Dean Smith

[TRO]

45 minutes ago, Paulie said:

Piggybacking off this - tactically Dean obviously got it right after the lockdown, but we really looked rock solid once:

• Luiz took ownership of that deep lying CDM role.  He has great instincts and pace to break up play, is comfortable on the ball and in distribution.  Before lockdown he was shuffled around, played in the more forward CM slots where Hourihane and McGinn were.  
• Konsa paired with Mings. Both have bundles of pace and moving forward should be able to cover our overlapping wing backs the way Dean likes to have them push forward.

Getting the tactics right is one thing, but how often have we seen villa managers play players out of position... getting the personnel right is the other half of the equation.  Both Luiz and Konsa looked comfortable in their roles and with their instruction - it made all the difference.

all true.

but we need some pace up front now.

[Dave-R]

23 hours ago, TRO said:

I'm touched.

Look, He has delivered in both seasons, by the skin of our teeth, but hey .....He has delivered, fair play to him.

Now we need to support him with some quality signings and see how he continues the Journey.

Yes agreed.

It's in our best interest now to buy who Smith actually asks for, not no second or third on the list players, give Smith exactly who he wants and just let's see how he truly does then.

Only then if we buy him who he exactly needs can he be judged properly and fairly, if we buy more of the same were just going to ask for another relegation battle one we may not win and one that will be just as gruelling.

We need to start gathering the best players now.

[TRO]

17 hours ago, A'Villan said:

"Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard"

@TRO oftentimes talks about fight and winning the contested plays.

Defense is all about tenacity and stamina, anticipating and winning a contest that you're behind in.

If you can do that better than your opponents, more often than not, you're certainly in good stead.

another little pearler......yes it does and Wilder has proved it.

The paradox for me is....if we can turn the ball over higher up the pitch ( you need the players to do it) there is less distance to travel with the ball to attack.....Man City are pass masters at it.

I would target a top class ball winner, to help us with that.

Edited July 31, 2020 by TRO

[Dave-R]

On 29/07/2020 at 22:37, Keener window-cleaner said:

I wonder if we would benefit by adding an experienced name to the management team, someone like Craig Shakespeare with loads of Premier League experience and a proven track record? Perhaps it's best not to disrupt the group as it is, but I feel we lack some PL know how. Terry obviously has it from a players point of view, but is new to the management side of it. ROK seems to be a lovly man and is for sure excellent, but is unproven and unknown. Or perhaps it would undermine DS if we added an experienced name? 

I think we do, I still think we need someone as captain who really as El Capitan experience. Nothing bad to Grealish but he's not a captain and I'd much prefer he were to play his game how he knows best. Alot of the time you hardly see Jack making captain decision because alot of the time hes on the floor from opposition because he draws fouls, hes left frustrated and has to then gather himself quick and get back into the game and carry on. Grealish is all about putting pressure on opposition and is head is into that, we really do need an experienced midfielder or defender next to Mings who can captain us properly. It also would be best would it not that our captain is in Midfield or Defence and shouting orders alot easier from those positions, it has to be easier than shouting orders from the Wing, right??

 

[Dave-R]

15 minutes ago, TRO said:

another little pearler......yes it does and Wilder has proved it.

The paradox for me is....if we can turn the ball over higher up the pitch ( you need the players to do it) there is less distance to travel with the ball to attack.....Man City are pass masters at it.

I would target a top class ball winner, to help us with that.

I've often thought all season long that until we improve up front at keeping the ball and shutting them out of keeping the ball then the opposition would reign over our defence. Restart proved it I think, we had seen much more of the ball up front and Luiz especially shone at cutting balls out that it freed up pressure on our defenders. Thing is our defenders looked alot less stressed in our games after restart because of the work from some frontline players and in turn could make vital defensive blocks rather than defensive blunders.

So yes I think you are right that we need not just one but two top class ball winners who excel in relieving the ball from opposition  Stick a couple of ball interceptors in midfield in front of Luiz and Jeez I think wed have a midfield capable of controlling games for very long periods much like when we were having it done to us up u till corona hit.

