Unai Emery

[Chris Smith]

The owners are fully invested in the manager and have pretty much given him everything he has asked for, the only restrictions have been around spending limits that they cannot control. He in turn has delivered Champions League football with a great chance to qualify for the knock out stages for the first time in 40 years. The notion that they might be considering ripping it all up at the first sign of trouble is fanciful. If I remember rightly Newcastle’s league form dipped when they played in it.

[Drummond]

Oh ok.

We were utter dross under Gerrard, and from 17th 2 years ago, Emery turned it around and we qualified for Europe.

Well now we're utter dross under Emery. For Fulham two years ago, see Chelsea yesterday. He hasn't got a team who'd decided they didn't want to play for Gerrard any more, this run is of Emery's own making.

What's your point? Are you seriously equating our situation under Gerrard with Emery now?b(because that's what you're implying).

[LeeB]

The owners are fully invested in the manager and have pretty much given him everything he has asked for, the only restrictions have been around spending limits that they cannot control. He in turn has delivered Champions League football with a great chance to qualify for the knock out stages for the first time in 40 years. The notion that they might be considering ripping it all up at the first sign of trouble is fanciful. If I remember rightly Newcastle’s league form dipped when they played in it.

And they have a manager with nothing like the body of work behind him that Unai has.

[Duncan Shaw]

Oh ok.

We were utter dross under Gerrard, and from 17th 2 years ago, Emery turned it around and we qualified for Europe.

Well now we're utter dross under Emery. For Fulham two years ago, see Chelsea yesterday. He hasn't got a team who'd decided they didn't want to play for Gerrard any more, this run is of Emery's own making.

Yesterday was nothing like Fulham away under Gerrard.  Yes, we were poor, but that night at Fulham was far, far worse.

[Monty]

Given that one of the (many, sure) reasons the players didn't want to play for Gerrard was his total tactical and strategic absence, I think that comparison doesn't quite work.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It's telling that a couple of managers have come out and basically said that they knew what to do to counter us.

I can't remember who it was but in the second half of last season a team had the cheek to press us all over the pitch, especially deep with our centre backs from a goal kick. It worked and errors were made. Since then it's taken other club managers time to see how frail we are passing the ball around the back line but it's a formula that works and now is widely adopted. I don't mind us playing it from the back so slowly but it would be great if we had alternatives.

I think it was Liverpool that first exposed our high defensive line and played it over the top, others have followed with success. We had the PL record for winning offside calls so it certainly worked but again teams have found a way to beat it and punish us.

The other thing I've noticed this season is how weak our own press is, instead of chasing and putting opposition players under threat, we casually run but not chase, basically just going through the motions. Even Watkins who was great at putting keepers under pressure now runs but with no real purpose.

We could discuss forever individual players and their faults from SJM's arse trick no longer working to Watkins inability to finish a sandwich never mind the chances he gets every game. Last season our midfield was our strength, even second half with Dougie not in great form, we were a force. This season I expected it would take a few weeks or at worst a couple of months to settle the side but rather than play to players strengths they get moved position on a weekly basis. McGinn has played all over the park, yesterday we saw Kamara playing more box to box than sitting in front of the defence.

[Risso]

Oh ok.

We were utter dross under Gerrard, and from 17th 2 years ago, Emery turned it around and we qualified for Europe.

Well now we're utter dross under Emery. For Fulham two years ago, see Chelsea yesterday. He hasn't got a team who'd decided they didn't want to play for Gerrard any more, this run is of Emery's own making.

Yesterday was nothing like Fulham away under Gerrard.  Yes, we were poor, but that night at Fulham was far, far worse.

It was a horrible night back then, but the performances were very similar. Both utterly hopeless with no redeeming features, whatsoever.

[Monty]

It's telling that a couple of managers have come out and basically said that they knew what to do to counter us.

Been trying to find this but no dice and am too lazy to dig any further, who's said what?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It's telling that a couple of managers have come out and basically said that they knew what to do to counter us.

Been trying to find this but no dice and am too lazy to dig any further, who's said what?

Slob at Liverpool most recently was massively disrespecting us.

[RamboandBruno]

Oh ok.

We were utter dross under Gerrard, and from 17th 2 years ago, Emery turned it around and we qualified for Europe.

Well now we're utter dross under Emery. For Fulham two years ago, see Chelsea yesterday. He hasn't got a team who'd decided they didn't want to play for Gerrard any more, this run is of Emery's own making.

I honestly don’t understand this. Fulham was the culmination of two years of largely utter shite and turmoil, with the odd very rare bright spots, where a bit of magic did indeed take place (the 3-0 at Leeds).
Yesterday was the culmination of a really shit 4 or 5 weeks (a draw with Juventus and their best defence in Europe aside, lets not focus on that too positive), after largely 2 years of the best football and league success we’ve had in nearly 30 years.
Im sure you’ll mention ropey form after xmas, doesnt matter he got us over the line to fourth and what was going on then is not that relevant to now. Some players gone, some come in, new injuries, some players slowly coming back, loss of form, challenges of the champions etc etc.

Everyone has the right to be pissed off, but i can’t really fathom the rapid escalation of pissedoffness and lack of patience with Emery.

[TonyD]

Weirdly we our winless streak has since Kamara came back.   
What does that say?

[Monty]

It's telling that a couple of managers have come out and basically said that they knew what to do to counter us.

Been trying to find this but no dice and am too lazy to dig any further, who's said what?

Slob at Liverpool most recently was massively disrespecting us.

What did he say? Far as I can tell he's disrespectful about pretty much everyone (Standard Issue Dutch Man).

[kippaxvilla2]

That we are easy to set up against as Emery always plays the same way.  Glasner then said that our style of play suits them - which was correct.

[pauliewalnuts]

It's telling that a couple of managers have come out and basically said that they knew what to do to counter us.

Been trying to find this but no dice and am too lazy to dig any further, who's said what?

Slob at Liverpool most recently was massively disrespecting us.

What did he say? Far as I can tell he's disrespectful about pretty much everyone (Standard Issue Dutch Man).

"You guysh are eashy to beat, eshpeshially from the cornershh - your cornershh. Anyone for poppersh and fishting?"

[Monty]

That we are easy to set up against as Emery always plays the same way.  Glasner then said that our style of play suits them - which was correct.

Boh, I guess that's our problem - beforehand people knew what we were going to do but couldn't work out a way to stop it, and now they have. I'm sure as we speak Emery is in a bunker with about 20 screens showing various bits of bad play over and over again. Hopefully he'll come up with a counter-answer.