QldVilla

Mings was a beast tonight, haven't seen a CB move around for Villa like that since Laursen. The time, the composure, and also the way he imposed himself on attackers. He also made himself a leader today, something we've been lacking on field. Great display.

Excellent, I've achieved my goal....

People seem to forget that it's the January transfer market and you rarely get what you need, unless you pay well over market value. Carroll may not be the ideal signing, but Smith wouldn't of signed him if he didn't think he could do a job, and that's why he needs to be given a chance.

I'm sure that achievement sits proudly in your CV when you go for job interviews...

I don't believe I was saying you can't debate the issues with the club, but I haven't read anything with a methodology that supports their views. What's the saying, opinions are like @($-?@!$/ everyone has got one....social media just allows everyone to express it. That some are going after a Manager who has been there for 16 weeks is just wrong and have no validity to their argument. Rather than getting up their post numbers, try putting together a logical point of view.

It's just been great to read the opinions of all those coaching experts on the "problems" with Villa, surely you can give up some of your time away from your FIFA coaching badges to assist Dean Smith and his team? Smith has had about 16 weeks in the job, the systemic issues with the club and the squad haven't gone away and the team still lacks a heart. Our best player has been out for a month and it is no coincidence that the downturn in performance coincided with his injury. We are threadbare with defenders and our best DM has been on the injury list since the start of the season. DS has been able to paper over most of these issues but he isn't a miracle worker. Too many supporters are focussed on the outcome, but have no idea of the processes that all need to be working in the right direction to achieve the desired result. Most of these at the club have been broken for years, but the new owners, coaches etc are now rebuilding these but it will take time. We will have some good times and bad, but ultimately the club will return to its glory, but patience is needed. With a little luck and the right players brought in, I still believe we will finish in the Top 6 and have a run at promotion like last season, but like last season, we still may be found out to be short.

Personally thought there was no advantage for Tammy or Chelsea loaning him to Wolves for six months and he was better off staying where he is and continue banging them in. If he does, his value will increase and be worth more to Chelsea, and other clubs will be chasing him for next season including Villa if promoted. Great news and well done Tammy.

I don't see it that way, there's many reasons why the form is the way it is at the moment, tired squad, best player on sidelines etc.. but what you say is valid, Villa doesn't have that team look about it, yet...

TA is by no means the finished article and he still missus the odd sitter, he had a slow start with Villa this season and wasn't until Smith became manager that he flourished. Although I would preferred he stayed and helped us get promoted, too many players these days are looking short term, rather than what is in their best interests long term. If he stayed with Villa and we were promoted, Is there the opportunity that we would sign him? I would have thought yes. On the other side of the coin, Wolves are so sure of him, they are only signing on loan for 6 months?. He probably feels that he is ready, and he probably is for the challenge, but if he keeps banging them in then there will be a handful of clubs wanting to sign him at the end of the season and he might be worth more to Chelsea. Six more months in the Championship will only make things better for him and Chelsea, and hopefully Chelsea will see this.

I think some supporters are trying to turn wine into water.. In the past 2 months we have had 5 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss against teams in predominantly the top half of the Championship. Our best player has been out for the past 4 games, who probably if available turns 2 of those draws into wins, and we were robbed against WBA. We are down to the bare bones as a squad, players are playing tired due to injuries and the inability to rotate. Even with Smith inheriting an unbalanced squad with only 2 CD, and some players not suiting his style of play, he and the coaching staff have done a phenomenal job. The club will get in 3-4 players more suited to his style and we will get players back and go on a long run. I expect us to be in the play offs and with a little luck will go up this season.

How many clubs in the Championship could rightly lay claim to going through the same period of games starting with Derby and ending with Leeds and say they would do better than Villa for points in the same period of games? The squad has looked tired the last two games and due to key injuries we haven't been able to rotate some players to keep them fresh. I know a lot of people don't like Jedinak, but we are missing a no nonsense DM who makes opposition players look for fear of being put on their backsides, we needed this against Leeds yesterday and a couple of other games in past weeks. The same frailties are still there that were there at the start of the season, but with a couple of CD's a ball playing CM and cover for Grealish, this Villa team is still good enough to go up, but we need a little luck like every club needs to get promoted.

I thought the manager said it was a stress fracture of a metatarsal in his foot, should only be 5-8 weeks depending on where in the foot.

