Dean Smith

[The Hawk]

Purslows comments no more than a month ago:

”“He’s a great fella and superb at the job. The owners and I felt in December that it was really important that you all know that Dean is very central to our long-term vision.

“He’s somebody who understands we’ve got to build the club from the bottom up. He’s got the values and so the board made the decision to extend his contract.

“Football is a funny old game but we shared your view that because his contract wasn’t long enough we decided to address that.”
 

I just can’t see how you would then fire someone so quickly. It’s not like we were safe from relegation when he signed the new deal. The board would have discussed the possibility of what they would do if we were relegated and yet they still offered him a long term contract. If they do fire him, I can only think that something (other than results) has seriously gone awry behind the scenes (players head butting others for example...)

Edited March 12, 2020 by The Hawk

[Zatman]

3 minutes ago, zab6359 said:

I don't think he knows how to set up a team so they are hard to beat that's his downfall! He doesn't seem to set a team up for a certain opposition it all one dimensional with him which is OK if you are a mid table Championship club, not good for a team trying to get a foothold in the PL! 

How Brentford have improved (in all areas) since he left concerns me a bit.

They spent more money in the summer than Smith ever did. 6 million for Jansson was probably as much as Brentford spent under smith

[TRO]

I think the 64 million dollar question is......is the manager not good enough, or is the players not good enough......or both.

The worry for me is too many have got gradually worse, in individual performance, than when they first arrived.....that should send out alarm bells.

We are not one of the top clubs, signing ready made stars.....so we have to improve the players we sign.......thats what managers of the past, who did well, did.

The money we spent was a huge some in anyones language....I hear the 10 million per player argument.......but those players should be developed in to 20 mill pound players, if we are doing it right......we would be lucky to get our money back.

The value increase that we have achieved with Jack and John, should have been done with more......Suso to be fair, could argue this case.

In many of our players, i can't see a single attribute that looks improved, never mind the whole player.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, useless said:

We bought an whole new defence because if we hadn't have done we'd be playing with a back four of Elphick, Chester, Taylor and Guilbert or Bree or Elmohamady, off the top of my head they're the only defenders we actually owned at the beginning of the summer, and one of those Chester was nowhere fit enough by all accounts.

But does that suggest the focus on defence has been questionable for some time?

[sne]

Just now, TRO said:

I think the 64 million dollar question is......is the manager not good enough, or is the players not good enough......or both.

For me it's both, absolutely both.

Neither the manager nor the squad is good enough. This doesn't mean it was a foregone conclusion we should be relegated. There are countless examples of team over performing and developing over a season. But we have not. I'm very disappointed about how we have looked this season even thou we are about where I expected us to be in the league. we have looked far worse than we should.

[Delphinho123]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

I think the 64 million dollar question is......is the manager not good enough, or is the players not good enough......or both.

The worry for me is too many have got gradually worse, in individual performance, than when they first arrived.....that should send out alarm bells.

We are not one of the top clubs, signing ready made stars.....so we have to improve the players we sign.......thats what managers of the past, who did well, did.

The money we spent was a huge some in anyones language....I hear the 10 million per player argument.......but those players should be developed in to 20 mill pound players, if we are doing it right......we would be lucky to get our money back.

The value increase that we have achieved with Jack and John, should have been done with more......Suso to be fair, could argue this case.

In many of our players, i can't see a single attribute that looks improved, never mind the whole player.

Suso can go f*** himself. 
The likes of Nakamba, Trezeguet, Wesley etc. are never going to be cut out for this league. 

Love him or hate him, Smith can't polish some of the turds we signed in the Summer. What he can do, is recognise our strengths don't lie in a possession based game and playing out from the back. He has failed to recognise this and we constantly put ourselves under pressure playing this daft style of football. 
We're much better when we play it long and get it up to the striker as quickly as possible. 

Trying to knock it around with Luiz, Engels, Mings, Nakamba, Drinkwater and Hourihane is suicide. And the stats (20th in almost everything) reflect that. 

He also has no idea how/why/when to make substitutions. This aspect of his management is comical. 

[OxfordVillan]

2 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Why would i put "my money where my mouth is?" If you want to put a friendly wager at the terms i suggested i am happy to do that.

Otherwise forget this nonsense bet at £1000. No idea why you would even suggest a bet like this knowing no one is going to accept those odds even yourself as you know id say no. 

