Unai Emery

[OCD]

When people talk about our winning run, they forget our run of results from about February until the end of the season. A league table of the calendar year would make for interesting reading.

On expected goals, Saturday showed how useless that stat is. We had an xG of 1 but both of Ollie's goals were around the 6 yard box.

[LeeB]

When people talk about our winning run, they forget our run of results from about February until the end of the season. A league table of the calendar year would make for interesting reading.

On expected goals, Saturday showed how useless that stat is. We had an xG of 1 but both of Ollie's goals were around the 6 yard box.

I think we're 3 or 4 points off the top two over the calendar year. Correct me if I'm wrong but finishing that far off the top over a season would be fair to be classified a 'title challenge'.

[Ger Regan]

Its 4 points off arsenal and city, but have played one less game than arsenal in that time. Incredible, all things considered

[PeterWithesShin]

This is the annual league table

https://tinyurl.com/23accysr

[Mellin]

When people talk about our winning run, they forget our run of results from about February until the end of the season. A league table of the calendar year would make for interesting reading.

On expected goals, Saturday showed how useless that stat is. We had an xG of 1 but both of Ollie's goals were around the 6 yard box.

I think we're 3 or 4 points off the top two over the calendar year. Correct me if I'm wrong but finishing that far off the top over a season would be fair to be classified a 'title challenge'.

Unsustainable ennit.

[PeterWithesShin]

We were 2nd in 2023 and 6th in 2024. That's the level Unai has us at despite the financial restrictions.

[andyh]

I was screaming at the telly yesterday when we were described as unbeaten in 10 games.
Another program where they discussed the top 3 said, Man City are a machine who know how to win the league from this position. I agree with that.
They said Arsenal are stuttering and looking nervous already but should be in the race until the end of the season. I also agree with that.
They then said, Villa are just in there, enjoying the ride.

This really frustrates me.

The ‘experts’ who commentate on football are so blind.
They look at everything in the here and now.

There is no mention of our record over the last 18 or 19 games, and certainly no mention of our actual record over the last 3 years.

The sign of a top quality team is consistency. We have been one of the most consistent teams in Europe over the last 3 years and yet no-one recognises this.
We are still seen as plucky little Villa, outperforming their natural place in the world.

Can you imagine the media love in if Newcastle, Spurs or Leeds were where we are now ?

[Sexual Ealing]

I was screaming at the telly yesterday when we were described as unbeaten in 10 games.
Another program where they discussed the top 3 said, Man City are a machine who know how to win the league from this position. I agree with that.
They said Arsenal are stuttering and looking nervous already but should be in the race until the end of the season. I also agree with that.
They then said, Villa are just in there, enjoying the ride.

This really frustrates me.

The ‘experts’ who commentate on football are so blind.
They look at everything in the here and now.

There is no mention of our record over the last 18 or 19 games, and certainly no mention of our actual record over the last 3 years.

The sign of a top quality team is consistency. We have been one of the most consistent teams in Europe over the last 3 years and yet no-one recognises this.
We are still seen as plucky little Villa, outperforming their natural place in the world.

Can you imagine the media love in if Newcastle, Spurs or Leeds were where we are now ?

Do you think we’ll win it?

[andyh]

I can dream

[Monty]

I think Newcastle would be treated a bit more seriously, mostly for bullshit reasons, as would Spurs, mostly for fair reasons. I think if Leeds or any other newly promoted or traditionally 'smaller' club (Bournemouth or whatever) were where we are then we'd be hearing 'miracle' and 'Leicester' every second of the day, which to my mind would be pretty patronising!

I think you have to work quite hard to find media coverage of us any shade of grudging or unenthusiastic right now. Apart from Jonathan Wilson. But maybe he's just miserable, IDK.

[SamTheMouse]

I was screaming at the telly yesterday when we were described as unbeaten in 10 games.
Another program where they discussed the top 3 said, Man City are a machine who know how to win the league from this position. I agree with that.
They said Arsenal are stuttering and looking nervous already but should be in the race until the end of the season. I also agree with that.
They then said, Villa are just in there, enjoying the ride.

This really frustrates me.

The ‘experts’ who commentate on football are so blind.
They look at everything in the here and now.

There is no mention of our record over the last 18 or 19 games, and certainly no mention of our actual record over the last 3 years.

The sign of a top quality team is consistency. We have been one of the most consistent teams in Europe over the last 3 years and yet no-one recognises this.
We are still seen as plucky little Villa, outperforming their natural place in the world.

Can you imagine the media love in if Newcastle, Spurs or Leeds were where we are now ?

I'm not seeing this. I frequent a lot of different newspapers' sites and pretty much all of them have articles about how brilliantly we're doing, choosing concluding that we're in the title race regardless of what Emery says.

[Sexual Ealing]

I can dream

So you don't think we will, but you expect people whose only currency is their knowledge of football, who don't think we'll win it, to pretend they do?

[Louzie0]

Of course we will, it’s our year!

[Dave]

Also, there is real-world evidence of Newcastle and Spurs being in the position in the last decade or so and what the reaction was.

With Newcastle a few years ago when they spent most of the season in third, the reaction was the same as it is now. "They're not going to win the league, but fair fucks for having a good try and pissing off the usual lot".

Spurs on the other hand spent the best part of a decade finishing a few points off the top every year while having some of the best players in the world playing for them. Them squatting like a toad over 16 or 17 other teams wasn't a story. Which is what we should be aspiring to. One of those teams that probably won't win the league, but will be in the top four every year until they fuck it up and turn into this version of Spurs.

[paul_e]

I can dream

So you don't think we will, but you expect people whose only currency is their knowledge of football, who don't think we'll win it, to pretend they do?

That's not really a fair comparison though. For pundits, right now, the question they should be considering is if we're part of the race. Whether anyone thinks we will actually win it or not we can win it from the position we're in and our form makes it silly to not include us.

That said I haven't seen many people do that, most comments are more that we're part of the race and the longer that stays true the more of chances increase but that are 3rd favourites.