Very much in the way of Wingers to, our new Wingers will need to move up and down the flanks and cover defensively rather than just attack attack. Our Wingers need to be able to take on opposition Wing backs especially, theres alot of exceptional Wing backs causing grief to teams especially us  Even after restart these WBs sent alot of crosses in that could of been cut out by our Wingers as we got backed up in defence.

Edited July 30, 2020 by Dave-R

[A'Villan]

42 minutes ago, TRO said:

another little pearler......yes it does and Wilder has proved it.

The paradox for me is....if we can turn the ball over higher up the pitch ( you need the players to do it) there is less distance to travel with the ball to attack.....Man City are pass masters at it.

I would target a top class ball winner, to help us with that.

The reason why Wilder was able to obtain a top half finish with only 39 goals scored is because he was able to implement and instill in his players a system that not only frustrated and nullified opposition but also allowed his players to make the most of their strengths and assets. They won the second most aerial duels of any club, whilst playing the most long balls of any club. They used width to supply their two front men with more crosses than most teams in the division. I would be surprised if they are as successful next season tbh. They had the least shots on goal, least shots on target, and least goals scored in the division. Even with their organisation and cohesion, I think they have enjoyed their peak with things as they are.

I think Liverpool are the past masters of the high press, just look at the match in which Manchester City trounced Liverpool (on the scoreboard) recently. Liverpool were all over them and looked like the only team in the game for the main until City executed an efficient counter attack and scored, before that you would've thought it was going to be Liverpool's way because the ball didn't get too far from Liverpool's final third, and certainly only rarely if at all towards the half way line and on towards City's attacking half. Firminho, Mane and Salah all relentlessly close down the man and immediate outlets, as the midfield set traps for the opposition to play into. They say attack is the best form of defense and Liverpool are a case in point this season. Instead of absorbing pressure through layers of men behind the ball, they actively seek to swarm opponents at an alarming rate and frequency, and force them into errors by making them play at a pace and timing that can't be executed and maintained.

 

[TRO]

10 hours ago, A'Villan said:

The reason why Wilder was able to obtain a top half finish with only 39 goals scored is because he was able to implement and instill in his players a system that not only frustrated and nullified opposition but also allowed his players to make the most of their strengths and assets. They won the second most aerial duels of any club, whilst playing the most long balls of any club. They used width to supply their two front men with more crosses than most teams in the division. I would be surprised if they are as successful next season tbh. They had the least shots on goal, least shots on target, and least goals scored in the division. Even with their organisation and cohesion, I think they have enjoyed their peak with things as they are.

I think Liverpool are the past masters of the high press, just look at the match in which Manchester City trounced Liverpool (on the scoreboard) recently. Liverpool were all over them and looked like the only team in the game for the main until City executed an efficient counter attack and scored, before that you would've thought it was going to be Liverpool's way because the ball didn't get too far from Liverpool's final third, and certainly only rarely if at all towards the half way line and on towards City's attacking half. Firminho, Mane and Salah all relentlessly close down the man and immediate outlets, as the midfield set traps for the opposition to play into. They say attack is the best form of defense and Liverpool are a case in point this season. Instead of absorbing pressure through layers of men behind the ball, they actively seek to swarm opponents at an alarming rate and frequency, and force them into errors by making them play at a pace and timing that can't be executed and maintained.

 

• Yep, Agree with that.

but we can all get close to the ideal team, if we have the ideal players.....if not, you have to compromise, like he did.

• The second point is interesting too, because winning aerial balls gives you territorial advantage and sets the bar for physical challenge, it lets team know they are in a game.
• I agree with you in as much you can't keep relying on defence, they do need to score more goals, I don't see them struggling, but maybe not do quite so well.
• They do say attack is the best form of defence, but it is so difficult to sustain, and you need the best forwards around and that can be expensive.......In truth, you need both......half a team will always struggle.
• Your final point has been one of my frustrations.....only since lockdown, have i seen an improvement......The early exploits of John McGinn was brilliant at doing that and subsequently turning the ball over.....turning defence in to attack.

