I am so sorry that I broke the website. I needed to freshen up things and I made the Unai Emery of IT choices. Will be fixed today.
Don Raul has been at Arsenal for about two years now.
He has overseen the rebuild of Arsenal in the post-Wenger era.
I think it’s time to ask questions about the direction he’s taking Arsenal.
Unai Emery was his decision. The Basqueman was brought in through the back door after Ivan Gazidis lost his nerve during the recruitment process. We interviewed Unai on the 10th of May and hired him on the 18th. The interview process started on April 25th, the club knew they were firing Wenger in January. Raul, without doubt, had to act as the translator in the interview. Ivan doesn’t speak Spanish, nor does Ivan Gazidis. Together, they all agreed that they were inspired by Unai Emery.
Ivan specifically noted that no one during the process pulled out. Allegri and Rangnick were on that list. We ignored Conte, Rodger and Jardim.
Absorb how hilarious the criteria list now looks:
“We had some clear criteria that we were looking for in our selection, the first was progressive, entertaining football, a personality that fits with Arsenal’s values and also a record of developing players, in particular, young players through detailed, tactical instruction and also through cultural demands, pushing players and demanding more from them.
“Obviously all football clubs have an ongoing review process, but we looked through and analysed on the basis that every coach in the world would be interested in this position. We don’t believe there is a position in world football that is more attractive than Arsenal Football Club and having gone through that process and series of references, and a good deal of analysis, we created a long-list, an eight-person list.
The list of Emery traits is even more perplexing.
“He came in extraordinarily well-prepared, with a detailed knowledge of Arsenal Football Club. He had an analysis to share with us, not just of his ways of working and of his ways of coaching, and the team of people he works with, but he had an analysis of all of our individual players, their qualities and how he feels he can help them develop individually and collectively – in detail. Also an in-depth knowledge of our off-the-field team, and how they can contribute and how Unai’s team would mesh with them productively.
I’ve not seen much of the above come through during his tenure and we’re over 15 months in. I am going to be honest here, I’m not sure the PowerPoint Emery came in with was the visionary document our leadership team would have you believe.
Did it involve binning off Ramsey? Alienating Mesut Ozil? Playing a brand of football that has the stadium as empty as it was for the dark days of Wenger FOR A SATURDAY 3PM GAME? Did it involve Xhaka as the central figure in our midfield… etc etc.
Ivan spun us a yarn about a detailed search and select process when in reality, we made a desperate panic purchase. Even basic due diligence would have uncovered the consistent passing up of leads, a bad record with big egos, difficulty learning new languages, an inability to build defences, and a reputation for desperately negative football.
Raul must be suffering buyers remorse. He bought a Robin Reliant on Ebay after 10 beers and he’s trying to convince car experts it’s a Porsche 911.
Emery put the kids out against a very average Vitoria side yesterday and flunked the tie. Europa League football was his comfort blanket, a weekly moment we could all rely on to forget the demise of our great club, but not yesterday. We managed 1 shot on target. We conceded 15 attempts, Vitoria had 4 on target. We took our 4th lead in 4 games and gave it up.
This is not a player issue, this is a coaching standards problem. Emery actually thought the defending was good.
Watching our manager in the rain hiding under his hood reminded me of Steve McClaren with the brolly when he was the England manager. He’s beaten. I’m not sure he knows how to fix a squad that doesn’t want to respond to ideas.
It’s clear this isn’t a long term solution, but the big fear is what comes next.
Raul thought Unai Emery was a protagonist that painted beautiful football. How can we trust him with the next step, which is basically another rebuild?
He’s been with the club for 2 years now and he’s dining out with Jose Mourinho during a crisis. The rumour was denied, but that story came from The Times and was penned by a proper journalist. How can our Football CEO be so irresponsible? How can you look at Jose’s deeply noxious relationship with the club and be captivated? How can you look at the way he has crashed every club he goes to and want some of that for The Arsenal? Beggars belief… but look, this is a man that was inspired by Unai Emery.
Worse still, how can you think our owners are going to want him in our dugout? Not because Stan K cares, more because of what Jose represents to their day to day. Ivan and Arsene were given the keys to Arsenal for so many years because they understood the Kroenke’s wanted the easy life. They owners have real estate DNA. They want tenants with fat kids and boring lives. They don’t want teenagers that are causing havoc at all hours. Jose Mourinho is a noisy tenant. He’s a bad egg to start with, so the press whirlwind is going to cause them anxiety. He isn’t at the cutting edge of coaching, so the only way he can win these days is by writing cheques. He’s a wrecking ball to a carefully built club infrastructure, so he’ll be expensive to move on. His football will have the fans miserable once the ‘Special One’ sauce rubs off after 3 months.
