Those sort of homilies always begin with a bit of patronising praise, so I’d tell him that he’s been incredible for us, given us some of our greatest modern moments and allowed us to dream again.

I’d acknowledge that his toenail clippings have forgotten more about football than I’ll ever know and that he’s one of the most successful managers in Europe.

Then I’d ask him a few things, in the hope that some of that wisdom might rub off and I could begin to understand the reasoning behind decisions that I find unfathomable.

For a start I’d ask him why he picks Ollie Watkins to start, week in, week out. I love Ollie; he’s up there with Christian Benteke as one of our best strikers this century but apart from a brief few weeks he’s done nothing all season to justify your faith in him.

I’d then ask where I can see the footage from Bodymoor of Leon Bailey looking like peak Cristiano Ronaldo in training. He must do, because I can’t see any other reason for having him anywhere near the first team. Or why Emiliano Buendia, who as an impact sub invariably looks effective, starts so often.

I’d ask him why Donyell Malen never got a real chance at Villa, but in Italy he’s somehow breaking records that van Basten and Batistuta couldn’t match. Or for that matter why Evann Guessand looks a different player at Palace.

I could follow that one up by asking how Villa can spend so much on players who either flatter to deceive, fail completely or take at least a year to come good. How we can bring in a loan player who can’t play in case we might have to sign him and who agreed such a one-sided deal.

I could ask why he wonders about the lack of atmosphere at Villa Park when the past two months have given us nothing to get worked up about.

I could then ask why we got off to the perfect start when Bailey laid on a goal for Douglas Luiz inside two minutes and after that we barely had a kick for the next eighty-eight.

I might enquire why the team seemed so totally unmotivated in a match that, if we’d won, would have made finishing in the top five virtually certain.

More pertinently, I’d ask why a manager long respected for his analytical attention to detail and his ability to adapt is so stuck in ways that clearly aren’t working.

How it’s not long ago that we were worried about Real Madrid wanting him, and how unlikely that must be now.

Above all, I’d want to know how he intends to put all this right and to finally ask if he really wants to.

Because much as he has been the best thing to happen to the Villa for thirty years, if not longer, on Wednesday night at Villa Park Unai gave the impression that he’s had enough of fighting against insurmountable odds.