For me, our fate lies in the ability to sign effective players, if we do that, anything can happen.

If we do sign some quality and Jack stays, it will be interesting to see him develop even more....he has had to focus in too many area's, to do a job for the team.....He could get even better.

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by TRO

[TRO]

17 hours ago, Dave-R said:

I think we do, I still think we need someone as captain who really as El Capitan experience. Nothing bad to Grealish but he's not a captain and I'd much prefer he were to play his game how he knows best. Alot of the time you hardly see Jack making captain decision because alot of the time hes on the floor from opposition because he draws fouls, hes left frustrated and has to then gather himself quick and get back into the game and carry on. Grealish is all about putting pressure on opposition and is head is into that, we really do need an experienced midfielder or defender next to Mings who can captain us properly. It also would be best would it not that our captain is in Midfield or Defence and shouting orders alot easier from those positions, it has to be easier than shouting orders from the Wing, right??

 

Ideally, where you can see all the game....CDM's make good captains or Centre Halves, from a positional sense.

Good captains usually stand out in terms of Loyalty and leadership qualities.....Jack certainly leads by example, but at times we need a steadying influence, who can impose composure and a will to win...a "never say die" character who can rally the troups.

[GENTLEMAN]

On 30/07/2020 at 07:47, ciggiesnbeer said:

Great point. I would add the work rate and sustained intensity of the average premier league player is a shock as well.  

 

Quote from Max Aarons >>

Quote

“This season, I’ll be dribbling with the ball and someone will track me the whole way; someone that’s probably as quick as me. Last season, I remember one of my assists for Teemu (Pukki). I was running up the pitch at Sheffield Wednesday and there was no one with me. I just thought, ‘How easy was that?’.”

 

[Demitri_C]

Smith at the play iff final hopefully scouting benrama and not onomah

[Indigo]

3 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Smith at the play iff final hopefully scouting benrama and not onomah

Onomah's been outshining him thus far to be fair. VillaTalk will implode if that keeps up.

[Xela]

6 minutes ago, Indigo said:

Onomah's been outshining him thus far to be fair. VillaTalk will implode if that keeps up.

Glad to see him doing well. He always had the ingredients to be a player and now looks like he's found the right club to play for 

[Teale's 'tache]

Not sure if this has been posted here before, but a piece from The Athletic on Dean is free for everyone to read today because it's their one year anniversary or some shizzle... it was written just before the restart

https://theathletic.com/1839092/

Quote

Dean Smith’s first face-to-face meeting with a potential new signing is crucial.

He’s looking for a few simple traits: a man who can hold a conversation, asks questions and absorbs ideas.

Not only does Smith want the right type of characters in his team — bright individuals who can understand the tactical demands he places on them — he’s also looking for regular interaction, ideas and feedback in a bid to create a unique “culture” in the workplace.

Smith played a part in boosting the profile of both of his former clubs, Walsall and Brentford, and if he can keep Aston Villa in the Premier League this season he’ll also be on the right track towards making it three success stories in a row.

So what’s it like to play under the Villa head coach? The Athletic spoke to those who know…

Was an interesting read I thought

[GENTLEMAN]

Really want him to succeed. Feel he will succeed. Such a unique proposition. Local and a Villa fan. Intertwined with the club. Local rivals are so jealous of this. Him and Jack together. I know I’m setting myself up for heartbreak but I’m a romantic.

[Adam2003]

On 30/07/2020 at 18:04, TRO said:

all true.

but we need some pace up front now.

Really agree with this - we look far too slow at times.

[Adam2003]

10 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

Not sure if this has been posted here before, but a piece from The Athletic on Dean is free for everyone to read today because it's their one year anniversary or some shizzle... it was written just before the restart

https://theathletic.com/1839092/

Was an interesting read I thought

Enjoyed this - thanks for posting.

[ciggiesnbeer]

14 minutes ago, Adam2003 said:

Enjoyed this - thanks for posting.

