Mjvilla

It's a fair point, but the performance was very good and a few commented in the match thread that they were satisfied. Before we had scored the winner. On a similar note, if you flipped our season around and we were poor to begin with but excellent in recent weeks, would the frustration be there with Smith?

Speaking to a pretty well spoken Liverpool fan yesterday (I know!!!), who was extremely complimentary of us. Singled out Watkins and cash as fantastic signings, said Watkins should go to the euros. It was his comments on Smith that made me proud as punch to be a villa fan. Talking about how we've come on in the last couple of years, how good the recruitment is, how we play lovely football to watch (even commenting that it hasn't been as good recently) so has clearly watched us a bit. Talked about how it's unique having a genuine fan and captain in charge of the club and what an unbelievable job Dean has done. Even stating he should be in the running for manager of the year. When I said that there's some dissenters toward Smith amongst the villa fan base, he was in complete shock. How come other fans can see it? I was more pleased for Deano than anybody else Saturday night (couldn't sleep I was so buzzing), it was a testament to his belief and philosophy that he stuck to his guns tactically and with the shape and it bore fruit. It clearly what he believes in, we will buy players to fit his way of playing so changing the system unless in drastic circumstances won't happen too often. Would we have won the game with Davis and Ramsey starting, or going 2 up top? We can't be sure either way, but deano got some abuse for the starting XI, he got it absolutely spot on. I thought we were were getting better in recent weeks... And then excellent Saturday night. I hope, and my gut feeling is we will, continue the improved form (2W, 1D, 2L - those two losses to Liverpool and man City and the Liverpool one was a 90th minute goal). A number of posters inconspicuous. Usually very vocal ones. Fantastic work deano, keep proving people wrong. I hope you do.

It's funny isn't it, just a couple of weeks ago, a number of posters expected us to finish 14th. And how disappointed they would be with that after the start. Id be amazed if we finish below 11th now. I said after Liverpool we were starting to look better. Culminating in last night. Hope for it to continue.

Consistent Leeds struggling to a limp defeat without their best player today. Welcome to midtable lads, this is what it looks lads. It might not be glamorous, but it's a damn sight better than the last 10 years!

Except things have been answered, in many informative posts, across many repeated points on many different pages. If you don't agree or those opinions differ to yours, it doesn't mean it hasn't been answered.

@paul514 has an opinion on Koopmeiners. Not sure if it's good or bad though!

Excellent point. Potentially not even missing out on it!

I'm not a social media type but do find these kind of rumours exciting so can you post some of these rumours for me please JV?

Were we good to watch in Jack's last few games? Southampton away, Brighton away, west ham at home come to mind. I've seen you criticise the arsenal win too. Those are the last 4 games before Jack's injury. I won't talk about the game before that (which we lost) away at Burnley because I though we played really well. You're clinging to this theory about Jack, but the disappointing results and performances started before Jack's injury. It's the inconsistencies of a newly built young squad, for me.

Seems like the general consensus is for a 10th - 6th placed finish for next season. I would completely agree with that. Consolidation in these places is huge progress. If we don't see us near that, then I think we would rightly begin to start questioning the manager. Not bloody now! Next season will probably be deans biggest, in terms of pressure on his job.

These 2 along with players like oyarzabal amongst others mentioned and you can really see why what Dean has done isn't enough for some supporters. We were a championship side 2 years ago and now we are expected to be interested in the best young players in the world? Realism on this forum has hit a new low. Disappointed that we didn't go for Bellingham is another one.

Is there a video of the tackle which caused his injury as I still haven't seen it?

What point are you trying to make?

In absolute full troll mode this evening.

Exactly, and someone like that would do it again if they thought they could get away with it.

The last thing we need is players that drift in and out of games. Pereira certainly looks the sort that can be brilliant one minute and terrible the next.

It was bloody god damn awful defending is what it was. He ran past 3 defenders to get a foot on the ball. A weapon is something you can rely on throughout the course of a season, you cannot rely on 3 defenders switching off in 1 move throughout the course of a season. When Watkins wins the header, he isnt close enough to Watkins, for me. He should have been busting a gut to get into that area the ball drops before he does, or even be in that area hassling the defenders already. That natural instinct as to where he should be is why he isn't and won't be a regular scorer. He took it really well, but the 2 other chances we created for him before that, he couldn't finish. One of which, the one where he turned the defender, I'd expect a premier league striker to finish.

