Kieran Tierney says Unai Emery can count on the support of all his players despite overseeing a poor run of form that has seen Arsenal win just once in the last seven games.
The Gunners looked well place to secure qualification to the Europa League knockout stages when they took a late lead against Vitoria yesterday afternoon only for a stoppage time equaliser to pile the misery on the beleaguered Spaniard.
The 1-1 draw means Arsenal have now let leads slip in four consecutive games and, despite a switch to a 3-man backline, it’s fair to say we looked no more solid at the defence.
The Scot, signed from Celtic in the summer, insists his teammates must forget the negativity that has engulfed the club and instead should focus on getting results, starting with Saturday’s match against Leicester.
“It is up to us as players to correct it on the pitch,” he told Arsenal.com. “For me, [Emery] has been brilliant since I’ve come in. I have learned a lot. I am learning a lot every day, playing with great players. Everybody in the changing room has got belief in each other and the manager.
“[I’ve learnt about] his style of play. He likes to keep the ball, pass the ball with a possession type game and for me I am just learning and working on my technique with him.
“I am working on passing and crossing – everything in general. I am working with the coaches as well, so just all round I am learning. Of course [it’s making me better] and the players around me are making me a better player as well. I am just learning and I am enjoying every week.”
He added: “Everybody is trying to stay as positive as they can. We know there is a lot going on that people are talking about.
“But we just need to forget about all that and concentrate on us, on bouncing back, and on giving the fans something to cheer about.
“In football it doesn’t always go your way, but we have got another chance on Saturday [against Leicester].
“We knew it was going to be hard [last night] with the conditions and how organised they are. To concede late on again is not good enough and we need to correct this.”
Yeah right, we have wasted enough chances already, so Leicester will be one more chance, then the next team, then the next team and we will end up in the bottom half of the table, while you guys keep backing the manager.
Sure the players are backing him. As are the Board. And the fans.
My assessment of the general fan sentiment is that far from backing him, most of us can’t wait to see the back of him.
I was being ironic
Hopefully there will soon be an announcement saying that he has the full backing of the board.
It’s what every other club does just before they sack the manager.
I think this is the worst part: “We knew it was going to be hard [last night] with the conditions and how organised they are.” The conditions were rain, and they’re the FIFTH best team in Portugal. Since when have we become a club that should be intimidated by that? The lad is from Scotland for Christ’s sake, he’s part rain! I’d be less concerned if they were just coming out and saying “we’re not sure what’s going on, we’re playing shit, we’re working on it” but this persistent effort to try to convince us that actually it wasn’t that… Read more »
The part-rain part made me laugh… *in bane voice* ‘You merely adopted the rain, I was born in it, molded by it.. ‘ etc etc
Two words that we are totally piss poor at and it starts with the Manager…
Game Management….
Maybe being Scottish gives him an advantage understanding Emeryand maybe the only one. He would be used to a form of broken English that they speak in Glasgow.
Is it me or this isn’t funny?
If you had to ask then probably no but this was kind of what I was in my mind
when posting. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TVk4nh-hBKY.
Arsenal.com going through the motions. Official white noise. He’s gone after the Leicester defeat
What do you mean? Haven’t noticed anything.
I genuinely don’t think he will be gone though. Me thinks we’ll be putting up with this sh*t for a while longer, possibly until 2020.
To be honest with some of the vile comments I’ve seen, not on this site I will add, do the fan base deserve anything other than what we’ve been seeing recently?
The idea of supporting the team seems to be optional these days for so many. Our supposed “class” seems to have been misplaced or perhaps it left with Arsene.
Agree. I’m disappointed. Aside from team results and individual performance, I’m sorry about the way Emery and Xhaka have been treated.
I don’t know but are they a significant portion for the rest of us to deserve this as well because of them?
It’s a bit of an offtopic, but it’s not that many years back when I was asking myself why businesses – or football clubs in this case – need to have ‘brand values.’
Nowadays I understand. With the emergence of ‘fake news’ as well as politicians giving misleading or even wrong information on the daily basis, I think it’s good that there are still some institutions out there who still try to promote at least some values to the society. And yes, the reason behind their existence might be that they sell crackers or milk. Still.
Agreed. I am only wondering now how big a new one Leicester will tear us. I am going for 4 1 and the sacking on Sunday morning.
My fear is that our board is so spineless we will have him till half way through next season.
LOL!!! been beaten yes, him going NO WAY!!! he will stay on and on and on . . . . .
Does he fuck
So he had a gun to his head?
Simple PR
Ok…..but you are saying they forced him to say this?
no, but it would be stupid for him to say ”we actually want him gone”, wouldn’t it?
at the end of the day, he’s his boss and he has to say the things that help him keep his place in the team. i
Nobody expects him to say that, but he doesn’t HAVE to say “Emery has been brilliant since I’ve come in. I have learned a lot.” or “Everybody in the changing room has got belief in each other and the manager.”
Maybe, just maybe, the players know more about the coach than all you ‘experts’?
Or, as you insinuate, he is just lying because the media team told him to.
I didn’t insinuate he’s lying I just said that he obviously wouldn’t say Emery is terrible if he didn’t like him.
