Dean Smith

[Wainy316]

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

I see Saints have sacked Mark Hughes. That means him, Allardyce, Moyes, Pardew, O'Leary and Bruce are now all out of work. 

Looks like the Day of the Dinosaurs really is coming to an end. 

Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction?

[mjmooney]

I do like anagrams. 

Dean Smith = damn, he's it 

Dean Smith = hands it 'em 

 

[villalad21]

I'm curious how this thread would react if we didn't get promoted this season.

I would still be 100 % behind him.

[Tomaszk]

45 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

I'm curious how this thread would react if we didn't get promoted this season.

I would still be 100 % behind him.

He'll get plenty of leeway from me if we continue to be a joy to watch.

Bruce played rancid stuff and when it became clear that wasn't going to change, every match that wasn't a win became a waste of time. Even the wins were a drag. Dull, percentage football. Watching us sit back at home from the off and wait for errors, leading to draw after draw with teams we should have been putting away by half-time.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, vreitti said:

Frankly TRO, I'm astonished you've not been made to eat an even greater dose of humble pie... then again, I suppose most of us just want to forget the dark years of the Dinosaur.

I will say this though, being one of the many, staunch Bruce critics from the get go, I'll never accept he "turned us around", "steadied the ship", or anything along those lines tbh. The way I see it, ANY half decent manager would've gotten just as much, if not much more, out of the squad he inherited. Furthermore there is no way of knowing how things would've turned out, had RDM been given the same time and patience that Bruce got. FFS we barely made midtable in his first season, playing some of the worst football I've ever witnessed along the way, and this was already with 'a superior' squad for this level. I'll not even bother with delving into the following the season...

I think DS has proven in no time at all, what can be achieved with a little training, nous and a positive approach, e.g. bare minimum requirements for a football manager/coach. Long may it continue!

 

I haven't been made to do anything....I have volunteered my retrospective opinion.

I don't accept your version with any grace.

I think Dean Smiths transformation is remarkable and long may it continue....but in the main Dean himself has praised Steve Bruce for leaving him many talented players, yes defence is questionable.....shame SB couldn't get from them what DS has....but there again, if he had we wouldn't have DS ....who is all I want to focus on now, because he deserves it.

I too am more than happy to spend my time waxing lyrical in regards to our new found Style and my interest now is with Dean Smith....but I am not prepared to just pass off 24 wins from last season as some sort of cow dung, irrespective of how much money has been spent.

I think its poor sport to be making direct comparisons between both managers.....Dean Smith cannot go back and rewrite history, that's gone its in the archives.

I am happy that my judgement on Dean Smith was underwhelmed, before he came.....To hell with my judgment, its only a forum where opinions can be wrong and I am more than happy to have played my part in being wrong....The real issue is Aston Villa and that everyone is happy right now, long may it continue.

[TRO]

18 hours ago, LakotaDakota said:

Not knocking Smith but would imagine this guy also has a fair amount to do with that

one of the tricks of good management is surrounding yourself with good assistants....I understand JT has been working closely with TA.

on an additional note.....I guess JT will be impressing that on Chelsea, saying don't disrupt the progress.

[Vive_La_Villa]

13 hours ago, blandy said:

This a million times over. Bruce as a manager of people, as an identifier of players, as a ‘leader’ was fine, but (as I kept saying) the coaching, aside from his first few weeks where he sorted out the defence, was woeful. It’s what let him down big style. That and his cautious outlook. Good man, but just this job was beyond him, always.

Was he actually that good a man? He appeared to show a very egotistical and petty side to him the longer he remained at the club. 

[TRO]

59 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Was he actually that good a man? He appeared to show a very egotistical and petty side to him the longer he remained at the club. 

opinions can't be wrong,until proved wrong, they are opinions, only facts can disprove them.

My wife worked at Harvey Nicks, before she retired and knew the players and managers from most clubs in the vicinity.

She said Steve and his wife were very nice people, indeed.

I guess if you are attacked in your job, whether the folk are right or wrong, you will defend yourself.

personally, I seen a change in Steve Bruce this season, maybe it was the realisation it was slipping away from him,and frustration got the better of him, who knows.

First and foremost these people are Humans and act with human behaviour.....judging by what the players said to my wife he was popular with them.

I am now happy to close that chapter and wallow in the fabulous football Dean has prescribed for us.

and the Licensee who is at my local, was at the Scott Arms where Dean had the odd tipple....and she said he is a top man too.

Dean Smith was extremely gracious in the way he took over from SB, that too epitomizes what a top man he is too.

So in conclusion.....us Villa people irrespective of our success.....are thoroughly nice folk.

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by TRO

[villalad21]

Dean Smith, John Terry and the other guy (can't ever remember his name) at the baggies game tonight smiling and laughing.

