Unai Emery

[DB]

We're on holiday nearby (Bilbao) so went to take a look at Unai's pretty hometown Hondarribia and the Real Unión stadium today.
We thought the latter would be shut as it was late afternoon and their season doesn't start for 3 weeks, but they let us in and rang up Unai's brother Igor who's the club president and he insisted on coming down to the stadium (he lives nearby) to give us a tour, including their four Spanish Cups and pics of their grandad who kept goal for the last two, in the late 1920s. Top bloke, lovely staff + great little stadium, well worth a visit if you're in the area (Irun, near San Sebastian and the French border).
Igor's been over to VP a fair bit and said the team came and trained at Bodymoor last summer while our lot were touring the States. He'd been doing the paperwork today to bring over our U21 defender Thierry Katsukunya for Sept.
He said Unai is 'very very happy' at Villa, but always wants 'more more more'!  Couldn't resist picking up their Villa-inspired second shirt (home kit looks like Newcastle) and of their class black scarves with the Basque colours.

Superb, good to read a nice positive post

[djbone]

Ha, I missed a trick there - a fortnightly residency blasting bangers at bemused booing Spanish lower league football fans could've been mine

It was class MV.
Not sure some of their fans are as keen on their corporate overlords mind, given they got relegated to the Spanish fourth division last season.
The club (somewhat embarrassingly) tweeted /Insta'd a pic of our visit after and there's some choice comments from locals

Blimey Lee, that’s a cracking afternoon trip. I was in Bilbao and San Sebastien about 3 years ago and loved them both.

Did you offer to DJ for them?!

[DB]

That Dan Bardell chap has gone all Evening Mail on X, could Emery LEAVE?!!!

[Exeter 77]

That Dan Bardell chap has gone all Evening Mail on X, could Emery LEAVE?!!!

TalkSport indoctrination presumably.

[VILLA MOLE]

That Dan Bardell chap has gone all Evening Mail on X, could Emery LEAVE?!!!

TalkSport indoctrination presumably.

yes got his feet under the table at Talksport  hasnt he ?  But Unai could leave but so could every other manager

[aj2k77]

Could Emery DIE!!??

[Somniloquism]

That Dan Bardell chap has gone all Evening Mail on X, could Emery LEAVE?!!!

I haven't seen the Bardell scribblings, but if it was Meaning Evil-like, he would have been telling us why we are lucky to have Unai, why we don't deserve him and why he would be a perfect fit at 5 other english clubs instead.