Dean Smith

[Demitri_C]

Yes look at Norwich they sold their best player and playing better. 

The Villa way is relying on one or two of your better players not a team. Look at us gagging for grealish tk come back. We should have enough quality to survive when he is injured but we haven't. We also are relying too much on Tammy another problem. 

I'm hoping Smith's strategy in summer is havi g a squad able to cope without one or two players. That what he had at brentford and that's what I expect we will be next season. 

[Zatman]

Need to sign runners in the summer, if McGinn wasnt here we would have absolutely no legs for his style of play or any attacking play. Except him only Bjarnason in midfield has an engine with some pace though he lacks in other areas.

Whelan, Lansbury, Hourihane and Jedinak would take a week to do a 100 metre relay

[MarkLillis]

19 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Yes look at Norwich they sold their best player and playing better. 

The Villa way is relying on one or two of your better players not a team. Look at us gagging for grealish tk come back. We should have enough quality to survive when he is injured but we haven't. We also are relying too much on Tammy another problem. 

I'm hoping Smith's strategy in summer is havi g a squad able to cope without one or two players. That what he had at brentford and that's what I expect we will be next season. 

Yes agreed.

But they replaced him with Emi Buendía I wonder how their season pans out if he was injured for  3 months?

[Demitri_C]

1 hour ago, MarkLillis said:

Yes agreed.

But they replaced him with Emi Buendía I wonder how their season pans out if he was injured for  3 months?

What about pukki? He has been a superb signing that no one knew about

[villalad21]

2 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Look at us gagging for grealish tk come back. 

I think it's more in our head that everything will become so much better with Jack and Axel back.

Axel and Jack both played during the "honeymoon" period where everyone played well and we had that new manager lift. Things have changed now. If everyone else is playing poorly having Jack back won't make that big of a difference.

Good individuals can make a difference but you need the whole team to play well for them to shine.

I hope i am wrong and we play like a different team with Jack back, i really do, but i don't think it will happen

Edited February 4, 2019 by villalad21

[hippo]

4 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

I think it's more in our head that everything will become so much better with Jack and Axel back.

Axel and Jack both played during the "honeymoon" period where everyone played well and we had that new manager lift. Things have changed now. If everyone else is playing poorly having Jack back won't make that big of a difference.

Good individuals can make a difference but you need the whole team to play well for them to shine.

I hope i am wrong and we play like a different team with Jack back, i really do, but i don't think it will happen

Jack back will improve us ...but not to the extent people think.

[villalad21]

2 minutes ago, hippo said:

Jack back will improve us ...but not to the extent people think.

Yea i probably agree with that.

Depends what form he's in as well. Jack were poor under Bruce this season

[Merson08]

I just wonder if were expecting too much from Dean Smith. Yes he gives attacking football but at the expense of our defense. Were sort of a role reversal to last season where we could defend but not score too many. DS previous record at Walsall and Brentford isn't really increasing the clubs position, just seems a different style of football and ensures the team turn up for the big guns like how Brentford always outplayed Villa with him as boss. Were also turning up for the big games but the teams where points are expected were dropping them to easily.

Here is a list of the club and finishing positions below;

Walsall	10th	62		2009/10
	20th	48		2010/11
	19th	50		2011/12
	9th	70		2012/13
	13th	58		2013/14
	14th	59		2014/15
Brentford	9th	65		2015/16
	10th	64		2016/17
	9th	69		2017/18

 

His win rate now is pretty much the same as it was at Walsall and at Brentford. 33-35%

 

 

[AntrimBlack]

5 hours ago, Dave-R said:

Think if we get rid of Grealish says one thing, that the owners stating no one is leaving was rubbish, that were desperate to ease FFP which I don't think is the case when spending 7 mill on a keeper.

I think Jack will stay unless it gets worse, I think all our players who are worth something, have seen the club's new direction and because they love it here are willing to win promotion and risk it all to get villa back in the premiere.

Jack could of gone last season, should of and didn't, I guess we will truly know how much a villa fan jack is come next season. I also do not know anyone who's going to come in and  spend 40-50 million on Jack when spurs are looking to dash 50 mill on David Brooks.

I would not expect Grealish to put his love for the club before his own personal advancement.

Unless we can convince him, as we did this season, that he would be better staying with us, he should take a favourable opportunity if it arises.

[Zatman]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

What about pukki? He has been a superb signing that no one knew about

People knew about him, hardly covered himself in glory in Scottish league

[villalad21]

49 minutes ago, Merson08 said:

Walsall	10th	62		2009/10
	20th	48		2010/11
	19th	50		2011/12
	9th	70		2012/13
	13th	58		2013/14
	14th	59		2014/15
Brentford	9th	65		2015/16
	10th	64		2016/17
	9th	69		2017/18

Hardly impressive

[Dr_Pangloss]

16 minutes ago, Zatman said:

People knew about him, hardly covered himself in glory in Scottish league

When you see players like Pukki and Raul Jimenez doing so well in English football it makes you question the quality of football we have in this country tbh.

