Dean Smith

[DCJonah]

Just now, WooJung said:

We could've shifted Ollie out wide to attack the space, with Davies as a central target man. Same shape, and you can bet Ollie would have tracked back way better than Traore or El Ghazi 

Is that more attacking though? I think we are allowing a 20 minute spell last week to wipe out the last few years of Keinan Davis, who doesn't really create or score. 

It might have worked but we're talking as though Davis wins games on his own. 

[supermon]

1 minute ago, AndyM3000 said:

I'd suggest you don't watch our next game because we will have even less of the ball.

So you don't mind that we can't string a few passes together, you don't mind we constantly pass to the opposition. I'm not asking for a lot, these are basics. I didn't mean I'm expecting swathes of possession but is it nigh on impossible to expect the basics?

[DCJonah]

Just now, StefanAVFC said:

Watkins to the wing and Davis on to bully their CBs.

Remember with the Ramsey sub he stuck him on the wing. Why not Davis there?

I don't think Smith trusts Davis and I'm not that bothered. 

I'd have liked Davis to get a run of starts but also, he's done nothing in his villa career to be seen as the saviour he seems to be viewed as now. 

[StefanAVFC]

Just now, DCJonah said:

Is that more attacking though? I think we are allowing a 20 minute spell last week to wipe out the last few years of Keinan Davis, who doesn't really create or score. 

It might have worked but we're talking as though Davis wins games on his own. 

Or Davis on the wing. Ramsey has NEVER played on the wing as far as I've seen. He's a CAM or CM. Why is it 'Sherwood style' to put a CF on the wing, and not a CAM/CM? 

Their CBs were vulnerable, Ramsey was 95% at fault for the winning goal.

Yes, hindsight, but I don't get this 'Davis would have unbalanced us' argument considering we stuck a CAM at RW....

[StefanAVFC]

Just now, DCJonah said:

I don't think Smith trusts Davis and I'm not that bothered. 

I'd have liked Davis to get a run of starts but also, he's done nothing in his villa career to be seen as the saviour he seems to be viewed as now. 

There's a very large grey area between him not coming on and a 'saviour' so don't sensationalise.

[Phil Silvers]

Lot of people blaming one player or another but they keep being picked and they keep making the same mistakes, sorry to say this because I love the bloke but questions have to be asked about the decision making today and why these same players keep making the same mistakes. 

Liverpools defence would have struggled with Watkins AND Davis.

[DCJonah]

Just now, StefanAVFC said:

There's a very large grey area between him not coming on and a 'saviour' so don't sensationalise.

Well people seem to act like it's a different result with him on the pitch. 

I can see reasons for and against him coming on. I'd have actually made that sub if I was in charge. 

But I'm not convinced it would have made a massive difference. 

[S-Platt]

9 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

They will be worse this week, because the usual crowd couldn't do it last week and they wanted to. They really wanted to. 

I am a Dean Smith fan but you have ask questions when we throw away a lead.  We found a system that created chances and scored 3 goals in 15 mins last week.  Yet we revert to a system that has failed for the last couple of months.  Then he brings on Barkley who will not be our player next season instead of Davis who changed the game last week.

It's frustrating and people can ask questions.  

[Tomaszk]

Thought he got plenty wrong today. As did the players.

Not a good performance and a point was still there for us.

Our inability/willingness to get on the ball in midfield is making us very smelly to watch indeed.

[WooJung]

1 minute ago, DCJonah said:

Is that more attacking though? I think we are allowing a 20 minute spell last week to wipe out the last few years of Keinan Davis, who doesn't really create or score. 

It might have worked but we're talking as though Davis wins games on his own. 

It would have been different, we were always going to play it long, Davis, as limited as he is, suits that style. 

We will never know what might have happened, but to me it made more sense than shifting Ramsey out wide.

Or bringing on Barkley, but I'd rather have Heaton playing as a 10 than barkley, so there's that

[VillaChris]

DS been excellent for us but I fear like MON had a limit of 6th we will never finish higher than 8th even if we give him 100s of millions to spend over next 2-3 seasons.

