Unai Emery

[TheToffnar]

It's exhausting at the moment. The frustration is understandable and no manager should be from from criticism, but we're starting to sound more and more like manure fans then anything else.

I take solace in the fact that most of the ones I've actually met in person look as though they barely know how to put shoes on.

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

I don't think people are sounding that bad on here, just musing whether he can turn it around or not. Apart from our resident bluenose, he's the only one I have seen actually call for his head.

[kippaxvilla2]

I don’t know anyone who genuinely wants him sacked.  But that’s different to wanting him to do far better than he is at the moment whatever the reasons. 

[Clampy]

Sadly, some fans have very short memories and a lack of patience.

At least you are consistent.
I think you have backed every single manager on here right up until the day they get fired.

I think you'll find I haven't and I what I've just posted is hardly controversial and in some cases true.

[Ads]

Im not trying to sound like an Unai evangelist, but he took a team possibly going to be mired in a relegation battle, and with the addition of Moreno got us to 7th and European football for the first time in eons. He then with the addition of Torres and Diaby got us to 4th and the champions league in whatever guise for the first time since 1983. He then after losing Luiz and Diaby and then Duran, with some good January loans, got us over early winter struggles to 6th and a Italian giants fingertips away from taking the best team in Europe to extra time in the champions league QFs.

And so after 5 games, 2 defeats, 3 draws, there are some musings over who could replace him or him being gone if we are still struggling in 3 games time. Seriously???

No one is untouchable, but honestly we could have a shit lower mid table season and only at the end would I think he’s done all he can.

Indeed. Have the whinge, pour over tactics, suggest X should play in Y position. But while the lack of threat has been a concern (and it improved a lot last night on that low base) if any manager deserves the blindest of faith, its Emery.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

We haven't played really well since beating PSG. We managed to get wins over the line until Old Trafford but it was generally a slog, making hard work of games we should have controlled far better and using up far less energy. What I'm disappointed to see is we don't have a settled style of play, I would have thought one the the advantages of keeping the majority of the team together is they all know each other.

To his credit he's tightened up the defence, five goals conceded but two of those were worldies. If that was to play out through the season that would be a total of 38 goals conceded. Admittedly apart from Newcastle we haven't really played anybody from the top end of the league but I'll take anything right now.

The midfield and the complete lack of ball carriers is where we're struggling and failing to open up space. As that Clery video pointed out, we seem terrified of losing the ball and nobody seems prepared to take on a player. Nobody. Looking at the team right now only McGinn and more importantly Rogers are the only two that you'd expect to deliver. Rogers' form is a massive concern, he finished the season poorly and now seems even worse. Losing Ramsey hasn't helped but we managed to attack with the ball without him often enough last season.

Watkins and Malen can run around all day but if they're not being fed decent balls they have little to no chance. Neither can play with their back to goal. If the midfield are failing to deliver we need the full backs to get balls into the box. Then pictures of Matty Cash come to mind, every pass square or backwards, it's then I struggle to see how we get out of this mess. Still no  settled style of play under Unai, not playing to our strikers strengths, no ball carriers and despite a good squad of players we seem to have overloaded certain positions, rather than buying players in positions that need upgrading.

Can Unai turn it around? I bloody hope so but right now I get the feeling he's as confused as the rest of us.

[olaftab]

I think we will have the sort of season Newcastle had after their last Champions League season.

[N'ZMAV]

Sadly, some fans have very short memories and a lack of patience.

or they've seen so many fuck-ups that they can spot one incoming.

[N'ZMAV]

Im not trying to sound like an Unai evangelist, but he took a team possibly going to be mired in a relegation battle, and with the addition of Moreno got us to 7th and European football for the first time in eons. He then with the addition of Torres and Diaby got us to 4th and the champions league in whatever guise for the first time since 1983. He then after losing Luiz and Diaby and then Duran, with some good January loans, got us over early winter struggles to 6th and a Italian giants fingertips away from taking the best team in Europe to extra time in the champions league QFs.

And so after 5 games, 2 defeats, 3 draws, there are some musings over who could replace him or him being gone if we are still struggling in 3 games time. Seriously???

No one is untouchable, but honestly we could have a shit lower mid table season and only at the end would I think he’s done all he can.

Indeed. Have the whinge, pour over tactics, suggest X should play in Y position. But while the lack of threat has been a concern (and it improved a lot last night on that low base) if any manager deserves the blindest of faith, its Emery.

and he'll get it

[algy]

I don't think there's any Villa supporters going down the "Emery out" route.  But I also think that's it's not unreasonable to be mildly concerned by our curent form, or to ask at what point does that form become a problem.

Right now, there's a lot of factors which could be contributing to it (disrupted pre-season, transfer uncertainty, hangover from the end of last season, ...). But you have to draw a line somewhere and say that actually, for whatever reason this isn't working out.  And my guess is that for NSWE (not me), that point is probably at the 3-6 months of poor form.  Unai's probably up the latter end of that scale, but it's not going to be endless patience if we're still in or around the relegation places in January.

[TheToffnar]

I don't think people are sounding that bad on here, just musing whether he can turn it around or not. Apart from our resident bluenose, he's the only one I have seen actually call for his head.

It's always fairly reasonable on here, I was speaking more of the Reddit crowd and a few casuals at work.

[Pete3206]

As shit as it is at the moment, we currently have the best manager that we could possibly get.

[Paul.S]

I’m far away from questioning Emery, to me he’s unquestionably a world class coach. I just think we are well short when it comes to a goalscorer.
Some of the squad have to step up and start showing a lot more than they have.

[DB]

I think we will have the sort of season Newcastle had after their last Champions League season.

Yeah, I think so

[TonyD]

It still doesn’t explain why mainly the same players from last season look devoid of pace and attacking options.