Unai Emery

[Brend'Watkins]

They'll have been on here, seen people shitting themselves and realised there's a great clickbait possibility.

That’s exactly what it is.

[algy]

What's needed is silverware. Everything's become about finishing 2nd, 3rd, or 4th and that's just not sexy. Everyone knows that finishing in a CL place is vital to our continued development, but no-one's going to celebrate qualifying for a competition we're not going to win like they would winning a cup or the league itself. Especially as it's only the unfair financial rules forcing us to concentrate on that.
CL qualification is the ruined orgasm of football.

Agree totally. When I’m king … which I think is done on some kind of rota system, so I should be up for that soon as I’ve not been king yet … champions league places will be awarded by actually winning something and therefore be a champion - League, FA Cup, League Cup, and … um …. Zenith Data Systems Trophy.

Something like that anyway.

[algy]

People could also call it how it is and dial back their dramatic takes, but then its not like anybody is charged for bandwidth use so they can crack on ruining their own enjoyment of a hobby by thinking the worst, when the club hasn't been this good in precisely 3 decades.

If you're not going to enjoy the good old days while you're in them, garden centres on a Saturday/Sunday 2pm are probably a better bet.

Either enjoy it when we’re on a losing run, don’t let any negative thinking slip in, or fuck off down the garden centre. Got it.

I tend to be of a positive mindset where Villa are involved, regardless of what’s happening. I dont think it’s a particularly miserablist view to wonder if Unai might eventually feel he’s wasting his time. 

If you want to take it personally that is up to you. I am personally annoyed we're not winning, but I think I know the reason why and so I try and use that as a barrier to my frustration. It is the weak lipped desire to punch way beyond that and forsee potrtents way deeper than a trio of the most annoying injuries anybody has faced all season.

Agree wholeheartedly

[Brend'Watkins]

You don’t get the same level of consistency in anything by replacing quality with poorer quality. We might eek out a result or two but we’re in a position now where we have to wait for two of the three to return before we can get back or close to how it previously was.

[PaulWinch again]

People could also call it how it is and dial back their dramatic takes, but then its not like anybody is charged for bandwidth use so they can crack on ruining their own enjoyment of a hobby by thinking the worst, when the club hasn't been this good in precisely 3 decades.

If you're not going to enjoy the good old days while you're in them, garden centres on a Saturday/Sunday 2pm are probably a better bet.

Either enjoy it when we’re on a losing run, don’t let any negative thinking slip in, or fuck off down the garden centre. Got it.

I tend to be of a positive mindset where Villa are involved, regardless of what’s happening. I dont think it’s a particularly miserablist view to wonder if Unai might eventually feel he’s wasting his time. 

If you want to take it personally that is up to you. I am personally annoyed we're not winning, but I think I know the reason why and so I try and use that as a barrier to my frustration. It is the weak lipped desire to punch way beyond that and forsee potrtents way deeper than a trio of the most annoying injuries anybody has faced all season.

Agree wholeheartedly

I don’t think it’s that straightforward. The injuries are a massive blow, obviously, but our drop off in performance of late has been disproportionately large. It probably links bank to us out performing our “underlying numbers” when everyone was fit, but at this current time we are performing worse than we should do with the players we do have available. That needs immediate attention, and has done for a while, and just doing the same thing on a loop isn’t going to change it.

As for how people choose to react to it, that’s up to them.

[DB]

It's not mutually exclusive. You can be happy we are having the best period in ages whilst having peanuts to spend compared to those around us and appreciate the great job he is doing but also you can question his team selections / tactics over the last few weeks.

Personally, I am loving were we are in the table and in Europe. Looking back of 40+ yrs of watching Villa. He has done superb getting to this position bearing in mind the current spending rules etc. and some questionable recruitment.

[N'ZMAV]

there's nothing wrong with being happy, but also realistic and still wanting more/better

[RamboandBruno]

People could also call it how it is and dial back their dramatic takes, but then its not like anybody is charged for bandwidth use so they can crack on ruining their own enjoyment of a hobby by thinking the worst, when the club hasn't been this good in precisely 3 decades.

If you're not going to enjoy the good old days while you're in them, garden centres on a Saturday/Sunday 2pm are probably a better bet.

Either enjoy it when we’re on a losing run, don’t let any negative thinking slip in, or fuck off down the garden centre. Got it.

I tend to be of a positive mindset where Villa are involved, regardless of what’s happening. I dont think it’s a particularly miserablist view to wonder if Unai might eventually feel he’s wasting his time. 

If you want to take it personally that is up to you. I am personally annoyed we're not winning, but I think I know the reason why and so I try and use that as a barrier to my frustration. It is the weak lipped desire to punch way beyond that and forsee potrtents way deeper than a trio of the most annoying injuries anybody has faced all season.

Agree wholeheartedly

I don’t think it’s that straightforward. The injuries are a massive blow, obviously, but our drop off in performance of late has been disproportionately large. It probably links bank to us out performing our “underlying numbers” when everyone was fit, but at this current time we are performing worse than we should do with the players we do have available. That needs immediate attention, and has done for a while, and just doing the same thing on a loop isn’t going to change it.

As for how people choose to react to it, that’s up to them.

I don’t think its completely as simple as losing the three midfielders, but its pretty close to be being predominantly related to that fact.
Look at how Man City have struggled virtually every time Rodri’s been injured, even with all the resources they have. How would Arsenal cope with 2 months without Rice, Odegaard and Zubimendi at the same time.
I really like Dougie and I actually think he’s getting better but he’s hardly played in 2 years, he can’t be expected to play to the level of Tielemans or Kamara. Onana has been disappointing in this bad run.
There are other factors, a forward who has lost all confidence, but we were kind of coping with that anyway, as well as only mildly effective wingers.
Unai does have to find a different way, if nothing else as Abrahams is a different striker to Watkins, and Ollie really needs to come out of the side for a bit.
Interesting that Emery threw Rashford straight in last year and benched Watkins. There were games where we played such a different way attacking wise, with Rashford, Asensio and Rogers interplaying. We havent got those players now, but shows Emery can change up when he has a mind to.

[LeeB]

there's nothing wrong with being happy, but also realistic and still wanting more/better

It's what the man himself demands.

[Ads]

Lets remove Rice, Zubimendi and Saliba from Arsenal for two months + and enjoy the disproportionately large drop off in performance.

[PaulWinch again]

Drop off yes - would they be putting in worse performances than Burnley and Leeds? Probably not.

[ChicagoLion]

Drop off yes - would they be putting in worse performances than Burnley and Leeds? Probably not.

If they played Watkins and Bailey they probably would.

[PaulWinch again]

I rate Watkins - albeit he’s obviously not performing, but that’s kind of the point - they don’t have to start.

[eamonn]

I thought Ollie played well the other night (apart from the scoring-goals bit...). As soon as Tammy starts a game and doesn't score, people will ask what he brings to the team cos he does little else.

[Sexual Ealing]

I rate Watkins - albeit he’s obviously not performing, but that’s kind of the point - they don’t have to start.

You should've said!