Dean Smith

[tomav84]

1 minute ago, nick76 said:

We don’t have any other plans because we don’t have any other players.  Second season into a squad build.  We don’t have 4-4-2 wingers and we don’t have other creative players, so as we’ve known even during our great period in the first half of the season this is the only plan we have because we don’t have the players to do anything else.  That’s not Smith fault, it’s that we are in a second season of rebuilding.

i agree to an extent, but i'm concerned about the style of play that continues to emphasise on wing play despite our wingers not being good enough. not playing more narrow and try and work it through the middle. playing ramsey who isn't good enough whilst having your new 14m signing who has looked bright sat on the bench. playing mcginn and luiz who are out of form whilst leaving marvelous on the bench who has never lost a match in a villa shirt (someone correct me if i'm wrong there). bringing on barkley game after game and watch him contribute absolutely nothing.

i could forgive the results if i saw him trying something different. trying a new system based on jack being out. but him trying to play as if he was on the pitch still is just ridiculous. as the famous quote says, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

[Sulberto21]

2 hours ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

I'm saying this now, March 2021 - not last summer.

Got to say that made me giggle. Exactly you're talking about the here and now. I think he deserves another season or two. But we've had major slumps with him in every season he's been here. Same at Brentford (resident Brentford fans correct me if I'm wrong) and same at Walsall. 

However I believe our level was the first 24 games or so. I also believe that the confidence has been sapped because we lost 5/6 games where we dominated. Naturally that dents your confidence.

I was hoping the wins against Southampton and Leeds would reclaim that confidence but alas not to be.  We definitely need 3 more players who are closer to Jack in ability.

[tomav84]

13 minutes ago, Zatman said:

The only alternative with our squad is a midfield diamond and we only have 2 strikers. 5 at the back would be an option but unneccesary as our back 4 is so good

a back 5 could work with targett and cash as wing backs. guarantee they would offer much more than trez or el ghazi from a wing perspective.

it's something different. something other than the predictable line ups and formation that we have now. something the opposition are not expecting. right now, our forward line wouldn't strike much fear into any of the defenses in the league

[Sulberto21]

1 hour ago, lexicon said:

Trez and AEG were last season's signings when we were desperate for bodies - they've not worked out. 

Barkley's been a disappointment, but he was a dice throw. 

Traore and Watkins are definitely good enough in my view. 

You can't expect a full rebuild with all eventualities covered in the time Smith has had in the Prem. There are always things to work out and I'm confident the club will address these points in the summer.

One could argue that they've won us a fair few points which for bargain basement money is actually better than expected.

[beachboys1]

smith is a good mid table manager but  idont think he can get us to european places i wish he could

[Zatman]

7 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

a back 5 could work with targett and cash as wing backs. guarantee they would offer much more than trez or el ghazi from a wing perspective.

it's something different. something other than the predictable line ups and formation that we have now. something the opposition are not expecting. right now, our forward line wouldn't strike much fear into any of the defenses in the league

I dont like changing a solid defence and the back 5 failed last season, it will be 4 of the back 5 we used then. If we were shipping goals weekly i think its the only reason to try it again 

[Demitri_C]

1 hour ago, Zatman said:

You keep crying about this but never tell us your expectations. You said yesterday Watkins, Cash and Eni were ooor signings

Do you think we should be top? I remember when we win you come in here with your happy monday posts

Crying or expressing an opinion? Stop moaning

Did i say they were poor signings? Show me the evidence where i said they were "poor signings"

Making stuff up to suit your argument

Omg your critising me for being happy when we win? My god how pathetic is that

[tomav84]

1 minute ago, Zatman said:

I dont like changing a solid defence and the back 5 failed last season, it will be 4 of the back 5 we used then. If we were shipping goals weekly i think its the only reason to try it again 

those 4 have massively improved since then though both individually and as a collective. targett is generally much better going forward and cash is dangerous too. it would give them license to get forward.

i'd be willing to try again if only just to see something different. we know what we're doing now isn't working, so why keep trying it?

[Zatman]

3 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Crying or expressing an opinion? Stop moaning

Did i say they were poor signings? Show me the evidence where i said they were "poor signings"

Making stuff up to suit your argument

Omg your critising me for being happy when we win? My god how pathetic is that

You said we failed in last summers transfer market, then when was put to you you said they were failures

You still didn't answer the question of why you are crying. Are you expecting us to finish top 4 or what was your ambitions for the season 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Zatman

[Demitri_C]

1 hour ago, lexicon said:

Trez and AEG were last season's signings when we were desperate for bodies - they've not worked out. 

