Dean Smith

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Tomaszk said:

Oh TRO.

i think it had to be said.

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

It does seem to be a weakness. But could a lot of that also be down to our defensive coaching? Terry was a great defender, doesn’t mean he is a great coach. 
 

Also I find it interesting that you think under Smith playoffs is the best we would do next season if we go down.
 

Norwich ran away with the league last season and have pretty much the same team this season. We are doing better then them. Whilst not as simple as that doesn’t it suggest we would have a crack at automatic promotion if we went down?

just my gut feel, by what I see....I could be wrong, its just my opinion.

Norwich have the same problem as us, can't defend as a team.....you can get away with it, up to a point in the championship, because the quality of offensive player is lower....but if you can't defend in any league, you are giving yourself a lot to do.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

@TRO I sincerely hope you got the joke, as I know it will go over most peoples head and just look like "JV off on random ramblings again". lol

[Kiwivillan]

17 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

@TRO I sincerely hope you got the joke, as I know it will go over most peoples head and just look like "JV off on random ramblings again". lol

There's so much posturing on here. I keep telling myself take a break

[foreveryoung]

If I agree with most fans I would say Smith is a good coach and is struggling with the quality of the players he has. But his motivation of the players is gonna always be brought into question and may be his downfall. The win at Leicester was all hands on deck, the loss at Bournemouth was to say the least sickening and shows his true inabilities to motivate a team. This is not down to the quality of the team, this is down to the management and the coaching staff.

We are getting close to no excuses now with the length of time he has had with this team, Sheffield United don't happen over night admittedly, but Smith is far far away from Wilder's motivation of a team.

[tinker]

20 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

If I agree with most fans I would say Smith is a good coach and is struggling with the quality of the players he has. But his motivation of the players is gonna always be brought into question and may be his downfall. The win at Leicester was all hands on deck, the loss at Bournemouth was to say the least sickening and shows his true inabilities to motivate a team. This is not down to the quality of the team, this is down to the management and the coaching staff.

We are getting close to no excuses now with the length of time he has had with this team, Sheffield United don't happen over night admittedly, but Smith is far far away from Wilder's motivation of a team.

I don't see how coaching can or should teach players how to pass a ball or close down players . Its quite obvious that certain players we have are either very inconsistent or just not good enough to play week in week out in the premier League, it's not the formation that's costing us, its basic stuff and stupid mistakes born from being naive . 

The problem with blaming Smith and not the recruitment process is one we have seen before and it ended up with us going down and going through a cycle of sacking managers despite us having players that just weren't upto the challenge . 

[bannedfromHandV]

8 minutes ago, tinker said:

I don't see how coaching can or should teach players how to pass a ball or close down players . Its quite obvious that certain players we have are either very inconsistent or just not good enough to play week in week out in the premier League, it's not the formation that's costing us, its basic stuff and stupid mistakes born from being naive . 

The problem with blaming Smith and not the recruitment process is one we have seen before and it ended up with us going down and going through a cycle of sacking managers despite us having players that just weren't upto the challenge . 

It’s not a technical problem, it’s motivation and confidence, you can’t look through that Sheff United team on paper and say they have the quality befitting their current position, they’re playing above themselves to a man.

[M_Afro]

We have all had a week now to get over last weekend, reassess our opinions and think about things with a clear head. I’m sure most will have calmed down and be looking forward to the next match.

I have also calmed down but my feeling that Smith is not the man for us is still very much with me. You cannot fault his diligence or sense of responsibility but there is something missing. I still do not see a plan in place that will get the best out of the players at his disposal. He just seems to be fumbling around hoping to fall upon a set of tactics that will work for us.

At the start of the season we were 4-3-3 and very gung ho in our approach. We are now very much 5-3-2 and conservative. Whenever a manager goes from one extreme to the other, with the same group of players, I think it’s a bad sign. Surely he should just be tinkering around a general set of principles aimed to make the most of the players at our disposal?

His other major failing is his inability to see that we are physically inferior to most other teams in midfield. This has been true in three transfer windows now and he has done nothing to address it. Signing Drinkwater just underlines his failure to see this as a priority. Drinkwater is another tidy midfielder similar to plenty we already have at the club. Where’s the balance and variety?

I hope we stay up obviously and I hope Dean proves me wrong but at some point soon things need to start clicking otherwise he will be gone. Relegation is an instant sacking for me. Even if we stay up and things don’t really improve he should be replaced. There’s no room for sentimental behaviour. We need to be ruthless.

[tinker]

Just now, bannedfromHandV said:

It’s not a technical problem, it’s motivation and confidence, you can’t look through that Sheff United team on paper and say they have the quality befitting their current position, they’re playing above themselves to a man.

As a team Sheffield utd do but that's born from playing with each other for a few seasons and knowing how the English game works, what to eat where to live....... . To expect players to come from abroad and hit the ground running is naive and that's down to our recruitment.

