Dean Smith

[TRO]

On 09/02/2020 at 12:43, TRO said:

But that happened with the previous manager too, even though they had  quite different playing styles, interestingly they both had similar win ratio's.....Dean smith is not the only one to attract criticism, but I would like to wager a few wins to get us out of the danger zone, would suffice.....but No, I agree, it doesn't make it right...but in many cases folk just react to other folks posts.

I think you selected an exceptional season, most teams who concede the most goals occupy the relegation spots.....we are equal with Norwich, it has to change to survive....we need a few clean sheets.

I think our defending  issue is a team issue as opposed to just the back line.

but remember its much harder to score a goal than concede one and we have scored in nearly every game.......it is not ground breaking changes we need, it could so easily be different....being hard to beat is a pre requisite in my book and something we would do well to work towards.

 

 

[Keyblade]

On 12/02/2020 at 07:05, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

" Ritchie De Laet: “It’s a massive club but I never got going at Villa. The injury was a terrible time, then I couldn’t get into the side. Steve Bruce wasn’t my cup of tea. The football was too similar to Tony Pulis, but at least Tony had a plan.”“I remember Steve would throw the ball into the middle in training and say ‘let’s play’, like we were under-nines. It was crazy.”[the athletic] "

 

Never forget...

 

If RDL posted this in the Bruce thread he'd have 10 different guys quoting him bringing up Dean Smith.

[Dave-R]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

I beg to differ.....i think we are saying we need to defend better, not be more defensive.....there is a subtle difference.

its the conceding of nearly 2 goals a game that's got fans twitchy and thats fair in my view.

winning 50/50 balls and ball retention is part of defending better....committing the majority of the team behind the ball and cautious play is defensive, no we don't want that.

A working midfield may sort half the issues out, I keep saying it but drop the wingers because we hardly if ever score from crosses from the wing. It's like a Pinball machine on the flanks, not to mention we are to open in the center due to having two less players. I don't know why we don't play a more compact version of what we play. In the prem, if we are not maintaining possession then a wide formation is making our players run way to much. When our players have to go run them down for the ball, no wonder our players are knackered at half time and totally screwed up half way through half time. Concentration is always going to be a problem if most our team are gassed by the later periods, I think Smith just needs to switch his formations to more compacted versions, we do not have those type of players who live, breath and kill themselves for fitness at the very top level like some of those world class, Europe and world cup regular players have, they are just extreme at fitness and stamina.

Unless we get a bunch of SAS trainers in for our players, I doubt they will ever reach those extreme fitness levels, those guys train Fitness, stamina in the harshest environments all over the world. I just feel that's its what our players need to be trained by in order for them to make a wide 3-4-3 successful.

They may not be all coming home from training, some may be left in the snow, others on top of a mountain, some left in the deserts of Afghan but at least we may get a working eleven that can work winger systems much better.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Dave-R

[KevinRichardsonsMoustache]

7 hours ago, Dave-R said:

A working midfield may sort half the issues out, I keep saying it but drop the wingers because we hardly if ever score from crosses from the wing ...

Unless we get a bunch of SAS trainers in for our players, I doubt they will ever reach those extreme fitness levels, those guys train Fitness, stamina in the harshest environments all over the world ...

They may not be all coming home from training, some may be left in the snow, others on top of a mountain, some left in the deserts of Afghan but at least we may get a working eleven that can work winger systems much better.

[TRO]

13 hours ago, Dave-R said:

A working midfield may sort half the issues out, I keep saying it but drop the wingers because we hardly if ever score from crosses from the wing. It's like a Pinball machine on the flanks, not to mention we are to open in the center due to having two less players. I don't know why we don't play a more compact version of what we play. In the prem, if we are not maintaining possession then a wide formation is making our players run way to much. When our players have to go run them down for the ball, no wonder our players are knackered at half time and totally screwed up half way through half time. Concentration is always going to be a problem if most our team are gassed by the later periods, I think Smith just needs to switch his formations to more compacted versions, we do not have those type of players who live, breath and kill themselves for fitness at the very top level like some of those world class, Europe and world cup regular players have, they are just extreme at fitness and stamina.

Unless we get a bunch of SAS trainers in for our players, I doubt they will ever reach those extreme fitness levels, those guys train Fitness, stamina in the harshest environments all over the world. I just feel that's its what our players need to be trained by in order for them to make a wide 3-4-3 successful.

