Blasterpocket68

3 minutes ago, MikeAVFC said:

I've said all along I want a new manager next season regardless of what division we're in. Results in the next few games will not change that view. Fwiw I think we'll scab it and beat the drop and we need to be looking to kick on then, or we'll be in the same situation next season talking about the same tiresome failures of this manager. I understand that he's not been helped with recruitment and injuries, but nonetheless we have to aim big. We're Aston Villa football club and for far far too long we have thought small time. These owners have stated they want to kick on and have huge ambitions. Whether we are in the championship or the PL next season, keeping DS will not reflect this imo. Thanks Dean for the promotion and if he keeps us up but not the man to take the club forward for me. 

Regrettably i have to agree , depending on what league were in will no doubt influence the type of manager we may or may not  attract. We are Aston Villa FC but the damage to our brand over the last few years will not help us attract the top table. The owners will have to show there intent with he next appointment.

6 minutes ago, Mjvilla said:

So, it's worse than I thought. Definitely more than just 'panicking'  going on there then! The owners are lunatics.

i did hear that Pearson was on a huge bonus if he keeps Watford in the league , no longer have to pay that just his wages for the 2 games

!!   

59 minutes ago, Hobbit Feet said:

I love our rose tinted glasses on here. People do realise it’s no forlorn conclusion Watford will get stuffed by city, they could even potentially take points. We will draw or beat Arsenal even though Watford have no chance against them on the last day. And then to top it off we will get a result away against West Ham even though everyone has been saying they have a far superior squad than ours And shouldn’t be in a relegation battle. 

Yep correct - that is why villatalk   is a football forum to share opinions

53 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

Do you not think the form of Luiz and others clearly getting more up to speed have things to do with it?

Surely its not as black and white as manager chooses to now defend better. Like he didn't care about it previously. 

TBF Luiz was in and out of the team to start with , along with the different formations and players afoot. Players dont find form whilst we chop and change . Yes players systems do need time to bed in  and he had to build a new team and adapt a style of play. It was difficult task !  My criticism is the style of play and strategy he chose,  it was very naive  to go the way he did with the squad he had in a new league  that is black and white. 

Im not questioning if  Smith cares , im questioning his ability to manage at this level. 

1 hour ago, Delphinho123 said:

Lose 1-0 against Arsenal and beat West Ham we finish 34 points with -27 GD.

Watford lose to Man City 2-0 and then to Arsenal 2-0. Leaves them on 34 points with -27 GD.

Bournemouth draw 1-1 away at Everton. 

Simples. Right? 

 

the issue for me is getting the result at west ham, not going to be easy !! 

1 hour ago, AV82 said:

Potentially, yes. Regardless I think we'll be better placed to criticise after the final 2 games. Let's hope he can drag us over the line. UTV!

lets hope so , UTV

14 minutes ago, AV82 said:

With results going our way the more I imagine us staying up the more I appreciate Smith. Our squad is ass. If he manages to keep us up he will prove every single one of his doubters wrong as far as I am concerned.

I do not envy Smith having to pick between Trezeguet and El Ghazi. The demoralising effect Trezeguet miscontrolling a ball for the 6th time has on our team cannot be understated. The same can be said for El Ghazi firing a cross out for a throw in, Samatta consistently losing possession, Nyland fluffing simple catches and Nakamba tripping over the ball.
 

Really had smith been a little more conservative at the start of the season we would be clear of the relegation scrap. Managers pick and coach teams, over the course of the season luck injuries balance out, lack of basic coaching and game management are his responsibility.  Since the restart he has adopted a different approach , had he done this in December we might be in a stronger position. His players his responsability!

we still have to beat West Ham - this is not a given - but we have hope

4 hours ago, Mjvilla said:

Dean has given us basically the only hope we've had since MON. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.

Really ? I really cant see it !!!!

21 hours ago, DCJonah said:

Do people think we are so good that we can just dictate how a game plays out for 90 mins? Could it not be that a better team started to improve. 

I do love the idea that our squad is so much better than others in the league that Smith should be dictating how games play out. 

When was he close to getting sacked last season? That's just made up nonsense. 

lol   yes 11 v 11 one football simple as !!! 

13 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

poor teams with better squads than us, who didn't lose their first choice keeper and only proper striker halfway through the season. 

if you cant defend as a team what chance has any keeper got!! 

Proper striker? LOL MCO  Did i miss something then or was Wesley taking the premier league by storm?

Excuses Excuses - we had back up on the keeper front striking options were poor, but who is to blame for that. 

Smith has to shoulder the blame for this season . I believe the squad was good enough to survive particularly  this year with so many poor teams down there.

Im all for giving a manager a go but i amazed this is still a debate this season has been shambolic full stop. He scouted players,  he picked players  , he sets the team up week in week out . He sets the strategy of how we go out and play . New team new players lets play open cavalier football expose the defence , give teams the freedom of villa park and see how we go!You have injuries like all teams do and some good and bad luck . In everything he has done he has failed !  

Why risk more time and  money , what do we hope to achieve?  

10 minutes ago, TheStagMan said:

I think he is a decent, young manager in his first major job. To an extent he is a victim of his own success. He got us promoted against expectations and then had a mountain to climb keeping us in the premier league. Given the amount of players we had to replace for the funds available it was inevitable there would be some duds.

If he had not been promoted last season, and we were on the cusp of promotion now, people would be singing his praises. As it is, he is a pariah to some.

