Unai Emery

[VillaTim]

If he's still relying on Smith and Gerrard players, then maybe do a lot better in the transfer market. Moreno and Diaby were bought and sold again within a season, Maatsen was a hugely expensive luxury when we had far more pressing areas to fill, we overspent on Onana and the least said about the decision to bring Philogene back, the better.

*applauds* *clutches chest* *applauds*

[Demitri_C]

If he's still relying on Smith and Gerrard players, then maybe do a lot better in the transfer market. Moreno and Diaby were bought and sold again within a season, Maatsen was a hugely expensive luxury when we had far more pressing areas to fill, we overspent on Onana and the least said about the decision to bring Philogene back, the better.

Some great points there. Sums up alot the errors made in the summer

[Beard82]

We made a profit on Diaby.  Last summers busines was to cemment us in the top 7 - which we did in style. 

Pretty certain all of our business this summer was driven by FFP - some were probably more considered than others (i.e. Onana and Mattasan  v say Dobbins).   Hes not really been able to sign many players - but Torres and Rogers at there best are both amazing players. 

No one likes where we are - but if its Unai's fault - its only for showing us whats possible.

[Monty]

Worth pointing out that some of our worst underperformers at the minute include Konsa, Cash, Bailey, Watkins, McGinn, Buendia (though that's a bit harsh given the injury) while up until recently the revelations of the year had been Rogers and Duran.

[VillaTim]

revelations or flash in the pans

[PaulWinch again]

revelations or flash in the pans

Well you never know, but if you assume they’re “flash in the pans” at this stage of their career it’s probably pretty miserable watching.

[Monty]

revelations or flash in the pans

Good form = illusion; bad form = the truth. Genuinely, CBT might be helpful.

[Sexual Ealing]

revelations or flash in the pans

If you thought Moses was a miserable twat, you should've met his neighbour, Injured Cooper. "Parting of the Red Sea, or increasing insurance premiums in and around the Djibouti area due to excess flooding?"

[SoccerHQ]

I’d be super wary about being happy to see Unai go. He has raised us way above anything we’ve been for a long time - he’s going through a rough patch, but there’s every chance that if he leaves we’ll regress.

Nobody would be happy about seeing him go. But you said he needs to turn it round quickly. How quickly exactly? One, three, seven games? How many? And what if he doesn't?

I don’t know a number, but I’ve seen enough in his time at the club to say he deserves plenty of latitude to work it out.

The Emery Out thread is edging closer. I can feel it.

We will win games again soon I'm sure of it. Probably not in a convincing manner and it won't magically sort all of our problems but at least we'll be back in the top half and probably not too many points off 5th so it remains a salvageable season.

I struggle to believe he'll go on a winless run than some of the ones Lambert, Bruce and Gerrard inflicted on us. DS also had some poor runs in his time.

If you just isolate it to the league we're winless in five. And three of them have been away to Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea.

[SoccerHQ]

Worth pointing out that some of our worst underperformers at the minute include Konsa, Cash, Bailey, Watkins, McGinn, Buendia (though that's a bit harsh given the injury) while up until recently the revelations of the year had been Rogers and Duran.

I actually think next summer might be an ideal time to reshape the squad a bit.

Feels like some of the squad have hit their peak with us and the early CL nights this season were a bit of a last hurrah.

Buendia will go in the summer, so will Cash probably, we'll see how many minutes Mings gets but he dosen't just want to warming the bench having worked so hard to get back from injury. Digne with just one year left on his deal and SJM is going through one of those periods where he's having minimal impact in games.

We will still have the Duran conundrum aswell. One of the best young CFs in World Football still struggling to get prem starts.

We've had five brilliant seasons out of Ollie and he's coming up to 30 now so you wonder on that aswell, West Ham would kill to have a Watkins upfront and they'd offer us 40m + no problem given they signed that German guy for 30m and he's hardly played so far.