Agree, good article. Written when it looked like we were going down, but all the players (current and ex) sang his praises. Thats probably a good sign.

[ozvillafan]

13 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

Not sure if this has been posted here before, but a piece from The Athletic on Dean is free for everyone to read today because it's their one year anniversary or some shizzle... it was written just before the restart

https://theathletic.com/1839092/

Was an interesting read I thought

Enjoyed it. Nothing to add other than to make it available past today (mods please delete this post if it breaks rules):

 

Quote

Dean Smith’s first face-to-face meeting with a potential new signing is crucial.

He’s looking for a few simple traits: a man who can hold a conversation, asks questions and absorbs ideas.

Not only does Smith want the right type of characters in his team — bright individuals who can understand the tactical demands he places on them — he’s also looking for regular interaction, ideas and feedback in a bid to create a unique “culture” in the workplace.

Smith played a part in boosting the profile of both of his former clubs, Walsall and Brentford, and if he can keep Aston Villa in the Premier League this season he’ll also be on the right track towards making it three success stories in a row.

So what’s it like to play under the Villa head coach? The Athletic spoke to those who know

 

Football workouts can become laboured and monotonous, especially for senior players who have been in the game for a decade.

But Mile Jedinak can’t speak highly enough of Smith and his methods.

“I loved my time under him,” says Jedinak, whose final kick for the club was a crucial penalty in the play-off semi-final shootout against West Bromwich Albion. “There’s always a clear picture on how we were going to do things, whether it be from a defensive or an attacking point of view. There are always solutions and you’ll always be well prepared.

“I found his ways very forward-thinking with clear strategies of ‘how we are going to do this?’ or ‘this is what I think will get us success’. I liked the energy and enthusiasm in the training sessions. Even though I wanted to play a lot more than I did, I got a lot out of them.”

Plenty of players, past and present, speak of the vibrant atmosphere at Bodymoor Heath and creative training sessions.

Smith occasionally brings in guest speakers to offer a different voice and opinion, favouring leaders and deep-thinkers. One of the most popular among the players was SAS: Who Dares Wins presenter Jason Fox, who discussed some of his experiences as a former operator in the elite special forces.

The head coach can also articulate the way he wants his team to play in a clear and concise way. It wasn’t going to plan for his 19th-placed Villa side before the break — they were on a five-game losing streak and rapidly deteriorating — but he remained consistent in his message to the players, and as always, encouraged group-wide discussion to source the answers to the problems.

This policy stems back to when Smith was a teenager himself. Kenny Hibbitt made him the Walsall captain at the age of 19 because he “had an opinion”, a trait that Smith now likes to see in the players he manages.

“From the moment he came in, he was really impressive,” says former Villa captain James Chester, currently on loan at Stoke City. “Training would be very clear and we’d also do a lot of analysis after the game regardless of the result.

“He’s very clear in that respect but he was quite frustrated a few times this season because we weren’t playing the way he wanted us to. There have been occasions when we were not at it and he’s made it clear at half-time that it’s important to not take too long to get going in games.”

Smith values good communicators who can thrive in the post-match debrief, usually held two days after a fixture. Often the group is split into two and sometimes player-led.

Ezri Konsa, the 22-year-old defender whom Smith signed for Brentford and Villa, says: “The gaffer wants us to speak in meetings, especially if you’re a young one and you’ve got something to say. If you’ve been in and around the team, you’re encouraged to say something. None of the lads will get onto you for what you say. You should just feel confident to say how you feel, that’s what the gaffer has taught us.”

Tommy Elphick spent the final months of last season working under Smith. “He’s highly detailed in the way he works,” he says. “He comes at it from different angles and is more adaptable than you might think.

“At Brentford, they were total football but when he came to Villa there was almost a blank canvas; no style, no philosophy. It wasn’t always black and white. He wouldn’t mind going over the top from time to time, for example.

“When he has to make changes, I feel like he tried to help that individual by tweaking the system. He gets the best out of individuals in his teams.

