Dean Smith

[Dave-R]

29 minutes ago, TRO said:

On a serious note.....when the rest of the division, see fit to have big units at CB and Goal keeper and we just piss around with farts, its not surprising we get out muscled in key area's.

I understand there is more to it than just size, but its a big advantage in a league, where grappling is just seen as the norm.

We have finally got a unit in Goal, just hope he is capable.

Tammy at 6'3 has shown how his frame has helped us.....we do really need to sign players with the 3 P,s.........poise, pace and Power.

Well look at kodjia in Leeds game was even scaling the Leeds defenders and beating them with ease on headers, I think if he'd of carried on he mite of added to the goals, he missed a couple of good chances.

I think Our defenders are just to nice, no aggression whatsoever, they invite terror into there box and nightmares do happen, in fact yesterday it was like the nightmare before Christmas for us.

We need a few lovre sized defenders, can't wait to see him play. With a few tall defenders those long balls and crosses will stop coming in then and then they only have direct approach, cuts alot of workout doesn't it. Plus taller guys can cover ground much more quickly with bigger strides and if they fast as well that's a bigger bonus.

As for midfield I'd say we need a couple more players who can shut down a counter attacking team and are specialists at doing that. I know what we're doing is great but because we've been doing it in less time than what other teams have, it's noticeable and understandable when we face teams of a similar style.

Anyway as I said we need a bloody fire sale at villa, at least 11 players should be leaving while we keep around 12 or 13 of the others, it's bad when you can see at least half your squad needs replacing because they are not getting to grips with the style/formation properly. Our new style requires alot of skills, height, strength, speed, accuracy and more, under bruce alot of that wasn't needed, as dinos dont do much but times are changing and we also require high physicality players who can run all match and more. I mean look how long Mcginn can run for and on the go and because were putting out first teamers constantly even he was looking tired. Its clearly getting to our players and when our stars are having to do other mans jobs its only going to get to them even more.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Dave-R

[MaVilla]

11 minutes ago, striker said:

Made this point in the match thread but probably should have stated it here.

I’m a little concerned that DS hasn’t replaced Grealish with O’Hare over the last two games. O’Hare is the only comparable player Villa have in Grealish’s position so why not play him?

Marcelo Bielsa trusted his younger players yesterday in an important game which paid off handsomely for him.

I just hope DS isn’t letting the pressure of promoting Villa interfere with his footballing philosophy intergrating young players into a pass and move system?

Is ohare even ready?, I have seen him in a few u23 games and although he looks good he doesn't blow them away?

I agree he should be integrated in to the team if there are opportunities and he is ready, but listening to some people on here I get the incorrect belief that he is the next Messi.

I'm not trying to be negative, give the lad time if he is good enough, but DS needs to be given time to develop the team and in all honestly with some of the screeching after our first loss in 7 versus the best team in the league, I can see why he might not give someone a "chance".

Not pointed at you by the way, just a general observation of the response to the loss in some corners.

We aren't going to fix this team over night and if we want DS to blood our youth on top of DS integrating his style and bedding in his own players, we need to be a little more level headed as a group of fans.

That doesn't detract from the fact that it appears the vast majority are totally on board with DS, but some of the screeching minority is pretty laughable.

Edited December 24, 2018 by MaVilla

[Tomaszk]

3 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

But you can't say the ref was poor for us when he was even worse for Leeds. They should have had two stone wall pens. Ours was not as big decisions as leeds.

Fact is defensively we are woeful.  Leeds have a make shift back four with younger players and defended better than our experienced defenders.

Hutton and Elmo were embarrassing

 Pathetic defending and for me the final stenches of bruce that need to go to give smith his "own style"

They should have had a man sent off after a minute. 89 mins v 10 sounds nice.

Yes we are defensively woeful.

Yes full backs embarrassing.

Yes Bruce stench.

[M_Afro]

1 hour ago, kurtsimonw said:

I suppose we will see. Just because you think we will I have very, doesn't mean we will. Small sample size, played some tough teams, etc. But his record, I imagine, isn't much different to Bruce. Yes, we score more goals, but the outcome is the same. 

Of course I want things to improve, and I think they will. But that doesn't change the fact in his short time here, he's thrown away plenty of points, a number of those being late on. 

Think you need to have a word with yourself if you think everyone has to share your narrow minded view that he can do no wrong. All bad = players fault, all good = Dean Smith. 

