Villa 1 Man. United 2 Post match thread.

[RamboandBruno]

In fairness Unai also took us from 17th(?) to 7th in 6 months and European qualification for the first time in 12 years or whatever it was. That's a pretty impressive achievement, one that will culminate in Villa fans swimming in a fountain in Athens in three and a half months.

Pah, John Gregory did it in 11 games!

Emery is a more successful manager that any of the other managers mentioned. For Villa, he’s been here for 16 months, in a very different era, the others were here for 3-4 years, its an unfair comparison and reactionary because your pissed off about yesterday and pissed off the manager brought Bailey off.
The blokes worked minor miracles with a team that was destined for a relegation fight.

[Risso]

In fairness Unai also took us from 17th(?) to 7th in 6 months and European qualification for the first time in 12 years or whatever it was. That's a pretty impressive achievement, one that will culminate in Villa fans swimming in a fountain in Athens in three and a half months.

Pah, John Gregory did it in 11 games!

Emery is a more successful manager that any of the other managers mentioned. For Villa, he’s been here for 16 months, in a very different era, the others were here for 3-4 years, its an unfair comparison and reactionary because your pissed off about yesterday and pissed off the manager brought Bailey off.
The blokes worked minor miracles with a team that was destined for a relegation fight.

Your post is utter bollocks. He might be a more successful manager with his other clubs, but who cares about that? Mourinho was hugely successful before going to Spurs, but won nothing there. Atkinson and Little are the two most successful managers since I've been able to watch Villa under my own steam. Until Emery does anything to match those achievements, then it's hardly reactionary to suggest that they're more successful. Brian Little also took over a team in a relegation fight, and so did John Gregory and Martin O'Neill. I've already said he might turn it round this season, and if he does, then brilliant for him and us.

It's nothing to do with last night's defeat, I'd have said the same after smashing Sheffield United last week. Emery is doing very well, but as he hasn't finished a full season yet, it's miles too early to suggest he's our best ever manager. He might be a person's *favourite* manager, which is their personal preference, but winning something, isn't. If we're disregarding managers from yesteryear because football was different back then, I guess he's better than Ron Saunders as well then.

[Clampy]

Of course it matters what manages so with other clubs. That's how you decide if you employ them or not.

[astonvilla82]

Think I give it a rest for a few days, either people are going into meltdown or are windup merchants, reminds me of Manchester United and Tottenham and the Arsenal

[Risso]

Of course it matters what manages so with other clubs. That's how you decide if you employ them or not.

But that's not what we're comparing. Is Alex McLeish a better Villa manager than Dean Smith because he won a League Cup with Blues, and Dean won nothing?

[Sexual Ealing]

Of course it matters what manages so with other clubs. That's how you decide if you employ them or not.

I wish we'd thought of that before debasing ourselves at the altar of Gerrard's playing career.

[Demitri_C]

It really wasnt a disaster at all. That's just so over the top. It was a disappointing result. Getting relegated is a disaster.

Ok ill re word it - its a disaster of we aant champions league football as thats what i mean.

There is different variations to what people define as a disaster and it was a must not lose game which we did so now effectively giving united a chance to catch us.

[Ads]

Little kept us up on the last day of the season at Norwich, having took over in November. Unai got us into Europe. Gregory did similar. I don't think it's arguable to say that silverware counts and that Atkinson had a very good spell and so did Little. Fell to ashes very quickly, as seems to be the way. Emery should hopefully win us a trophy and finish in the top 5 this season, which for me would be a greater achievement than anything since 1982. The league is infinitely harder in a multitude of ways now than it even was under O'Neill, never mind 30 years plus back.

In terms of who the best manager is generally, it's Emery and by an absolute country mile.

[astonvilla82]

Just watching The Day the Earth Stood Still, the original one, seems appropriate today

[The Edge]

If and when Emery leaves the club he will go to a top club once he's done the biz for us. He is considered an elite level manager. We're going through a blip for one reason or another reasons we're all acutely aware of. I'm sure we're all hoping and praying that Emery brings home some silverware but football is a different beast to the 70's & 80's. We're competing against clubs that have benefited from massive cash injections from Oligarchs and Oil barons. Unai's not perfect but some of the football he's got them playing is pretty close to it. I'll take that for now and along with 40,000 other villa fans I'll back the guy to bring home the success we all crave.