If they’ve got belief in the manager and each other that’s great but they have to show it on the pitch for the fans to believe it.
Perhaps they lack confidence to believe because their own fans boo them?
oh, please. we’ve been playing terribly well before the crowd booed them that one time Xhaka was a bit of a d**k. You make it sound like the crowd are booing them constantly over 90 mins. not the case.
You think these players don’t go online? They hear all this crap. The atmosphere at the Emirates is one of the worst in England too.
Yes but lets not say Arsenal fans are significantly the worst ever. Fan abuse has sadly been apart of the game for a long time. Look at Becks in 98, the shit Sterling gets recently. I don’t see the players complaining about playing for Madrid too. They boo every damn thing there.
It worries me that Arsenal fans boo their one players. It’s gone to far. Embarrassing really…….
The very fact he crammed the word ‘learning’ in there as many times as he did smacks of someone who doesn’t have a lot to say and doesn’t want to say the wrong thing. He is a professional and knows how to play the game on and off the pitch.
Two players who I know don’t believe in Emery
1. Ozil
2. X-Haka!!
So yeah, I believe Tierney was coached to give this statement.
Emery has my backing too. Stay classy – Arsenal supporters aren’t like the scummy bunch the other clubs have.
You have personally just provided an excellent example of your own statement. Ah irony, you beautiful thing you!
I respect your opinion mate, but in order to ‘stay classy’ we need to show ourselves some self-respect and let him go. He’s not doing himself justice at the moment, let alone Arsenal FC.
Tell me, was the whole captaincy shambles classy enough for you? What about the Ozil stuff?
Being classy doesn’t prevent one to say things as they are: the manager is simply not doing a good job. And look, to be fair, Arsenal fans do have backed him, even after last years’ disastrous run and the EL final.
Add the Koscielny saga to that list.
I guess you haven’t read too many internet comments made by said classy supporters.
This is good to read. Hoping this are the articles leading up to the announcement of a new manager.
Yeah well , he doesn’t have ours.
It’s not entertaining and it doesn’t amass points.
You know the manager is in trouble when people start backing him
Oh, yes… (Just like we all know that a player is going when they’re claiming that they want to stay forever at a club.)
Robin Van Purse strings 🙂
Ah – in which case I back him wholeheartedly and with immediate effect..
Exactly. There’d be no need for the players to publically announce their support for Emery if he was performing well – their support would be a given if that were the case.
There’s blood in the water and everyone can smell it.
Indeed. Not a good sign.
The point is not what newcomer and young man Tierney says, he is not one pillar of the club. The question is what guys like Auba, Laca, Özil, Musti, Leno, Xhaka (…)… think.
Wide players should love Emeryball — the entire purpose is to funnel it out there and avoid the middle of the pitch. But yeah, wonder what the players down the middle think, front to back.
I’m still just in awe (dumbfounded?) that this is continuing …
Most fotballers don’t like losing or playing like the footballing equivalent of beige paint drying. Even though they have a lot of the ball.
(I’m a goalie, and I like being active during a game, but I don’t like it when we lose…)
The problem is that many of the people you mentioned failed last season and the last two seasons under Wenger. If Ozil, Xhaka, Mustafi et al are pillars of the club then we’re in serious need of a renovation!
He should also be informed that we backed the manager the entire of last season, in the window, during the pre- season matches and at the beginning of this season but the love of man is limited ….and when it clicks the maximum things will just esque the the Xhaka way and this time from prayers to the manager.
Of course he is going to say that?
Absolutely no evidence to prove the backing!
“Get out while you can, Kieran!”
Don’t learn too much football from Emery, Kieran. Else, you will lose the expertise that the club signed you for and start making U passes at the centre circle.
I wish the club would stop making the players say these things, nobody believes it and it’s just embarrassing.
Making them say it! Hahaha
They are though. It’s probably written into their contracts somewhere knowing modern-day football.
Media duties are part of the contract so yes, the club makes the players say these things.
Some questions the journalists ask are quite bizarre to say the least. Did they seriously expect a player, never mind one that has just come in, to come out and castigate the head coach in the media? Every Tom, Dick and Harry can see that Emery is out of his depth and I’m sure the players too can see it and are feeling the impact most, but they cannot start a rebellion. It’s the fans that are best suited to instigate the necessary changes by absconding matches, showing their displeasure with the abysmal performances and generally venting out their feelings.… Read more »
I hope we get thumped at Leicester so it gives our board no option but to sack the guy.
The only players backing him are the ones getting a free ride in a team they shouldn’t be getting picked for. Xhaka would be an example, not good enough, but plays every week and made captain. And any other players that have no winning mentally. I’d hope the decent players we have who actually want to compete are making their opinions known. If we carry on, I can’t see Auba being here next season and good luck replacing him playing in the Europa league.
Realistically, you couldn’t expect him to say anything else. Nevertheless, Emery’s days are numbered. It’s just a question of how long the Kroenkes are prepared to wait for the mythical turnaround.
Why the fuck was Tierney even playing in this game?!