Certainly not at that point yet but eventually the board will have to come to a decision as I presume we all want to win stuff and play in europe a couple of times within next 5 years?

[MrBlack]

Have to question why he thought Barkley was a better option than a player who changed the game when he last came on. Suppose he was hoping Barkley would like the big stage, given he's been dross on every other stage pretty much since the last time we played Liverpool. The experiment has failed, time time end it and focus on our own players that will be here this season. Let's hope City have an off day and we dont get too badly hammered.

Smith, please send Ross back home.

 

[DCJonah]

Just now, S-Platt said:

I am a Dean Smith fan but you have ask questions when we throw away a lead.  We found a system that created chances and scored 3 goals in 15 mins last week.  Yet we revert to a system that has failed for the last couple of months.  Then he brings on Barkley who will not be our player next season instead of Davis who changed the game last week.

It's frustrating and people can ask questions.  

Absolutely. Lots will ask questions and then the usual 4 or 5 will moan and stamp their feet. 

Valid questions but for me, you can see the lack of quality we still have to work with. That's the major thing for me at the moment. 

Maybe different subs work but when you see the lack of quality mcginn, Trez and Traore had today, we need a stronger squad to get further up that top half. 

[Dodgyknees]

Smith called it badly today and it’s ok to say that, it doesn’t mean you don’t support the team. It means the mistakes, lack of endeavour and fight and the poor subs come from the team the manager picked and the formation. It’s ok to criticise.

[Davkaus]

1 minute ago, DCJonah said:

Well people seem to act like it's a different result with him on the pitch. 

I can see reasons for and against him coming on. I'd have actually made that sub if I was in charge. 

But I'm not convinced it would have made a massive difference. 

I actually think today, with Liverpool's inexperienced CB pairing, would be a golden opportunity for Davis. I'm generally not a big fan, and I think there are games where he'd just be completely ineffective. If he comes up against a top defence, or some big strong defenders, it's just not going to be his day, but I think he'd have made a big difference today. 

[villa4europe]

5 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Watkins to the wing and Davis on to bully their CBs.

Remember with the Ramsey sub he stuck him on the wing. Why not Davis there?

You expecting Davis to get up and down with Robertson? 

Not happening

Ramsey did a good job with Robertson, positioning and work rate defensively was sound... And then he chucked all that away for their winner 

[DCJonah]

1 minute ago, WooJung said:

It would have been different, we were always going to play it long, Davis, as limited as he is, suits that style. 

We will never know what might have happened, but to me it made more sense than shifting Ramsey out wide.

Or bringing on Barkley, but I'd rather have Heaton playing as a 10 than barkley, so there's that

Yeah, maybe push Davis up instead of Barkley but then you risk leaving way too much space in midfield, even though Barkley doesn't add much. 

[VillanousOne]

2 minutes ago, S-Platt said:

I am a Dean Smith fan but you have ask questions when we throw away a lead.  We found a system that created chances and scored 3 goals in 15 mins last week.  Yet we revert to a system that has failed for the last couple of months.  Then he brings on Barkley who will not be our player next season instead of Davis who changed the game last week.

It's frustrating and people can ask questions.  

Sssh you can't criticise Dean Smith on the Dean Smith thread...

[bose]

4 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

Is that more attacking though? I think we are allowing a 20 minute spell last week to wipe out the last few years of Keinan Davis, who doesn't really create or score. 

It might have worked but we're talking as though Davis wins games on his own. 

Come on nobody is saying that we would have definitely won or that Davis is some miracle player.
Surely you can see why people question the decision of not using Davis at all after his performance last week?

[DCJonah]

Just now, Davkaus said:

I actually think today, with Liverpool's inexperienced CB pairing, would be a golden opportunity for Davis. I'm generally not a big fan, and I think there are games where he'd just be completely ineffective. If he comes up against a top defence, or some big strong defenders, it's just not going to be his day, but I think he'd have made a big difference today. 

I'd have played Davis today. I agree, I think he could have caused problems. But it's still only Keinan Davis, I can't sit here and say we'd have won and its a terrible decision to leave him on the bench.