QldVilla Posted July 10, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted July 10, 2020 1 minute ago, avfc1982am said: I also thought this, however, I'm not sure anymore. I think there will be too much depression floating through the players and staff. Something has happened behind the scenes. I think it's more than likely the manager has lost confidence in the players and visa versa. I don't think this is easily recovered tbh. I think the necessary changes required and the short turn around into next season isn't going to be sufficient a time to remedy the current issues. This is more than a player quality issue imo, something has clearly broken. Let's be honest, we're less cohesive now than early in the season, what leads people to believe Smith can remedy something in 3 months that he hasn't been able to achieve since the start of the season. I hear your concerns, but believe it can be done, whether Smith and the coaching staff are up to it, is another question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Two points from the last possible thirty, that's two points from the last ten games, if you win you get more than two points from one game. How on earth people think he has any chance of surviving after a run of games like that I'm not sure. Only way for him to have any chance of keeping his job now is to turn things around and save us from relegation, even then I'm not sure if it would be enough. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted July 10, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted July 10, 2020 LEAVE NOW SMITH! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastie Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 (edited) 6 minutes ago, QldVilla said: Ok and had nothing to do with the club not being ready to go back to the PL? Just because we had an amazing 10 game run, didn’t hide an ageing squad and lack of depth. We needed to rebuild the club and financial fair play doesn’t allow you to do it in one transfer window anymore. Yes we had to rebuild in the summer but the team have not gelled and have actually got worse as the season progressed - we look a dreadful team in every area of the pitch - awful defence , weak midfield and shocking wingers and strikers - the player to really emerge with credit has been luiz but I doubt he will stay next Season The manager seems bereft tactically and out of his depth at this level - he is like a frightened rabbit on the touchline without a clue what to do Edited July 10, 2020 by Eastie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughable Chimp Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 (edited) Honestly, the biggest flaw I feel with Smith is his motivational ability. There was a post on here about how Smith is one of the "lads" and not really a disciplinary figure, and honestly it makes sense. I know this is an increasingly unpopular opinion, but I don't think the players are as bad as many of us think they are. There have been many stretches this season where we have looked really good or at least equal to to our opposition. That first 30 mins against Man U isn't an anomaly. .I don't think that can be possible if our players are just that shit. The problem is we never maintain it for the whole game. Then we concede a goal against the run of play and we turn to shit and start conceding several. This too is not an anomaly and has happened many times. The motivation is gone and we revert to what we usually are. This could be an explanation as to why Smith's sides are so streaky. When we're winning, Smith doesn't have to do much motivating and him being this kind paternal figure would arguably be beneficial to the players. When we're in the shits, he's incapable of being as hard as we need him to be to turn things around. The repeated amount of times we've conceded soon after half time serve as more evidence of his inability to motivate. Say what you want about Trez, but he always tries. And I'm highlighting Trez to show the difference between a player who's actually trying his hardest and a player who quite clearly isn't. Which is at this point is most of the squad. Edited July 10, 2020 by Laughable Chimp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaCas Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 1 minute ago, Stevo985 said: I actually don't believe Smith should go. It's just getting frustrating seeing people in this thread saying he couldn't be doing any better. He could be doing better. How much better? Who knows. But he could be doing better than the utter dross he's served up since the restart. Again, this is worse than we've been all season. He himself has performed better with this squad this season. It's our most crucial point of the season and we are worse than ever And I don't agree on the creating chances bit. We barely create any chances. 2 goals in 5 games since the restart isn't a coincidence. It's a complete lack of attacking organisation and ability. Yes, Our form has been up and down this season and we have played better in spells and are poorer now. You could be right that better is achievable but it’s impossible to disentangle what are squad limitations and what are faults of motivation, tactics, selection etc. My personal view is that it is overwhelming a squad issue but I may be completely wrong perhaps I overstated the chances bit! I meant that even last night we had a couple of chances before the penalty debacle - I don’t mean we make hundreds of chances, more that we never seem to take the ones we do create - if think this is the worst set of forwards I can remember at VP In the past I was anti-Bruce, Sherwood and RDM but “pro” Lambert and Garde as I felt circumstances were against them - this is my feeling with Smith at the moment. I’m not a massive fan but feel that an unexpected promotion, a poor base squad and unsatisfactory recruitment are the main reasons for our problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 (edited) Just watched his post match interview and openly admitting players heads dropping after conceding the first goal. This isn't acceptable to me. You can't just stop playing when it get's tough. This is a mentality thing and needs to change. Than 2nd goal still is baffling to me. To be a successful team you at the very least has to be able to the basics. We aren't even closing him down. Ball watching. This is non league stuff. Edited July 10, 2020 by villalad21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Many being unduly harsh on Smith here. One of the worst decisions I've ever seen us face and the players are