I know I should be happy but…

[Charlie8182]

I said a month ago this season has given us some amazing moments.  But if it finishes with us in the 2nd or 3rd euro competition, it will feel like a step back. 

Although on the other hand we can realistically win one of those trophies next season and end the 30 year drought. 
And just my opinion, against Olympiakos last season we were crawling over the finishing line in the league and blowing out of our arse, and had a number of key players unavailable for that tie, including having Olsen in goal.  No excuses for the recent Palace no show though.

[joe_c]

I was only thinking last night - winning in second gear against a team we use as a yardstick. The best squad we've ever had. Our most successful youth team of all time. More grest Eutopean nights than any other season. A manager almost every other club would want. And it still feels disappointing.

I think we're perhaps making the depressing transition as supporters from ambition to expectation.

[Ads]

We will win something, we're a really good side and will continue to be, despite the financial rules deliberately stacked against us.

[Rigadon]

We will win something, we're a really good side and will continue to be, despite the financial rules deliberately stacked against us.

I think you’re right.  With Unai in charge we will continue to be a very good side.

[VillaTim]

Cup semis, European cup quarters, top 5 chase in the leauge - and we're disappointed, which is ok, but shows how far we've come, and how close we are

the history books don't tend to capture those who came close . It's all about winning and we should have at least one trophy under Emery by now given the resources poured in .

[Rigadon]

Cup semis, European cup quarters, top 5 chase in the leauge - and we're disappointed, which is ok, but shows how far we've come, and how close we are

the history books don't tend to capture those who came close . It's all about winning and we should have at least one trophy under Emery by now given the resources poured in .

Fuck the history books.  Unai has done an amazing job and will win us something before he’s done I’m sure of it. 

[Ian.]

I’m surprised people see this as step backwards when deep down we’re actually well ahead of schedule. Rewind back to when Emery took us on, we didn’t expect Champions League this quick? We’ve had some phenomenal runs which keep propelling us upwards, but that’s Emery getting every inch out of the players. Our squad was stretched to the limits from August to February and it showed in our inconsistent performances, weak defence and being less clinical on the attack.

I’m extremely disappointed to lose that semi-final, it was a very bad day all round, players and Emery at fault. However they’ve earned enough credit for me to move on.

We’ve had another brilliant season with so many memorable moments to cherish. It would be gutting to lose a character like Emi, however I do have the utmost faith in us making the right choice to replace him.

I’m very happy with how this going, actually more than happy, I’m still flabbergasted sometimes when I watch us play and then think to how bad we sunk to in the Lambert year to where we are now.

[ez]

I’m happy to be disappointed. 2016 we were in dire straits, relegated and getting schooled in the championship as a big scalp. 2018 we almost never existed as a club. I can cope with being disappointed if we are a top six club getting into Europe. We do need some silverware but be happy it’s the top 5 not bottom we are looking at. But it is nice to be disappointed for positive reasons

We can't keep saying look where we were 5/7/10 years ago. It's infuriating that the worst Manchester United team for fifty years are on course for another trophy while we, yet again, have got nothing. Several managers have commented in the past about our defeatist mentality; I still say that this is the biggest problem we face.

Me too unfortunately. We have a better squad and manager than Crystal Palace. We are at least as good as Newcastle. The difference is those clubs stepped up against one of the top sides and siezed the opportunity to win something, while we're looking like 'we shouldn't really be here'.

[Chris Smith]

We have finished the season in the sort of form that if we’d started like it in August would have seen us challenging for the title. Emery will have learnt from that and while it may not be with exact same squad the template is there to give us a proper go at it next year.

[RamboandBruno]

All the points about the great season are on the money, for my 15 year old watching us win has become the norm. He/we, us together, have experienced unbelievable highs, particularly great European nights, beating Bayern and PSG, incredible. Regularly beating the sky super six at home etc.
But I have a nagging feeling that I can’t shift. If you look at Unai’s history, he doesn’t really stay at one club much longer than three or four years. I think we’ll do well to get more than next season out of him, and my nagging doubt is, if we don’t win something with this fella, will we ever in my lifetime.

