Pimlico_Villa
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Posts posted by Pimlico_Villa
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1 hour ago, villa89 said:
I feel sorry for Smith, he's got a squad with no wingers, no full backs and only two central midfielders one of whom is injured. Its a huge job to reverse the damage Bruce has done.
There are plenty of Wingers.
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Dreading this game. Could represent a historic low point.
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55 minutes ago, Paddywhack said:
I’m a dreadful supporter. I’m considering not going to the game and putting £100 on a baggies win.
Through thick and thin and all that, but I’m giving up I think
I’ve contemplated that same thing.
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8 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:
I think the issue could be if this form continued and performances remained as poor as they have been then come the end of the season what do those in charge base their decisions on keeping Smith in charge on. They could have 5 months of poor form and poor performances then would his record at Brentford and Walsall be enough for them to over look those 5 months and trust he could turn things around. I think it would take a leap of faith from them.
For what it is worth I think if what we have seen the last 2 months or so continued for the remainder of the season he would be out. I'd imagine at that point he could well have been scarred as we saw a taste of the atmosphere getting toxic last Friday and if this run continues that will only get worse. Whilst the finger hasn't been pointed at Smith he would clearly have to take some responsibility if this run went on.
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... And if this season carries on its current trajectory, what type of proposition will we be to players we want to sign? Not a partocuLlry compelling one, as we are a mid to bottom tier championship club. Smith as a Manager is not yet capable of attracting high calibre, promotion potential players.
We’d be forced to compensate with higher wages, and we’ve all seen where that leads.
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1 hour ago, villalad21 said:
You gotta ask questions about what the heck is going on at the training ground.
We're getting worse every single week and yet we still stick with the exact same formation and system.
Really can’t deduce what we do on the training ground. It can’t be fitness, tactics, shape or attacking. Must solely consist of Hourihane standing there waiving his arms about as people run past him.
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1 hour ago, villabromsgrove said:
The commentator pointed out that ten of Brentford's starting eleven were signed by Dean Smith. The eleventh was already at the club.
Contrast their energy, willingness to run for each other and the overall desire and commitment, to the tired 'end of career' type performances that we're getting from a number of our players.
We can't play as a cohesive unit when just a couple of our players are busting a gut, and the rest are going through the 'same old, same old' motions.
At least were reminded last night how a full DS first eleven plays.
It’s an over simplification to consider that Brentford team as one that Smith built. He didn’t, it was constructed by a dedicated ~10 person team that were doing it before Smith and have continued it after him. That is established fact. The best evidence of it is that is that play that way with their current Manager, so it can’t be Smith dependent.
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1 minute ago, Villan4Life said:
See this other day. Smith, Cutler, Terry & O'Kelly are looking more domestic themselves rather than club employing any domestic scouts. With Juan Fran and other scouts based around Europe.
Well, if the January window was this structure in motion and yielded such awe inspiring signings as Carroll then fair to say that there isn’t much hope.
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For all those who are saying the players are shite... that is true, but Smith himself said when he came in that we have an ‘embarassing amount of quality’ and that he’s never worked with such good players.
Wad he just talking about Grealish? No.
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3 hours ago, punkiller1981 said:
Not quite sure how DS can say it wasn’t what we deserved. We hardly touched the ball all night and the two times we got in all night the finishing was poor. Friday night we got something we didn’t deserve in a point when we should have had nothing. Also can somebody show Andre green some YouTube clips if mbappe and tell him to try and copy him
Sooner or later all of our Managers descend into delusion and start watching different games to us. It’s the Manager equivalent coping mechanism of the Happy Clappers - dramatically seeking even an ounce of positivity
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Why is it that with Smith, so many people think he has to be given the ideal set of conditions - his players, time, pre-season, etc. - before he can be questioned?
I’m sure if you gave an F1 driver the fastest car they’d stand a chance of winning.
Very rarely do you get optimised conditions in football and so a key skill for a Manager is being able to adapt and evolve.
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31 minutes ago, Rodders said:
No but if in the meantime, hes incapable of any sort of pragmatism in terms of getting results, what's the point? How many insipid defeats and clueless performances are acceptable? How much fans time and money be wasted watching tripe? Should fans accept there will be no improvement in performance for another 6 or 7 months?
