KMitch

I mean... We put 10 men behind the ball, hoofed it forward when we had possession, and hoped Ollie would make something happen on the break. We were lucky Palace were so poor and didn't look dangerous until the last 12 minutes of the game. I'm happy we won, and we were the much better side in the first half, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Was pretty critical of him re-signing for us this summer and after some pretty lackluster peformances earlier on this season, but he was excellent today. He's another leader on the pitch.

Thought he played well today. Get the feeling that once he fully gets up to the speed of the Prem, he'll be a real handful for defenders.

Brilliant pass into El Ghazi for the 2nd goal. Also, fair play to AEG as well for not blasting the ball into row Z, but passing to McGinn instead.

Glad we won! You could see glimpses of how Gerrard wants us to play in the first half, and we looked much better defensively in transition and going forward, with our narrow wide forwards. That said, the second half was basically Bruceball for 45 minutes and shows there is still much work to be done. Very happy with how things have started for Gerrard, though. Long may it continue! UTV!!!

Very impressed by how much we've tightened up defensively in transition this week. It's also noticeable just how narrow our wide forwards are playing now vs previously. Good stuff, should be more than just 1-0 up. Keep it going, lads!

The guy is a bum... I know the Lions' roster sucks, but Campbell's playcalling and clock management lost them that game. But hey, he gives good press conferences, right??? Michigan Thanksgiving tradition...

Pretty sure the kind of player some Villa fans are expecting of a good DM doesn't exist. They're looking for a combination of the Toure brothers in one person, and even then they'll find something to complain about.

Have we ever had a defensive midfielder Villa fans universally rated? Don't say Petrov, because before he was diagnosed with his illness, he got more stick from the fans than anyone but Heskey in that team. I remember some on here calling him "The Cruyff Turn Crab". Nakamba is fine. I thought he was excellent on Saturday. He's the new scapegoat in the Villa team right now that some will hate, no matter what he does (Neil Taylor 2.0).

For sure. To say he overreacted is an understatement, but that's something a 20 year old kid needs to work on getting under control. He's gotten ejected a few times now for getting into scraps with vets who know they can get under his skin. I'm still pissed at all the Lebron sympathizers who are still claiming it was accidental. The guy turned, looked right at Stewart, then hammer fisted him in the face (not elbowed).

To be fair, that's what happens when you no longer have a dinosaur managing your team.

I love the Pistons... Fook Lebron. Cheap shot. Beef Stew legitimately was going to kill him, especially when he bowled through 8 guys the second time they let him go.

Not at all. It's still possible for most of us to wish both Smith and Gerrard successful seasons. Getting tired of the "Smith Out" crowd making every single thread in this forum about themselves at every turn. He's gone and we have a new manager that we all hope will get us playing well again. Move on. Now that the Smith thread is in "Other Football" you guys are literally going out of your way to keep this gloating going.

Please stay on topic. This is the Dean Smith thread. Go kiss Gerrard's arse in his thread.

Or we're 4 points off Europe, but you know... Glass half full or glass half empty, and we sure know that when it comes to Smith, you're as empty as it gets...

They're basically walking the ball in the net, over and over and over again. Ramsdale is the only one keeping this from becoming 10-0 at this point.

Liverpool really are on another level again this season.

I'm happy we won, but let's be honest... There isn't much you can do as a coach in 6 days other than give them a boost to morale. Calling Gerrard a genius or making his tactics/substitutions out to be masterstrokes is a bit farfetched. We looked like a team playing under a new manager today and it will take Gerrard several months to put his stamp on the squad. It's going to be interesting to see he changes the system around over the rest of the season. We started strong in the first 15 mins, but then looked a lot like we've played lately, deflated and low on confidence. Fair play to Gerrard for making the right subs in the 2nd half and the players looked like the weight of the world was lifted off of them after our first goal. Played some of the best footy of the year after that. I'm happy we won and I hope we continue to bring that confidence into the Palace match next weekend.

Reminds me a lot of this incident in good ole American Football. Everyone acts tough with a dozen people standing in between them both.

I would absolutely love that... Leeds - Worst fans in the Prem Burnley - Worst football in the Prem Newcastle - Worst owners in the Prem

No way Ole survives this. Embarrassing performance by them today.

I had the Norwich game on alongside the Villa game for the first half, but turned it off in the 2nd, I was so anxious watching us... Glad to see Smith is off to a good start too.

"Haters gonna hate"

The relief when we finally scored... It was like the weight of the world went off the shoulders of the team... Hopefully we can keep that confidence going into next week at Palace. UTV!!!

Glad to see this very hyped draft class has not disappointed so far... Mobley and Barnes have started the season on fire and now that Cade is fit, he's starting to find his footing as well.