Really good to see them having such a good relationship. The atmosphere in the squad must be really buzzin right now.

[DaveAV1]

3 hours ago, TRO said:

I haven't been made to do anything....I have volunteered my retrospective opinion.

I don't accept your version with any grace.

I think Dean Smiths transformation is remarkable and long may it continue....but in the main Dean himself has praised Steve Bruce for leaving him many talented players, yes defence is questionable.....shame SB couldn't get from them what DS has....but there again, if he had we wouldn't have DS ....who is all I want to focus on now, because he deserves it.

I too am more than happy to spend my time waxing lyrical in regards to our new found Style and my interest now is with Dean Smith....but I am not prepared to just pass off 24 wins from last season as some sort of cow dung, irrespective of how much money has been spent.

I think its poor sport to be making direct comparisons between both managers.....Dean Smith cannot go back and rewrite history, that's gone its in the archives.

I am happy that my judgement on Dean Smith was underwhelmed, before he came.....To hell with my judgment, its only a forum where opinions can be wrong and I am more than happy to have played my part in being wrong....The real issue is Aston Villa and that everyone is happy right now, long may it continue.

The thing I always acknowledged that was a strength of Steve Bruce was that he identified good players. However assembling a good squad when you’ve got a healthy budget and the pull of a big club is easier than having to find bargain basement players. He also put together an ageing squad of players on there way down rather than on the way up. However he generally did a half decent job in that respect. What he was doing though, in his last transfer window with the mess he left in central defence and at goal keeper only he knows. 

His inability to either coach, or put together a team of coaches who could coach was ultimately his biggest downfall. This weakness is now being highlighted by a manager who is the exact opposite of Steve Bruce. The fact that Dean Smith has done this with the same squad and in such a short time only further highlights the difference between the two. The deafening silence from Bruce’s media buddies, who I’m sure were ready to pounce on the first signs of us struggling, is also quite damning. 

But as you’ve said TRO, whatever our opinions were, they’re all now in the past and we can enjoy a much brighter and exciting future. Hindsight is always 20:20 vision, if only reality was that easy. Nevertheless I think you should wear sackcloth and exist on a diet of gruel and water until Christmas Eve 

[Brumstopdogs]

 

 

[villalad21]

9 minutes ago, Brumstopdogs said:

 

 

To sum it up, Smith out.

[sidcow]

One thing I like is the media are now all saying he was the right appointment. 

Thank god we don't have to put up with the "should've kept with the proven Bruce" rhetoric.  It's been such a dramatic and unequivocall turnaround there is just no questioning it. 

[villalad21]

6 minutes ago, sidcow said:

One thing I like is the media are now all saying he was the right appointment. 

Thank god we don't have to put up with the "should've kept with the proven Bruce" rhetoric.  It's been such a dramatic and unequivocall turnaround there is just no questioning it. 

Before us Bruce had only managed smaller cubs with no pressure or expectations.

Same can be said for alot of our past managers too. Aston Villa is a club that comes with big expectations and with good reasons, most managers not able to handle it.

[TrentVilla]

 

6 hours ago, villalad21 said:

I'm curious how this thread would react if we didn't get promoted this season.

I would still be 100 % behind him.

I think the would depend upon what we see between now and the end of the season, based on what we've seen to date then I'd say absolutely yes.

[jim]

19 hours ago, villalad21 said:

I'm curious how this thread would react if we didn't get promoted this season.

I would still be 100 % behind him.

Depends is we finish there or thereabouts.

[TheMelvillan]

I think Bruce was a decent spud. However I used to hate how in interviews or press conferences he started answering the question before the person asking had finished asked him. Seemed very rude.

Not the greatest crime, granted

[Mazrim]

I think we'll go up this season but if we don't im still 100% behind him. He has to have a complete season / preseason / transfer windows.

As long as he sticks to his philosophies, no matter what, im happy.

[romavillan]

16 hours ago, villalad21 said:

Dean Smith, John Terry and the other guy (can't ever remember his name) at the baggies game tonight smiling and laughing.

Really good to see them having such a good relationship. The atmosphere in the squad must be really buzzin right now.

Richard O'Kelly, really big piece of the puzzle I reckon, when I've heard him speak (there's a couple of old vids of Smith and him together talking about coaching) he's sounded straight up and to the point. Explains things in a simple way, you have to know what you're on about to do that.

It's great if those three can build a tight good working relationship, the passion for what they are doing needs to be massive for it to permeate the squad too. 

[romavillan]

6 minutes ago, Mazrim said:

I think we'll go up this season but if we don't im still 100% behind him. He has to have a complete season / preseason / transfer windows.

As long as he sticks to his philosophies, no matter what, im happy.

Totally, minimum has to be what was afforded to Bruce, I actually think the sky is the limit though as long as we get the structure around Smith right long term.