completely deflated by it and Man Utd are thrust into life by going a goal up. We had the better of the game up until that point, they were sluggish and not at the races. The goal changed everything and when you've got players of that level that suddenly decide to switch on - what the **** are our players supposed to do? What magic words were you expecting him to say at half time that will make our players able to compete, all things equal, with players that are much, much better? When we're **** 2-0 down? Is Neil Taylor suddenly going to have an epiphany that turns him into a world class full back? I'd love to see what you guys think motivational speech is and how you think it suddenly turns bang average players into superstars. I very much doubt that half the people complaining about it have ever had to train or motivate someone in any sort of capacity. I swear that people seem to think that this is a combination of Hollywood and Football **** Manager or something. The motivation I want to see is between matches, where we can start better and look brighter and we **** did that in that game - we were actually creating chances and having shots on goal, looking a lot more fluid in attack than we had done for a while, and then we get the mother of all inexplicable decisions, which was a total gut-punch. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabby Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 It's not about last night really its about being piss poor against Bournmouth both times , piss poor against Watford away , piss poor against Soton twice Smith himself said the season isn't defined by the games against big clubs ( which also I feel is a completely negative thing to say ) its the teams around us but we failed against teams around us which is why we are where we are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 4 minutes ago, Nabby said: It's not about last night really its about being piss poor against Bournmouth both times , piss poor against Watford away , piss poor against Soton twice Smith himself said the season isn't defined by the games against big clubs ( which also I feel is a completely negative thing to say ) its the teams around us but we failed against teams around us which is why we are where we are. I'll agree that we weren't good enough in those games, but there's still the mitigating factors of inadequate players and an entirely new squad that hadn't gelled. It's incredibly frustrating, but if you can't take bumps in the road then you're supporting the wrong team mate, I'm sorry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 3 hours ago, DCJonah said: I also find it a bit tedious to keep reading that we should do better with these players. Because what is that statement based on. I agree with the could part, he isn't performing well and doing a good job, although I think it would take someone special to get anything from this squad. What have we seen from our attacking unit to be able to say they should be doing better? Grealish is the only one out of the group who we know can actually perform at this level. Listen to the fans chap, it's not based on any statement. You seem to be disregarding every post which points out the main problem, which is "the way the team play," with no heart, no motivation. Did you see how the players reacted after half time. They are not interested in what Smith has to say because nothing is working. No one is saying the team is top quality, but when we are seeing every game the lack of desire, no movement off the ball, set pieces poor, corners not going past the first man, this is not down to quality, this is down to man management. These are professional footballers, if Smith can't get them doing the basics, he ain't gonna install any sort of mentality to win games. He don't even know his best team even still, can't get nothing out of Grealish and Ming's has even digressed under him. That he sees Grealish as undroppable speaks volumes, he was so ineffective in the second half last night. It would be interesting to see the team without Grealish, I personally think at the moment there's a chance the team would perform better, you can tell jack is Smith's blue eyed boy, maybe this is part of the problem...... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holteend1982 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 15 minutes ago, Nabby said: It's not about last night really its about being piss poor against Bournmouth both times , piss poor against Watford away , piss poor against Soton twice Smith himself said the season isn't defined by the games against big clubs ( which also I feel is a completely negative thing to say ) its the teams around us but we failed against teams around us which is why we are where we are. Apart from the Everton game at the start of the season and the Norwich 5 - 1 i can't think of a game where we've played well and won convincingly. It's been a shocking season. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted July 10, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted July 10, 2020 5 minutes ago, foreveryoung said: I personally think at the moment there's a chance the team would perform better, you can tell jack is Smith's blue eyed boy, maybe this is part of the problem...... That's just ridiculous, Who you bring on Nakamba? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Follyfoot Posted July 10, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted July 10, 2020 3 minutes ago, holteend1982 said: Apart from the Everton game at the start of the season and the Norwich 5 - 1 i can't think of a game where we've played well and won convincingly. It's been a shocking season. Add Newcastle but that’s about it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 5 minutes ago, lexicon said: Many being unduly harsh on Smith here. One of the worst decisions I've ever seen us face and the players are completely deflated by it and Man Utd are thrust into life by going a goal up. We had the better of the game up until that point, they were sluggish and not at the races. The goal changed everything and when you've got players of that level that suddenly decide to switch on - what the **** are our players supposed to do? What magic words were you expecting him to say at half time that will make our players able to compete, all things equal, with players that are much, much better? When we're **** 2-0 down? Is Neil Taylor suddenly going to have an epiphany that turns him into a world class full back? I'd love to see what you guys think motivational speech is and how you think it