What narrow minded view? Read my post again. I do not say he can do no wrong. Of course he has made mistakes. He is a human being. He will make many more. He is brave enough to highlight these however and try to do something about it.

He deserves our patience. He has only been in the job for five minutes. Let’s see where we are in 12 months time. Shortism is killing our club. 

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Rigo if you read my earlier posts in the promotion thread you will see i agree with you about the shit refs against West Brom. We were robbed and that cost us two crucial points in a massive game. However in this one we can't complain because Leeds had big decisions go against them. It's more the defence that cost us than the refs

Why the hell did Elmo do such a pathetic clearance? A pussy clearance. Just good that into space you **** clown!!

Hutton Out of position again and making countess mistakes. Teams know thats our weakness our only weakness targeting over full backs and keeper.they are our only weakness. It's time for smith to drop hutton and elmo like he has with el ghazi and kodjia when they havent performed. Show these pathetic performances are not acceptable. I'd rather we see revan at cb and bree at rb than have hutton making the same mistakes each game and costing us.

Refs are shit in this league no question but we have to do better defensively to ensure we get the 3 points when these decisions go against us.

Sadly, its not our only weakness.....we can't defend 90 minutes as a team....the back 5 is   Riddled with errors, but the poor defending doesn't end there other area's could do more in terms of challenging.....we must be the stand off champions of the division. I don't know if its fitness or what, but we just look laboured after about an hour in most games.

Leeds gave us a lesson in how to chase the ball down.....even after trailing 2-0 for about an hour......thats scandalous.

We have too many players who don't get close, don't close down ,don't challenge, don't disrupt the oppositions play......call it what you will......John McGinn is an exception, its simply not enough.

blimey, even in the final minutes at wembley, mitrovic was chopping at Grealish and brought him down.

when do we ****ing do it.....there are too many pussies in our set up.

We get so easily taken out.....and never do the same back.....we just let teams play.

All teams are good if you let them be.

in this respect alone i have not seen much change between the 2 managers....i think the personnel on the pitch need a rethink of what we want them to do.

[VillaCas]

22 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Each to their own.

Like I said, I'm pleased with Smith, I see the improvement, I can't wait for the rest of the season.

But to say what we've done so far under him is "remarkable" is pure hyperbole, imo.

Not worth getting into the semantics of “remarkable” but you must have dramatically different expectations of what can be achieved from where we were and in only 12 matches than me

[Dave-R]

4 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

They should have had a man sent off after a minute. 89 mins v 10 sounds nice.

Yes we are defensively woeful.

Yes full backs embarrassing.

Yes Bruce stench.

Yes that tackle early on if he had of been sent off mite of changed that game completely, sick of refs not showing cards as and when needed and that goes for us as well. The championship looks like a slaughter house because of refs and linesman not doing there jobs.

[AvfcRigo82]

27 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

But to say what we've done so far under him is "remarkable" is pure hysteria, imo.

FTFY

[Stevo985]

6 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

Not worth getting into the semantics of “remarkable” but you must have dramatically different expectations of what can be achieved from where we were and in only 12 matches than me

Clearly.

[Made In Aston]

11 minutes ago, Dave-R said:

Anyway as I said we need a bloody fire sale at villa, at least 11 players should be leaving while we keep around 12 or 13 of the others, it's bad when you can see at least half your squad needs replacing because they are not getting to grips with the style/formation properly.

What a load of boll***s! A couple of defeats and this reactionary rubbish starts. The six games previous we were dominating good sides and scoring goals for fun. The reason we lost against Leeds was having a make shift defence with players playing out of position. Two or three signings and we are good to go. 

[Tomaszk]

4 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

Is ohare even ready?, I have seen him in a few u23 games and although he looks good he doesn't blow them away?

I agree he should be integrated in to the team if there are opportunities and he is ready, but listening to some people on here I get the incorrect belief that he is the next Messi.

I'm not trying to be negative, give the lad time if he is good enough, but DS needs to be given time to develop the team and in all honestly with some of the screeching after our first loss in 7 versus the best team in the league, I can see why he might not give someone a "chance".

Not pointed at you by the way, just a general observation of the response to the loss in some corners.

We aren't going to fix this team over night and if we want DS to blood our youth on top of DS integrating his style and bedding in his own players, we need to be a little more level headed as a group of fans.