I would absolutely give him next season in the championship. At least the first half of it. We have to stop chopping and changing managers, we need to learn the lessons from this season, strengthen and move forward. I still think Smith should be given that chance. 

Patience is required. 

Yes he got us promoted, that was fantastic , Ive seen enough in this squad in the last few games to suggest we were good enough to survive had there  been a  better strategy from the manager. The demise of the club is so bad now we accept this and move on with Smith still at the helm! For me no, the owners now need to step up to the plate and review the footballing structure at the club! Money will get any manager , its time to find out how serious the owners are. Project Smith has failed no matter how you look at it   - Patience ! ok wait for him to balls up the first 10 games in the championship with more dross signings  then act .He has to go at the end of the season and it high time we then start to act like the big club we continue to talk about!

2 hours ago, PieFacE said:

Putting all the blame for this season on Smith just makes absolutely no sense to me. With all the surrounding circumstances we've had, i'm not even sure I'd sack him even if we do go down. IMO, if Wesley and Heaton didn't get injured we'd be a few points better off. 

Obviously  there is a clear split between fans putting that place blame firmly  on smiths shoulders for this season and blaming other circumstances.

I do not believe any one wants continued manager churn , but the basic expectations of the season was to survive. In his Smiths defence since lock down we have looked slightly more organised defensively detrimental to moving forward as an attacking threat. Had we started the campaign in this way we would have had a reasonable chance of surviving (even with the injuries that are part of the season) We didn't start like this , we charged into the season with a new team of players and frankly played very cavalier football that exposed the team defensively against good and bad teams.  Its taken far to long for Smith to find any consistent pattern of play or strategy . I have debated recruitment with many on this board, he was responsible partly, we all seen the pictures of him scouting various players., so he  has to shoulder some responsibility for recruitment and judgement on players ability to fit into the style of football he wants! I certainly would not as an owner release more funds at his disposal  based on what we have seen this season.

All managers have to deal with he circumstances that manifest during the football season, its my opinion Smith plan and management has failed this season , if the owners are serious we need to make the right appointment  and make sure that we have the right people making the football  decisions to move the club forward.

To accept Smith failure this season and move on with him would send all the wrong messages about Aston Villa as a once great football club, one of mediocrity and failure as being acceptable.

4 minutes ago, villa_shere said:

I’ve seen more tactics applied by Dean Smith over this season to overcome new players coming in, major injuries and form and any other manager if not all in the last ten years combined. 
 

it’s clear to me that he knows what he’s doing and has a plan and he’s always kept the dressing room and the players on side and trying. 
 

There is no obvious choice out there who would seem a better fit for us next season wherever we are. 
 

The best clubs are the ones who are applying continuity in how they are run. It’s time to stop chopping and changing so many variables 

Guess its all about opinions, but i would disagree with you .

His tactics have been absolutely appalling for most of the season, cavalier open football with a brand new squad just promoted to the Premiership! Had we applied the more recent conservative  tactics of keeping the game a little tighter we may have had a chance! Its not clear to me or most  pundits on what he is doing as a coach at the training ground   . The defending as a team has been dreadful. 

If we are a big club with ambitious owners there are always options, chopping and changing,  no not a fan but i believe Smith has to  go at the end of the season. 

Just now, PieFacE said:

Or down to the poor recruitment

Or down to lengthly injuries to key players within a bare-bones squad,

Or none of that matters and it's completely all Dean Smith's fault. Whatever floats your boat I guess.

we could debate all night  but he was responsible in part for some recruitment, every one seems to forget him in the stands watching the class act TREZCANTPLAY and the midfield genius who couldnt not trap a bag of sand marvelous Makamba

His the coach he picks the team and plays the team and strategy he wants . Yes i do blame him totally! Not for tonight or last week but for the season..   

2 minutes ago, PieFacE said:

Blaming Smith for today is laughable. 

I think its the culmination of the season that is now fair to say over! The position we are in is down to him full stop! 

12 minutes ago, Mjvilla said:

Is nothing to do with this for me. Like I said, I didn't want him here in the first place, but he has 100% earnt my respect and loyalty with the job he has done from day 1.

no one i believe  on this forum is questioning his loyalty , its simply his inability to coach or manage the team!

39 minutes ago, Mjvilla said:

Alot of people call for hourihane to start because he has a great delivery and can create chances. 

Hourihane starts, hits 90% of his corners and crosses at the first man and it's Smith's fault? I'm literally lost for words.

are you smiths agent or what? you just dont see any other angle from anyone! 

19 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

December 1998 was last time we beat arsenal at villa park. 

So good omens  for us

think it was 2.0 down at half time - accident  during half time show when the santa para hit the roof!!!! He did survive!!

won the second half .... Great game great night -  Who knows  but i think its game over realistically 

2 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

We need Watford to lose tomorrow and then lose heavily against Man City. 

If we can sneak a draw against Arsenal we then give ourselves half a chance. 

As long as Bournemouth also mess it up. 

its over isn’t it? 

lol it is my friend 

1 minute ago, Rolta said:

This is pretty much all bollocks.

 

would you like to expand on gentiles?

were down guys - you could see it in the players faces , now the inquiry should begin!

were down

1 minute ago, Demitri_C said:

I dont understand why we just **** stopped playing when we scored.

Grealish so **** garbage

what game you watching