Do you think that is the sort of manager the Kroeke’s are going to indulge?
In LA, KSE are giving chances to young coaches that are innovative and entertaining. Are they really going to sign off on the most prolific arsonist in football management?
I hope not.
That said, I’m not sure there’s a plan in the works to replace Emery.
If it’s not Jose Mourinho, it’ll have to be Freddie Ljungberg. I love the guy, but I think we could be welcoming another problem. He’s a lovable risk, but his coaching credentials are working under Unai Emery and getting relegated with Joncker in Germany. I could be totally wrong, I hope I am, but I don’t think we’re hiring our way out of this mess if we move Emery on this weekend.
Oddly, we’re almost in a position where it’s more dangerous to sack Emery.
We should be making a well thought out decision right now, one for the future, one that is backed by detailed and insightful recommendations, not moving hard on a has-been or a coach very early in his career that has already relegated a team.
Bayern Munich fired Kovac and they were linked heavily with Arsene Wenger yesterday. Rapha H, the defacto go-to on all things Bayern says he’s not on the shortlist. Point is, it’s slim pickings. Worth noting, Ralph Rangnick wouldn’t even entertain a phone call with them. That’s how tough the job market is. I also don’t think we’ll move for Allegri, he has a big financial appetite and I suspect the club passed on him for a very specific reason last time. Maybe dry football and issues with language were the sticking point? Ironic if that were the case.
We are in a disastrous position now. Big trouble awaits. We didn’t move on Emery this summer despite it being absolutely clear he was not going to drive us forward. I can have some sympathy for Edu, he’s new to Arsenal, but Raul? A few shiny transfers that have so far tanked will not gloss over his choice of Unai Emery. That’s on him. Rectifying it with Jose Mourinho will further prove out my fear that he’s not the full package we hoped for.
The mutterings I hear about current situation are not positive. Take that how you will, but I have sailed pretty close to the truth on the big narratives, I consistently hear from people close to the action that the new setup is not right.
Raul can hide behind Ivan G, but he was the football guy. He can push Edu into the mix, but he’s new. He owns the mess. He owns the PR debacle of Xhaka and Mesut Ozil. He was responsible for the Mourinho dinner.
It’s time to clean up and start delivering on fixing the mess. It’s time to craft a plan. It’s time to prove that he truly is a Don, because as it stands, he’s looking more and more like a used car salesman trying his hand at running a space agency.
Let’s see what happens next, but beware the tonic of change, it might have a nasty aftertaste.
FRESH PODCAST MEAT: Matt Kandela back on the mic, all the issues, from Xhaka through to Don Raul. Please listen, you fucking owe it to me for spending so much money fixing the comments
(a bit of white noise as I transition to Skype calls, bear with me this once, I’ll have fixed it for the future)
Xhaka says he will not play tomorrow – even if he were selected. He told Emery that he “can’t play” whch is something most of us had spotted.
Newcastle United are prepared to offer Granit Xhaka an escape route from Arsenal in January, according to METRO
Ramsay interesting where Emery is concerned because it signals the beginning of realizing for some that Unai wasn’t up to the task of leading the Arsenal forward. Again this is where I feel people go off track with regards to Emery and start down really nonsense fabricated criticisms that they don’t need to do because there’s plenty of genuine criticisms that one could direct towards the man. Ramsey situation isn’t one of them. We needed to get the wage bill down and we pulled the contract for just that reason. Any signals and realizing on Ramsey’s part is nonsense because… Read more »
Xhaka says he will not play tomorrow – even if he were selected. He told Emery that he “can’t play” whch is something most of us had spotted.
Lol. Ah no but seriously what a wank player. Really the ending of his arsenal career is very befitting it as a whole.
AH, I’m with you. I thought Emery would be good enough manager to take us to top 3 even before this season started. I gave him time in the first season. You couldn’t tell the difference between some of Bamford’s opinion now and mine in last season. But it’s his 2nd year now. We’re 3 months deep in the season. Since August he’s made a lot of mistakes. A lot. It takes a lot of effort to physically type or say all the things he’s managed to mess up. Biggest critique I have towards him is that he just doesn’t… Read more »
Marko
You, I and others went down this rabbit hole last year played out every potential angle. The character traits that made those decisions that were highlighted at the time carried over into many other questionable managerial decisions. It’s a dead argument now with a busted manager running the show into the ground on a consistent decline. A decline that carried over from last season.
