Dean Smith

[foreveryoung]

There must be an alternative way of playing if you have the top scorer in the Championship. This is not it. Defence at the moment is so poor, why start to sit back when you are 1-0 up. We certainly didn't used to play these tactics. Should have gone for the jugular yesterday, but instead yet again, we looked a little conservative after the goal.

[Hanky]

Although watching us at the moment is very frustrating, and yesterdays performance wasn’t great against a poor team, we are very much starting again now. Unfortunately we’ve said this for the last 9 or 10 years since O’Neill.

The player recruitment has been largely abysmal in that time. The wages we have given some of these players has been even worse. We’ve been run so bad that we were (reportedly) so close to absolute disaster in the summer. Yet we had that close call and still decided Bolasie was a good option at 70-80k a week.

We definitely need time. I believe we have people at the club now who know what they are doing on the financial side of things. We have a manager who has shown he can get us playing some good stuff although our last few performances have been poor, no getting away from it. We’ve our two most influential players out for a while (grealish and tuanzebe) that have been a big miss. 

Smith needs time for me. A summer of big change and see how we are looking in August. Hate writing seasons off but I think it will be another year in the Championship and that might not necessarily be a bad thing long term. My only worry is that Grealish would be off in the summer if that is the case (but maybe he’d go anyway if the right club came in).

Of course the above is just my opinion and time will most certainly tell if he’s the man to get it right but I’m willing to give that. 

Edited January 27, 2019 by Hanky

[romavillan]

16 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

There must be an alternative way of playing if you have the top scorer in the Championship. This is not it. Defence at the moment is so poor, why start to sit back when you are 1-0 up. We certainly didn't used to play these tactics. Should have gone for the jugular yesterday, but instead yet again, we looked a little conservative after the goal.

Didn't see it as was "enjoying" kids theatre in town, people are saying we should have scored 4 or 5 in the first half, that doesnt' sound like sitting back. On the highlights, Tammy shoudl score at least one of the other chances, Albert's goal didn't look offside either. That would be 3-0 up at half time I think right? Then with the pen 4-0 before their goal. Looking at their goal it's FULL of us just **** about and giving it away or standing off. None of that is directions from the coaching staff or tactics they work on in the week. that's them cacking their pants and not getting the basics right. 

We make barrel loads of chances for Tammy if you ask me. Our problems are our suicidal tendencies which stem from poor first touch, giving the ball away like no tomorrow and then players going into "not my fault" mode and doing the bare minimum to stay anonymous and hide. Possibly have to wait for the summer to really get to the root of that problem.

[hippo]

16 hours ago, villa89 said:

It would be very hard not to do a better job than cabbage. If smith buys players that fit his style of keeping the ball and playing a passing game then we will improve no end. His major issue will be losing grealish, tammy and mcGinn if we don't get promoted. I can't see him being able to replace those players as they are all playing beneath their level in the championship.  

The tone of post suggests you dont think he will replace those players adequately?  Does that mean it wont be easy for him to do as well as cabbage ? ( play off final ??)

[DaveAV1]

50 minutes ago, hippo said:

The tone of post suggests you dont think he will replace those players adequately?  Does that mean it wont be easy for him to do as well as cabbage ? ( play off final ??)

(4 promotions). 

[hippo]

22 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

(4 promotions). 

I meant with us .

[DaveAV1]

43 minutes ago, hippo said:

I meant with us .

(Unbalanced squad, virtually no defence, ageing players, huge wage bill, lots off poor signings, over dependent on loans, pathetic display in the play off final) 

[hippo]

18 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

(Unbalanced squad, virtually no defence, ageing players, huge wage bill, lots off poor signings, over dependent on loans, pathetic display in the play off final) 

???

I think you have miss followed the thread. The poster a few posts said DS should easily outperform Bruce. But then said DS would struggle to replace Grealish / Tammy 

My question was simply would you expect DS to outperform Bruce - given the big hole those two leave - and that they wont easily be replaceable ?

[Guest av1]

34 minutes ago, hippo said:

???

I think you have miss followed the thread. The poster a few posts said DS should easily outperform Bruce. But then said DS would struggle to replace Grealish / Tammy 

My question was simply would you expect DS to outperform Bruce - given the big hole those two leave - and that they wont easily be replaceable ?

I wonder if those that post negatively about Smith remember this point should Smith not achieve a 6th place finish?

[sharkyvilla]

The difference between what Smith and Bruce achieved with Jack and Axel available was like night and day, even if it was a small sample size.  I'd expect Smith to at least try and implement that same style if they do leave this summer.  There is still a part of me that we will be shit for eternity no matter what though.

[Blasterpocket68]

36 minutes ago, hippo said:

???

I think you have miss followed the thread. The poster a few posts said DS should easily outperform Bruce. But then said DS would struggle to replace Grealish / Tammy 

My question was simply would you expect DS to outperform Bruce - given the big hole those two leave - and that they wont easily be replaceable ?

difficult one this , Bruce with his abysmal football got us to a playoff final. Now we have DS attempting to unties the squad Bruce built with his polar opposite football. Most of our players have failed to adapt. It will take time and a few transfer windows to balance. Tammy I s not ours so will go  anyone else McGinn  Grealish don’t want to be part of the journey will ultimately go as well.its going to be a bumpy ride for DS he needs time to prove himself. Historically time is never in a managers favour . 

