Harry

I would agree. Purslow is not stupid and if he continues to back Gerrard he will be seen as part of the problem.

I think unless there is a Road to Damascus conversion in his managerial abilities this season he will not be getting the Liverpool job!

I'm not in the SG out camp yet but the pressure is inexorably growing on him. It's not so much the defeats, it's the manner of the defeats which are very reminiscent of the last days of Deano. He has the players, for the most part, but what we see on the pitch is a disorganised mess. Any half decent manager has his players doing the basics right but that is not the case at Villa.

Completely baffling choice as captain IMO as I think he is poor so often in games.

Totally living on his past reputation. Needs dropping.

Desperation???

The players worked hard but yet again we got out muscled in midfield. The substitutions were little short of disastrous. All they did was make a weak midfield even weaker. I am prepared to accept that this is basically not Gerrard's side but the tactics or lack of them sit with him. I expected some serious changes after the NU game but all that happened was Watkins was rightly dropped for Ings and the root problems were not addressed. I would be very tempted to start Chambers as the DM to protect the back four as it's clear Luiz cannot do that job effectively. I'm not suggesting the problem is Gerrard but he needs to convert what he says into actions. We spent way to much time fannying a around on the edge of their penalty box with zero end product which is proven by having only one shot on target. If we had converted our dominant first half performance into goals I think we would have walked the game. As it was we left ourselves vulnerable to precisely what happened; conceding yet another soft goal.

Hi Tro You are right it happens in lots of games. You play us effectively by getting in the face of the midfielders and pressing the back four. We then struggle to get the ball upfield in a way that provides a proper attacking outlet. I really do hope SG is as good as his word and we make some big changes for the next game.

We can all blamed the ref as much as we like, he was poor for sure., but we were just out muscled for most of the game. I said it when he managed Bournemouth, Howe sets out his sides to be physically intimidating. They are happy to commit fouls and slow play down and we just fell straight into that trap. The problem is our midfield. They fail to protect the back four and offer little going forward. They were pressed far too much and folded time after time.

We are amazingly poor all over the pitch. Confidence seems to be completely shot. NU played bang average today and won at a canter which just shows how poor we really were. I worry about our defending but the midfield is a shambles. They look like they all met five minutes before kick off

We are poor the defence being the main problem

We really don’t!

I agree but that does not explain the piss poor tactics, persisting with the wrong formation and the attitude of the disinterested players.

Sorry but a good manager should be able to deal with Grealish going given the investment made. And him going does not explain the abject performances on the pitch nor the piss poor tactics and formation. Being a Villa fan is a nice to have as a manager not a prerequisite. It’s a sad day when (not if) they sack him and I really like Smith but it’s the right decision for the club, for him and us as fans.

Game over for Smith. Horror show in the first half followed by a decent second half but the damage had already been. To be honest if Southampton had been 3-0 up at half time it would not have been a surprise. Players are all over the place running around like headless chickens. He has lost the dressing room. Putting Davies on really was the last gasp of a desperate man. If he is still in a job by the middle of next week Purslow is not doing his job properly. Love the guy but he is way out of his depth.

I am absolutely certain that a different manager could get more out of the players.

Last game for Smith I think

I think I could get a better performance out of them. My score prediction is 3-0 to Southampton which means Smith is gone.

So how are we all enjoying Smiths last game in charge? He has so lost the players, no effort and no commitment.

When we conceded two further goals and the game was well and truly lost? I'm not sure I understand your definition of better.

One game to save his job.

My opinion of Mings. Love the guy but he is woefully out of form. Added to that I don't think he is as good as his propaganda says he is.

If you selected the best players on paper to make up a combined Villa / WHU starting eleven I could easily see half or more being Villa. The point is we have the players but they don't look like a team. WHU today were a solid well organised unit who played like a team. Moyes has got them doing all the basics right and it builds from there. Villa on the other hand are a disjointed mess of individuals. I know a few on here are blaming the ref who made some very poor decisions but we have shipped 12 goals in four games. The ref did not help today but its missing the point. Our problems run much much deeper Sadly responsibility sits with the manager. I have been a supporter of Smith but it seems he has lost the dressing room. Buendia's reaction to being substituted tells you everything about what a key player thinks of Smith and that's probably the view of the dressing room. I fully expect us to lose to Southampton on Friday so that's five in a row so that will be game over for Smith. I would strongly suspect Purslow already has the feelers out for a new manager. Its better to change now and give the new manager as many games as possible to sort this mess out

I have always been a supporter of Smith but last night was a turning point for me. We were abysmal and I know the players have to shoulder responsibility the ultimate responsibility sits with the manager. He gets completely outsmarted by Arteta tactically??? The fact that he did not change the formation, when it was obvious ten minutes into the game that it was not working, was negligent. We made Arsenal look like Barca at their very best. They are a good side but on our day we are just as good. We were clinging on from kick off. See above on tactics and formation. MIngs should be benched. He is our worst centre back. His lapses in concentration and regular errors are costing us. I doubt Smith has the balls to do that. Watkins should be benched. So out of form its unreal yet I guess he is the first name after Mings and Martinez on the team sheet. I doubt Smith has the balls to do that. Paying 5-3-2 should be an option not requirement. Cash and Targett as the main wide attacking threat - really? The three centre backs do not provide proper defensive cover - a stronger midfield would be a much better option. Up front Ings and Watkins hinder each other and get next to no service. The most worrying aspect for me is the mental fragility of the players. I got the impression last night that they never believed from the get go that they could win that game. It's ironical given we beat Man U at Old Trafford. At best it was a hangover from the implosion in the last ten minutes of the Wolves game. At worst it's a sign of a much more deep seated problem. Confidence is instilled by the manager and his team. As of right now I see a side with zero self belief and I don't see any leaders on the pitch either We have now lost three on the bounce and shipped 8 goals. They always say every football club is six games off a crisis, well we are 50% of the way there. I don't think the owners and Purslow will will show any sentimentality if they have to make that tough decision. So in a nutshell I think Smith has three games to save his job.

So his record is good?!!