Barkley's been a disappointment, but he was a dice throw. 

Traore and Watkins are definitely good enough in my view. 

You can't expect a full rebuild with all eventualities covered in the time Smith has had in the Prem. There are always things to work out and I'm confident the club will address these points in the summer.

My point being regardless when they were signed is that there is enough quality there to create and score goals.

Is it the coaching or the players not good enough? If its the latter smith and purslow have to take the blame.  Even without grealish i expect to at least  create opportunities ans score some goals. Not fire blanks against brighton sheff utd and a knackerd spurs side.

[mickjacobjr]

5 minutes ago, beachboys1 said:

smith is a good mid table manager but  idont think he can get us to european places i wish he could

People need to calm down we are two years back in the prem he is doing a very good job our current squad isn’t good enough to get into Europe our back up striker at the min has a strike rate of 2 goals in 80 games like Rome wasn’t built in a day 

[Demitri_C]

1 minute ago, Zatman said:

You said we failed in last summers transfer market, then when was put to you you said they were failures

So i didnt say they were very poor signings like you suggested.

Thanks for clarifying 

[lexicon]

1 minute ago, Demitri_C said:

My point being regardless when they were signed is that there is enough quality there to create and score goals.

Is it the coaching or the players not good enough? If its the latter smith and purslow have to take the blame.  Even without grealish i expect to at least  create opportunities ans score some goals. Not fire blanks against brighton sheff utd and a knackerd spurs side.

I just think you need to accept that there will be ups and downs at this point in our development. 

[nick76]

15 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

i agree to an extent, but i'm concerned about the style of play that continues to emphasise on wing play despite our wingers not being good enough. not playing more narrow and try and work it through the middle. playing ramsey who isn't good enough whilst having your new 14m signing who has looked bright sat on the bench. playing mcginn and luiz who are out of form whilst leaving marvelous on the bench who has never lost a match in a villa shirt (someone correct me if i'm wrong there). bringing on barkley game after game and watch him contribute absolutely nothing.

i could forgive the results if i saw him trying something different. trying a new system based on jack being out. but him trying to play as if he was on the pitch still is just ridiculous. as the famous quote says, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

tell me what the alternative is with this team?

I'll give you Nakamba but to be fair our defence has been solid apart from the mistakes last night and Nakamba is a defensive player so not going to help our problem going forwards. 

You say Smith isnt  trying something different but then you blame him for playing Ramsey when our midfielders are out of form, then when our midfielders are playing poor he brings on Barkley and you complain about that. 

What else is there?  where is there another solution. 

Sanson has been also involved but he's only been here 7 weeks but has played more recently

He's rotated Trez, El Ghazi and Traore, he's brought on Davis when he has resisted most of the season to do that. 

What else is he supposed to do?

We have three creative players....Jack injured, Barkley incredibly poor form, Traore hit and miss, and not creating for others.

We could play 442, 433, 4411, 4141, 4312 or whatever, but when you dont have any other creativity and your bench is as weak as ours and we have no creativity I dont know what you want?

 

 

 

Then people have been complaining for years on this website what our identity is, we should find an identity and Smith has instilled that somewhat with the 433 at this club but we are going through a very poor spell and people what to change.  Yes we should have alternatives if we had the personnel but we dont but no point changing it for the sake of changing it.

Finally people have been saying our form since the turn of the year has been relegation form.  We have been poor but people are exaggerating because they are angry, below is the table since the turn of the year.  Given how poor we have been we are only 2 points off 10th place in form and five points above relegation.  People have been saying we'll drop to 14th but the teams currently around us like Leeds and Wolves are fairing no better, Southampton have dropped off a cliff and Palace are only 1 win better.  Arsenal are the only team from 9th to 14th who have had a bit of New Year form.

 

[tinker]

Its the return to pre covid form that's a worry  for me. We don't look like we can win a game and obviously  lack confidence  when a chance to shoot or attack is on the cards. Our defence  is clearly a strong area for us but after that we are poor in nearly every area. Watkins is being used as lone striker with no suppprt from either wing or the midfield. 

It all points to a severe  lack of confidence in our attacking players. I'm not sure if certain players have the character to bounce back and play with the consistency that we need for us to move on as a team .