Or, and I think it's what the original poster is suggesting, we need a Neto or ASM type rather than a buendia. And I'd rather both of those to Buendia too.

Which is why we've employed a loan manager in jedinak to make sure that this sort of thing doesn't happen.

For me, this is a very key point. And one, for now, to stick with our trusted hand in Smith. After so many years of mismanagement, we really need to stabilise in the mid table growing to top half/top 6 area. We know Smith has progressed us, and he's got us into midtable. We know he can do that. Can he take us further? Could someone else do it better than him? We don't know, but the grass is most certainly not always greener. We need stability, to build the project, to grow on and off the pitch. We are doing that. In all areas. If we get to the point, where it clear that Dean can't take us further, then questions will be asked. But, he's a manager that has taken us further year upon year, he's proven us all wrong a number of times. Replacing him now could potentially be great, but it could also undo the last 2 years of hard work on and off the pitch. This is a long term project, were only just beginning our journey.

Is he any good? Has anyone ever seen him play? Is he suited to the premier league at all?

I wanted to do a little comparison on us and Leeds because Leeds seem to be bought up all the time. When we came up, our squad was: Nyland, Kalinic, Steer, Elmo, Taylor, Mcginn, Hourihane, Grealish, Lansbury, Davis, Kodjia. Leeds was: Casilla, ayling, Cooper, alioski, Dallas, Berardi, struijk, Davis, Phillips, klich, poveda, Shackleton, Hernandez, forshaw, Roberts, bamford. I think we can all agree that there is literally no comparison there. I may have missed one or two players from both sides so please feel free. It doesn't matter how much we spent (146m according to transfermarkt including January) there was an incredible amount of work to do. We spent nearly 40m (Mings, hause and el ghazi) and had still gone backwards on the previous year. And our squad was still a fair chunk weaker than that of Leeds. Put on top of that we lost over £30m worth of these players and the spine of our team for half a season due to injury then it's pretty incredible we even stayed up. Leeds spent 96m according to transfermarkt. Not much less than us with a hell of a lot less work to do. Now, look at our squad then and which players are still here or will still be here after this season. 3 of them, probably. Grealish, Mcginn, Davis. I'd imagine Leeds will keep the majority Of those players and add 2/3/4 more. That's how a normal squad should work. That's how nearly every other squad in the premier league works. We go into this summer with both back up full backs out of contract, a number of weak areas because the players we bought on the cheap to help us stay up aren't good enough for the top half which is what we are aiming for. (Engels, hause, trez, el ghazi). A then record signing striker which has just spent 15 months out injured and we have no idea if he is good enough, if he's going to be good enough for the top half. There's lots of work to do again this summer. How much we have spent is just a ridiculous comparison to other teams. When you figure in the level of incompetence we have faced for the last 10 years. The level of short-term thinking, the lack of plan, the lack of progress. We now have all this, a future that looks as bright now as it has for 10 years. Genuine youth potential. A good coaching staff, fantastic owners. Do we have inconsistency within this squad which, in my opinion, explains our season amongst other factors? Yes, we absolutely do. When I factor in all of this, is why I'm pretty defensive of Dean. And untill I see no progress, I will remain staunch in my defence of him.

Well, summer of 12/13 we signed Benteke and Vlaar so I suppose you'd have to answer my question with that year. But the rot had set in that summer to be honest when you look at the other signings we made. It's why this 'weve spent £200m' thing is a null and void for me. £200m doesn't fix 10 years of completely bad signings and bad management. I'd like to know how much the rest of the top 10 has spent in the 10 years we have been completely mismanaged. Of course, in these 10 years the other sides will have made bad signings. It's football, it happens. But there will be players that have been at the other clubs in the premier league for years and years. We don't have anyone. Unless you include Grealish, but he was how old when we were relegated.

This got me thinking, apart from Mcginn... Who was the last permanent player we bought which was good enough for us long term and to go alongside our hoped progression and succeeded in helping us with our progression? This question goes for before Smith. So, before summer 2019. I'd like to know how far people think we need to go back to see how badly managed it was before Smith came in and sorted out the mess.

I thought we were much better last night. Created loads of chances. Had enough chances to win 3 or 4 games. The softest penalty this season and a slip and OG did for us. Still gave the ball away very cheaply at times, but it was much better. I think we followed on from slightly better against Fulham and Liverpool (forget man city, it wasn't good.) We're getting there, in my opinion.