Dean Smith

[Made In Aston]

17 hours ago, Keyblade said:

I guess, if you were trying to argue that one was better than the other. I'm just saying not much has changed about the club bar the style of football for all intents and purposes. They still finish 15th/16th every season. But apparently he's working wonders over there...I don't know I'm failing to see it.

On paper they should have finished much higher up the table on expected goals/points. If a team is consistently, statistically, achieving more then their current position suggests then it is only a matter of time before that becomes a reality in terms of an accurate league position. 

[blandy]

1 hour ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

Alex Ferguson used to teach a similar way, it is a confidence game, believe in yourself and those around you. Aston Villa seem to have that now.

There's a second aspect to this, too. Something I thought about when I watched that Paul McGrath interview clip posted the other day. God was talking about how much Graham Taylor helped him personally, with his problems, and the underlying lesson was that God wanted to do well for him because of that. And this applies to Dean Smith too - whether it's allowing players to go play for their national sides (when other managers blocked it), or the welcome for Bailey, or the talking to Tyrone about BLM and countless other examples - the serenading Douggie and Emi after their wins in the summer comps - doing all that stuff makes players want to play for the manager and club. And it also means when the manager makes the players feel valued, those players value their team mates and the whole thing is a virtuous circle.

Getting players in with the right character and then looking after them as people and helping them get better as players is huge.

[TRO]

On 27/09/2021 at 16:17, Designer1 said:

I always loved that job. Best years of my career.

I think he made that up....

[TRO]

11 minutes ago, blandy said:

There's a second aspect to this, too. Something I thought about when I watched that Paul McGrath interview clip posted the other day. God was talking about how much Graham Taylor helped him personally, with his problems, and the underlying lesson was that God wanted to do well for him because of that. And this applies to Dean Smith too - whether it's allowing players to go play for their national sides (when other managers blocked it), or the welcome for Bailey, or the talking to Tyrone about BLM and countless other examples - the serenading Douggie and Emi after their wins in the summer comps - doing all that stuff makes players want to play for the manager and club. And it also means when the manager makes the players feel valued, those players value their team mates and the whole thing is a virtuous circle.

Getting players in with the right character and then looking after them as people and helping them get better as players is huge.

Totally agree Pete....but you can't always be the agreeable soul either....There are times, when a firm hand is required.

The trick is to apply the right response to any given situation....with an emotional game like football, its hard to do.

However, I think with Deans persona, he is as ably equipped as any man is, to get it right more than he gets it wrong.

 

[blandy]

7 minutes ago, TRO said:

you can't always be the agreeable soul either....There are times, when a firm hand is required.

The trick is to apply the right response to any given situation....with an emotional game like football, its hard to do.

However, I think with Deans persona, he is as ably equipped as any man is, to get it right more than he gets it wrong.

He's definitely let rip once or twice at the players at half time etc.

The thing though is if he is pretty much always the same level persona, this imbues a sense of calm and non-panic in the players - if the players see the manager "losing the plot" over anything, it undermines him. The occasional use of focused anger is a tool, but should be used rarely, or the gaffer starts to be seen as "just an angry so and so who would be better focused on solving problems than shouting at us"

[TRO]

1 minute ago, blandy said:

He's definitely let rip once or twice at the players at half time etc.

The thing though is if he is pretty much always the same level persona, this imbues a sense of calm and non-panic in the players - if the players see the manager "losing the plot" over anything, it undermines him. The occasional use of focused anger is a tool, but should be used rarely, or the gaffer starts to be seen as "just an angry so and so who would be better focused on solving problems than shouting at us"

Couldn't agree with you more.....just trying to show a balance is required.....but I accept the calm influence has to be the dominant factor, for day to day Influence.

[CVByrne]

8 minutes ago, blandy said:

He's definitely let rip once or twice at the players at half time etc.

The thing though is if he is pretty much always the same level persona, this imbues a sense of calm and non-panic in the players - if the players see the manager "losing the plot" over anything, it undermines him. The occasional use of focused anger is a tool, but should be used rarely, or the gaffer starts to be seen as "just an angry so and so who would be better focused on solving problems than shouting at us"

Exactly, there is a difference between understanding players as they're learning new things that don't come off yet in a game and the team just being not at it at all (like first half Watford) and needing a shouting at and reminding that if application and effort drops in any game in the Prem you will be punished. There are no easy games. 

[VillaChris]

18 hours ago, Keyblade said:

I guess, if you were trying to argue that one was better than the other. I'm just saying not much has changed about the club bar the style of football for all intents and purposes. They still finish 15th/16th every season. But apparently he's working wonders over there...I don't know I'm failing to see it.

It's finally clicking this season and they can finish top half from what they've shown so far and avoid injuries etc (remember Tariq Lamptey has hardly played for them in last 6 months).

Also remember Potter took over Swansea when they sold some players after relegation and got them 7th in table IIRC so not too bad and he did well with the Swedish club and got them in knock outs of europa.

I agree with comments on previous page, people dare say another manager isn't too bad and people immediately look for every single negative in them. Dean Smith and Potter are both doing fine in premier league and surely people would to see domestic managers doing well at top end?

Reminds me of 3-4 years ago everyone just laughing at Brendan Rodgers and now pound for pound he's arguably best prem manager based on his work in last two and a half years.

Edited September 29, 2021 by VillaChris

[blandy]

STAY ON TOPIC PLEASE. 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

New interview up on VillaTV

talks:

Utd win, Kortney Hause, Bringing in MacPhee & Danks, Adaptability of squad, Tottenham game, Bailey/Sanson update.

[Phil Silvers]

 

[Czarnikjak]

16 hours ago, Phil Silvers said:

 

It's funny actually, he used "trust the process" phrase few times during this interview. I thought that phrase was patented by Arteta and Arsenal.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Czarnikjak

[Phil Silvers]

3 minutes ago, Czarnikjak said:

It's funny actually, he used "trust the process" phrase few times during this interview. I thought that phrase was patented by Arteta.

Ha, true.

I've noticed the last couple of interviews that he has become a little more competent in front of the camera, probably just my Imagination.

Up until his last cpl of interviews he ways just seemed like a football fan with a camera and a mic shoved in his face.

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by Phil Silvers

[pas5898]

 

7 minutes ago, Phil Silvers said:

Ha, true.

I've noticed the last couple of interviews that he has become a little more competent in front of the camera, probably just my Imagination.

Up until his last cpl of interviews he ways just seemed like a football fan with a camera and a mic shoved in his face.

 

Appears Dean Smiths job (and his demeanour) is changing as we grow, and bring on different coaches.

He is now more of a man manager to the players, a manager of coaches on the training pitch and clearly getting better with the media. I can imagine he spends more time on meetings with performance scientists and his coaching staff than on the actual training pitch now. Whereas probably a couple of years ago he would have took every training session and micromanaged accordingly.

Only natural as we evolve and competent coaches are hired in their respective disciplines.  

Edited September 30, 2021 by pas5898
addition

[Phil Silvers]

1 minute ago, pas5898 said:

 

Appears Dean Smiths job (and his demeanour) is changing as we grow, and bring on different coaches.

He is now more of a man manager to the players, a manager of coaches on the training pitch and clearly getting better with the media. I can imagine he spends more time on meetings with performance scientists and his coaching staff than on the actual training pitch now. Whereas probably a couple of years ago he would have took every training session and micromanaged accordingly.

Only natural as we evolve and his coaching staff becomes competent in their areas. 

Good post, some on here knew all along that he had to grow along with and hopefully at the same rate as the whole club, sure we can and have picked up on faults and the occasional bit of naivety, but that's part of growing up. In to the bargain he's one of us, he loves the Villa. 

[Villa87]

I am just absolutely delighted we have Deano as manager. Everything about it just feels right. Exciting times. 

[AntrimBlack]

Smith is obviously becoming a better manager as he becomes more experienced, and hopefully he can continue to do so, but it is also so important that the owners are buying the best coaching team they can as his assistants.

They seem to have a really good and close knit coaching team now.

[MotoMkali]

1 hour ago, Czarnikjak said:

It's funny actually, he used "trust the process" phrase few times during this interview. I thought that phrase was patented by Arteta and Arsenal.

By the philadelphia 76ers. Their star players nickname is literally "The Process". 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

 

[Lord Willard]

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