MaVilla

Hmm ok I honestly thought his contract was until 2020 with an option for a year extra. If it is 2019 then that's great !

Yeah, i dont see the point of saying DS shouldnt be here. Critique ofc, but really i dont think he can be properly assessed until mid/end of next season, after he has got his own players in, had a couple of windows to sort the issues out, and offload the dead wood. I really think the task on his hands aint small, but i think he has as good a chance as any considering our constraints in the near future. With the current signings, Kalinic, Hause, Mings, Guilbert, Carroll, i think thats a good start (assuming we actually sign Mings etc), another 5-6 players in the summer and things will look very different. Its fairly obvious i think that the U23s have been sent out to blood them to see if they are ready for next season, i think/hope that we could have a rather interesting team for the start of next year, thats when i think we can remotely judge the impact DS is having. Im not comparing DS to Klopp etc, but if you look at Klopp, Liverpool werent too good when he joined, they leaked goals like a sieve, and have taken a couple of years to get his system, and get the right players in, now they are a mighty team. Same with Guardiola etc, it took him a couple of seasons to get things lined up etc. As i say, im not comparing DS to them, but, its the same principle, you cant change a culture overnight, or get all the right types of players you need overnight, these things take time. Whether he succeeds is a different question, but regardless of whether DS does or doesnt, we wont know if the project is a failure/or success for at least 12 months, probably 2 years. (definitely the end of the 2019/20 season at earliest), Obviously we want to see improvements in style, and we did see that for a while when Grealish was in the team, recently we have gone off the boil, but i think you can see in those games how DS wanted us to play when we had the right players to play it, so lets not lose our s*** yet, this DS project is in its infancy, and we need to give him time.

I do rate McGinn, but he's nowhere near a Grealish type player. He's an all action, big gas tank, active player, who helps the team overall, but if he has any weaknesses its he's not a ball player, or as composed on the ball, he's more of a terrier than a swan. (which is fine, not being negative, just saying he and Jack are totally not the same player types, at all).

Yeah, i dunno, watching the clip i cant decide, it kinda looks like an accident, and kinda looks not..... Will have to give the benefit of the doubt as you cant rly prove it wasnt unintentional.

isnt his contract until 2020? (with an additional 1 year option if AV want it?) So if he isnt here after the summer......we actually need to find someone to buy him......

Stop applying logic friend, you will confuse people

i would almost keep Mings at CB, even though i would also like to see him at LB, dunno. I suppose until season end, when Tuanzebe returns, i agree Mings, Chester, Tuanzebe and Hutton as a back 4 is good (Hutton aside). Elphick/Chester can challenge each other for the CB spot. Next season if we can buy Mings, i do kinda see him as a key CB for us, hes a unit and perfect for what we need in the left CB role imo. Next season i can see it being - New LB - Mings - Chester - Guilbert Will be pretty happy with that tbh. (unless we offer Elphick a contract extension as backup, however im unsure he would accept even if we did offer - a 1 year extension might be a good idea if he does decent, saves wasting money on a bench warmer CB) i mean damn, if Hause actually proves himself, could be a Mings/Hause CB pairing? (Big IF as i get the impression DS doesnt rate him or he isnt fit or something, otherwise why hasnt he had a run out already - Chester obviously needed that rest even before Mings came in, and DS for whatever reason didnt trust Hause to give it him)

it was a stipulation by Caen, they basically said "buy him now and loan him back", or "wait till summer and you can challenge anyone else for his signature who wants him". AV said ok, which tbh im fine with if it means we got in b4 other teams, and hes actually decent.

i would be interested to see a Carroll, McGinn, Grealish midfield trio, however maybe they might be a bit small as a group for it to work.

i hope we dont make that mistake. "IF" Mings and Elphick form a good partnership and perform well, neither should be dropped imo.

How did Kalinic do today? I heard he did well?, and additionally no posts here, so i would assume the lack of posts implies he did do pretty good?

We should get this boy signed up imo. I know its only one match but you can see he's a good player.

Will almost be interesting when Tuanzebe returns, if Mings carriers on like he did on his debut, we would be nuts to drop him. Could go to left back maybe........

i mean to be fair, if Tammy didnt miss that sitter (and my granny could have scored it), a bit of luck with the one off the bar, and that really good save, could have been 3??? But ye, i didnt watch the match and heard that we werent great?

The weird irony is we are now 9th (1 place higher than yesterday), and 4 points off the playoffs (1 point closer). But granted, we have been terribly poor since Grealish got injured, and if we can get him back quick, hopefully that can stem the slide. We should have done better in our last 4 to 6 games, no doubt.

Just saw his miss, i know im gonna get battered for this, but oh my lord what a miss, school boy stuff. If any other of our strikers missed a chance like that they would be absolutely crucified. I could have scored that chance, no joke, i literally could have. He misses a lot of chances, the more i see him the more i think that the longer he has to think, the less likely he is to score, he defo seems more of an instinct player.

anyone got DS's post match conference?

Honestly, and in a genuine way, i would just love to sit down with Smith and ask him whats going on, would love to know his true thoughts. Obviously he must see what we see, but also he must see whats going on within the club, that we also dont see. Whether his logic is correct or flawed, there must be reasons he is picking who he is picking,, and reasons we are playing like we are currently. I mean i have my own opinions, but as i say, would love to discuss it with DS, and try to understand his thought processes. I get the feeling two of the bigger issues might be 1) Grealish is critical to our style of play, and 2) some players just arent trying as the know they are out at the end of the season.

apologies, its just we do see such comments and some ppl actually believe it, apologies i didnt realise u meant it tongue in cheek.,

its not dead wood mate, its a forest

delivering a "good ball" and going missing for the other 89 minutes and 55 seconds, does not make a good player.

Get a grip

Yeah i think he was parodying the expected responses

I do agree with your comment and I also think most people here do also. I think some are just annoyed that it doesn't even look like we are trying to change at the moment, you know, some progress in style even if results aren't perfect?

pretty sure he was joking/being ironic.