Well you did say Villa had less than a 2% chance of beating Chelsea, so thought that you might have the courage of your convictions. Obviously not. Anyway, happy to park this and be done with it, thanks for your counter offer but I’ll also respectfully decline. 

[AntrimBlack]

Too many players have regressed since the start of the season. Some of the performances early on, when we were unlucky not to get wins against good sides, had made me optimistic that we could at least stay up.

That probably points to a deficiency in the coaching, as they should be improving with experience, not the other way round. I would say a number of the teams around us do not have players any better than ours, but they look better drilled and more determined.

[zab6359]

7 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

Suso can go f*** himself. 
The likes of Nakamba, Trezeguet, Wesley etc. are never going to be cut out for this league. 

Love him or hate him, Smith can't polish some of the turds we signed in the Summer. What he can do, is recognise our strengths don't lie in a possession based game and playing out from the back. He has failed to recognise this and we constantly put ourselves under pressure playing this daft style of football. 
We're much better when we play it long and get it up to the striker as quickly as possible. 

Trying to knock it around with Luiz, Engels, Mings, Nakamba, Drinkwater and Hourihane is suicide. And the stats (20th in almost everything) reflect that. 

He also has no idea how/why/when to make substitutions. This aspect of his management is comical. 

That does bug the shit out of me it's like he sets a reminder that goes off when it's time for a sub and that sub was pre-chosen before the game very predictable. Or he completely forgets and suddenly on 88 minutes thinks damn need to bring Davis on! 

[TRO]

2 minutes ago, sne said:

For me it's both, absolutely both.

Neither the manager nor the squad is good enough. This doesn't mean it was a foregone conclusion we should be relegated. There are countless examples of team over performing and developing over a season. But we have not. I'm very disappointed about how we have looked this season even thou we are about where I expected us to be in the league. we have looked far worse than we should.

I totally agree.....but i don't think he will go...unless there is something behind the scenes that i am not privvy too.....I think, they think, we just have to get through this.

These long term projects in football, make me think, because the here and now is so important.....academies sure, that has to be long term.

The first team for me has to be incremental progress, building from window to window and developing players at the training ground month to month.....its hard to look too far ahead or you lose focus on the here and now.

but where i differ from Dean is......I would secure the hard to beat focus and then in time add the spectacle in progress.....you build from the back towards the front and the midfield has to be the link and engine room.

[TRO]

12 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

Suso can go f*** himself. 
The likes of Nakamba, Trezeguet, Wesley etc. are never going to be cut out for this league. 

Love him or hate him, Smith can't polish some of the turds we signed in the Summer. What he can do, is recognise our strengths don't lie in a possession based game and playing out from the back. He has failed to recognise this and we constantly put ourselves under pressure playing this daft style of football. 
We're much better when we play it long and get it up to the striker as quickly as possible. 

Trying to knock it around with Luiz, Engels, Mings, Nakamba, Drinkwater and Hourihane is suicide. And the stats (20th in almost everything) reflect that. 

He also has no idea how/why/when to make substitutions. This aspect of his management is comical. 

I presume the manager had a say in who comes in.

I have no idea one way or the other on the value of Suso, just saying what he might argue.

its all very well saying the players are poor and i am not saying different, but you would have thought, one or two would show some sort of improvement in 28 games.

[terrytini]

16 minutes ago, TRO said:

I think the 64 million dollar question is......is the manager not good enough, or is the players not good enough......or both.

The worry for me is too many have got gradually worse, in individual performance, than when they first arrived.....that should send out alarm bells.

We are not one of the top clubs, signing ready made stars.....so we have to improve the players we sign.......thats what managers of the past, who did well, did.

The money we spent was a huge some in anyones language....I hear the 10 million per player argument.......but those players should be developed in to 20 mill pound players, if we are doing it right......we would be lucky to get our money back.

The value increase that we have achieved with Jack and John, should have been done with more......Suso to be fair, could argue this case.

In many of our players, i can't see a single attribute that looks improved, never mind the whole player.

I’m in the “ players are good enough” camp.

In my view they’ve shown in enough periods of enough games that they are, by and large, on a par with their rivals. So, not world beaters, but capable.

Id make allowances for their newness to the League/ Country/Club aswell when considering their abilities.

Weve had players like Bardsley, Westwood, and all the rest who have been considered poor here but successfully had careers elsewhere. 
 