They may not be all coming home from training, some may be left in the snow, others on top of a mountain, some left in the deserts of Afghan but at least we may get a working eleven that can work winger systems much better.

I think your observations of our shortcoming are apt, I think Midfield is where our defending is weak.......I think your solutions to fitness would have a queue at Deans door for a transfer request...

but your points are good.....I just had visions of your fitness plan, with the Taliban chasing them through the sand dunes " shouting you must get stuck in more"

 

Edited February 14, 2020 by TRO

[Mazrim]

"Villa with some lovely play down the right, look to get the ball into the box but there's nobody in there... no, wait, yes, Villa flooding the box with numbers now from concealed positions. Looks like flashbangs are being deployed and there's some suppressing fire from a heavy machine gun position that I hadn't notice on the left flank. And... yes, there it is. It's a goal. The players are forming a circle and have popped smoke. Looks like a helicopter extraction back to their own half. Lovely stuff from Villa." 

 

"Looks like Spurs are going to make a change. Off comes Alli with what looks like two large red holes in his chest and one in his forehead. On comes... Winks. It looks like he's crying though and may have soiled himself. Mourinho does not look happy."

Edited February 14, 2020 by Mazrim

[danceoftheshamen]

13 minutes ago, Mazrim said:

"Villa with some lovely play down the right, look to get the ball into the box but there's nobody in there... no, wait, yes, Villa flooding the box with numbers now from concealed positions. Looks like flashbangs are being deployed and there's some suppressing fire from a heavy machine gun position that I hadn't notice on the left flank. And... yes, there it is. It's a goal. The players are forming a circle and have popped smoke. Looks like a helicopter extraction back to their own half. Lovely stuff from Villa."  

Yes & then....

"Oh no..  Hourihane has missed a pen.. Wait... whats happening now? They seem to have dumped him in an old metal dustbin near the half way line. Wow now all the coaching staff who're wearing black Balaclava's are beating the bin with sticks and poking sharp sticks through some small holes in the lid. Ah he's out now and is being stripped naked and having his eyelids peeled back with what looks like small clothes pegs. Silly boy, fancy missing a penalty. Still all to play for.

 

Edited February 14, 2020 by danceoftheshamen

[KentVillan]

This explains why Jack has been growing that bulletproof headgear

[A'Villan]

19 hours ago, MaVilla said:

Exactly this.

It's not that we are offensive or defensive, or we should be less offensive or more defensive.

Its that we dont defend properly, this is relevant whether you are a defensive, neutral or attacking team, regardless of what we are we arent defending properly as a team, it's that simple tbh.

We dont harry well enough, we dont intelligently foul, we are hustled off too easily, we are too passive, we are too easy to run through, we stand off too much, we dont press properly, we dont defend from the front properly, we dont do so many things that are really the basics of proper team defending.

Being "not good enough" as a team of players is fine (I actually think our first 11 is a mid table team on paper), if that's the case we cant magically make players better than they are, but to not do the basics is criminal, and we dont do the basics well at all.

Who's fault it is? Who knows, probably a number of factors, but the inability to defend properly as a team is our single biggest weakness, and it's probably the single biggest reason we are in the relegation dog fight and not mid table.

 

We are two wins of tenth with thirty-nine points left to play for. Half the league is still in the 'relegation dog fight'

 

[Tom13]

Don't know if already posted.

[a m ole]

3 hours ago, Tom13 said:

Don't know if already posted.

we ‘defend’ the least in the opposition box, although newcastle seems to sit back more which is unsurprising. Having said that this does really just show how much of the ball a team has, like City and Liverpool don’t let it near their goal enough to make a ‘defensive action’.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

On 13/02/2020 at 22:51, Dave-R said:

A working midfield may sort half the issues out, I keep saying it but drop the wingers because we hardly if ever score from crosses from the wing. It's like a Pinball machine on the flanks, not to mention we are to open in the center due to having two less players. I don't know why we don't play a more compact version of what we play. In the prem, if we are not maintaining possession then a wide formation is making our players run way to much. When our players have to go run them down for the ball, no wonder our players are knackered at half time and totally screwed up half way through half time. Concentration is always going to be a problem if most our team are gassed by the later periods, I think Smith just needs to switch his formations to more compacted versions, we do not have those type of players who live, breath and kill themselves for fitness at the very top level like some of those world class, Europe and world cup regular players have, they are just extreme at fitness and stamina.

