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Dean Smith


Demitri_C

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20 minutes ago, Spoony said:

I wish this could be the case but I've gotten used to Villa managers having a very short life. I can't help but feel he will be a distant memory in 9 months like all the others (not because of him particularly but just because it always happens and I've just become numb to everything being terrible at Villa).

I don't think it will go that way this time. We have new owners, a new manager and a new philosophy. This is not an appointment with a short term view, this is a statement from the club that we are building for the future.  Yes we need to try and get promoted this season, but we need to think about building a solid foundation in the likely case that we don't.

Smith knows this league, he knows that club and he has the potential to give us what we have needed for years. Stability, with a plan and clear direction.

 

14 minutes ago, villianusa said:

I understand what you're saying, I just hope he gets the time to build what we all want. We have a good squad, let's see what he can do with it.

He will get time. There would have to have been some guarantees of that in order for him to leave Brentford. This isn't an appointment to just get us promoted, we tried that with Bruce, this is a long term project.

That said, he will be under no illusions that promotion this season is the target.

Edited by One For The Road
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Just now, Spoony said:

I wish this could be the case but I've gotten used to Villa managers having a very short life. I can't help but feel he will be a distant memory in 9 months like all the others (not because of him particularly but just because it always happens and I've just become numb to everything being terrible at Villa).

I think NSWE and Purslow will have patience and give them plenty of time. They seem to be trying to build a dynasty (for want of a better word). A complete change of style and structure isn't a quick fix, it can take months if not years, especially from our starting point. Smith being a fan and Terry having a good year last year will earn them a little extra patience from the fans (apart from the ones that will never be happy) and I believe the large majority of fans will accept this is a long process. What will help things along will be a good start and some good football. We have some quality players, both in first team and U23's and they will all know this could be their time. We've had a challenging decade or so, so maybe this is finally the pay off, the chance we have been waiting for. Properly rich owners and young forward thinking coaching team.

It isn't rocket science, even though Villa do seem to make it look like it is.

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First, welcome and good luck Dean. To my mind i think he was always first choice, the fact that it is only 1 week since Bruce had the bullet a long with the entire coaching set up, indicates to me that this was the plan they intended. To source and negotiate 3 new high profile recruits in the last 24hrs or so after Henry had turned us down seems a little fanciful, along with the fact that Smith has potentially a ready made backroom staff.

As for comments I've read saying it's obvious that the new board aren't going to bankroll us, surely FFP puts a stop to that, time to tell will be when we are back in the top division. 

 

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2 minutes ago, 7392craig said:

Gotta be honest, if it’s true about how Brentford are set up, then I just don’t see what we’re excited about. I’m not claiming he’ll be a failure as I don’t know if it’s true whether they actually set up based on a whole team rather than just a manager, and a percentage based statistical set up. But if that is true then essentially haven’t we just got excited that we’ve bought a Ferrari when actually all we got was the steering wheel?

I want to be concise in responding to this. It is true about team hierarchy and structures, as well as use of data analytics at Brentford.

Artificial Intelligence is not the driving force behind their model. People are. Smith was one of those people. Numbers are just a means to make an informed choice. There isn't a player recruited by Brentford who isn't scouted the traditional way as well being assessed numerically.

I would suggest that the structure of shared responsibility could also be seen as a positive because in order to function effectively cohesion is essential and Smith will have some skill in developing this and working with it. Football is a team game after all and it requires people that can work together to do just that.

The model at Brentford is that the head coach takes care of day-to-day strategy like training and match preparation, the directors of football take care of medium-term strategy like transfers and succession planning and the board deals with long-term strategy and objectives. They all have to liaison with one another to ensure things are congruent. So although Smith may not have had as much autonomy over decisions as managers at other clubs, he is still required to have a fundamental understanding of how the club and its competitors operate.

We have a Ferrari and not just its steering wheel, although a few modifications may need to be made, and gears yet to be utilised.

As said previously, it could also be that we plan to adopt a similar structure of hierarchy to that which Smith has just come from.

 

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50 minutes ago, Zatman said:

Well forced partnerships never work out

Hmm.. I won't be committing myself to an arranged marriage anytime soon, so I know what you mean.

That said both Smith and Terry are professionals with a goal in common.

Think about it, what would have to take place in order for them to resent working with the other?

I don't think either are going to sabotage the opportunity for success because someone senior to them decided they are to work together.

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1 hour ago, Zatman said:

Only thing thag worries me about this is was Terry forced on him

Consider though the possibility that Smith may have snapped their hands off when offered Terry as an assistant?

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1 hour ago, Zatman said:

Well forced partnerships never work out

I'm sure he would have had the opportunity to say no to the job if he didn't want Terry involved. He would have known about Terry before agreeing to sign up so it wasn't 'forced' on him as such.

It would be a different scenario if he had been manager for a while and the board came along and told him Terry would be his new assistant manager.  

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Yeah I'm not inclined to believe that Terry was forced on him.  Naturally I dont think anybody would do that especially a board.  I'm assuming there were discussions and Smith was happy with it and maybe wanted it if it was on offer.........it would be slightly bizarre if it was anything else especially being forced on him as neither Smith would be happy with that and/or Terry would not be happy with a Head Coach that doesnt really want him.  Neither had to come to Villa so I'm assuming they are happy with the arrangement.

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1 hour ago, Zatman said:

Only thing thag worries me about this is was Terry forced on him

At least it's clear from the start what this is... it's not a Roy Evans/Houllier scenario.

Actually I think Smith would have been pleased with Terry - someone who knows the club and the squad, he'll get some valuable insights to help him hit the ground running.

Edited by MrDuck
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2 minutes ago, Ponky said:

And at least theoretically I can't think of a better person to try and get some semblance of structure into our defence than Terry.

I know of another great candidate - excellent centre back with 400+ caps for Man Utd, captained the club too... and currently available. Should be able to really sort out a defence! ?

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Admittedly, not among my first choices but I’m glad we have finally got our man. Too much media BS surrounding the whole situation was not helpful at all.

I still can’t forget how Brentford absolutely tore us to shreds, over and over again, on (I think) Bjarnason’s debut.

I’m glad we can look forward to some proper football and the days of negative, boring and clueless “Bruceball” are behind us.

To have a genuine fan of the club at the helm is great (I really enjoyed the JG days) and I’m looking forward to the future with optimism and excitement.

Now is not the time for negativity.

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3 hours ago, dounavilla said:

We are delighted to announce the appointments of Dwight Yorke as our new Head Coach.

yorke-9731492390.jpg

"Get stuck in like I got stuck in with Jordan, Ooo errr, top of the league". 

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3 hours ago, A'Villan said:

Do you think Dean Smith shares your worries about the opportunity to work with a footballing icon who has won it all?

My guess is he is excited for the new opportunity and all that comes with it.

I suppose we will know in time if the partnership gels.

Let's hope Smith wasn't a fan of the old rock against racism era.

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