ccfcman

I think you'll find they're gonna clear house. The nicely nicely approach of not blowing mega millions is over once you secure ECL. Having capitalized on a weak Liverpool, Chelseas, (lol) Spurts etc., and once you get a taste of the sweet elixir, they're gonna want that ECL repeatedly. It's not sustainable with the overachieving/kinda average squad they have. Save for a few exceptions, they're really a Europa League side.

Announce Rashica! Errr....

If it's good enough for Unai, it's good enough for everyone!

Marca is bird cage liner. Love to be proven wrong.

While total BS, it does make a nice break from being linked to random shitters from Stoke or crap Belgian clubs.

For a tough b*****d, he's a gentleman. Love this content, she's a gem.

Plenty football left to play, but imagine the summer optimism thread (admittedly a thread started under that Scouse bluffer) if I told you we'd be ahead of Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea with 5 games to play. I'd have been laughed out of here. He truly is the Sultan of Unai. Perhaps even sectioned!

It's a stereotype but, he is Basque. They're made different.

He's the kind of manager that would turn curious minded players, into quality future coaches.

2-3 more signings like this and it's silverware season.

We're a top team, certainly no longer a selling club. Most clubs will buckle at 100m offers, only a select few can absorb that kinda loss.

30+ years of following Villa, this is closing in on the Coca Cola Cup and MON Europe times. We are amazing, he is amazing, simply incredible. His coaching is world class - a tactical powerhouse. The three amigos - Tyrone, McGinn and Ollie Watkins, all operating on completely different levels. All 3 of whom wasted under the previous mug. His tactical nouse matched by how much he gets it. Every interview, every time he speaks, the fans, the gratitude, repetitions and demands. A man of his word. I absolutely love the Sultan of Unai. World class is an understatement.

Depends what you're looking for as a fan. Worth noting that plenty of the outgoings were themselves originally January signings - showing that the January window is a real balancing act in and of itself. I'm personally fine about it all, in Emery we trust.

Have you any idea what he was referencing?

3 mentions of the 5-1 Also, "best teammate"

I sat down to watch Villa playing on the TV a few years back with my United following father (a rare feat given I haven't lived in Ireland for over a decade). Dougie got on the ball and my old fella asked about him. I told him he's pretty dogged but skillful, probably too good for Villa, Man City still had their buy-back clause at the time but ultimately, he's always good for a booking. No less that a minute later he's sliding in on his arse and get's a yellow. To this day I get a text every 2 out of 3 weeks from himself - "Dougie Luiz, always good for a booking!".

Let me be crystal clear - Unai Emery is an elite manager. He is the best of the best. A coach, a tactrician a great man, he gets us (his Saturday evening instagran posts are becoming box office). I love the Sultan of Unai

In seasons past a point would be fine, it would feel like 2 dropped this time around.

"save it for the corner afterrrrr"

Emery would have tabled all his preferences transfer wise immediately. We have to assume for now that most are from that pool. Hard to tell if he was a "must sign" or not. I think left field Lange signings will taper off with an elite coach in.

We have the tightest transfer policy in the game. Never any whispers or rumours, just deals. Crazy really in this hyper connected world we live in.

There's a balance required but the head coach/manager should always be the adult in the room.

Unai's game management and situational awareness is part of the reason he has a trophy cabinet the envy of most clubs. This man is instillin a steel in the team and part of that is the dark arts. Not diving mind, just time management and being that extra bit nasty. Even watching my own beloeved Cork City down through the years, we always lacked that nasty edge, take a yellow if you need, hassle the ref for devcisions in your favour. Both Villa and my local club were too feckin nice. You do not win big European trophies without mastering every aspect of the game and the dirty stuff matters. I am 100% in love with Unai Emery

What gets me is that the results are so strong, while still playing within ourselves at times. We're still a good deal away from Emery-ball, at few players short of a deep squad, carrying some baggage that needs offloading, working past the narrow tactic devoid trauma of SG and yet, the early signs are magic. I heard some one in a podcast claim that ten Hag is a Man United manager that operates like a Man United manager should. I think Unai is the ultimate representation of what my aspirational mind wants of a Villa manager. Smart, tactical, respectful and passionate. He seems to be buried in football - drinking, eating and sleeping football and yet, he's a family man. No histrionics, some of that beautiful spikey Basque flavour & energy with an appreciation for history and ultimately - an air of absolute humility. Perfection. Plus, he's a serial winner.

Yeh was it Dougie that came up and checked his temperature on the forehead? Absolute quality