Stuartc445

You say you're not in camp 1 and that Smith can do wrong but you go on to defend him despite winning only 1 game against a truly awful Ipswich team and even that was a shit performance. The thing that has defined Smith so far is yesterday we came up against a team with pace and he thought Jedinak who is old, slow and returning from long spell injured was the answer to that.

You are correct Villa aren't a bad side and most of this league would love to have the squad we have. The thing is Villa fans are currently divided into 2 camps, camp 1 are big Smith fans and are totally closed to the idea that Smith can do any wrong, whilst the other camp (which i'm in) are still on Smiths side but are open to the idea that he can get things wrong. The problem is camp 1 were the ones that have been championing Smith for ages before he came here and were also the ones that were declaring our squad is the best in this league and that Smith would be able to do loads better with it. But now that we are getting worse and worse they seem to have done a 180 and are declaring that our squad is rubbish in order to defends Smiths performances. And i totally agree with your side note, Mings is class tall, strong, quick and vocal exactly the qualities you want in a defender.

Did Bruce ever go on a run of 1 win in 12?

Bruce got time because he came into a team that was in free fall and pretty much stabilised us immediately which brought him time. Whereas Smith came in and had a couple of good results but almost immediately after those restaurants the performances have gone bad and we now hardly win games. Whilst I remain fair and will give Smith the same time as Bruce because I am not a hypocite, but Smith is making it difficult. Today was a great come back but all we did was save face and for 82 mins it was as bad a performance as the Wigan match and Sheffield United were well worth being 3:0 up. It also has to be said where was that fight for 82 minutes.

November and December you mean what 5 games? You do realise its a 46 game season? And as I said I looked forward to all the games last season. I'd prefer to look forward to ALL the games in the season not just the small amount we've had under Smith so far.

I enjoyed it because I went to every game thinking we could win. Last season I was counting down the days until the next game and that isn't something I'd done for years. Before that going to the Villa felt horrible and it was hard work getting exited about going. I hope Smith can get that back. He'll be getting the same treatment that I gave Bruce he'll get next season to prove himself. Those that didn't give Bruce the same time surely it's a bit hypocritical to give Smith more time than you gave Bruce.

Last season we were going into games with the belief we could win, how anyone can describe that as poor is beyond me. I'm lost for words I've never heard anything more ridiculous.

Yeah we shouldn't question a manager that has managed 1 win in 10 and those 10 were meant to be out easy games. Pissed of by the likes of Wigan, beat Ipswich who are the worst side in this league and we only just about scraped past them, vs Reading 0:0 and ended up hanging on for that draw because of the subs Smith made. But of course use the Fickle word because Smith is not allowed to be questioned is he, potentially after the West Brom it could be 1 win in 13 are we allowed to question him then?

The last 3 games, vs Hull we were awful got a undeserved goal just before half time we then improved slightly to get a 2nd but unlike most teams who have come from 2 down there was no relentless pressure to get the winner. Vs Ipswich we won but had Ipswich not been so woeful we wouldn't have won because we were that great we were just less shit than Ipswich (who should have had a pen and hit the woodwork) Vs Reading we were bad in the 1st half improved in the 2nd but hardly troubled their goalkeeper. The last 3 games haven't been good have they. I don't think they are anything to shout about tbh

But 1 win in 10 says it isn't working. You're right though he isn't in the process of trial and error he's in the process of error and error. The fact that he is doing the same thing every game despite it clearly not working says to me he has run out of ideas so will just keep going with the same in the hope that somehow it'll have a different result in the next game.

But constantly doing something that isn't working is even worse. what's that saying The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Good managers can adapt, the players aren't capable of playing the way he wants to so surely the fact he keeps trying to make them play that way even though it's not working and it isn't going to work is a stupid thing to do and it could be viewed that Smith is a limited manager.

But it wasn't a random poor performance, they have been getting worse and worse with each game recently. If it was just 1 bad game there wouldn't be a panic like there is now, the reason for the panic is because 1 win in 8 with the performances have been getting worse even the 1 we won it wasn't great.

He made an awesome save yesterday..... but then spent the rest of the game trying to gift Preston a goal.

Trust me if I wasn't there I wouldn't have believed it myself. It took a good few seconds to believe it

Vs Sheffield United free kick was on the touchline half way into our half they took a shot and he parried it in. I understand your disbelief as I was on row 2 right behind it and I didn't believe what I saw.

I meant Scott Hogan isn't working, I was replying to people who said Bruce's way didn't suit Hogan he needed Smiths way now he has Smiths way and it's still not working. Maybe you should read things properly this is the Scott Hogan thread so naturally I'll talk about Scott Hogan instead of the whole team in general

In 2 games this season he let in every shot he faced (in one of those he parried it into his own net from a free kick right next to the touchline) that is indefensible for a keeper at any level of football. He is the worst keeper I have ever seen.

So 1 save all season, but hey it's the defence that give him no confidence. Where is you logic that it's his lack of trust in the defence is the problem. As has been said you'd be surprised at the amount of basic errors a defence (that is mostly unchanged from the good defence we had last season) can make when they don't trust the keeper.

What times are these? I can't only think of the save VS Derby. For a keeper to go 1 game where he's let every shot in is unacceptable but Nyland has done that twice

The defence is only missing 1 player from last season, so it's practically the same but performing totally different, the only real difference is the trust it the player behind them.

As I've said before some will make endless excuses for Hogan so it's pointless arguing with them. As for Smith January is when I start to judge him, if we get anything other then defenders that I'll have concerns. The signing of a new keeper has given me hope.

But we are no longer lumping it up the field we are playing the style of football that allegedly should be suited to him, and he's still useless. We've played hoof ball it didn't work, we are now playing the free flowing football and it's not working, I'm not sure what other styles that are left. Oh and BTW if Smith gets attacking players in January then we have serious problems as the attack doesn't need anything done, January should be all about defence and nothing else.

The only way Hogan will be important for us is if we sell him for a big enough price that we can get a good player. Loving the excuses though, so Bruce didn't play to his strengths, now the only manager that got any kind of form out of him doesn't play to his strengths.

Defence is playing permanently in a state of panic with Nyland you don't do the basics correctly when you panic. I doubt Elmo was worried about Nylands distribution when he kicked it away from him, it was probably more a case of a Leeds player was close and Nyland cannot be trusted in those situations. When a defence can trust the keeper its surprising how errors like Elmos don't happen. Confidence is key and when the defence has no confidence in a keeper mistakes like Elmos happen.