Dean Smith

[TrentVilla]

35 minutes ago, Bunnski said:

The players are still playing for him but are completely out of confidence, I'd like him to be given more time as I believe he can turn it around.

I think they like him, I’m not convinced they believe in him or what they are being asked to do though.

[VillaChris]

7 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

If we lose the next two games, I think there's a good chance us and Norwich are cut adrift at the bottom by Christmas.

Can we not do something about that?

I mean we were in even worse horrible form under Lambert and Sherwood came in and got us 3 wins from first 6 games we played (and won an FA cup SF).

Just don't get this meek acceptance there's nothing we can do about the present situation and we should just accept dismal loss after dismal loss. The season is only 11 games old.

[MaVilla]

5 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

If we lose the next two games, I think there's a good chance us and Norwich are cut adrift at the bottom by Christmas.

thats something that concerns me.

If we stick with Deano, how many are we going to realistically win out of our next 8 games? (Brighton, Palace, Man City, Leicester, Liverpool, Norwich, Burnley, Chelsea), i dont see many points in that run with how we are playing.

However, if we replace Deano, how many is that new manager going to win with a new team and trying to bed in new tactics etc?, if they dont get off to a good start we may be in a double mess.

Its a tough run of games, and Brighton, Burnley might seem ok to some teams, but they are like our kryptonite, one plays proper football when we cant, and the other is hugely physical which we cant deal with.

I think its a really hard decision.

[PaulC]

The first halves in the last 3 games we have been so second best. When he named the team yesterday my first thought was wow, McGinn and Marv the midfield 2 do you really want to keep your job?  Then in desperation yesterday he throws on every striker. He clearly doesnt have a clue or has lost the plot. Sorry but he has to go now. I like Dean Smith and thank him for what he has done but we need a change. 

[Zatman]

3 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Can we not do something about that?

I mean we were in even worse horrible form under Lambert and Sherwood came in and got us 3 wins from first 6 games we played (and won an FA cup SF).

Just don't get this meek acceptance there's nothing we can do about the present situation and we should just accept dismal loss after dismal loss. The season is only 11 games old.

Do you think Dean should call up Tactics Tim for advice

[AntrimBlack]

2 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

I think they like him, I’m not convinced they believe in him or what they are being asked to do though.

This. I think that a lot of the players, like many on here, including me, do like him, but are not convinced he is up to the job.

I feel a bit sorry for him, I get the feeling he knows that he does not know how to turn it around.

[Dave-R]

15 hours ago, foreveryoung said:

We have players to replace Grealish. Surely it can't be that hard for Smith and co to integrate a different system that sees us get out of this slump!

The one person who can replace Grealish has had one full game and a bunch of minutes as sub right?

We go spend a bunch of money on talent and I am unsure still about Ings, still think Tammy would of been the better buy and he'd of done better here.

Buendia is just not working yet, I say yet because at some point these players just can't go bust and they need to start showing there worth, showing signs of life.

I think the way it's going were going to be seeing calls for youth to be played over our seniors and when that happens we seem to just find a stride strangly enough.

Smith may have to drop his experimentation of systems and styles and concentrate on points. How does he do that when our players can't defend, can't hold, can't score and all they can do is run around at the moment up and down the field like headless chickens??

We are simply not doing the basics very well right now and I struggle to believe that Grealish leaving I the cause of this, not unless psychologically it has got inside players heads.

Reminds me of our first season back up and the survival season where we struggled to gain the ball or when we did get it do anything with it. It's like we've returned to that season like everything in between has not set in stone and it's all been a dream.

Would really like Smith to stay, but if it meant we did ace again and a new coach could levitate this club back up I spose the choice is simple. Smith will easily find a new job but this club won't be a prem outfit if Smith can't find the solution. I do think the media play on the fear alot but at some point the Owners are going to have to decide and fetch a world class Coach or manager in if they want the next level.

Who are the names being floated around, does anyone know please??

[VillaChris]

1 minute ago, AntrimBlack said:

Agreed. I am getting a little worried now about relegation. It is too close to stumble forward HOPING for improvement, without any evidence that improvement is possible.

I'm not worrying about relegation. I think at some point we'll hit a run of 3 wins out of 5 or something and that will be enough (not anytime soon though).

What I don't want is just limping through to Feb/March winning or drawing the odd game and then sacking DS in those months when 10th place is even 10-15 points away. Exactly what always used to happen in the lambert seasons. We should be better than that now.

[jacketspuds]

Despite the fact that Grealish has left, Smith still had 8 players in the starting 11 yesterday that have been here for more than 1 season. To still have no discernible tactic or style of play is just not good enough.

It was understandable in the first season as we signed so many new players, but there is no excuse now for the lack of organisation and direction that is on display.

[Dave-R]

5 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

To be fair, we've only been "linked" with Fonseca.

I doubt it will be a journeyman, quite the opposite infact.

And what we've discovered about JT it won't be him either.

I think this could definately happen.

