Unai Emery: Adios

[hydrofluoric acid]

Better manager with that squad wins aģainst Sp**s at home, sails that 2-0 lead against Watford home and gets us our first win at old Trafford in over a decade.

We are third. Lovely. We could also be 3 poins behind Liverpool if we had improved in last year or so.

 

[GunnerBP]

The fact that ManU and Sp**s are complete shambles I think will mean that Emery will stay around longer than many of us would like and he could very well finish the season before getting dismissed.

This season could look a lot like his second season at PSG where he had basically lost the dressing room by midseason and it was an unspoken fact that he would be leaving at the end of the season barring a miracle.

I think it is possible for Emery to get us into fourth place, but I doubt that he can finish above Chelsea, and there is no way we'll finish ahead of City or Liverpool.

I also think it is totally possible for him to blow it like he did last season and for someone like Leicester City or some other team to pip us for fourth place.

If we're lucky we're going to have drab, forgettable season, filled with boring, unwatchable football as we claim fourth place by the skin of our teeth.

At worst, and this is totally possible, our form will dip in the second half of the season -- like it did last season -- and we'll be in the Europa League again.

 

[Beksl]

I hope we lose next five matches only to see how Emery lovers are going to defend him.

Just **** off with this attitude.

 

[teamsoutheast]

Seem to be alot of spoilt brats in here. Probably never known any other manager but Wenger and were probably the ones who hounded him out.

 

[Iceman10]

Correct, which is why I included the line "which really should be rephrased and refreshed" and added the addendum post asking for a new poll.

It is fine, but personally I wouldn't participate, which is not a big deal. The idea of supporting a club to achieve a target (top 4) while already saying the manager should be sacked at the end of the season when we are still only in October is not the way to support a club *for me* (pointless toxicity). At any rate I know the club board and culture and no matter what I may wish I know what they likely would do regardless.

 

[Sniper Mik]

Better manager with that squad wins aģainst Sp**s at home, sails that 2-0 lead against Watford home and gets us our first win at old Trafford in over a decade.

We are third. Lovely. We could also be 3 poins behind Liverpool if we had improved in last year or so.

I bet Palace fans are also singing "We are 2 points behind Man City!"

 

[Sanchez11]

Seem to be alot of spoilt brats in here. Probably never known any other manager but Wenger and were probably the ones who hounded him out.

Spoilt has nothing todo with it. He has a good squad with hungry young players, the difference between us and utd is Auba. The style of play is terrible.

 

[tap-in]

yeah, we won comfortably against some farmers and apparently that should be used as an excuse. It's no coincidence that our best performances this season have be in the cup games. It's because of the level of opposition that we've faced in those games not that we were good in those games. How many PL games have we looked comfortable in?

I'll say this again, if we keep on playing like this, our bad performances we catch up to us. It always does.

City losing that game to wolves is a one-offs.
It happened a few times last season. City will pick themselves up and I can guarantee you that their next opponent is in for a shelacking.

I don't think holding will solve our issues, neither will Tierney or Bellerin.
It's amazing that Holding has become Baresi since his injury. He was decent for us before his injury last year, it doesn't mean he'll come in and immediately transform our defense or help us build from the back. Luiz is a superior passer to Holding, yet we struggle to progress the ball up the pitch.

Like I said in my previous post, I hope I'm wrong about Emery.

If City losing to Wolves was a one off, what was City losing to Norwich? City have lost 2 and drawn 1 out of 8 games, that's 16 pts out of 24 pts. Pep has lost twice as many PL games this season than Emery yet I don't hear people shouting Pep out. Lets give Emery the season to prove his value, if he fails he's out.

 

[Divided_Pie]

Anyone else notice that Auba’s body language in this match started to resemble Özil’s?

Looking less likely to sign a new deal with every passing week, despite the 3 points in that hideous match. Shouldn’t he be sold before he’s in his last year, like Raul said?

 

[Tony's nose]

Well we are 3rd god knows how but we are 3rd

 

[Wrighty4eva]

One thing I will give Emery credit for is that he he has been very fair to the youngsters this season. Love that he rewarded Martinelli's midweek performance with a cameo today and kept Saka in the team.

More down to Raul, Edu and vinai not giving him a choice in the matter, I'm sure if Mkhitaryan was here he would be starting every game.

 

[Toast]

It is fine, but personally I wouldn't participate, which is not a big deal. The idea of supporting a club to achieve a target (top 4) while already saying the manager should be sacked at the end of the season when we are still only in October is not the way to support a club *for me* (pointless toxicity). At any rate I know the club board and culture and no matter what I may wish I know what they likely would do regardless.

That seems like a perfectly sensible position.

EDIT: I've added a more neutral option to the proposed poll ("Judge him in May").

 

[tap-in]

There are, in my view, currently two intersecting strands of argument over Emery's position.The first focuses on whether he should stay or go at the end of the season. The second focuses on whether he should stay or go immediately.

I think here there is a lot of confusion and a lot of unacknowledged agreement. The poll, which really should be rephrased and refreshed, suggests that virtually the entire forum is in agreement that the end of the season is also the end of the road for Emery. Between the accusations of 'Emery lovers' and 'Emery haters' there may be more consensus than is readily acknowledged.

There is much debate over Emery's style of play and our current results. Some argue that the results are good enough to justify not sacking Emery (immediately), while others argue the style of play warrants his (immediate) dismissal. Now, I think a lot of people here conflate an argument against immediate dismissal with an argument against dismissal at the end of the season. Vice versa, arguments for dismissal at the end of the season are conflated with wanting to sack him immediately. Similarly, people appear to conflate one positive or negative statement with approval or disapproval of everything Emery does. It seems, for a signifanct number of posters, any criticism equates to wanting him out immediately and any support equates to wanting him to stay after this season. It leads to hyperbole and needless annoyance on both sides of the argument.

It is perfectly possible to simultaneously want Emery out at the end of the season, to be happy with third place right now and to be unhappy with (aspects of) our style of play. It is not all-or-nothing. This forum is sadly becoming more and more polarised. I have no easy solutions to these issues and can only, naively perhaps, plead for calmer tempers, fewer insults and more nuance. Above all, we need clearer communication.

Top post! I've been saying lets not become Chelsea or Utd by changing managers regularly. I've also voiced my concerns about Xhaka starting and Willock not but its far too early to be wanting Emery out, he hasn't even had his best players available ie Tierney, Bellerin & Holding will make a big difference. Lets all get behind him, especially when we are winning like today. We decide in May!

 

[Steps]

If City losing to Wolves was a one off, what was City losing to Norwich? City have lost 2 and drawn 1 out of 8 games, that's 16 pts out of 24 pts. Pep has lost twice as many PL games this season than Emery yet I don't hear people shouting Pep out. Lets give Emery the season to prove his value, if he fails he's out.

What I am about to say is not an attack against you.

I don't give two squirts of piss about City, their manager, or their fan base. What I care about is the future of our club. Pep's results, or lack thereof, is not something I take into consideration when criticizing Emery for his tactical failures and odd personnel decisions.

 

[teamsoutheast]

Spoilt has nothing todo with it. He has a good squad with hungry young players, the difference between us and utd is Auba. The style of play is terrible.

What a lod of old tosh..... Utd are MILES off where they need to be after today's performance. We beat Newcastle at their place, they didn't. Did Auba score today and did we win? If you actually think Emery tells the team to close up shop and defend the whole game then you are beyond deluded. Listen to his post match interview.

 

[tap-in]

What I am about to say is not an attack against you.

I don't give two squirts of piss about City, their manager, or their fan base. What I care about is the future of our club. Pep's results, or lack thereof, is not something I take into consideration when criticizing Emery for his tactical failures and odd personnel decisions.

Than don't post it as a reply to me!

My post was a reply to someone else and it required me to talk about City. Not that I need to explain myself!

 

[El Duderino]

It is perfectly possible to simultaneously want Emery out at the end of the season, to be happy with third place right now and to be unhappy with (aspects of) our style of play. It is not all-or-nothing. This forum is sadly becoming more and more polarised.

I think most are on this boat, it's just that some of his most ardent supporters are trying to counter people who are OTTing a bit by pretending the criticism of him is unfounded and we should be happy, nay, greatful that we are a point of second this early in the season.

It's like last seasons collapsed never happened to some posters here. This lethargic play will come back to bite us.

 

[Sanchez11]

What a lod of old tosh..... Utd are MILES off where they need to be after today's performance. We beat Newcastle at their place, they didn't. Did Auba score today and did we win? If you actually think Emery tells the team to close up shop and defend the whole game then you are beyond deluded. Listen to his post match interview.

Not translating well on the pitch is it.

 

[Iceman10]

I think most are on this boat, it's just that some of his most ardent supporters are trying to counter people who are OTTing a bit by pretending the criticism of him is unfounded and we should be happy, nay, greatful that we are a point of second this early in the season.

It's like last seasons collapsed never happened to some posters here. This lethargic play will come back to bite us.

I would say the energy levels were pretty good in the first half with a decent pressing game. So much so that some in the match forum were asking if those levels could be sustained over the 90 minutes. This definitely was improvement at least over the lethargic start against Villa.

.. So one can be open minded and say there was some progress to note. Having said that we didn't get the second goal we should have in the first half, but how many times did the same happen under Wenger at the Emirates, and then we tailed off in the second half energy-wise. With extra intensity in training there could be progression though to see the higher energy levels in the first half be sustained deeper and deeper over the full 90+ minutes.

 

[Rex Stone]

We won mate.

The tunnel vision to be happy solely based on a result and ignoring the sh*te performance.

Banter stuff.