“Manager of the season” – Collymore lauds Unai Emery for doing “an almost impossible job”

An impressive performance in Lille saw Aston Villa emerge victorious after a penalty shoot-out in their Europa Conference League quarter-final, and gave even more credence to Stan Collymore’s opinion that Unai Emery should be awarded the manager of the season gong.

Coming so soon after the Villains deservedly toppled Emery’s old side Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, thus denting their Premier League title aspirations in the process, the win merely underscored just what an excellent operator the Midlands-based side have at the helm.

Often ridiculed during his time at the Gunners for starting every interview with a Spanish-lilted ‘good evening’ greeting, he has shown beyond any doubt whatsoever that he has what it takes to manage a team at the elite level.

Unai Emery would be a worthy manager of the season

Collymore is in no doubt as to Emery’s credentials either.

“An early shout with a lot of football still to decide the pots and pans and golden tickets to stay up or get into Europe, but I can’t think of a better shout than Unai Emery as manager of the season,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“Why? Well, notwithstanding the ifs and buts, like getting into the Champions League places with games to play, I’ll stick to facts…

“This guy followed Steven Gerrard who presided over one of the most soulless Villa teams of any decade.

“Players who are now flying seemed disconnected from the fans, the manager never opened up and appreciated Villa’s tremendous support and the club nearly went down for a second time in five years – something the relatively new and very wealthy owners just wouldn’t have.

“So in comes a guy who’s reputation in England was shaped exclusively by being the man who followed Wenger at Arsenal, an