Following Aston Villa’s defeat to Wolverhampton yesterday, I found myself doing what many of us do after a disappointing result: doom scrolling through social media. While on X, I noticed a number of Villa accounts doing something. They were heavily criticising a section of the fanbase for supposedly calling for Unai Emery to be sacked.
The only problem? I haven’t seen or heard anyone actually calling for him to go. I’m not saying these accounts are lying, and there’s always a small element of fans that are never satisfied, so I’ll take them at their word that these fans exist. But these tweets got me thinking about the state of discourse around football when any club is going through a rough patch.
For the record, let me be clear about where I stand: I am happy for Emery to remain the Villa manager. He has earned it. But to be happy with him as our manager is not the same as saying he is immune from criticism. Especially now, when the team is going through a rough patch, and make no mistake, we currently are.
This leads me to a broader point. People at the top of any football club, just like those running any major organisation or government, need to be held to account. It is not optional; it is essential. When accountability disappears, complacency creeps in. And when complacency creeps in, you end up with more potholes on British roads than ever before. The principle is the same, even if the context is different: without scrutiny, standards slip.
My point is simple. No one is bigger than the football club. Not the players, not the owners, and most certainly not the manager. In fact, if we are ranking the most important elements of a football club, I would argue the fans sit at the very top. We are the constant. We pay our money, we give our time, and we invest our emotions. With that investment comes a right: the right to hold those in charge to account when things are not good enough.
So, for anyone who thinks criticism of Emery is off-limits right now, I disagree. I am not calling for his head, and I haven’t seen a credible movement demanding that. But pretending that a run of poor form shouldn’t be discussed, or that the manager should be protected from any scrutiny, does a disservice to the fans who keep this club going. You can be behind the manager and still expect better. In fact, that is exactly what accountability looks like. UTV
Good article and 100% agree, I believe the great majority of the fans were calling for Abraham to start. Ok I know it’s the managers decision but it was so obviously wrong it’s hard to believe, and Bailey for Sancho beyond words, I think if he selects Watkins to start on Wednesday the stadium will revolt , a great manager but both he and Watkins have lost it and the club is paying a massive price.
That is a fair take.
Emery has done an awful lot of good for the club, but can appear intransigent at times. Unwilling to adapt his methods. That said, some of the recruitment has been questionable. Okay, he supposedly rubber stamps each signing, but we have had no better than mixed results.
I very much for retaining Emery and feel he represents the best we are likely to attract at this stage of our progress – that is not a dig either.