Dean Smith

[El Zen]

16 minutes ago, MotoMkali said:

Except Messi missed half the season like 6 times. 

That’s just not true, though. He’s played 30 league games or more every single season since age 20, and averaged 33 league games played since age 19. 

In all competitions, club and country, his 17 season average is 52 games. He is the very model of durability.

Edited December 21, 2020 by Michelsen

[jim]

Keep making me eat my words Dean.

[A'Villan]

Thankfully, my initial thoughts and liking of DS were well founded. He continues to impress, and as I've said on numerous occasions, at various stages of his tenure, I think he can take us as high as the ceiling goes. The suggestion was never that he was at that level already, but with time, that he would continue to prove the faith placed in him was worthy, and I'm yet to see a challenge he hasn't met, whilst in charge at Aston Villa. A club with all the potential to challenge the best in the world.

Edited December 22, 2020 by A'Villan

[villalad21]

17 minutes ago, A'Villan said:

Thankfully, my initial thoughts and liking of DS were well founded. He continues to impress, and as I've said on numerous occasions, at various stages of his tenure, I think he can take us as high as the ceiling goes. The suggestion was never that he was at that level already, but with time, that he would continue to prove the faith placed in him was worthy, and I'm yet to see a challenge he hasn't met, whilst in charge at Aston Villa. A club with all the potential to challenge the best in the world.

He was never at this level when he arrived.

He didn't really do anything significant at Walsall or Brentford.

Managers have had similar jobs with similar financial restrictions and done better than him. Promotions etc.

He really has made a name for himself here. Just like players, managers can both improve and regress.

The defensive faults was the main reason i thought he would never succeed at this level. But he seem to have solved it and there is no reason to why we can't be top 4 contenders in the coming seasons if we keep building and keep our best players.

Edited December 22, 2020 by villalad21

[sne]

Best team in Europe according to Whoscored  

Should also put to rest the idea our team is too short and that we are useless in the air.

Edited December 22, 2020 by sne

[Lord Willard]

 

 

 

[a-k]

19 minutes ago, sne said:

Best team in Europe according to Whoscored  

Should also put to rest the idea our team is too short and that we are useless in the air.

Rubbish pass accuracy though. Let's get Westwood back.

[MotoMkali]

1 hour ago, sne said:

Best team in Europe according to Whoscored  

Should also put to rest the idea our team is too short and that we are useless in the air.

This is really skewed in our favour because we use the fewest substitutes in Europe so our players average ratings are higher because they have played for longer in average. 

[sne]

4 minutes ago, MotoMkali said:

This is really skewed in our favour because we use the fewest substitutes in Europe so our players average ratings are higher because they have played for longer in average. 

Yeah, and a bunch of other stuff as well. But still! What a difference from last season.

[A'Villan]

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

He was never at this level when he arrived.

He didn't really do anything significant at Walsall or Brentford.

Managers have had similar jobs with similar financial restrictions and done better than him. Promotions etc.

He really has made a name for himself here. Just like players, managers can both improve and regress.

The defensive faults was the main reason i thought he would never succeed at this level. But he seem to have solved it and there is no reason to why we can't be top 4 contenders in the coming seasons if we keep building and keep our best players.

I agree or at least understand the above, with the exception of the third line and point. However, I don't completely understand why they are relevant to my post.

You are assuming that my discerning Smith as a manager and whether he would succeed to be based on previous achievement and accolades, whereas it never was.

[The Fun Factory]

In a little over two years (with help from the board) he has transformed a unbalanced squad mired deep mid table in the Championship, to one of the best  teams in the country. And a cup final thrown in. And he hasn't finished yet.

[Steero113]

1 hour ago, sne said:

Best team in Europe according to Whoscored  

Should also put to rest the idea our team is too short and that we are useless in the air.

Nice to see them coming up with new statistical categories just for us now we're no.1 as well...

 

[Rightdm00]

1 hour ago, Lord Willard said:

 

 

 

You can only pull something like that when team spirit is high. Otherwise that can easily back fire. Dean sensing something special with this group. Love it. 

[TRO]

7 hours ago, villalad21 said:

He was never at this level when he arrived.

He didn't really do anything significant at Walsall or Brentford.

Managers have had similar jobs with similar financial restrictions and done better than him. Promotions etc.

He really has made a name for himself here. Just like players, managers can both improve and regress.

The defensive faults was the main reason i thought he would never succeed at this level. But he seem to have solved it and there is no reason to why we can't be top 4 contenders in the coming seasons if we keep building and keep our best players.