Yes, many of the players are not good enough, but they are experienced enough and have shown ability previously to do a lot beter than they currently are. They look directionless, and lack cohesion. If we're writing off the season, why even bother turning up on Saturdays? What are the goals and objectives of this season? I don't think anyone knows what they want at management level.
Great post.
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Smith is actually starting to embarrass himself now. Tactics, performances and results have been completely unacceptable. Players don’t have any respect for him and he is hugely out of his depth.
People who say he needs time... he is not showing any acumen now so what gives you confidence that he can do it? He’s only going to embarrass himself further.
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13 hours ago, KentVillan said:
Disagree completely:
- There were loads of signs of a distinctive style, until injuries to our most technically gifted midfielder and most technically gifted defender.
- On what planet is "young and willing to learn and work hard" a difficult brief for a new manager? Loads of managers want these kinds of players.
- What makes you think he isn't trying to get the most out of this bunch?
- What makes you think playing Bruceball for half a season will stand us in better stead than starting to develop a more possession-based style in anticipation of next season?
- The "established players who have done it before at other clubs" did it several years ago, and are now in their thirties. They are not the same players who did it at other clubs. The natural process of ageing can hardly be blamed on Dean Smith. Who do you have in mind here anyway?
To take each point in turn:
- I'm talking about a protracted and sustained devotion to a style and I don't buy into it being dependent upon 1-2 players. If it is dependent on 1 player, then it is not actually a style, it is just getting the most our of one player. That is the whole point in having a style: yes it is optimised when all players are fit, but 1 player should not make such a drastic, wholesale impact to it. What we saw earlier is a glimmer, it does not constitute anything near a style
- Not many Managers have the ability or the inclination to work with a squad full of young players as these players need one to one, specific coaching on nearly all aspects of their game - positionally, tactically, technically and psychologically. Doing this across an entire team is almost unprecedented. Smith excels with this type of player profile, but he is a rarity in that regard
- Because he has stubbornly adhered to formations and tactics that don't work. Best example is playing Hourihane in a defensive/holding role when everyone knows Hourihane is only suited to attacking, which is best evidenced by how deep runners glide past him. Another example would be playing wingers/outside lefts and rights knowing full well that opposition teams cottoned on to that months ago and double, even triple up on our wingers. Why not play 2 up top instead of 2 holding midfielders, particularly at Home when we have 4 at the back?
- I don't. Not for one minute. In fact I despise Bruceball. That's not what I'm calling for though. Possession for possession sake is pointless - i.e. Whelan and Hourihane sprinting 20 yards backwards to pick up a 5 yard pass from a centre half only to play another 5 yard pass backwards to the other centre half. Opposition teams love that as it gives them chance to get back into defensive formation and sit back. What I want is for us to simply pass the ball forwards, not side to side or backwards. With 3 attacking players that should be the default option every time
- Then why were they bought for such material fees and paid so well, if they are as ineffective as you claim? I suspect you will point to Bruce and prior regimes here, which is fair, but these players weren't this bad less than a year ago. I agree that the majority of players are lazy and unfit, but they are not as bad as the happy clappers on here would have people believe. They are still at the level and he should be getting more out of Hourihane, Birkir, Taylor, El Ghazi at a minimum. I'd argue that all those players have regressed. Any one who thinks otherwise is in a bubble
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No one can argue that Smith is not filling us with confidence. There aren’t even any signs that he is trying to implement a particular style that we could all see was coming along and just needed refining for next season.
Yes, he is going to be more effective when he signs the players he wants. Smith does need a particular type of player: young and willing to learn and work hard.
The problem is, if Smith were to leave, then what other type of Manager could come in and get a tune out of Smith type players? That type of player profile would struggle massively playing in front of a full Holte.
It would be far more sensible for Smith to try and get the most out of this bunch. After all, they are all established players who have done it before at other clubs. It’s this point that he should be called out for and not being able to do so makes me really nervous.
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He is a shambolic disgrace to the game. Complete shirker.