I'd expect a top level Coach to be brought in if Smith walks, they have to if we're to start going somewhere in this league. Simply put they will need to spend in that area to get something out of it our Owners will. There's no point bringing someone in who's going to get us abit of a bounce and maybe do exactly the same next season like what's happening to us right now.

If money is to be spent then surely it has to be spent on Smiths replacement and we still have Summers transfer money don't we considering all we spent really was Grealish transfer money.

I think Smith will have until end of this month to show signs of life, because I can or we can say he's not under threat of being fired all we like, but we don't know what the Owners are thinking. Bring someone in and give them some money for January maybe what our Owners will choose, who knows.

[Peter Griffin]

18 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

To be fair, we've only been "linked" with Fonseca.

I doubt it will be a journeyman, quite the opposite infact.

And what we've discovered about JT it won't be him either.

I think this could definately happen.

Ideally we would get a manager that will bring with him his entire coaching team. It would be great to get 4 or 5 people in that are used to working with each other and understand the style of football that the manager is trying to implement. 

[lexicon]

50 minutes ago, Peter Griffin said:

If Smith goes then hopefully we will get a manager that is big enough to tell Purslow that if he joins Villa then he picks the coaching team

Why go back to an antiquated system? 

Whoever we get in will be following the same philosophy as the club, that's the point of it. 

[turvontour]

39 minutes ago, jacketspuds said:

Despite the fact that Grealish has left, Smith still had 8 players in the starting 11 yesterday that have been here for more than 1 season. To still have no discernible tactic or style of play is just not good enough.

It was understandable in the first season as we signed so many new players, but there is no excuse now for the lack of organisation and direction that is on display.

Absolutely, I couldn't work out what our tactic or approach was, not having much in the middle doesnt help. And by the end it was just roll the dice smash it long.

[turvontour]

1 hour ago, Nigel said:

The intensity clearly went up in the second half, so much so Southampton had to change their formation to counter the shift. The paper passing too, its just thinking outside the box, nothing wrong with that.

Let's not try and pretend everything he does is wrong....its not. There is a lot right about him, hence the reticence of a lot of fans to let him go.

However the 18 losing game record is a massive problem, plus the fact that could actually be a lot higher if it were not for grealish.

I'm torn!

We would have definitely gone down season before last without Grealish, probably bottom. And we would probably have gone down last season without him. Not sure of the points per game without him in the team last season, but it couldn't have been more than 1. Really worrying that we dont looked to have improved at all, and we now just have el Ghazi in his place.

[macandally]

1 hour ago, foreveryoung said:

I really think he has had enough time now unfortunately. Only reason he stays, is cause the board are still searching for the right man.

You have been saying that for nearly a year!

[Davkaus]

2 minutes ago, turvontour said:

 we now just have el Ghazi in his place.

Are you serious?  

 

[Blasterpocket68]

1 hour ago, MaVilla said:

thats something that concerns me.

If we stick with Deano, how many are we going to realistically win out of our next 8 games? (Brighton, Palace, Man City, Leicester, Liverpool, Norwich, Burnley, Chelsea), i dont see many points in that run with how we are playing.

However, if we replace Deano, how many is that new manager going to win with a new team and trying to bed in new tactics etc?, if they dont get off to a good start we may be in a double mess.

Its a tough run of games, and Brighton, Burnley might seem ok to some teams, but they are like our kryptonite, one plays proper football when we cant, and the other is hugely physical which we cant deal with.

I think its a really hard decision.

Based on the performances currently it’s a very easy decision for me. We’re in free fall and he hasn’t got a clue how to address it. 
Dress it up how you like we can’t string a team together or any consistency. You can blame coaches injuries whatever you want but at the end of the day the buck stops with Dean Smith. Nice guy villa fan got us promoted but time is up. 
 

the owners have to show real intent for me as this is not going to get any better. 
 

[jacketspuds]

39 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Er, we have had both  in the past under Smith it's clearly not true to put "still" in that sentence at all. We've definitely lacked togetherness, shape and cohesion since what happened with Wolves. Saying we haven't had a style of play or any discernible tactics under Smith is nonsense.

Of course we have had both in the past. I’m not writing off Smith’s entire tenure at the club.

I don’t feel that we do now, and I felt that we didn’t whenever Grealish wasn’t in the team.

“Players win matches, not systems.”

Given the experience of the manager with this squad, the experience of the squad itself, I would “still” expect us to actually have a tactic or style now this season.

Maybe it is a time thing and it will eventually click, but I’ve not seen anything to suggest that it will.

Whichever way you cut it, 18 defeats this year is not good enough.

 

[ThunderPower_14]

I'm really sad about it because I love Smith and I love what he's done for us in his time here, but 5 losses on the trot is too much. We don't seem to be anywhere near being settled on a system or a side and given the enormous tactical upheaval that came with selling Jack, to be 11 games into the season without a clear system is really bad.

I think we need to move on. I'll always remember Smith fondly though, he did a great job for us, got us back where we belong and put in place a really exciting style of football for the most part.

[Okonokos]

If he goes the last lingering thread of my interest in modern football will go. Hate the sport and what it has become