Emery says Leicester is a must win game. Yeah no fucking shit. Imagine that though early November and 11/12 games into the season and we are already into must win territory. Literally no other club in the league is thinking that that they need to win this weekend for anything be it relegation or championship aspirations or anything except us.
And he’s fucking right because I see him bipped during the international break. Dunno if they do it a couple hours after the game itself or the next morning but he’s going
Nelson,
I doubt whether Xhaka would venture to the frozen Northern Geordie Football Tundra that is Newcastle Fc.
Marko, what I was saying about Ramsey wasn’t about we letting him go. It’s about Ramsey showing that he is a role model professional and that when he was used properly we were a better team with him than without him. What was the problem for Emery to play him in the EPL instead of the Cup games and collect the profit by qualifying for the UCL, then tell him goodbye and thank you? It’s not connected and it showed because when Ramsey played he showed he was giving his all to the last moment of his Arsenal career. So… Read more »
There are no Emeryites, not one. No one is clinging to the rhetoric of Emery knows best like the fucktard AKBs were for 10 years with Wenger, nobody.
We all agree Emery needs to go, just some of us aren’t making up lies against him, using him to whitewash Wenger’s gross incompetence or making needless racist attacks against him and the Spanish in general.
Emeryites, Emery Ultras or EKBs are a complete nonsense work of fiction being deployed by mainly AKBs trying to rewrite history.
Nelson
Are you sure that doesn’t read “Newcastle offer escape route for Xhaka on the Metro”
Lol!
Raptora,
My views on Emery, and how they have evolved, are pretty much identical to yours.
With the squad he has had at his disposal this season, we should be nailed on for 3rd. Instead, we’ve seen mistake after mistake, random and puzzling changes of formation, and ugly football.
Time for him to go.
Sal I’m not disagreeing with you on that I’m trying to say any and all criticisms that aren’t his fault that he gets blamed on is still unfair despite him being a poor appointment. We had him being blamed for the poorer signings yesterday him being blamed for players getting injured and now it’s his fault for Ramsey leaving? Come on man blame the fella for not having a clue how to put together a starting 11 or how to get them to string together a few passes in the oppositions half but let’s not blame him for something that… Read more »
Marko I think it’d be in the days following. Might be below ‘classenal’ standards to pack him on the first flight back to Spain when the whistle blows
When Emery started, his new training regime was seen fresh,new, inventive, but now it seems that they were just more organised and varied that Wenger’s, but not more effective. Since his arrival, even the training sessions have been a steady decline. Initially the U21 was used during training session to replicate the opposition and prepare for games. Players used to love that approach. Nobody knows why Emery abandoned that idea. They used to have training session where specific situations such as starting from back, avoiding pressing were worked on. That as well has been abandoned. It is very odd because… Read more »
Marko,
(Belated) welcome back.
I appreciate your attempt to be fair in not describing every problem under the sun as being the fault of Emery.
He is definitely responsible for global warming, and most probably is not responsible for Ramsey leaving.
But it’s probably worth saving your energy trying to counterevery new accusation.
He’s got Arsenal playing poor football, he’s falling behind in the race for top 4. Therefore he should go.
All the rest is noise. Irritating, yes, but ultimately meaningless.
Rap I’ll be honest I wasn’t really looking at what you were saying re Ramsey I was just responding to Sal. But as for Ramsey being sparingly used last season again not an excuse but that shit usually happens to people who refuse/run down contracts or people that they club want to sell and therefore it’s somewhat understandable. Spurs are doing it right now with Erikson. I remember last December and January Ramsey barely played at all because there was a chance he could have gone. Again understandable. I’ll be honest with you I personally wanted him gone years ago… Read more »
*lol definitely NOT responsible for global warming….
Might be below ‘classenal’ standards to pack him on the first flight back to Spain when the whistle blows
No lie I was half expecting to see it streaming across the bottom of SSN in yellow straight after some of the recent games “Arsenal sack Unai Emery”. Things were that bad.
“Emeryites, Emery Ultras or EKBs are a complete nonsense work of fiction being deployed by mainly AKBs trying to rewrite history.“
The irony of this statement is something else.