Unless we get a bunch of SAS trainers in for our players, I doubt they will ever reach those extreme fitness levels, those guys train Fitness, stamina in the harshest environments all over the world. I just feel that's its what our players need to be trained by in order for them to make a wide 3-4-3 successful.

They may not be all coming home from training, some may be left in the snow, others on top of a mountain, some left in the deserts of Afghan but at least we may get a working eleven that can work winger systems much better.

We lost one game

[KentVillan]

5 hours ago, a m ole said:

we ‘defend’ the least in the opposition box, although newcastle seems to sit back more which is unsurprising. Having said that this does really just show how much of the ball a team has, like City and Liverpool don’t let it near their goal enough to make a ‘defensive action’.

I initially thought that, too - that this is just a measure of a team's quality in possession more than anything.

But there do seem to be a few better performing teams whose heatmap is more like ours (e.g. Leicester, Spurs, Wolves) and some weaker teams whose heatmap is more like Liverpool or City's (Brighton, Everton).

I have a feeling Samatta will get our tackle stats up in the final third. He looks like more of a harrying, pressing striker than Wesley. Drinkwater might also help in that respect if we can get him fit.

[Stevo985]

16 hours ago, Tom13 said:

Don't know if already posted.

Superb graphic.

And shows the difference between average and good teams and the elite. 

This is why when people moan about how bad people like Kyle Walker or Trent Alexander Arnold are at actual defending. It doesn't matter. In a team like that defending is winning the ball further up the pitch so you don't have to defend around your box

[Tom13]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

Superb graphic.

And shows the difference between average and good teams and the elite. 

This is why when people moan about how bad people like Kyle Walker or Trent Alexander Arnold are at actual defending. It doesn't matter. In a team like that defending is winning the ball further up the pitch so you don't have to defend around your box

While I agree with your first point, TAA isn't a great one-on-one defender at all, and Walker has many lapses in concentration.

[TRO]

23 hours ago, danceoftheshamen said:

Yes & then....

"Oh no..  Hourihane has missed a pen.. Wait... whats happening now? They seem to have dumped him in an old metal dustbin near the half way line. Wow now all the coaching staff who're wearing black Balaclava's are beating the bin with sticks and poking sharp sticks through some small holes in the lid. Ah he's out now and is being stripped naked and having his eyelids peeled back with what looks like small clothes pegs. Silly boy, fancy missing a penalty. Still all to play for.

 

I don't believe that

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Superb graphic.

And shows the difference between average and good teams and the elite. 

This is why when people moan about how bad people like Kyle Walker or Trent Alexander Arnold are at actual defending. It doesn't matter. In a team like that defending is winning the ball further up the pitch so you don't have to defend around your box

Precisely....its something we have to get better at.

[TRO]

19 hours ago, A'Villan said:

We are two wins of tenth with thirty-nine points left to play for. Half the league is still in the 'relegation dog fight'

 

Slightly different concepts.....your talking about the league positions and Mavilla is talking about the features of our play.

Edited February 15, 2020 by TRO

[TRO]

15 hours ago, a m ole said:

we ‘defend’ the least in the opposition box, although newcastle seems to sit back more which is unsurprising. Having said that this does really just show how much of the ball a team has, like City and Liverpool don’t let it near their goal enough to make a ‘defensive action’.

Interesting analysis.

Its tantamount to our midfield and front players , (the six outside the back four) are not competent enough at defending i.e keeping the ball or turning the ball over or challenging the opposition further up the pitch.....Jack is one of the few, who can keep the ball, why we rely on him so much.....when you see him play, it makes you wonder what the others are doing to help.....I honestly thought we would have more players, who could keep the ball, than just him.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Tom13 said:

While I agree with your first point, TAA isn't a great one-on-one defender at all, and Walker has many lapses in concentration.

John Gidman was similar as was Colin Gibson......but when you defend as a team, its less relevant.

they leant more to wingers, but then you have to have combative players elsewhere in the team,for balance , usually midfield.

Edited February 15, 2020 by TRO