Edu as sporting director is just as culpable for this mess. He was supposed to be some “man of action whom only acceps winning mentality”, but since taking over he’s been hiding in the bushes like a rabbit as we struggle. How about pulling him from there and ask how he is going to handle this mess? Where is the winning mentality? This ain’t gonna end well unless we see some collective responsibility. Wenger was thrown under a buss as it took ages to fire him, same goes for Emery now.
No he doesn’t.
I’m know absolutely nothing about football management, but 99% of us on here know that this is our strongest starting lineup:
Leno (GK)
Tierney (LB) Sokratis (CB) Luiz (CB) Bellerin (RB)
Torreira (DM) Guendouzi (DM/box to box CM)
Ozil (AM) Pepe (AM)
Laczette (FW) Aubameyang (FW)
Yet he’s not even tried that team out and doesn’t know what their strongest positions are.
Miffs me.
*He = Emery, not young Kieran.
Sokratis and Luiz don’t work well together.
Holding is our best cb
I’m genuinely bored of this sh*t now. Just sack him already. F*ck the board’s and player’s vote of confidence. Who wants to be playing for a team that throws away a winning position four matches in a row and concedes double the shots that we have.
I really don’t understand why he’s being given so much time.
But it was the very well organised Vitoria. Give the guy a break. They’re well organised you know.
The very fact that the club are having to perform this kind of PR exercise does not bode well for Senor Emery.
Means nothing.
What crisis is there here now to warrant such a headline? Surely of all positions, fullback is the one we have the best options. As mentioned many times, we need ALL our fullbacks to be firing on all cylinders. And I don’t think there is as much gulf in ability with kolasinac or Tierney as many would prefer to suggest. The situation on the other flank is a different matter. I think Bellerin is ahead of Chambers and AMN. In terms of the two alternates, Chambers has impressed me with his application but it isn’t entirely surprising he is excelling… Read more »
Tierney will come good once he starts all the time, fingers crossed. Sounds like class is natural for the boy.
He has been good already
What little I’ve seen of him I agree. We have a gem of a player on our hands there.
Isn’t it somewhat concerning that our summer signing needs to even say this, after contributing in, what, 7 ish games?
Surely that just means eyes are on Emery right? And all eyes will be watching as we face Leicester.
I’ve even started reading player quotes in the voice of Unai Emery now. This is the final straw. I can’t do this anymore.
Hahahahaha……..WE ALL NEED HELP! Somebody sack Unai Emery PLEASE!
Let’s all be honest he’s failing, even when in the early days of 12 games unbeaten we’ve got are arsenal back days i like many was never convinced, we didn’t have a style of play then and we don’t have one today, let’s not all apportion blame to kronkes they have backed him and our club yet sometimes in life like a girlfriend you chose who trys to convince you all those texts from her best mate are her actually from her ex it’s time to cut your losses, I’ve given up a long time ago listening to his pre/post… Read more »
It was 22 games unbeaten. But your comment is still valid.
Please stop learning from Emery. Hold on to what you already knew.
By the look of your avatar you’ve certainly got something to hold on to.
Now the dreaded votes of confidence are coming in!
So… question for all Gooner friends: what/who do you want to happen when Emery is gone:
Freddie to take over for season?
I’d be happy with that. We have some really difficult fixtures coming up and I’d rather we lost them with Freddie giving it a go than Emery bottling it.
agree, a chance to test Freddie/something new with seemingly at this stage nothing to lose vs. keeping Emery, and hopefully would get a bit of a bump effect of new manager and flushing out the old
This is what players say just before e manager gets sacked
When a player has to come out and affirm that the manager has the backing of the players, the end is nigh. I feel sorry for Emery. I do think that the language barrier has played an important role (among other factors) in the difficulty he has encountered. Some of the same issues were at stake with PSG
The language barrier could be fixed with a translator, if only Emery had something worthwhile to say about how the team should play.
The last 10 mins in Portugal were an equaliser or even a loss waiting to happen. Pepe, Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Torreira, Sokratis and Tierney were just not capable of retaining possession, also no closing down after lost possession. The spirits are obviously low and it adds up to the fact that Arsenal have developed into a poor team. Saka seems incapable of laying a pass into the stride of a colleague, it’s always a yard or so behind causing breakdown, get Ozil to show him how! Maitland-Niles starts the game with a thousand quid’s worth of gold round his neck,… Read more »
Have a read of ‘The Athletic’ article today on Brendan Rodgers today. If you’d asked me whether he should be our next manager a week ago, I would have responded “no f**king way”. However, all the things he seems to be doing at Leicester appear to be the exact things we’re not doing at The Arse, and NEED to be doing.
Interesting that Tierney says Emery wants possession style football and yet our possession / passing stats keep getting poor.
It’s ok KT, we know you have to say those nice things
Think vardy will have a field day against us unfortunately, give emery the benefit of the doubt , great squad given proper direction should be too 4 all day long , he ain’t doing it , chat shit get banged
It’s pretty telling that they’re having to wheel out the newest member of the squad to say this. Of course Tierney doesn’t have a big issue with Emery; he’s only been here and fit for about a month. Emery hasn’t yet worn out his welcome.