I think the run of games over the last 6 weeks has caught up with the team. We looked tired as a squad last game and looked it again today. We also aren't the same team without Grealish, having someone to hold up the ball and allow the attacking players to get into position. Now that we are getting injuries, it's showing we don't have the quality of depth we thought we had. Will be interesting to see who is brought in in January, we not only need the well publicised defenders but another ball playing central midfielder, someone who sits a little deeper, urgently to go on with it.

Thought we were a bit flat today, but the brilliance of one player nearly got us the win.

I don't believe Nyland is our long term keeper and what most have said is true, but he's not to blame for the loss today. It's easy to read into situations after the fact it's another to make decisions in real time. I've seen world class keepers do exactly the same as him for the first goal, and he should have been better physically in the second goal, he reacted too late. But doesn't take away from the fact in the second goal that the WB player pulled the ball with arm away from Nyland ( deliberate hand ball) and then hand balled again on the ground. We should have killed off the game could have had 4-5 goals. I don't see the purpose of hammering Nyland each game, we need to get behind him until the manager decides otherwise.

At some point the game passes some managers by, this was Bruce. He had his window and just missed on delivering. We now have a proper manager who understands the club and has the players playing an attractive attacking style of play. It's getting better every week and is a joy to watch.

I think the manager getting a full week with the players showed tonight. There's still a lot of work to do, but you can see we are better tactically. We could of scored 4 or 5, but they also could have scored 1 or 2. We look a threat going forward from both touch lines and through the middle, even if the last pass or touch is still going astray. THe back 4 look a lot better, although looked exposed a couple of times, maybe the manager plays a DM in front when we are away from home. There's small improvement each week and that should continue, very promising.

Agree. We need a harder edge, and not sure some of those players have it in them. Jedinak wouldn't of copped that in midfield and would of given it back in spades, but he's slowed down too much for the style DS wants to play. The other issue is the passing game, some players are standing like their feet are in cement, when it is about moving into space, sometimes you don't need the speed for it to work, but you do need the intelligence to find or make the space between players. PS I love Grealish as we all do, but a lot of times he looks like a cat playing with a ball of wool, entertaining, but not creative and to the teams detriment. He needs to work on his output and it being more effective.

I thought Norwich got a lot more physical in the second half and we didn't handle it too well. A few players wanted to wave there hands in the air appealing to the ref rather than playing the whistle and getting the ball back. We created enough chances, just didn't take them. You can see the a different style developing, its just going to take a while for it to be bedded down. Disappointing loss but encouraging.

3 games in 6 days. While JG does need to improve his finishing, DS is thinking more about the next 2 games and how he can use his best players including JG effectively over the period. That means not playing full games in some instances and resting players when the opportunity arises. We have a big enough squad, over most teams in the Championship and if used to our advantage, will hopefully lead us winning games through less fatigue than other smaller squads.

I said it the other day, it was a breath of fresh air to hear a manager not talk the normal cliches, as some have already commented, Smith is more anaylitical and has a strong coaching methodology. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I like to hear what he is getting the players to do tactically, they obviously targeted a couple of players, 'setting traps', and great to see the team with a plan and execute that plan.

The one thing that stands out to me from Smith was there was no clichés, standard lines. He was very clear in his coaching methodology and more importantly it made sense. It wasn't a whole lot of gobbly guk made up to impress people. He just feels like the right appointment for the club, and hopefully we will see the standard he brings to the club in the team over the coming weeks and months. Very exciting.

Ok sunshine...