[Beard82]

Emery is an amazing manager - and he's doing a fantastic job.  Our best chance of longer-term success is him sticking with us for years to come.

He is clearly a world-class manager, just like Emi is a world-class goalkeeper.  But as of yet, he hasn't achieved anything remarkable with us.  TBH I don't think winning the Conference League would even count.  He's doing a very good job - but I think we're all hoping this isn't the peak of what he can achieve during his time with us.  As if it turned out to be - it would be a disappointment. 

Winning the FA Cup, or qualifying for the Champions League - now that would be remarkable - as they are both things I don't think I will see in my lifetime.  Emery gives us the best chance of doing it, and his sticking with us gives us the best chance of either of those becoming a reality. 

That's why every time it feels like we blow a chance to achieve something remarkable it hurts and that's why people (including myself) over-react.  If we're ever going to change the narrative of the last 30 years we need to grasp chances when they come.  Yesterday felt like a chance missed that will cost us.

[VillaTim]

Just watching The Day the Earth Stood Still, the original one, seems appropriate today

is that the one Morgan Freeman is President in

[RamboandBruno]

In fairness Unai also took us from 17th(?) to 7th in 6 months and European qualification for the first time in 12 years or whatever it was. That's a pretty impressive achievement, one that will culminate in Villa fans swimming in a fountain in Athens in three and a half months.

Pah, John Gregory did it in 11 games!

Emery is a more successful manager that any of the other managers mentioned. For Villa, he’s been here for 16 months, in a very different era, the others were here for 3-4 years, its an unfair comparison and reactionary because your pissed off about yesterday and pissed off the manager brought Bailey off.
The blokes worked minor miracles with a team that was destined for a relegation fight.

Your post is utter bollocks. He might be a more successful manager with his other clubs, but who cares about that? Mourinho was hugely successful before going to Spurs, but won nothing there. Atkinson and Little are the two most successful managers since I've been able to watch Villa under my own steam. Until Emery does anything to match those achievements, then it's hardly reactionary to suggest that they're more successful. Brian Little also took over a team in a relegation fight, and so did John Gregory and Martin O'Neill. I've already said he might turn it round this season, and if he does, then brilliant for him and us.

It's nothing to do with last night's defeat, I'd have said the same after smashing Sheffield United last week. Emery is doing very well, but as he hasn't finished a full season yet, it's miles too early to suggest he's our best ever manager. He might be a person's *favourite* manager, which is their personal preference, but winning something, isn't. If we're disregarding managers from yesteryear because football was different back then, I guess he's better than Ron Saunders as well then.

Thanks for the considered response.
So, I didn’t suggest he’s our best ever manager, although he has all the background to be that, hopefully he will be as it means us winning stuff.
I never disregarded what our previous managers have done, I’m sure I enjoyed the successes of the BFR and Little eras as much as you did. I said it was an unfair comparison at this time because of the relatively short amount of time Emery has been here. So the whole better Villa manager discussion is a bit flawed in that regard. I do also think Emery is operating in a different footballing world as has been pointed out by others.

[VillaTim]

Success means trophies / promotions / final league standings.  As it stands Emery's  hall of fame with us is 7th.
He's on the right path but lets see what happens

[Risso]

Thanks for the considered response.
So, I didn’t suggest he’s our best ever manager, although he has all the background to be that, hopefully he will be as it means us winning stuff.
I never disregarded what our previous managers have done, I’m sure I enjoyed the successes of the BFR and Little eras as much as you did. I said it was an unfair comparison at this time because of the relatively short amount of time Emery has been here. So the whole better Villa manager discussion is a bit flawed in that regard. I do also think Emery is operating in a different footballing world as has been pointed out by others.

Well then I think we largely agree. He might be and in fact almost certainly is the most able manager we've had, and I hope that ability brings him the success he and we deserve. But you have to back it up by winning stuff or at least doing something materially better than anybody has achieved before. If he can reverse this current blip and get us to 4th or 5th at the end of the season, then that woud be seriously brilliant. Despite the December heroics we were never really likely to be able to sustain a challenge to Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal, but there's no reason we shouldn't be able to go toe to toe with Spurs for the 2 places after that.

If Unai achieves that, it would be a superb season, and the best since Sir Brian. Winning the Europa Conference League would be the cherry on the cake. Sliding back and finishing 6th to 8th would be very "meh". Anything lower than that would mean we'd seriously imploded.