Dean Smith

[GENTLEMAN]

1 hour ago, hippo said:

Thats what I loathe - possession for the sake of it - and people jizzin themselves about it - the possession has to be where it hurts the opposition - passing it slowly sideways won't achieve anything - and isn't particularly clever 

 

1 hour ago, Johnnyp said:

What i like is that it isn't just possession for possession sake. We are trying to move it between the lines faster and more direct and if the pass isn't on, we go back. I like that. We do still go through spells in the game where it is too slow, more so down to personnel and we will bring some in and some will go. To see Tuanzebe bring the ball out of defence like an absolute boss compared to the timid player under Bruce. Remarkable.

It is within those periods in which you rest before reloading with more purpose and forward direction. It does become a problem when this slow deep possession occurs for large periods. However, I think we’ve got the balance right thus far. 

Edited December 2, 2018 by GENTLEMAN

[alreadyexists]

Thierry Henry got his first win for Monaco the other week.

Henry Out.

[mjmooney]

10 minutes ago, alreadyexists said:

Thierry Henry got his first win for Monaco the other week.

"Who were they playing? The Blind School?" 

© My Dad, circa 1964. 

[DaveAV1]

1 hour ago, av1 said:

So you're saying he was/is a small cog in a big machine after all?

I know that was tongue in cheek, but it is to some extent true. The modern game has evolved, there is so much more to consider now than back in the Saunders era for example. Training and tactical strategies have moved on a lot in recent years, to such an extent a manager needs a small arm to help him. Plus back in the day managers negotiated directly with players when they signed, or agreed a new contract but now there are agents and lawyers and who knows what other people with vested interests. No one man could do all these things effectively.

So yes he is a cog but a very important one and hopefully in a bright new modern football machine that will finally bring us into a new era and one that can at least set us up with a chance of success. 

[TB]

2 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

I know that was tongue in cheek, but it is to some extent true. The modern game has evolved, there is so much more to consider now than back in the Saunders era for example. Training and tactical strategies have moved on a lot in recent years, to such an extent a manager needs a small arm to help him. Plus back in the day managers negotiated directly with players when they signed, or agreed a new contract but now there are agents and lawyers and who knows what other people with vested interests. No one man could do all these things effectively.

So yes he is a cog but a very important one and hopefully in a bright new modern football machine that will finally bring us into a new era and one that can at least set us up with a chance of success. 

?

[mjmooney]

1 minute ago, TB said:

?

If only John Gregory had had that, we'd be spared at least one timewaster applicant everytime the Villa job is vacant. 

[TB]

1 minute ago, mjmooney said:

If only John Gregory had had that, we'd be spared at least one timewaster applicant everytime the Villa job is vacant. 

So you're saying that football really hasn't moved on that much? Or that John Gregory was way ahead of his time?

[rodders0223]

It has begun.

[CosmicVillan]

4 hours ago, TRO said:

We as fans will do well to close the Steve Bruce book with dignity and take the positives from his tenure with grace....

True . We even let him keep the cabbage 

[Made In Aston]

8 hours ago, villalad21 said:

Dean Smith's approach is hilarious. He never seem to bother about the opposition at all.

He always seem to go into games believing we will smash any side we come up against and that it's them that have t stop us not the other way around.

Does he consider playing Jedinak to cope with Boro's physical threats? No, he simply don't care about their strengths he is looking to dominate the game and score as many goals as possible which is why he played Hourihane.

DS's approach was subtly different. Tuanzebe stepped out of defence more frequently, which helped to break up boros compact shape. Also the wide players were further up the field to stop their wing backs getting forward and balls in to the box were often low to negate their aerial strength. Yet we still pressed and got the ball forward quickly like we try and do every game.

So there is a general style, which is tweaked depending on the opposition. This is how all the top managers approach games. 

[mjmooney]

1 minute ago, Made In Aston said:

DS's approach was subtly different. Tuanzebe stepped out of defence more frequently, which helped to break up boros compact shape. Also the wide players were further up the field to stop their wing backs getting forward and balls in to the box were often low to negate their aerial strength. Yet we still pressed and got the ball forward quickly like we try and do every game.

So there is a general style, which is tweaked depending on the opposition. This is how all the top managers approach games. 

The difference is coaching. It's not just a case of being bold, picking an 'entertaining' lineup, and going all-out attack. Sherwood and DiMatteo did that, and while it occasionally worked, it was never going to be sustainable just on its own. It's obvious from watching the current team that Smith and his coaches have worked on specific moves, skills, options. The players know what's required of them in a variety of situations, and they've worked through them on the training ground. Should be obvious, but it seems to have been missing from our club for decades. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

2 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

The difference is coaching. It's not just a case of being bold, picking an 'entertaining' lineup, and going all-out attack. Sherwood and DiMatteo did that, and while it occasionally worked, it was never going to be sustainable just on its own. It's obvious from watching the current team that Smith and his coaches have worked on specific moves, skills, options. The players know what's required of them in a variety of situations, and they've worked through them on the training ground. Should be obvious, but it seems to have been missing from our club for decades. 

Plus if the team get it wrong the managers knows why and doesn’t just have to keep chopping and changing until something finally works. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

3 hours ago, DaveAV1 said:

I know that was tongue in cheek, but it is to some extent true. The modern game has evolved, there is so much more to consider now than back in the Saunders era for example. Training and tactical strategies have moved on a lot in recent years, to such an extent a manager needs a small arm to help him. Plus back in the day managers negotiated directly with players when they signed, or agreed a new contract but now there are agents and lawyers and who knows what other people with vested interests. No one man could do all these things effectively.

So yes he is a cog but a very important one and hopefully in a bright new modern football machine that will finally bring us into a new era and one that can at least set us up with a chance of success. 

[sidcow]

9 hours ago, Jareth said:

Are you looking at VT on an Atari ST?

Now fixed

[Zatman]

4 hours ago, rodders0223 said:

It has begun.

6 players in that list Smith has worked with this season

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

I don't know if it has been mentioned but would it be fair to say that Dean Smith is very similar to Maurizio Sarri in how he has the team playing and how he has them set up. It is a potentially world class manager we have on our hands here now, without getting carried away too much.

[LakotaDakota]

10 hours ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

Amazing how the whole attitude and belief around the club has changed. From the players to the fans. Winning mentality all around. Love it. 

Not knocking Smith but would imagine this guy also has a fair amount to do with that

[blandy]

6 hours ago, mjmooney said:

The difference is coaching... It's obvious from watching the current team that Smith and his coaches have worked on specific moves, skills, options. The players know what's required of them in a variety of situations, and they've worked through them on the training ground. Should be obvious, but it seems to have been missing from our club for decades. 

This a million times over. Bruce as a manager of people, as an identifier of players, as a ‘leader’ was fine, but (as I kept saying) the coaching, aside from his first few weeks where he sorted out the defence, was woeful. It’s what let him down big style. That and his cautious outlook. Good man, but just this job was beyond him, always.

[Johnnyp]

People will probably go nuts with me here but i think we are actually Tottenham light in what we are trying to do. We press very high. Direct balls at pace between the lines. It's a joy to watch. Now, we are light years away from them obviously but it's what we should aspire to be. 10 years we were finishing ahead of them.

[KMitch]

8 hours ago, Kuwabatake Sanjuro said:

I don't know if it has been mentioned but would it be fair to say that Dean Smith is very similar to Maurizio Sarri in how he has the team playing and how he has them set up. It is a potentially world class manager we have on our hands here now, without getting carried away too much.

I can see that....  Also similar in the way they worked their way up through the lower leagues.