That doesn't detract from the fact that it appears the vast majority are totally on board with DS, but some of the screeching minority is pretty laughable.

Leeds have chucked their kids in and they've largely all done well. We're in the league above them at U23 level! Might even be two, can't find a pyramid.

I think we should be seeing more youth yes. And hopefully we do now ahead of the likes of Elmo at RB.

Our midfield does not have the confidence to get on the ball without Grealish. Trying O'Hare sooner rather than later is something Smith has to look at.

[Made In Aston]

2 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Our midfield does not have the confidence to get on the ball without Grealish. Trying O'Hare sooner rather than later is something Smith has to look at.

With grealish out he is the ready made replacement. Surly you would at least blood him for the last 20-30 minutes and see how he copes. 

[TRO]

Dean Smith still has a lot to prove......He has moved us away from the dull boring stuff we have indulged for the past 3 seasons......but much is still not right.

Until he has his own team in terms of personnel changes and that may take 2 windows and a pre- season.....its hard to be too critical.

despite the more effevescent football, dark deeds still remain.

Managers are the main ingredient to bring success, but they have to have the right players who can deliver their philosophies......we are short on that imo

There is much work to do.....to be fair, we all know that deep down.

I think, we had 2 marvellous results and performances against Derby and Boro and expectations rose a bit, maybe prematurely.

Albion, Stoke and Leeds have shown that they was not going to be steam rollered the same with our attacking threat that is up there with the best on form.....They out fought us and used muscle, pace and power to do it.....we have come up short, when exposed to that.

Despite some scintillating play at times, i think our team is lightweight in a general sense, lightweight in terms of approach as much as stature, albeit a bit of both.

I hope Dean can see it and does something about it like Steve failed to do.

[Demitri_C]

Leeds are better than us in sorry to say.. We are a work on progress though I think give it 12 months we will be alot better. Smith without question is a bettee ciach than Bruce.

[Tomaszk]

2 hours ago, New_Hope said:

You can't argue that DS hasn't done a remarkable job in the short time he has been here.

Agreed. You can only imagine the praise the previous manager would be getting if he'd have turned it round and put forward these exact performances and results 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

1 minute ago, Demitri_C said:

Leeds are better than us in sorry to say.. We are a work on progress though I think give it 12 months we will be alot better. Smith without question is a bettee ciach than Bruce.

Leeds are ahead of us with where we are both trying to go.

Timing and so on dictate that.

If Smith was here from the beginning of the season, and with his own signings.

We would arguable be neck and neck.

[Stevo985]

Just now, Tomaszk said:

Agreed. You can only imagine the praise the previous manager would be getting if he'd have turned it round and put forward these exact performances and results 

If the previous manager had put in yesterday's performance this site would be in meltdown  

[VillaCas]

18 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Clearly.

....and yet seemingly happy with the dross served up by Bruce until very, very late in his reign!

Edited December 24, 2018 by VillaCas

[TRO]

17 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

Not worth getting into the semantics of “remarkable” but you must have dramatically different expectations of what can be achieved from where we were and in only 12 matches than me

I think its fair to say that.....the gates alone have reflected it. Its improved, but far from Promotion ready.

many observations are being commented on as opposed to criticisms, i think that needs to be remembered, no one is criticising Dean Smith, its not his team.

for the first time yesterday.....Dean was clearly rattled and angry and it reflected in his after match comments, that wasn't his best.....but still openly explained what was on show, which is refreshing from protective garbage of the past.

He knows, too many individuals just simply ran out of fuel.....i don't think our team is close in terms of fitness to our competitors.There may be reasons for that I am not privvy to, but i think its fairly clear watching the games, past the hour mainly, its nail biting time.

wasn't it like this with RDM?

 

[Stevo985]

7 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

....and yet seemingly happy with the dross served up by Bruce until very, very late in his reign!

Firstly, we've been round this before. I wanted Bruce gone at the end of last season. I wasn't happy with him at all this season.

Secondly, you're insinuating I'm not happy with Smith. I am. Very very VERY happy with him. I have high hopes for us under him.

All I said was I don't consider what he's done to be "remarkable". He has us playing more exciting football and has provided a decent improvement on results. 

I think DS has done a very good job so far and we are going to see even better going forward, especially after what we all hope will be a good transfer window. 
I just personally wouldn't use the word remarkable... yet. There are some significant things that need to be improved before I'd be using those sorts of superlatives.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Stevo985