Dean Smith

[Mjvilla]

22 minutes ago, Eastie said:

Don’t take the bait mate , many of us have found it’s pointless . 

So, because we have our own opinion. An opinion which isn't ridiculous to back a manager who got us promoted from nowhere, built a whole squad and then has us with a fighting chance of survival. Because we have this opinion which differs from yours, we are just offering bait?

[useless]

If we're really as ambitious as the owners suggest then we will probably have to replace him, but there would be not point in that unless it was to bring in someone who could match those ambitions, would pointless to get rid of Smith and replace him with a Sean Dyche type, Hughton or similar.

That said if he was to keep us up I think a lot of the talk about wanting him gone would go away as the euphoria of staying the league would take over, suddenly you'd get a lot of comments along the lines of... 'well we can't sack him now', and 'give him the first ten games of the season'; and I'm not sure what the board would do, wouldn't be an easy to decision to sack a boyhood Villa fan if he'd won promotion in his first season and then kept them up the following season, and taken them to a cup final.

[Tomaszk]

19 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Sold their best player this summer and no longer shipping goals for fun.

Their best player is still playing for them on the left wing. Watkins who Smith coached was already there as a quality player who filled in up front for Maupay, though they were still trying to buy strikers with the Maupay money anyway. The money they threw down this summer was like nothing they've ever done, that is a fact.

I can't fathom this thinking. Promotion not enough? Promotion after taking over an absolute car crash? It HAD to be promotion, then survival or was that not enough? Because you know we still might stay up?

From midtable in the Championship, you wanted promotion...then a comfortable mid-table PL finish having needed an entirely new squad? How high was acceptable? 12th? Is it OK Smith got to cup final or did he have to win a cup as well?

[Eastie]

2 minutes ago, useless said:

If we're really as ambitious as the owners suggest then we will probably have to replace him, but there would be not point in that unless it was to bring in someone who could match those ambitions, would pointless to get rid of Smith and replace him with a Sean Dyche type, Hughton or similar.

That said if he was to keep us up I think a lot of the talk about wanting him gone would go away as the euphoria of staying the league would take over, suddenly you'd get a lot of comments along the lines of... 'well we can't sack him now', and 'give him the first ten games of the season'; and I'm not sure what the board would do, wouldn't be an easy to decision to sack a boyhood Villa fan if he'd won promotion in his first season and then kept them up the following season, and taken them to a cup final.

May depend what other Managerial options are available ?

[Mjvilla]

56 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Looking more like he was actually holding Brentford back.

4 shots, 1 on target in that first half. And being overrun in this second half. Those stats would be ridiculed to high heaven on here if villa had that in the first half. 1 up or not

[useless]

It's still going to take an almight effort to keep us in the league, so might not be as difficult a decision to make.

[DCJonah]

1 hour ago, jim said:

Rubbish.

Is it unrealistic to want us to get something out of Bournemouth x 2, Watford and Southampton? Just 5 points out of those 4 games would have seen us sitting pretty right now. Is that an unreasonable expectation? 

I believe so. 

All clubs down there could say the same, why are we the ones who should expect more points than 5 or 6 other teams down there? 

Its just fans ignoring the last 6 or so years and believing we are currently something we are not.

[DCJonah]

1 hour ago, Eastie said:

Don’t take the bait mate , many of us have found it’s pointless . 

the bait. Brilliant. 

Keep frothing away for him to be sacked before having one full season. 

[DCJonah]

1 hour ago, Tomaszk said:

Their best player is still playing for them on the left wing. Watkins who Smith coached was already there as a quality player who filled in up front for Maupay, though they were still trying to buy strikers with the Maupay money anyway. The money they threw down this summer was like nothing they've ever done, that is a fact.

I can't fathom this thinking. Promotion not enough? Promotion after taking over an absolute car crash? It HAD to be promotion, then survival or was that not enough? Because you know we still might stay up?

From midtable in the Championship, you wanted promotion...then a comfortable mid-table PL finish having needed an entirely new squad? How high was acceptable? 12th? Is it OK Smith got to cup final or did he have to win a cup as well?

Its mind blowing isn't it. 

I wouldn't take much notice. These are the same people who will be wanting the next guy out for not meeting their made up expectations. As if their demands are so important to this club. 

[mykeyb]

On 25/06/2020 at 10:42, hippo said:

That's absolutely not what I'm hearing. Barring a run of 8-0 defeats - Smith starts next season.

 

We are down for the long haul then

[Tomaszk]

15 minutes ago, mykeyb said:

We are down for the long haul then

Aston Villa seasons in the Championship under Smith: 0.75

Aston Villa promotions under Smith: 1

That's a success rate of 133%!

I'd keep him if we go down, replace him if we stay up.

 

[Mantis]

2 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Aston Villa seasons in the Championship under Smith: 0.75

Aston Villa promotions under Smith: 1

That's a success rate of 133%!

I'd keep him if we go down, replace him if we stay up.