I keep hearing about AKBs on here and the like, why not name the apparent? Just seems a throwback insult with absolutely no basis.
Those who have been called “EKB” or similar have been done so ironically, based on the very clear and obvious comparisons that can be drawn against your AKB lot.
As long as we’re in the Europa, Emery won’t be sacked. I’m not a big believer in this new Arsenal executive structure. A lot of waffle even without Gazidis
Buy Watford Goals later Alert?🦵🦵?
But it’s probably worth saving your energy trying to counterevery new accusation.
You are probably right words but I feel like you see the world these days and falsehoods and fabrications and outright lies aren’t getting enough push back and that’s a dangerous slippery slope. I let a lot of it go though certain types fuck it let it go cause there’s no talking to them some of them are literally too stupid to engage with but Sal and Rap you can probably have a discussion and find some common ground to cunt each other off on
Marko
It was about banning his best out of the side, no ones arguing Emery didn’t inherit a shed load of issues. It’s how he dealt with those issues and the carry over that created. The writing was on the wall so long ago.
Thoughts on Abdou Diallo guys? He was on the list of possible CBs when Sokratis was signed. He is fast and aggressive, but has looked better at LB to me. We need LB cover with the club trying to protect Tierney in the early part of the season
Guen is full of energy. One aspect of his game that needs to be improved is one time passing. That’s important to have a fluid midfield. Guen likes to carry the ball sideways before passing. It slows down the game. There is no double passing. He ends up having to do everything alone. Arsenal currently has a few up and coming youngsters who play midfield and attack. They have energy and good spirit. They need an experienced player to show them how to play with more control and more efficiently together. Ozil should be given the task to provide on… Read more »
Bamford saying he’s not pro-Emery after all this with his bullshit semantics is about the equivalent of a guy who’s been found with a cock in his mouth and one more in each hand saying he’s only a little bit gay.
Sal again I can only tell you look at what we’re doing with Mustafi look at what Spurs are doing with Erikson or United with Matic or what Zidane wanted to do with Bale earlier in the season or what PSG are doing with Kurzawa. That happens with players that aren’t wanted or who refuse or run down their contracts. Agree about the writing on the wall part but those other things just seem like fairly generic obvious responses in football.
Dream PSG only signed him last summer
Marko, I get your stance re Ramsey. It’s for the better that he didn’t sign the extension. We couldn’t afford him after the massive Ozil debacle. It’s important now to get our midfield somewhat functional. I still feel like a midfield trio of Torreira, Guendouzi and Ceballos could do a lot of things well. To me it looks like the obvious midfield from the choices we have. Start these 3 in the EPL for 5-6 games in a row and draw conclusions afterwards on if there is a potential in there or not. In defence I’d move Sokratis out of… Read more »
Reports are out there of a meeting with Enrique. Allegri might be too expensive or demanding. I’ve got my personal preference but I’ve a feeling that if it’s not one of Enrique or Allegri they might just give it to Marcelino. Again I’d prefer others but I can get behind one of those 3
Bamford is far more interested in being right and telling everyone about that than actually taking on board the realities, damage that reality is inflicting with all potential knock on effects.
One gets the feeling the dude would be pleased to see club relegated sos long as he called it.
Sal he’s got two separate bets on with people that United will finish above us so that he can be right about waxing Ole’s pole so much. Now with that in mind are you telling me that he’s not crossing all his fingers and toes and praying to every god under the sun that that happens? I bet he is
Marko,
Bamford is quids in if Man U finish ahead of us.
CG is quids in if Watford finish ahead of us.
That’s why I’m praying that Emery is sacked sharpish, otherwise at this rate they’ll both be rich men by the end of the season!
NEW POST
Watford 😂 imbecile had them nailed on for everything because Andre Grey, Troy Deeney, Issac Success and Deulofeu were just missing Sarr to unlock their potential.
Thanks Churlish
Marko
You’re right. They have Diallo and Kimpembe who both play LCB. If they sign a LB in the winter window, Diallo may be expendable.
In light of Emery’s remarks this morning, I would like to circle back to my reply to a comment of Pedro’s from two days ago
Bamford10November 9, 2019 09:45:45
I also want to circle back to what I said to Chika about his and Pedro’s assumption that Emery’s English is a problem for th
Bamford must be stuck on a round about. Can’t stop circling…