Smith can build confidence but he can't build heart and character, that's down to the make up of the players, a psychological assessment could give some indication . Sheffield utd will have built theirs over seasons in the championship.

[Adam2003]

3 hours ago, foreveryoung said:

The win at Leicester was all hands on deck, the loss at Bournemouth was to say the least sickening and shows his true inabilities to motivate a team. 

I was as annoyed at anyone at that Bournemouth loss and think it shows issues but this sentence makes no sense - surely the Leicester win (and the other last minute winners we have scored) show his ability to motivate a team as much as the Bournemouth loss show that supposed inability? Consistency is the problem and he’s responsible for that for sure but I find it hard to read a statement like this as anything other than not giving him credit for what goes right and blaming him for what goes wrong. Perhaps I’m misreading your point slightly in which case apologies. 

[TRO]

7 hours ago, M_Afro said:

We have all had a week now to get over last weekend, reassess our opinions and think about things with a clear head. I’m sure most will have calmed down and be looking forward to the next match.

I have also calmed down but my feeling that Smith is not the man for us is still very much with me. You cannot fault his diligence or sense of responsibility but there is something missing. I still do not see a plan in place that will get the best out of the players at his disposal. He just seems to be fumbling around hoping to fall upon a set of tactics that will work for us.

At the start of the season we were 4-3-3 and very gung ho in our approach. We are now very much 5-3-2 and conservative. Whenever a manager goes from one extreme to the other, with the same group of players, I think it’s a bad sign. Surely he should just be tinkering around a general set of principles aimed to make the most of the players at our disposal?

His other major failing is his inability to see that we are physically inferior to most other teams in midfield. This has been true in three transfer windows now and he has done nothing to address it. Signing Drinkwater just underlines his failure to see this as a priority. Drinkwater is another tidy midfielder similar to plenty we already have at the club. Where’s the balance and variety?

I hope we stay up obviously and I hope Dean proves me wrong but at some point soon things need to start clicking otherwise he will be gone. Relegation is an instant sacking for me. Even if we stay up and things don’t really improve he should be replaced. There’s no room for sentimental behaviour. We need to be ruthless.

The funny thing is his win ratio is commensurate with Ron Saunders and Tony Barton......sure he has played less games and most have been in the championship, but just saying.....just trying to put another slant to things.Deans win ratio to date with us has improved from his last 2 clubs too

Edited February 8, 2020 by TRO

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Adam2003 said:

I was as annoyed at anyone at that Bournemouth loss and think it shows issues but this sentence makes no sense - surely the Leicester win (and the other last minute winners we have scored) show his ability to motivate a team as much as the Bournemouth loss show that supposed inability? Consistency is the problem and he’s responsible for that for sure but I find it hard to read a statement like this as anything other than not giving him credit for what goes right and blaming him for what goes wrong. Perhaps I’m misreading your point slightly in which case apologies. 

I think he was trying to say the approach was a stark contrast to each other and it was.....I think its fair to give credit in equal proportions to criticism, but Dean will not be the first manager to stumble across that.

reasons why ....I have no idea.

Edited February 8, 2020 by TRO

[sharkyvilla]

1 hour ago, Adam2003 said:

I was as annoyed at anyone at that Bournemouth loss and think it shows issues but this sentence makes no sense - surely the Leicester win (and the other last minute winners we have scored) show his ability to motivate a team as much as the Bournemouth loss show that supposed inability? Consistency is the problem and he’s responsible for that for sure but I find it hard to read a statement like this as anything other than not giving him credit for what goes right and blaming him for what goes wrong. Perhaps I’m misreading your point slightly in which case apologies. 

I think motivation is a red herring, I see very few signs of a demotivated team, the players I'm sure are giving as much as they can in training and on the pitch.  All the players have to be is 5% off their best game to show up as looking like they're not trying, some just don't have the physical side of the game as one of their stronger points either, Billing for example was one of the biggest differences between the teams.  We had also played an epic match in midweek where Bournemouth had had time off, they were at home and had recently ended their run of poor form too.  We got beaten by the better team on the day, it happens.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, tinker said:

As a team Sheffield utd do but that's born from playing with each other for a few seasons and knowing how the English game works, what to eat where to live....... . To expect players to come from abroad and hit the ground running is naive and that's down to our recruitment.

Smith can build confidence but he can't build heart and character, that's down to the make up of the players, a psychological assessment could give some indication . Sheffield utd will have built theirs over seasons in the championship.

Thats all true.....but you have to make heart and Character  a top priority( not a side show or lucky dip) in order to get it.....Chris Wilder could be classed as an exception, but its not rocket science what he has set out to do.

Ron Saunders was clear what types he wanted and they wasn't Household names either, but 110% workrate and effort was ingrained in their DNA.....opposing teams knew they had to work like hell to get anything from us.