[praisedmambo]

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

I think it's more in our head that everything will become so much better with Jack and Axel back.

Axel and Jack both played during the "honeymoon" period where everyone played well and we had that new manager lift. Things have changed now. If everyone else is playing poorly having Jack back won't make that big of a difference.

Good individuals can make a difference but you need the whole team to play well for them to shine.

I hope i am wrong and we play like a different team with Jack back, i really do, but i don't think it will happen

You don't think replacing Whelan?Hourihane with Grealish is going to make a difference? I think you're way too easily dismissing the difference a player of his quality will make, a player with top stats in the league for many attacking attributes. Same for Axel. Presumably you've seen the games—he was quick and brought the ball forwards very well. These were a critical two out of our four/five good players. People spend a lot of money on transfers for a reason.

[villalad21]

8 minutes ago, praisedmambo said:

You don't think replacing Whelan?Hourihane with Grealish is going to make a difference?

Not saying it won't make a difference, i just think the impact will be smaller than what people on here seem to think.

It's not only Whelan that plays poorly, the whole team is. Except for McGinn and Abraham it's dissappointing all over the floor. Grealish can't do everything by himself, we're still dependent on the whole team to play well, with or without Grealish.

[Demitri_C]

43 minutes ago, Zatman said:

People knew about him, hardly covered himself in glory in Scottish league

But seems to be doing far better in a more difficult league here which is more important than a time ina  lame scottish league 

[hippo]

1 hour ago, Merson08 said:

I just wonder if were expecting too much from Dean Smith. Yes he gives attacking football but at the expense of our defense. Were sort of a role reversal to last season where we could defend but not score too many. DS previous record at Walsall and Brentford isn't really increasing the clubs position, just seems a different style of football and ensures the team turn up for the big guns like how Brentford always outplayed Villa with him as boss. Were also turning up for the big games but the teams where points are expected were dropping them to easily.

Here is a list of the club and finishing positions below;

Walsall	10th	62		2009/10
	20th	48		2010/11
	19th	50		2011/12
	9th	70		2012/13
	13th	58		2013/14
	14th	59		2014/15
Brentford	9th	65		2015/16
	10th	64		2016/17
	9th	69		2017/18

 

His win rate now is pretty much the same as it was at Walsall and at Brentford. 33-35%

 

 

Jesus thats shocking really. I knew he only had moderate record at his previous clubs - but that is struggling to be average.

In answer to your prognosis "yes" ...I think people are expecting to much....a promotion for smith really would be a bolt from the blue.

[Zatman]

24 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

But seems to be doing far better in a more difficult league here which is more important than a time ina  lame scottish league 

He struggled at Celtic, the only team in the league

Would have been uproar on here ifBruce had signed him

[Avcol]

He wasn't in charge of Walsall in 09/10. He took over halfway through the 10/11 season and that 20th position in that season is actually an impressive result as they were 9 points from safety when he took over in the January.

I think the argument is that at those clubs with the budget he had you could say he overachieved. A 39.86% win percentage with Brentford in the Championship I would say is definitely overachieving, especially considering they sold quite a few of their better players in that period.

I am as disappointed as anyone with how it has gone recently and criticised him more harshly than others. Definitely needs until the end of next season though.

[hippo]

3 minutes ago, Avcol said:

He wasn't in charge of Walsall in 09/10. He took over halfway through the 10/11 season and that 20th position in that season is actually an impressive result as they were 9 points from safety when he took over in the January.

I think the argument is that at those clubs with the budget he had you could say he overachieved. A 39.86% win percentage with Brentford in the Championship I would say is definitely overachieving, especially considering they sold quite a few of their better players in that period.

I am as disappointed as anyone with how it has gone recently and criticised him more harshly than others. Definitely needs until the end of next season though.

Fair enough ...but the season before he took over at Brentford ...they finished 6th I beleive.

The pattern seems to be one of consolidation rather than improvement 

[Avcol]

2 minutes ago, hippo said:

Fair enough ...but the season before he took over at Brentford ...they finished 6th I beleive.

The pattern seems to be one of consolidation rather than improvement 

Admittedly Warburton did a better job at Brentford than Smith did, but they obviously have things right behind the scenes to be able to fight above their weight each year.

I'm just hopeful that the reason things weren't taken further at those clubs, especially Brentford, is because they couldn't really improve or push any further than they already had. I still think finishing 9th 10th 9th with Brentford is quite decent given they lost Gray, Tarkowski, Jota, Dean and Hogan across his three years there who were all important players.

As a Villa man he would know the potential of this club and how far it can go so hopefully we start to see that improvement in the remaining games this season and be a dominant force next season. If he hasn't got us up by the end of next season then it will need to be seriously assessed.