Yep, but how close were Villa to being added to the list below, which wasn't part of his tenure. A name on a stand that can be removed anytime, or below? I know which I'd prefer. It's easy to criticise, but even harder to show some class. Club Entered administration Exited administration League(s) Deduction(s) Charlton Athletic February 1984[24][25] March 1984 [nb 1] Second Division None Middlesbrough 21 May 1986 July 1986[26] [nb 2] Third Division None Tranmere Rovers 1987[27] 1987[28] Fourth Division None Newport County 1989[29] February 1989 Dissolved[29] Football Conference None Walsall 1990[citation needed] − − None Northampton Town 1992[citation needed] − − None Kettering Town 1992[citation needed] − − None Aldershot 1992[citation needed] − − None Maidstone United 1992[citation needed] − − None Hartlepool United 1994[citation needed] − − None Barnet 1994[citation needed] − − None Exeter United 1994[citation needed] − − None Gillingham 1995[citation needed] − − None Doncaster Rovers 1997[citation needed] − − None Millwall 21 January 1997 June 1997 Second Division None Bournemouth 1997[citation needed] − − None Crystal Palace 1998[citation needed] July 2000 Second Division None Chester City October 1998[30] July 1999[31] Third Division None Portsmouth 1998[citation needed] 1999 Second Division None Hull City 7 February 2001[32] 12 March 2001[33][nb 3] Third Division None Queens Park Rangers 2 April 2001[35] 17 November 2002[36] First Division None Halifax Town 9 April 2002[37] March 2003[38] Third Division Football Conference None Bradford City 16 May 2002[39] 1 August 2002[40] First Division None Notts County June 2002 December 1993 Third Division None Barnsley 3 October 2002[41] 25 October 2003[42] Second Division None Leicester City 21 October 2002[43] 16 November 2004[44] First Division None Port Vale 16 December 2002[45] 2003 Second Division None York City 18 December 2002[46] 26 March 2003[47] Third Division None Derby County 20 October 2003[48] 20 October 2003[48] Championship None[nb 4] Ipswich Town[nb 5] 10 February 2003[52] 30 May 2003[53] First Division None Wimbledon 5 June 2003[54] 21 June 2004[55] (As MK Dons) First Division None Darlington 23 December 2003[56] 26 May 2004[57] Third Division None Bradford City 27 February 2004[58] 10 December 2004[59] First Division League One None Wrexham 3 December 2004[14] 3 August 2006[60] League One League Two −10 pts Cambridge United 29 April 2005[61] 22 July 2005[62] League Two −10 pts Rotherham United 13 May 2006[63] ??? League One −10 pts Crawley Town 5 June 2006[64] 10 August 2007[65] Conference National −6 pts[nb 6] Boston United 25 April 2007[67] 20 May 2008[68] League Two −10 pts[nb 7] Leeds United 4 May 2007[70] 11 July 2007[71] Championship League One −10 pts −15 pts[nb 8] Luton Town 22 November 2007[73] 28 July 2008[74] League One League Two −10 pts −20 pts[nb 9] Bournemouth 8 February 2008[76] 18 July 2008[77] League One League Two −10 pts −17 pts[nb 10] Rotherham United 18 March 2008[79] 2008[1] League Two −10 pts −17 pts[nb 11] Halifax Town 26 March 2008[80] 13 June 2008[81] Conference National −10 pts Darlington 25 February 2009[82] 7 August 2009[83] League Two −10 pts Southampton 2 April 2009[84][85] 8 July 2009[86] Championship League One N/A −10 pts[nb 12] Stockport County 30 April 2009[87] 18 June 2010[88] League One −10 pts Chester City 17 May 2009[30] 10 March 2010[nb 13] Dissolved Conference National −25 pts[nb 14] Northwich Victoria 15 May 2009[94] 16 May 2010[95][nb 15] Conference National −10 pts[nb 16] Farsley Celtic 30 June 2009[99] 10 March 2010 Dissolved[100] Conference North −10 pts[101] Salisbury City 3 September 2009[102] 26 February 2010[103][104] Conference National −10 pts[nb 17] Weymouth 28 October 2009[106] 27 November 2009[107] Conference South None Crystal Palace 26 January 2010[108] 20 August 2010[109] Championship −10 pts Portsmouth 26 February 2010[17] 24 October 2010[110] Premier League −9 pts Plymouth Argyle 4 March 2011[111] 31 October 2011[112] League One −10 pts Rushden and Diamonds 7 July 2011[113] 8 July 2011 Dissolved[114] Conference National None Darlington 3 January 2012[115] 21 June Dissolved 2012 Conference National −10 pts Portsmouth 17 February 2012[116] 19 April 2013[117] Championship −10 pts Port Vale 9 March 2012[118] 20 November 2012[119] League Two −10 pts Coventry City 21 March 2013[120] League One League One −10 pts[120][121] −10 pts[122] Aldershot Town 2 May 2013[123]

History will define his legacy in a positive note. A custodian of a great club. RIP Sir Doug.