Tony morley used to hate him, but love him too......because he drove them hard, but they got the rewards.....I see so much similar in Wilder.

[TRO]

2 minutes ago, sharkyvilla said:

I think motivation is a red herring, I see very few signs of a demotivated team, the players I'm sure are giving as much as they can in training and on the pitch.  All the players have to be is 5% off their best game to show up as looking like they're not trying, some just don't have the physical side of the game as one of their stronger points either, Billing for example was one of the biggest differences between the teams.  We had also played an epic match in midweek where Bournemouth had had time off, they were at home and had recently ended their run of poor form too.  We got beaten by the better team on the day, it happens.

I think you make an interesting point, particulary the physical side......I think the Billing thing was a valid comment, we are too light in midfield and have been for some time.....I have a sneaky feeling Mings let the occasion get to him too, I suspect he has issues there, no proof , just gut feel.

[tinker]

57 minutes ago, TRO said:

Thats all true.....but you have to make heart and Character  a top priority( not a side show or lucky dip) in order to get it.....

But it's not something you can train into a whole team, you have to have a core of the  team with character and introduce players with a good attitude and build their character.

This for me is were our system of recruitment fails , we look for players with flair and technical ability that will increase in value rather than suit what we need to grind out results....... a willingness to go into battle and outwork the opposition , run themselves ragged and be fit enough to leave the opposition shattered. 

I see one player willing to do that and it's Grealish, that's why he's the best player I have seen for Villa ,  he's willing to run himself into the ground plus he's technically head and shoulders above anything we have ever had. 

[TRO]

2 hours ago, tinker said:

But it's not something you can train into a whole team, you have to have a core of the  team with character and introduce players with a good attitude and build their character.

This for me is were our system of recruitment fails , we look for players with flair and technical ability that will increase in value rather than suit what we need to grind out results....... a willingness to go into battle and outwork the opposition , run themselves ragged and be fit enough to leave the opposition shattered. 

I see one player willing to do that and it's Grealish, that's why he's the best player I have seen for Villa ,  he's willing to run himself into the ground plus he's technically head and shoulders above anything we have ever had. 

I could not possibly agree with you more.

it is down to recruitment and due dilligence on targets, but as you suspect, if there is another agenda, i think we have a long road back.

[HKP90]

2 hours ago, tinker said:

But it's not something you can train into a whole team, you have to have a core of the  team with character and introduce players with a good attitude and build their character.

This for me is were our system of recruitment fails , we look for players with flair and technical ability that will increase in value rather than suit what we need to grind out results....... a willingness to go into battle and outwork the opposition , run themselves ragged and be fit enough to leave the opposition shattered. 

I see one player willing to do that and it's Grealish, that's why he's the best player I have seen for Villa ,  he's willing to run himself into the ground plus he's technically head and shoulders above anything we have ever had. 

Do you not think that players with both technical aptitude and psychological resilience will be playing for top sides? When you drop down the leagues you may have to prioritise one or the other, as players are more limited. We’ve not been a draw for top talent for years. Couple that with the fact that being without technical ability in a league as strong as the Prem, you will be found out, and I can see why our recruitment has prioritised technical ability.

Take probably our best player last year, McGinn. He was peerless in the Champ. His main attribute was his work rate and ability to harrass the opposition in midfield. Take him to the prem, and whilst he’s not been bad, he’s not hit the heights. 

Edited February 8, 2020 by HKP90

[TRO]

13 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

Do you not think that players with both technical aptitude and psychological resilience will be playing for top sides? When you drop down the leagues you may have to prioritise one or the other, as players are more limited. We’ve not been a draw for top talent for years. Couple that with the fact that being without technical ability in a league as strong as the Prem, you will be found out, and I can see why our recruitment has prioritised technical ability.

Take probably our best player last year, McGinn. He was peerless in the Champ. His main attribute was his work rate and ability to harrass the opposition in midfield. Take him to the prem, and whilst he’s not been bad, he’s not hit the heights. 

Usually they will be playing for the top sides, yes.....because those clubs  make it there business to get them......but there are examples, playing in the premier league that we could attract.

I think its more to do with have the determination or focus to get them types.

as one example, I think steven Nzonzi would have helped us in the run in, but I presume he wanted to stay in France......but we have to keep trying.

Edited February 8, 2020 by TRO

[tinker]

1 hour ago, HKP90 said:

Do you not think that players with both technical aptitude and psychological resilience will be playing for top sides?

Eventually they will, but they have to start somewhere and this is the sweet spot for buying them. However, as Sheffield utd have shown,(and many other teams, Leicester for one) character counts for far more than its been credited for by many club scouts, fans and the media .

Picking players with technical ability is relatively easy , picking players with character is harder and players with the right balance between cost , technical ability and character is where we need to be and we, for me,  have missed the boat with too many of our current crop.

Edited February 8, 2020 by tinker