“When I came out the team and Kortney Hause went in (at the back end of last season) you had two left-footed centre-halves, which is quite unique and unusual. I thought he tried to help Kortney out a lot by opening up the pitch. That way, he could get the best out of his skill set.”

Smith recognises that players have to feel wanted these days. He sets personal and collective targets with them and wants to hear about their vision for the future.

But unlike during the early years of his own playing career where he was told where to stand, what to do and how to play, he leaves an element of development open to each individual so they can flourish in their own way, too.

“He knows what he wants from his players but he still gives that trust to them so they can have their stamp on the game and manage certain situations,” adds Jedinak.

 

Smith has always described himself as a “husband and a father, then a football manager”. He’s a family man who was also very close to his father, Ron, who died earlier this week after contracting coronavirus from the care home in which he was living.

Ron, a former steward at Villa Park, had been suffering from dementia for six years. Dean would visit three or four times a week and talk to his father about the times he used to take him to Villa games as a young boy. Sadly, Ron’s dementia meant he didn’t know that his son had become the manager of their club, and Smith painfully admitted last year: “He doesn’t know who I am. He doesn’t know I’m the Villa manager.”

His dedication to family rubs off on the players, who are given set agendas weeks in advance, helping them to plan their lives.

“The training week is usually the same, so that goes down well with the players,” says Elphick.

In the canteen at the training ground, he was known to be jovial and chats with the players about current affairs. He recently voiced his concern that social-distancing regulations could impact on players’ and coaches’ ability to communicate in between sessions.

“My learning about my players, which I place great importance on, is during the canteen times when you sit together and chew the fat,” Smith told Leaders Performance Podcast. “Will that ever be the same again or will you sit two metres apart?”

The 48-year-old also joins in with the fun when individuals find themselves at the centre of attention for questionable haircuts or their choice of clothing. His little quips are said to be amusing, too, such as jibing John McGinn over his links with a move to Manchester United or discussing the planned statue of Marvelous Nakamba in Zimbabwe.

“He has a lot of banter with the players,” says Konsa. “He’s very passionate about the game but he’s also good with the lads and everyone gets on with him.”

Like any manager in football, bad results get Smith down but he doesn’t tend to take it out on the players or make the environment an awkward and uncomfortable place.

“It sounds simple, but he’s just a very nice man who is also open and honest,” says Chester. “You can go and speak to him whenever you want.”

 

One journalist who made his way up from London at the start of the season asked whether Villa press conferences were always as enjoyable as the one before the opening day of the campaign. Yet if you’d have been in the dressing room after the horror show of Watford away, when Villa were battered 3-0 by their relegation rivals, a very different picture would have emerged of the boss.

Konsa says: “We stayed back in the dressing room for 45 minutes as the gaffer came in and told us about ourselves. It was an important game and we needed to win that one. We knew it wasn’t good enough.

“After the game, the atmosphere in the changing room was really bad. It was the first time I had seen the gaffer like that. He was very angry. It hit us hard.”

Smith rarely loses his cool. He isn’t the type to single out players who make mistake, which is handy because no club has made more errors that led to a goal than Aston Villa.

Early into his managerial career at Walsall, he recognised that dressing-room dressings-down were not the way forward. Yes, he is emotionally charged — he has said countless times that “match days really get him going” — but when it goes wrong, he knows that weekends are not the place to make it right.

There are exceptions to the rule, of course, like at Stoke City last season just before Villa went on a record-breaking 10-game winning run. The players in the dressing room that day recall a half-time team-talk that hit them like a bolt out of the blue.

“He gave us some home truths, for sure,” Elphick says. “It shocked a few of the players but it also pulled us together. His biggest strength is the way he delivers a team talk. You sense very quickly that he cares for Aston Villa deeply.”

There are, however, players who have felt let down by a lack of game time over the years, while others have questioned why they were played out of position or in a system not suited to their style. Smith has not been able to offer much clarity to some of the young players who are out of contract this summer, either. He simply has to prioritise with so much on his plate.

