Unai Emery - our manager

[Astnor]

Only 2 players that started last night were signed under Emery. Which shows how good he is and is also a good sign of our overall transfer policy under the new owners.

Emery - Torres, Tielemans
Smith - Emi, Konsa, Watkins, Luiz, Bailey
Gerrard - Digne, Carlos, Kamara
Bruce - McGinn

I was thinking the same. The injuried Mings and Buendia in instead of Torres and Tielemans and you can also make a case about Smith and Lange didnt do badly in recruitment as they then recruited all?

[paul_e]

Only 2 players that started last night were signed under Emery. Which shows how good he is and is also a good sign of our overall transfer policy under the new owners.

Emery - Torres, Tielemans
Smith - Emi, Konsa, Watkins, Luiz, Bailey
Gerrard - Digne, Carlos, Kamara
Bruce - McGinn

Pretty conclusive proof that Smith lost his way and Gerrard was just shit. All along I thought we had a top-half squad and it was just waiting for someone to work out how to get the best out of it.

[dave shelley]

Only 2 players that started last night were signed under Emery. Which shows how good he is and is also a good sign of our overall transfer policy under the new owners.

Emery - Torres, Tielemans
Smith - Emi, Konsa, Watkins, Luiz, Bailey
Gerrard - Digne, Carlos, Kamara
Bruce - McGinn

Pretty conclusive proof that Smith lost his way and Gerrard was just shit. All along I thought we had a top-half squad and it was just waiting for someone to work out how to get the best out of it.

Gerard's legacy is those players he signed.  The fact that he hadn't a clue is irrelevant, thankfully his successor has.

[OCD]

I think Johan Lange probably deserves more praise than Gerrard does.

[dave shelley]

I think Johan Lange probably deserves more praise than Gerrard does.

Oh I agree, but players signed are always the current managers signings, no one gives a shit or pays much attention to who did all the background work.  I'll bet Steve Bruce knew fuck all about John McGinn but McGinn will always be a Steve Bruce signing. 

I think in fairness, Gerrard deserves some small credit in persuading Kamara to sign for Villa.  Wasn't he part of a delegation that visited the player at his home?  For that alone Gerrard deserves a small bit of our thanks.

[chrisw1]

We simply have to win something this season.

It would be nice but we don't have to.  If we finish in the top 4 it will be a massive step along the way to becoming a club that is capable of challenging on all fronts.  A club capable of retaining our best players and attracting elite additions to the squad.  That's when trophies, hopefully multiple trophies, will follow.  (Unless you're Spurs) 

[LeeB]

I'll settle for the FA Cup, Europa Conf and a top 4 finish this season, no need to be greedy.

[Brend'Watkins]

The one and only thing we can thank Gerrard for is being a woeful manager. His woefulness has paved the way for Emery.

[OCD]

And thank god Pochettino turned us down.

[Monty]

And thank god Pochettino turned us down.

Looking at the two of them, it seems to me obvious which one still has the hunger.

[Risso]

I think Johan Lange probably deserves more praise than Gerrard does.

Oh I agree, but players signed are always the current managers signings, no one gives a shit or pays much attention to who did all the background work.  I'll bet Steve Bruce knew fuck all about John McGinn but McGinn will always be a Steve Bruce signing. 

I think in fairness, Gerrard deserves some small credit in persuading Kamara to sign for Villa.  Wasn't he part of a delegation that visited the player at his home?  For that alone Gerrard deserves a small bit of our thanks.

I think it's pretty easy to see to when it's a manager signing, and when it's a DOF job. Watkins and Konsa would have been down to Smith because of his Brentford days, and he's on record as saying that Luiz was offered to him by Pitarch. Danny Ings was almost certainly a Lange/Purslow emergency signing to distract the fans after the sale of Grealish. Kamara was definitely a Gerrard signing, as Bouba said this when he joined "When the coach comes to see you at home, when he makes the trip, when he explains the project, his ambition for me in the years to come, I take this into account. Especially when it comes from Steven Gerrard, one of the best midfielders in the world in his position. It leaned in my decision. I can’t wait to join him to work."

I thought it was an odd decision at the time, but selling Ings is one of the best decisions Emery has made. Trying to fit him in played a big part in the downfall of both Emery's predecessors I think. He's not a bad player and was a decent goal scorer, but added nothing else because his legs had almost totally gone.


I'm looking forward to seeing the sorts of players Monchi and Emery are looking at currently.

[PeterWithesShin]

Emery and the club took a battering on here for selling Ings. He's scored in 1 of the 26 league games he's played for West Ham.

[Risso]

Emery and the club took a battering on here for selling Ings. He's scored in 1 of the 26 league games he's played for West Ham.

At the time he was our top scorer, and nobody knew quite the effect Emery was going to have on Watkins.

[LeeB]

Emery and the club took a battering on here for selling Ings. He's scored in 1 of the 26 league games he's played for West Ham.

At the time he was our top scorer, and nobody knew quite the effect Emery was going to have on Watkins.

I did, I said it on here right at the start he'd love Watkins and have him firing.

[Toronto Villa]

I'll settle for the FA Cup, Europa Conf and a top 4 finish this season, no need to be greedy.

I’m a little disappointed in you Lee that you’ve folded like this. Title minimum and if Emery is the man we think he is we will win the European Cup too. Fuck this Conference bollocks.