Im afraid under Bruce I saw the same debate....but Smith got promoted with players that looked shocking under Bruce.

It seems to me we are at the same place now. These players look awful with increasing regularity. There is no question performance s have plummeted. Injuries, confidence, pressure, have played a part but that can’t explain it. We have definitely got worse.

Its the job of the Coach to get the best tune possible from the players he has. I’m not seeing that.

[terrytini]

7 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said:

Too many players have regressed since the start of the season. Some of the performances early on, when we were unlucky not to get wins against good sides, had made me optimistic that we could at least stay up.

That probably points to a deficiency in the coaching, as they should be improving with experience, not the other way round. I would say a number of the teams around us do not have players any better than ours, but they look better drilled and more determined.

That’s what I was trying to say, thanks !

[TRO]

8 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said:

Too many players have regressed since the start of the season. Some of the performances early on, when we were unlucky not to get wins against good sides, had made me optimistic that we could at least stay up.

That probably points to a deficiency in the coaching, as they should be improving with experience, not the other way round. I would say a number of the teams around us do not have players any better than ours, but they look better drilled and more determined.

Ultimately, i think that is the most serious concern.....player regression.

Edited March 12, 2020 by TRO

[sne]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

I totally agree.....but i don't think he will go...unless there is something behind the scenes that i am not privvy too.....I think, they think, we just have to get through this.

These long term projects in football, make me think, because the here and now is so important.....academies sure, that has to be long term.

The first team for me has to be incremental progress, building from window to window and developing players at the training ground month to month.....its hard to look too far ahead or you lose focus on the here and now.

but where i differ from Dean is......I would secure the hard to beat focus and then in time add the spectacle in progress.....you build from the back towards the front and the midfield has to be the link and engine room.

Yeah, depending on the squad. For a newly promoted squad you have to go with where your strengths in the squad lies. Ours is sadly not strong anywhere really.

Newcastle defends from the defense because that's where the strengths in their squad lies, many teams defends from the front with high press trying to win the ball early. I honestly think our squad would be more suited to that approach, but we don't do that either.  Obviously we can't be expected to emulate Liverpool, City or teams like that but we can still be organized and defend as a group in whatever part of the pitch we chose to focus, but we are not. I do not think he have a squad suited to sitting deep and defending that way and I don't feel it's the only way to reach success.

As for set pieces it is just sad and a few taller guys might have helped but I feel it's more how we set up and act that is the issue. We neither use man marking nor zonal but rather a totally hopeless hybrid and I can't fathom why we persist with it.

[terrytini]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

Ultimately, i think that is the most serious concern.....player regression.

Agree.

We can debate tactics, style, transfers, injuries, forever.

None of that would matter much if we were getting 100% every game from improving players.

[terrytini]

12 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said:

I would say a number of the teams around us do not have players any better than ours, but they look better drilled and more determined.

Personally, I think this is the whole debate.

Unquestionably Purslow must be having the same thoughts.

What we don’t know is

(a) does he know some mitigating factor that we dont

(b) does he have a specific goal to be met or not ?

But there is surely no doubt this is the issue he will be looking at. 

[tomav84]

32 minutes ago, TRO said:

I think the 64 million dollar question is......is the manager not good enough, or is the players not good enough......or both.

i'm like 80/20 towards the players not being good enough. if you think about the number of individual errors, that's not on smith...reina monday night, classic example...get to half time 0-0 who knows what would've happened. as it was a dubious pen made it 2-0 and that was that.

[Sam-AVFC]

26 minutes ago, OxfordVillan said:

Well you did say Villa had less than a 2% chance of beating Chelsea, so thought that you might have the courage of your convictions. Obviously not. Anyway, happy to park this and be done with it, thanks for your counter offer but I’ll also respectfully decline. 

Or, mad as it sounds, not everyone has £1000 to piss away on an internet dick swinging competition even if the odds of losing it are relatively low.

[Mjvilla]

4 minutes ago, Sam-AVFC said:

Or, mad as it sounds, not everyone has £1000 to piss away on an internet dick swinging competition even if the odds of losing it are relatively low.

I don't know why someone feels the need to flash how much cash they have, even proverbial cash. I haven't got a pot to piss in most of the time. I couldn't afford £1000, not even close. Huge sign of loneliness or sadness, trying to be something you ain't. Is that correct @OxfordVillan ?