Facing increased pressure in his first job as a Premier League boss before football was suspended in March, Smith appeared to be running out of time to get Villa firing. However, he always maintained his focus of trying to improve the team and the individuals within it.

Record-signing Wesley was particularly grateful for Smith’s calm and measured approach when his early goals dried up and the team’s results took a turn for the worse in December. It’s understood that the £22 million signing felt the weight of responsibility to drag Villa out of its sticky patch. But Smith eased the pressure on his young shoulders and invested time and effort in Wesley to find out more about him following a summer move from Club Brugge.

He asked about how his wife, Izadora, was settling into the country and supported a push by the club to link up the partners of all the players so they could travel together from the training ground on a minibus to away games. He also reassured the striker that he would not be judged on his goals, stressing that the overall role he played for the team was of greater importance and that his link-up play could be just as crucial. Tactically, he also outlined different gameplans, which Wesley felt were starting to work in his favour before a knee injury on New Year’s Day ended the 23-year-old’s season.

 

Over this lockdown period, Smith has held one-on-one discussions via video call with each player about the season so far. In normal times, such appraisals would not be possible due to the regular flow of games.

He has also analysed all 28 of Villa’s games this season and held video conference sessions with groups of players who have been asked to assess the strengths and weaknesses in certain performances.

He used the word “culture” in his first day in the job in October 2018, and he’s still seeking ways to help make it right — he’s currently midway through a documentary series on the New Zealand rugby union team.

One of the manager’s greatest traits is that he’s never afraid to ask for advice, either. Captain Jack Grealish has a tight bond with the boss and is one of a group of players Smith regularly bounces ideas off. “They talk every day about making Villa a more successful team and Dean will listen to Jack because of his qualities and his tactical awareness,” a source tells The Athletic.

There’s no preferential treatment for star players, though. He’s also not afraid to drop key players if they under-perform but believes every player deserves to know why they’re not playing.

Smith and his long-term assistant, Richard O’Kelly, make it their personal mission to keep every day at the club varied and entertaining. They are excellent as a duo because they regularly challenge each other.

In his first job at Walsall, O’Kelly was the man tasked with bringing those fall-guys into Smith’s office for a private word. That job landed O’Kelly the nickname “Grim Reaper”. Although the name hasn’t stuck at Villa, O’Kelly is often seen as the bad cop to Smith’s good, but he has an affectionate way with the players and is well-liked.

Smith leans on goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler, another long-serving ally, and is not afraid to ask his other assistant John Terry for advice, while also teaching one of England’s greatest centre-halves a thing or two along the way.

 

In line with the club’s policy to reduce the average age of the squad this season, Smith allowed the likes of Elphick, Jedinak, Alan Hutton, Glenn Whelan and Albert Adomah to move on last summer when their contracts expired. He also granted Chester a loan move to help rejuvenate his career before his Villa contract expires this summer.

Smith would keep the experienced players motivated by reminding them of their duties to set the right example. One man who never had to be asked twice was Jedinak, who acted as a go-between for Smith and the players, often helping to lift standards if ever they dropped.

“I would make it a bit easier for him,“ Jedinak says. “As one of the senior guys, I would make sure that everyone was doing what was asked of them. If that means telling someone something when they don’t want to be told, well, sometimes it is up to me to do it as a player rather than the manager having to do it all the time.

“He appreciated that help and that made me feel part of everything that was going on.”

Smith is still the same down-to-earth guy who captained every club he played for, started coaching kids during his time at Leyton Orient to “give something back” and moved into management almost by chance when he was called upon following a sacking at Walsall.

Early on in his career, he decided that he would value process over results, insisting that with enough positive performances, the relevant results will follow.

If football returns, though, he will be judged on one thing only — keeping Villa in the Premier League.

 

[Keyblade]

First time in a long time, probably ever that I'm proud of a Villa manager. Like I actually beam with pride knowing Dean is our manager. And he's only going to get better.

[villan-scott]

He seems exactly what you’d want from a modern manager. He’s so meticulous with his work, and I can only see us getting better under him. 

He’s my favourite manager since O’Neill (before the Judas act!).