[AVFCDAN]

Limited manager, has never been good with subs and has no idea what to do without Grealish. There’s better out there I’m afraid. Don’t necessarily want to lose Dean but would I honestly be disappointed if he left, unfortunately no.

[DCJonah]

37 minutes ago, lexicon said:

I just think you need to accept that there will be ups and downs at this point in our development. 

It really is as simple as this. Some can't accept it. 

[DCJonah]

2 hours ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

You go compare other clubs all you wish.. it's irrelevant to our club.

I'm comparing what Smith has had to build this team, along with some solid coaches and based on this season as a whole - combined with having two of the best players in the PL at his disposal.

Are you telling me that we're all allowed to sing from the roof tops when he's winning but yet we must have a gagging order when he isn't doing so well and say nothing?

The excellent start to the season should not end in the shit show that we have witnessed over the last 6 or 7 games with what Smith has at his disposal.

We have looked like a Championship team since January and it's deeply concerning.

 

Elmo having to play. Trez and El Ghazi having to be main creative players. Davis as the only back up option at striker. 

I asked Dem and he ignored it. Show me another team in the top half with squad depth issues like that? 

And then I might buy into the crying about not finishing above a few of them 

[DCJonah]

How can anyone look at the teams above us and actually demand we finish above them? What's it based on? 

[tomav84]

15 minutes ago, nick76 said:

tell me what the alternative is with this team?

I'll give you Nakamba but to be fair our defence has been solid apart from the mistakes last night and Nakamba is a defensive player so not going to help our problem going forwards. 

You say Smith isnt  trying something different but then you blame him for playing Ramsey when our midfielders are out of form, then when our midfielders are playing poor he brings on Barkley and you complain about that. 

What else is there?  where is there another solution. 

Sanson has been also involved but he's only been here 7 weeks but has played more recently

He's rotated Trez, El Ghazi and Traore, he's brought on Davis when he has resisted most of the season to do that. 

What else is he supposed to do?

We have three creative players....Jack injured, Barkley incredibly poor form, Traore hit and miss, and not creating for others.

We could play 442, 433, 4411, 4141, 4312 or whatever, but when you dont have any other creativity and your bench is as weak as ours and we have no creativity I dont know what you want?

 

 

 

Then people have been complaining for years on this website what our identity is, we should find an identity and Smith has instilled that somewhat with the 433 at this club but we are going through a very poor spell and people what to change.  Yes we should have alternatives if we had the personnel but we dont but no point changing it for the sake of changing it.

Finally people have been saying our form since the turn of the year has been relegation form.  We have been poor but people are exaggerating because they are angry, below is the table since the turn of the year.  Given how poor we have been we are only 2 points off 10th place in form and five points above relegation.  People have been saying we'll drop to 14th but the teams currently around us like Leeds and Wolves are fairing no better, Southampton have dropped off a cliff and Palace are only 1 win better.  Arsenal are the only team from 9th to 14th who have had a bit of New Year form.

 

my issue is that we don't know what the alternative is because players are not given the chance to create. sanson and on his day luiz have proven to create chances but the tactic remains "send the ball out wide" even when jack is not on the pitch. that's my issue.

no i don't have the magic solution, but then i'm not a premier league coach. funnily enough nor does smith it seems...

look, maybe we need to agree to disagree, but i honestly feel that we have the personnel to have beaten at least one of brighton, newcastle, and sheff utd. maybe you get a freak result or 2, but to not win any of those was appalling and i'm just not buying the "we don't have the personnel" argument.

what do i suggest? sanson needs play more IMO. he has had sporadic minutes off the bench and is hooked off after an hour on both of his PL starts, including yesterday when being our only creative outlet. you say he's only been here 7 weeks, but this isn't some kid we've signed from south america who can't speak a word of english. he's in his prime, he's fit having been playing all season in a top league, plus european football, and speaks the language. why ramsey and mcginn have had so many more minutes than him since he signed is beyond me.

marv could play in luiz's position and luiz could play a more advanced role. so midfield 2 of luiz and sanson with marv holding. luiz and sanson, IMO, would create chances. playing ramsey and mcginn has limited us recently and i don't think number 6 is Luiz's position either. it might not work. i'm not a PL coach and i don't see the guys in training. all i know is what i'm seeing now isn't working and i would just like dean to try something different. 

in terms of identity, i couldn't give a toss. if having an identity means you are totally predictable game after game, then frankly i don't want villa to have one.