[Mazrim]

Its simple to me. The ones that most suit Smith's style are the most influential: Grealish, Tuanzebe, McGinn and Abraham. The rest are a mix bag of plodders, hoof merchants and bottlers that revert to type when put under any pressure. Is it a coincidence that we've dipped when 2 of them are out?

We'll start playing like Smiths team again when we get more of those players back and new ones signed. Then we'll see how it goes.

[macandally]

8 hours ago, villarocker said:

To be fair to TRO, he's probably crediting Bruce more for getting a grip of Jack's crappy attitude when he was being, ahem, a bit of a Jack The Lad! If that's the case, TRO is right to praise Bruce because he did make Jack toe the line. 

I think Jack's performances being better and more consistent is down to the player that severed his kidney. I think that injury, and the fact that Jack was told he could have died, gave him the kick up the arse he needed and since then we've seen the true Jack Grealish. 

Pretty sure John Terry had a key part in that.  

[AVTuco]

1 hour ago, Mazrim said:

Its simple to me. The ones that most suit Smith's style are the most influential: Grealish, Tuanzebe, McGinn and Abraham. The rest are a mix bag of plodders, hoof merchants and bottlers that revert to type when put under any pressure. Is it a coincidence that we've dipped when 2 of them are out?

We'll start playing like Smiths team again when we get more of those players back and new ones signed. Then we'll see how it goes.

I don't disagree with you, but one would pick those four names for any style.

[TRO]

18 hours ago, TrentVilla said:

Yes we were but you seem to now be wanting to credit Bruce for three players one of which he didn’t sign and one of which is a loan. I think McGinn is about his only good buy in 4 windows, that’s nothing to praise credit him for. 

I’m not really sure what your point is any more.

I thought it was plain....to give a bit of credit where credit is due...In 24 wins and just missing out in the play offs....you find NOTHING to give him credit for....Totally amazing.

I didn't like the football either...but to claim that everything was bad is ridiculous IMO....Quite frankly an intelligent man like you, I am surprised.

rarely in life is anything all poo ( there is always good bits).....but on this subject you seemed to have found  it.

Lets hope down the line, Dean Smith doesn't get the same treatment.

Edited January 27, 2019 by TRO

[Vive_La_Villa]

24 minutes ago, AVTuco said:

I don't disagree with you, but one would pick those four names for any style.

Agree. Nothing to do with style. They are just top players and the rest are pretty average. It was the same last year. The likes of Snodgrass, Grealish and Terry carried us. 

[TRO]

13 hours ago, DCJonah said:

Yeah, there is no way Grealish would have been a good player without Steve Bruce. 

Haha good one.

Now that it is one way of interpreting what I said....but hey! fill your boots.

He found form that he never had before, he ditched the going to ground like he did before, where some doubted his future...Steve Bruce designated a dedicated fitness coach to improve his strength in resisting challenges....other managers could have done the same or not, how do we know.

but look discredit the guy all you please, if it makes you feel better.

The double standards is amazing.

We need to go in to the Steve Bruce thread with this....but quite frankly its getting desperate.

Edited January 27, 2019 by TRO

[TRO]

10 hours ago, Robtaylor200 said:

Dean has to stand up and be counted now (yes I know that's 1)

I was dead chuffed to get him. I thought if he can do what he was doing at Brentford with those players, then think of what he could achieve with our team. It started brilliant attacking play goals galore climbing the league. He was doing it with this team. We were scared of no one. Optimism was high. Now not so much, what has changed I think only the style of play. Its the same team. I am fed up of reading "look what Bruce left us" Dean was winning with the team that Bruce left us. If we had been winning a few months earlier then Bruce would not have been sacked ( I am not a Bruce fan by the way)

Now all of a sudden they are no good again. Stop complaining about the players we have and go back to doing what was working

Dean Smith did actually say its a a very good bunch of players or words to that effect....If so, why are we dishing up garbage?

so which is it?

I can't honestly say, whether they are or not, I suspect many are poor....what I can say, is what I see a bunch of players during a game who seem to forget how to mark the opposition....that's pretty basic stuff to me.

[TRO]

6 hours ago, hippo said:

The tone of post suggests you dont think he will replace those players adequately?  Does that mean it wont be easy for him to do as well as cabbage ? ( play off final ??)

now, now...Albeit ,Turnip wasn't bad either.

I am yet to see and comment....I am so far filled with foreboding, but hey! I could be pleased by Friday Morning.

Edited January 27, 2019 by TRO

[DCJonah]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Now that it is one way of interpreting what I said....but hey! fill your boots.

He found form that he never had before, he ditched the going to ground like he did before, where some doubted his future...Steve Bruce designated a dedicated fitness coach to improve his strength in resisting challenges....other managers could have done the same or not, how do we know.

but look discredit the guy all you please, if it makes you feel better.

The double standards is amazing.

We need to go in to the Steve Bruce thread with this....but quite frankly its getting desperate.

His freak injury allowed him to gain some much needed physical improvements and I think JT had more of an influence. 

I seriously doubt Steve Bruce was vital for what we saw from Jack last year.