[Pete3206]

During the post match pint on Friday, there was a consensus that Wembley had left us all feeling flat. Despite an incredible winning record in 2025, the late defeat at Man City, followed by the FA Cup disaster was a massive disappointment. My mood hasn't been helped when I see crud like Spurs and Newton Heath on the cusp of the Champions League after terrible league campaigns and Palace going on to lift the cup.

It got me thinking of that press conference after a defeat earlier in the season when Emery was tapping his head indicating the mindset of some players wasn't quite right. It's perhaps something to address for next season to try and get us over the line if we go deep in competitions again. 

[Beard82]

All the points about the great season are on the money, for my 15 year old watching us win has become the norm. He/we, us together, have experienced unbelievable highs, particularly great European nights, beating Bayern and PSG, incredible. Regularly beating the sky super six at home etc.
But I have a nagging feeling that I can’t shift. If you look at Unai’s history, he doesn’t really stay at one club much longer than three or four years. I think we’ll do well to get more than next season out of him, and my nagging doubt is, if we don’t win something with this fella, will we ever in my lifetime.

Yeah this is similar to my concerns - Im worried that this is the as good as it gets.  I think we will get at least 2 more years out of Unai - as I think this summer we're going for a big rebuild.  And I think the club will move heaven and earth to keep him.  But I just have a feeling that none of this is sustainable.  We're just relying on a manager working mircales and players finding new levels. 

[Steve67]

We have finished the season in the sort of form that if we’d started like it in August would have seen us challenging for the title. Emery will have learnt from that and while it may not be with exact same squad the template is there to give us a proper go at it next year.

Good point Chris.  I suspect this is what Unai is building for next season.  A few times he has said that he is getting the players to focus on total football, eat, sleep and drink football.  I reckon he will be even more demanding next season and will separate those he feels can't/won't take us forward.  Makes for a really interesting transfer window.

[Beard82]

So I have been thinking a lot about it with the highs and lows of this weekend.   Was buzzing after beating spurs, but Chelsea winning and Emi crying has massively lowered my mood.  Seeing Palace win the FA cup didnt help. 

The whole club has done an amazing job since we came up - bar the Gerrard nonesense.  But I just have a this nagging feeling that we've been here before.  We get a decent squad together and a manager doing a great (or at least good) job and seems to be driving us forward - Taylor, Little, Gregory, MON.  And we fall just short of truely achieving what is possible, of getting Villa to where we think we belong. 

But we never really fulfill on that potentially - we come close, but theres always next season.   And then, we lose our best players, and try to go again - but before we know where we are we have slipped in to the also runs.  Under Unai, we may have got slightly further than some of those others did - but how sustainable is this.   We're still having to sell our best players, and trying to replace them just to stay still. 

At the moment we have one major advantage, which is Unai.  But how long is that for.  At my most optimistic I see him being with us for 10 years - being like a Saunders, Wegner or Ferguson.   And I think there is a chance of that, as were probably the biggest club in the world that can give him the keys to the estate.  Where backing, potential and prestidge is combined with complete freedom. 

But what if even Unai cant overcome the limitations of constiently having to rebuild to stay still.  The problem in the PL you have 6 - 8 very good teams.  So to be in the top 5 consitently is much more difficult than in other european leagues.  So to sustain competitivness on a budget is really, really difficult.  Maybe Unai's magic has same limitations, or like Ramboandbruno says - actually he just will never stay at a club for more than 4 years (or thinks he has achieved all he can with villa) - will we have again missed that wundow to truley make history and establish a basis to stay around that level.

Dont get me wrong - Im am loving the journey - but the fear is that is all there is another great journey ending with an ending of what if. 

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

I think we are easily one of the best teams in europe but the mentality thing to get over the line is missing. (flapped the conf league semi's, fa cup semi, last min at the ethad, switched off in Paris, only turned up at home against paris when 2-0 down)
we need to get silverwear next season otherwise Emery might think we're cursed to be perpetual also rans. Like leeds in the early 2000s. Didn't he ditch his mrs and call her a witch when results went against him at arseanl?
Fans might flip with the slow cat and mouse football or the other scenario he might get tapped up for another big job in yerp and think fuck it.
The other thing is we need a big pot. If Emery was at Villa for 6 years and history showed we "only" had a league cup to show for it, I'd be like "I know I should be happy but..."