No He wasn't.....but good news for us, Dean is a student of the game, like Jack, he loves to improve....He has come on leaps and bounds and I also think he is good at picking the right coaches to have around him. I know JT was already there, but they seem to get on really well. CS is another Villan, so it all bodes well.

I was stunned to see us currently 4th in the pressing league, he has certainly added dimensions to our game and still talks about a long way to go....the 7 clean sheets is so impressive. Hats off to Ollie for his defending from the front and Emi for his work at the back

but I think above all, he seems to have a good working relationship with those above him, that is really important too, for incremental progress......and where he is lucky, and us, is to have such ambitious owners to work with.....they are so central, to all of this.

Edited December 22, 2020 by TRO

[villalad21]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

No He wasn't.....but good news for us, Dean is a student of the game, like Jack, he loves to improve....He has come on leaps and bounds and I also think he is good at picking the right coaches to have around him. I know JT was already there, but they seem to get on really well. CS is another Villan, so it all bodes well.

I was stunned to see us currently 4th in the pressing league, he has certainly added dimensions to our game and still talks about a long way to go....the 7 clean sheets is so impressive. Hats off to Ollie for his defending from the front and Emi for his work at the back

but I think above all, he seems to have a good working relationship with those above him, that is really important to, for incremental progress......and where he is lucky, and us, is to have such ambitious owners to work with.....they are so central, to all of this.

That is true.

And Ron Saunders didn't either do much of note before arriving to Villa. He made his name with us and hopefully Dean can follow his footsteps.

[sne]

It's Tribalfootball but still.

Quote

Breaking down Aston Villa transformation: How Dean Smith did it

Aston Villa have created more chances than any other team in the Premier League this season. They have conceded the second fewest goals, behind Manchester City. They have the same points-per-game ratio as Chelsea. Win their two games in hand, and Villa go three points off the leaders Liverpool – the team they beat 7-2 at Villa Park earlier this season.

Remarkably, the league table actually does Villa a disservice. They have out-performed almost every club they have faced this season, losing to Brighton and West Ham despite dominating those games. They created more chances than Southampton in a 4-3 defeat, and according to understat.com have won 1.65 points fewer than they should have based on xG results across the season.

Dean Smith kept Villa up on the final day of last season by winning eight points from the final four games. Just four months later, they are one of the most competent, consistent, and entertaining teams in the division.

He has surely been the Premier League's best manager across 2020 and Villa, this season, the division's biggest overachievers. It is difficult to understand why Aston Villa are not getting the credit they deserve; why more is not said of the incredible turnaround from dead-and-buried in March to European hopefuls in December.

Here's how they did it...

https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/breaking-down-aston-villa-transformation-how-dean-smith-did-it-4352441#popup-sso

[villalad21]

Would love for us to become the "Atalanta" of the Premier League

Not watched a lot of them but from the little i've watched there's been some similarities in the way we play

[nick76]

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

That is true.

And Ron Saunders didn't either do much of note before arriving to Villa. He made his name with us and hopefully Dean can follow his footsteps.

I’ll await your inevitable change of heart dramatically when we have a losing run at some point and you’ll say Dean never learns, was never good enough and we should sack him and then you’ll be back on board him learning when he turns it around again.  

Never known somebody change their mind so quickly so often as you. I wish you and some others had a bit of faith at the beginning of year when calling for his head pre the Chelsea game.  Now the flattery feels false...

[Zatman]

25 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

Would love for us to become the "Atalanta" of the Premier League

Not watched a lot of them but from the little i've watched there's been some similarities in the way we play

We play nothing like Atalanta

[thunderball]

I have to say in February I did break from my support of Smith and reluctantly supported the idea that it was time for change. I felt Smith was naive and didn’t appear to want to change the system to the rigours of the division, he was the bigger part of the problem and the easiest to change. But lockdown has proved that there is more than the affable brummie appearance, he is smart, analytical and progressive. His turnaround has been the story of the Premier league over the past 20 games.

Smith is no longer part of the problem but has become the reason for our emergence as a genuine force. The change in approach and playing style, working with what we had (a diminished squad), he has ear marked our weakness’ and we bought accordingly. Berkeley instead of Rashica which has amplified Grealish’s talent is now a master stroke, and yes I know wasnt a deliberate choice, but they didn’t panic and for instance buy Benrahma and trusted that there was another way to play.

I have every confidence in Smith and the management now despite their inexperience at the higher levels of football, I think if we do get into Europe he will adapt, he is showing that he is capable of adapting but also putting the jigsaw together that in its own way every season he has had with us, has worked at the end of the season.

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by thunderball