Sometimes you just get to a point where a squad becomes predictable and stale and there's only so much a coach can do. And it's the rare case where sacking the coach impacts more on the club than letting 3-4 regulars go at the same time.

Some big calls in the next six months which will dwarf the shock of Luiz going I reckon.

[LeonW]

People with an axe to grind are picking and choosing what suits and ignoring what doesn’t which is ok but only if people can be honest about the good and the bad rather than putting their hands over their ears.

The facts are that in no time whatsoever, Emery delivered European football for the first time in over a decade at this club and in the space of a year and a half, champions league football, beating the likes of Bayern Munich and a European semi final for the first time in 40 years. Plus a club record winning run at home, all against a financial backdrop heavily loaded in the favour of a few, deliberately designed to stop clubs on the rise like us from breaking through. And with alot of style and panache at that.

Some of the discussion on Emery here is quite frankly, laughable and embarrassing. He has one bad run in two years -having taken over from an absolute clown- and the knives are out. Wow. But hey, feel free to pick and choose whatever stats you like to prove your point in you’re in that camp. Just remember when you’re doing so what he has actually achieved and try and negate that with calendar years and other twaddle.

[Drummond]

We struggle when teams have pace and press us high up the pitch.

We don't play out as well as we did, because teams have found ways to get at us.

Last season, we tried different things, against Newcastle as an example, we went long to McGinn (v Dan Burn) and beat it. We're not doing it now. Chelsea and Spurs took risks and it paid off. Last season we finished then off because things went for us, Watkins couldn't miss and this season he's marginally off.

And we haven't got Bailey, or Diaby, showing pace and stretching teams. It's vital we get pace into the side, and players prepared to really have a go and run at the opposition. Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal do, Spurs also. Man City, like us, less so.

Plus we need to get our swagger back.

[Drummond]

In addition, I'd just like to say that last season we conceded 1.61 goals per game. This season it's 1.69.

We scored 2 per game last and are at 1.46 this.

It's our forward play that's significantly worse, because those Watkins chances just aren't going in like they were, and Bailey's output is just not there either.

The best teams have a full front line, and replacements, that scare defenders. Rogers, Ramsey, Watkins and Bailey offer that when their confidence is up and they are in form. Duran scores the odd worldie but offers not much more, Philogene hasn't shown he can produce yet either, so we look toothless in our forward positions.

[Rory]

If he's still relying on Smith and Gerrard players, then maybe do a lot better in the transfer market. Moreno and Diaby were bought and sold again within a season, Maatsen was a hugely expensive luxury when we had far more pressing areas to fill, we overspent on Onana and the least said about the decision to bring Philogene back, the better.

*applauds* *clutches chest* *applauds*

Why would you clutch your chest and applaud at something negative?

I agree with Risso on some things and disagree on others - I share the sentiment that a good team doesn't ship two goals every fucking game, for example - but he never celebrates our failings. Reading through, it looks to me like you are less intetested in agreeing with Risso and more interested in winding up SE with that comment.

I know he has a reputation; maybe he seduced your wife or something. Focus that on him, because with all due respect, nobody cares if your pessimism is temporarily vindicated during our worst run under Emery.

To twist a famous analogy, nobody is impressed that a man who proclaims it 12 o'clock every minute is correct twice a day.

[edgysatsuma89]

If he's still relying on Smith and Gerrard players, then maybe do a lot better in the transfer market. Moreno and Diaby were bought and sold again within a season, Maatsen was a hugely expensive luxury when we had far more pressing areas to fill, we overspent on Onana and the least said about the decision to bring Philogene back, the better.

*applauds* *clutches chest* *applauds*

Why would you clutch your chest and applaud at something negative?

I agree with Risso on some things and disagree on others - I share the sentiment that a good team doesn't ship two goals every fucking game, for example - but he never celebrates our failings. Reading through, it looks to me like you are less intetested in agreeing with Risso and more interested in winding up SE with that comment.

Yeah but he copied SE and that's hilarious. I think. Oh wait...