Unai Emery

[KevinGage]

My argument isn't that we didn't over-achieve or exceed expectations, I think both of those are true. My issue is entirely with over-performed as the phrasing. As I said it probably is just arguing semantics for many people but in a sport so heavily loaded with performance metrics and armchair analysts misusing them over-performed comes with a clear expectation that we'll revert to form eventually and I think that's a misunderstanding of what we've done.

I guarantee that when a twat like Mashiter talks about over-performing he doesn't mean against our wage bill or any of the other valid points that are worth discussing. He means that he's looked at an xG adjusted table (which as I've said many times is something that shouldn't exist and completely misunderstands why the stat exists)  and seen we should be nowhere near where we have finished for the last few years.

Exceed expectations or over-achieve are largely positive things that show going beyond limitations, over-perform too often comes with an idea that you haven't really earned your achievements and that the foundations aren't there to sustain it.

I think he means a club like Villa (which doesn’t deliver as many clicks as others) shouldn’t be able to be so high in the league or win cups.

Sounds like him alright.

There used to be good sports writers at the Beeb.

But in recent years it seems they've been raiding Football Insider and other crap websites to fill the ranks. Knowledge of what clubs outside of Citeh, Yanited etc are actually doing is a bonus rather than a requirement.

[kippaxvilla2]

Just take a step back and admire how much money this guy has made for the whole club.  Staggering turnaround. Needs to be given an extension forever.

[dave.woodhall]

At what point does over-achieving become this is where we are? If we had a forward who could score fifty goals a year we'd be expecting to be top four at the very least. Unai is the managerial equivalent.

[Vegas]

Every year where Unai achieves top 4 with a wage budget of 7-8th, and a transfer budget of 15th, is an over achievement. It ceases to be an over achievement when our budget is 4th highest.

[Dogtanian]

Every year where Unai achieves top 4 with a wage budget of 7-8th, and a transfer budget of 15th, is an over achievement. It ceases to be an over achievement when our budget is 4th highest.

Well technically our budget is 6-7th, depending on where we are with our season-by-season dance with Newcastle.

The only reason we can't spend more than the 13-14 other clubs in transfers is because we've already spent that money on players and transfers.

[paul_e]

Every year where Unai achieves top 4 with a wage budget of 7-8th, and a transfer budget of 15th, is an over achievement. It ceases to be an over achievement when our budget is 4th highest.

I get the point but I do think that over-simplifies things a little because the 2 go hand-in-hand. If we keep finishing high and challenging for trophies we will grow to meet where we are because that's one of the clearest ways to drive growth (in revenue) but does that mean that we're over-achieving on the pitch or that we're under-achieving off it?

Personally I think it's a bit of both.

[brontebilly]

Every year where Unai achieves top 4 with a wage budget of 7-8th, and a transfer budget of 15th, is an over achievement. It ceases to be an over achievement when our budget is 4th highest.

Well technically our budget is 6-7th, depending on where we are with our season-by-season dance with Newcastle.

The only reason we can't spend more than the 13-14 other clubs in transfers is because we've already spent that money on players and transfers.

We absolutely cruised top 4 last season, if we needed to we would have had it sewn up weeks before the end. That's still a phenomenal achievement by Emery, given our shit show of a transfer windows off the back of the OT debacle. His man management skills must be outstanding.

[Percy McCarthy]

Maybe one day people will think that selling your best players in a transfer window is a shit show, not keeping them. Hopefully not though.

[RamboandBruno]

Every year where Unai achieves top 4 with a wage budget of 7-8th, and a transfer budget of 15th, is an over achievement. It ceases to be an over achievement when our budget is 4th highest.

Well technically our budget is 6-7th, depending on where we are with our season-by-season dance with Newcastle.

The only reason we can't spend more than the 13-14 other clubs in transfers is because we've already spent that money on players and transfers.

We absolutely cruised top 4 last season, if we needed to we would have had it sewn up weeks before the end. That's still a phenomenal achievement by Emery, given our shit show of a transfer windows off the back of the OT debacle. His man management skills must be outstanding.

Sometimes it takes outsiders to have a clear view. Ive got lifelong west brom mates who grudgingly admit  he’s in the top 3-4 managers in world football. 

[Vegas]

Every year where Unai achieves top 4 with a wage budget of 7-8th, and a transfer budget of 15th, is an over achievement. It ceases to be an over achievement when our budget is 4th highest.

Well technically our budget is 6-7th, depending on where we are with our season-by-season dance with Newcastle.

The only reason we can't spend more than the 13-14 other clubs in transfers is because we've already spent that money on players and transfers.

So do you think Unai is a decent / average / solid manager, doing roughly what is expected with the resources at his disposal, or do you agree that he’s over-performing?

[Ozzjim]

I think he needs to get a new set piece coach and a new coach to replace the performance coach the players all loved in. Worrying times at the moment.

[Toronto Villa]

I think we have overachieved. The net spend table relative to actual achievement is remarkable

[andyh]

It’s bordering on bloody miraculous.

[Tuscans]

When does José María Sanz start in his role? He wasn't in the dugout vs Walsall was he.

[frank black]

I saw this thread move to the top and assumed he was off to Chelsea