 

Why keep him if we go down? Despite what some seem to think he's hardly some proven promotion expert, and our continued inability to do the basics suggests to me that he's just not that good a manager.

[Mjvilla]

16 minutes ago, Mantis said:

Why keep him if we go down? Despite what some seem to think he's hardly some proven promotion expert, and our continued inability to do the basics suggests to me that he's just not that good a manager.

Our last 'promotion expert' was superb wasn't he?! 

[Mjvilla]

IF we stay up and Smith stays in charge, what would people's expectations be then? 

Because I think expectations are far too high if you thought we'd be anything other than a full blown relegation battle this year. What would next year be? Europe? Top 10? Just want to guage how unrealistic people are. I'd be expecting a 14th ish place finish and more comfortable end to the season. Little by little type progress.

[Tomaszk]

45 minutes ago, Mantis said:

Why keep him if we go down? Despite what some seem to think he's hardly some proven promotion expert, and our continued inability to do the basics suggests to me that he's just not that good a manager.

He's turned out to be short of what I thought he was, which has been a shame.

Two main of reasons I wouldn't oppose keeping him though:

• I think he now knows the players, knows who can do what, knows who can be trusted. The players also know him and the system.
• He tries, largely, to play attacking football all the time. It's been a silly move up in the PL, but you're much better off attacking in Championship. I can only think of Cardiff in previous years who have grubbed their way up. I don't want to watch us "trying" to grub out 1-0s in that league anyway.

As well as the 10 game run last year, he turned us round so quickly right away after Bruce. We had some great wins plus the mad 5-5 we should have won before Grealish got injured in the WBA away game (another game we should have won). I think we saw the best and the worst of us under Smith and watching us this year absolutely control and put down lower league/youthful opponents in the cups makes me think he could find consistency.

If you offered me a viable option I'd listen certainly. Smith's lack of tactical flexibility has pissed me off this season. 

Not many free names entice me though. No interest in Hughton, Hughes etc.

EDIT. To add in, if we stay up I'd like us to go after a new manager. We're going down, but I can dream of us going after a Marco Rose character. Possible wildcard would be Arne Slot. Mostly because he'll probably bring at least two the fantastic AZ squad with him. He'd be a gamble though.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Tomaszk

[Stevo985]

4 minutes ago, Mjvilla said:

IF we stay up and Smith stays in charge, what would people's expectations be then? 

Because I think expectations are far too high if you thought we'd be anything other than a full blown relegation battle this year. What would next year be? Europe? Top 10? Just want to guage how unrealistic people are. I'd be expecting a 14th ish place finish and more comfortable end to the season. Little by little type progress.

Personally, with the ambition our owners supposedly half I’d like us to be targeting a top half finish. 
 

Im not saying that’s what I’d expect or a minimum. But I’d want that to be our target. 
 

Id expect 14th as a minimum. We shouldn’t be in a serious relegation battle next season. That’s my expectation.

 

Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll stay up. I like Smith and don’t want him sacked. But I don’t think he’s doing a very good job at the moment and I can’t see him getting the minimum of 3 wins we likely need to stay up. 
 

Desperately hope I’m wrong. 

[Dave-R]

42 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Aston Villa seasons in the Championship under Smith: 0.75

Aston Villa promotions under Smith: 1

That's a success rate of 133%!

I'd keep him if we go down, replace him if we stay up.

 

DNO where you get that percentage maybe should get you to do the lottery and bookies for us all.

[Tomaszk]

5 minutes ago, Dave-R said:

DNO where you get that percentage maybe should get you to do the lottery and bookies for us all.

I used my abacus, I'm sure.

1 promotion in 0.75 of a season. 133% chance of promotion next year.

[Mjvilla]

20 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Personally, with the ambition our owners supposedly half I’d like us to be targeting a top half finish. 
 

Im not saying that’s what I’d expect or a minimum. But I’d want that to be our target. 
 

Id expect 14th as a minimum. We shouldn’t be in a serious relegation battle next season. That’s my expectation.

 

Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll stay up. I like Smith and don’t want him sacked. But I don’t think he’s doing a very good job at the moment and I can’t see him getting the minimum of 3 wins we likely need to stay up. 
 

Desperately hope I’m wrong. 

Exactly my thoughts just conveyed better.

I do also agree that I don't think we will stay up and I too don't want him sacked.

[Villan_of_oz]

13 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Personally, with the ambition our owners supposedly half I’d like us to be targeting a top half finish. 
 

Im not saying that’s what I’d expect or a minimum. But I’d want that to be our target. 
 

Id expect 14th as a minimum. We shouldn’t be in a serious relegation battle next season. That’s my expectation.

 

Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll stay up. I like Smith and don’t want him sacked. But I don’t think he’s doing a very good job at the moment and I can’t see him getting the minimum of 3 wins we likely need to stay up. 
 

Desperately hope I’m wrong. 

Get away with your rational balanced opinions!

Edited June 27, 2020 by Villan_of_oz