houllier more than 30m to spend that January anyway on Bent and Makoun. For every Beye, Heskey or a Sidwell, there was still the likes of Young, Carew, Milner and Downing. The development of Gabby from an average enough young player to a very good PL forward. Also a very solid PL team for the duration of his time. The game moved on and left MON behind subsequently anyway but I think the end clouds a reasonable appraisal of his time at Villa Park.

We were forking out CL wages to get into and then not bother with Europa League.

Liverpool came knocking for Luke young and he was on 60k p/w and they were only going to offer him 40k so we were stuck with him.
He, Sidwell, Shorey, Davies, Knight, Warnock. Beye, Heskey - a lot of dosh on wages for non delivery