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Refs in this league are appalling cheats and too many are morbidly overweight. It is something the EFL need to resolve if they have any commercial ambitions for the franchise.
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Would be good. I’m not so sure Grealish leaves in the summer though: thanks to this injury, there’ll be a huge disconnect between our asking price and what teams are willing to pay.
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I’m the first one to say that the bulk of these players are terrible, but we’re continuing to see a huge variance between what Smith articulates in his interviews - which show such a refreshing, technical and strategic knowledge of the game that is a pleasure to listen to - and what we are seeing on the pitch.
The obvious deduction here is that either a) these players are not doing what they are told and purposely disobeying Smith or b) Smith talks a good game but actually is all talk and no substance and completely over engineers.
Its probably a blend of the two; there is some absolute dross in the team - Hourihane, Whelan, Taylor - but there is enough ability there to be beating bottom of the league without needing the ref.
What is undeniable, even from the happy clappers, is that performances and, more importantly, results have not been up to scratch.
Yes, Smith needs his own players. Granted. But, if he is a good Manager then he should be able to get a better tune out of this group than he is, because what he is delivering at the moment is unacceptable.
It’s very rare in modern football for a Manager to be given a perfect set of conditions to operate in, yet that is what the North Koreans on here want to be put in place before Smith can even begin to be questioned. Any Manager, given perfect conditions, will likely deliver but in reality it isn’t possible.
He needs to start showing his acumen and getting more out of the players we have.
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23 minutes ago, GENTLEMAN said:
Don’t agree, I think the in the Championship, you don’t need to build on the squad season by season as you would attempting to win the Premier League. I think with clever purchases to build a balanced squad, a intense preseason and with a positive start you can gain promotion. Furthermore, I don’t think financial clout is the determinate factor here.
Exactly, Cardiff went up with a tiny budget having not spent much. They weren’t pretty, but they played well as a team and tried to win every game - the amount of late goals they scored testament to their determination.
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18 minutes ago, thabucks said:
I see the trolls are out in force tonight ... I swear some of our supposed supporters are only happy when they are tearing into other fans or the team and with a high level of passive aggressive sarcasm .... Some posters on here obviously know better than the paid professionals but have chosen to enlighten us with their vast and superior football knowledge on forums rather than work in the game . We should feel blessed they care to share this insight with the rest of us ....
This is the classic, happy clapper stock response.
Please think of something else to write when you disagree. You’re boring, mate.
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56 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:
It’s similar to Farke at Norwich. They could have sacked him in the summer but stuck with him so he could bring his own players in and have a preseason.
If he had been our manager and ended the season the way Norwich did last season many fans would have been calling for his head.
We need to be patient I’m afraid.
Oh no, this will give the happy clappers fuel for the rest of the season. Thanks for making that point.
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13 minutes ago, Don_Simon said:
Yep. Bang on. We've all had it easy as ****.
Or, just maybe, some expect to beat teams in the relegation zone and see some form of progress over the period of time Dean Smith has been in charge.
It's interesting to me how quickly people start throwing insults around when others don't agree with them.
Exactly.
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Have to say, I’ve been really impressed with him.
Scraping a win against bottom of the league due to a terrible refereeing decision and then drawing against second bottom - all the signs are there that we should give him £Ms and multiple windows. Completely agree.
Especially given we have this wonderful infrastructure at the club that are great at recruitment. So grateful for that.
Job is too big for him.
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2 minutes ago, hippo said:
What gets me he said he doesnt like loans as he wants to build for the future....then goes and errr loans !
As an aside the loaning of players is becoming an absolute farce...not just at villa...its getting like guns for hire..
I meant at an absolute minimum, at least a loan could have been conducted. Obviously it is not optimal, but given the emergency nature of the LB position, a loan would have been better than what we have .
Honestly, the level of comprehension of some people on here is ridiculous. Some people really need to have a look at themselves.
Dean Smith
in Other Football
Posted
This is very true, but the incompetency shown in the January window makes me question whether we could do this properly. Building a new team in a Summer is a huge ask, which is why when we capitulated in January we should have utilised the rest of this season to blood the youth so they can hit the ground running next season.