suddenly turns bang average players into superstars. I very much doubt that half the people complaining about it have ever had to train or motivate someone in any sort of capacity. I swear that people seem to think that this is a combination of Hollywood and Football **** Manager or something. The motivation I want to see is between matches, where we can start better and look brighter and we **** did that in that game - we were actually creating chances and having shots on goal, looking a lot more fluid in attack than we had done for a while, and then we get the mother of all inexplicable decisions, which was a total gut-punch. I can't speak for others, but we could have at least gone down with a fight ... We are playing for our survival here , we basically spent that second half playing Football **** manager in "don't hurt us" mode , some sort of fear that if we tried to tackle or heaven forbid try and score United might punish us and go for 5 or 6 nil ( a scoreline that it probably should have been anyway ) it's a team going through the motions , they look lost , Dean looks lost , if he was a cat you'd have taken him to the vet by now and had him put out of his misery . Reading back through the individual player threads on this forum for the season , even when we weren't winning there was some optimism that players looked quite decent , with the exception of Luiz nearly every player seems to have regressed the longer the season has gone on .. i guess 2 points from 30 will do that to a player , but to my mind it also shows the manager and his coaches are failing in their jobs ... Norwich are doomed , but from watching them , although they lack in quality and play some suicidal football at times , they are fighting for their manager , i think they believe in their manager .. you can't say the same for our players 4 games to go , We need to be feeding these players raw steak and poking them every 5 minutes with a cattle prod before the Palace game, so they go out there angry and fired up ..instead Smith looks the sort that will give them some chamomile tea and tell them everything will be ok . The job of getting us out the championship next season and developing those young players , needs to be with someone better than Smith and better coaches , in my Football **** Manager opinion 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 4 minutes ago, tonyh29 said: I can't speak for others, but we could have at least gone down with a fight ... We are playing for our survival here , we basically spent that second half playing Football **** manager in "don't hurt us" mode , some sort of fear that if we tried to tackle or heaven forbid try and score United might punish us and go for 5 or 6 nil ( a scoreline that it probably should have been anyway ) it's a team going through the motions , they look lost , Dean looks lost , if he was a cat you'd have taken him to the vet by now and had him put out of his misery . Reading back through the individual player threads on this forum for the season , even when we weren't winning there was some optimism that players looked quite decent , with the exception of Luiz nearly every player seems to have regressed the longer the season has gone on .. i guess 2 points from 30 will do that to a player , but to my mind it also shows the manager and his coaches are failing in their jobs ... Norwich are doomed , but from watching them , although they lack in quality and play some suicidal football at times , they are fighting for their manager , i think they believe in their manager .. you can't say the same for our players 4 games to go , We need to be feeding these players raw steak and poking them every 5 minutes with a cattle prod before the Palace game, so they go out there angry and fired up ..instead Smith looks the sort that will give them some chamomile tea and tell them everything will be ok . The job of getting us out the championship next season and developing those young players , needs to be with someone better than Smith and better coaches , in my Football **** Manager opinion They're 'fighting' yet they're still doing worse than us, despite having a far more settled squad and not having to start again from more or less scratch last summer. Smith's already got us out of the championship before and with a worse squad than the one we'll be going down with. It's madness to rip up the entire project at this point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 46 minutes ago, lexicon said: What magic words were you expecting him to say at half time that will make our players able to compete, all things equal, with players that are much, much better? When we're **** 2-0 down? Aggressive : I expect a much better showing in the second half. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 49 minutes ago, lexicon said: Many being unduly harsh on Smith here. What magic words were you expecting him to say at half time that will make our players able to compete, all things equal, with players that are much, much better? When we're **** 2-0 down? He should have put on Any Given Sunday at half time. Works in the movies 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 34 minutes ago, tinker said: That's just ridiculous, Who you bring on Nakamba? What's he done lately?? We are not gonna sign another Grealish for next season so you may as well get used to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaCas Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 10 hours ago, Nabby said: Why is it that people state Terry is an issue but no one ever seems to question Richard O'Kelly ? The players are not good enough Suso's fault ..despite Smith on record saying he went to watch Trez , that Maupay was too expensive and it was him who wanted Drinkwater ? I'm not saying Suso in particular is blameless but seems to be alot of passing the buck to defend Smith.In Terrys case I can't remember too many times over the years of poor managers where the assistant or coaches where the issue .I don't recall people saying if we got rid of Clemance Bruce would be doing better for example. On purchasing Smith didn't do the buying at Brentford so there is not evidence to suggest left to him soley it would be better.Currently our best player is Luiz so who takes credit for that transfer ? My point is I don't subscribe the theory that we would be massively better with Terry and Suso not here ...I doubt it So in your scenario Smith gets no credit for players Brentford signed but carries the can for the poor Villa signings.....seems fair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts