Dean Smith

[villalad21]

I didn't like what he said in his press conference. 

Basically calling our collapse as random and a freak thing. 

For me it wasn't. There's a phrase saying you make you own luck. I firmly believe in that. Always have. 

We had completely lost the control of the game. We fell further and further back and lost the initiative of the game. There is no fluke about what happened in my mind. We gave them a chance and opportunity to do what they did. 

This is all I will say on the Wolves game. We move forward. Hopefully we get a reaction against Arsenal. 

[Zatman]

7 hours ago, Tayls said:

Ok… what’s that got to do with Villa? 

You said losing 3 games in a row in this league sets you up terribly. A nuch better team than us lost 4 in a row last season and did OK in the end

[Vive_La_Villa]

4 hours ago, villalad21 said:

I didn't like what he said in his press conference. 

Basically calling our collapse as random and a freak thing. 

For me it wasn't. There's a phrase saying you make you own luck. I firmly believe in that. Always have. 

We had completely lost the control of the game. We fell further and further back and lost the initiative of the game. There is no fluke about what happened in my mind. We gave them a chance and opportunity to do what they did. 

This is all I will say on the Wolves game. We move forward. Hopefully we get a reaction against Arsenal. 

Whilst I get your point I think Smith was saying it was random in the sense that they wernt creating chance after chance. The chances they created they scored. Also it was very uncharacteristic of us. We have become a team that keeps clean sheets and holds out  leads so it was also random in that sense.

Maybe random is the wrong word to use.

[M_Afro]

38 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Whilst I get your point I think Smith was saying it was random in the sense that they wernt creating chance after chance. The chances they created they scored. Also it was very uncharacteristic of us. We have become a team that keeps clean sheets and holds out  leads so it was also random in that sense.

Maybe random is the wrong word to use.

Is that bit still true? That was certainly the case in the first half of last season but it feels less so since the second half of last season.

[Peter Griffin]

39 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Maybe random is the wrong word to use.

If being pedantic about the wording I think 'anomaly' may be a more fitting word for the collapse. 

[Peter Griffin]

10 hours ago, Zatman said:

Liverpool lost 4 league games in a row last season 

And they finished 3rd in the league, the season before they finished 1st. 

[Peter Griffin]

9 hours ago, blandy said:

That’s my point. Compare (via league tables, if you like). But individual people are not businesses, so to compare one element of a business or football team against another individual element of a football team is to miss the point completely.  it’s a collective effort not solely down to the manager who is only a part of the business/football club. There are so many elements that make up the success or failure of a team over a period of time that comparing one individual component of that team to a component of another team is utterly futile.

I think we will have to agree to disagree on that. No two business or sports clubs are identical and will have different people and processes. Benchmarking still works as it enables you to get a view how you are doing against your competition. It something isn't measured it can't be managed!

[Vive_La_Villa]

18 minutes ago, M_Afro said:

Is that bit still true? That was certainly the case in the first half of last season but it feels less so since the second half of last season.

Fair point but even after our indifferent start to the season we’ve kept 3 out of 8. So we still have it in us.

[villalad21]

1 hour ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Whilst I get your point I think Smith was saying it was random in the sense that they wernt creating chance after chance. The chances they created they scored. Also it was very uncharacteristic of us. We have become a team that keeps clean sheets and holds out  leads so it was also random in that sense.

Maybe random is the wrong word to use.

For sure not gonna call it a collapse in public. Wouldn't be a good look on the club.

I'm sure he has a very different opinion on it in private, because it certainly wasn't random.

I can get his point about randomness for the last goal but again. You make your own luck. Why did we allow them into our half and getting so many set pieces in dangerous areas? That's more what I'm getting at.

But he is protecting the club and players in the public which is the right thing to do. 

 

[Bazmonkey]

1 hour ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Whilst I get your point I think Smith was saying it was random in the sense that they wernt creating chance after chance. The chances they created they scored. Also it was very uncharacteristic of us. We have become a team that keeps clean sheets and holds out  leads so it was also random in that sense.

Maybe random is the wrong word to use.

IMO we were or only a team that keeps clean sheets because of Emi......not our style of defending.  Our defending is resolute...bodies....throwing people in front...its not good defending....its not when we attack teams get to the final third and are like....s^&T how do we get through....you only have to look at the type of goals we concede....we have a lot of the players in the box compared to attackers yet still allow shots.....our second ball retention is shocking..

What happened on saturday really highlighted a major issue I have we our team and its been there for a coupe of years and thats composure....we rarely look composed with ball under pressure.....mings slicing it in to stratosphere as one example sat when he could have done better.

I think we have to many safe players....ill use targett as an example.....played wing back saturday and only overlapped 2 or 3 times.....im a left back so i will play left back....then you add the 7 defensive players in to the situation and that severely limits who is available for a forward pass when the defenders do get it.

[Peter Griffin]

30 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

For sure not gonna call it a collapse in public. Wouldn't be a good look on the club.

 

Yeah, I think Smith shows his maturity and experience by not washing his dirty laundry in public. It is just something a manager should never do imo

[Vive_La_Villa]

40 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

For sure not gonna call it a collapse in public. Wouldn't be a good look on the club.

I'm sure he has a very different opinion on it in private, because it certainly wasn't random.

I can get his point about randomness for the last goal but again. You make your own luck. Why did we allow them into our half and getting so many set pieces in dangerous areas? That's more what I'm getting at.

But he is protecting the club and players in the public which is the right thing to do. 

 

It happens mate. Wolves ain’t no mugs, when a team is 2-0 down they will go for it. It’s inevitable they’ll get a spell. Sitting back and being tight for 10 minutes should not be a hard thing to do. The players just didn’t do their jobs.  Not defending Smith but I don’t think he can be massively blamed either. 10 minute 3 goal collapses should not happen at this level regardless of managers instructions.  He’s not coaching a bunch of of kids.
 

That just my opinion. 

[HeyAnty]

3 wins and 4 defeats in 8 games.

ROK and JT leaving has highlighted major flaws imo.

Anyway i think Deans days are numbered.  Poor performance tonight I wouldn’t be at all surprised he gets let go. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

3 minutes ago, HeyAnty said:

3 wins and 4 defeats in 8 games.

ROK and JT leaving has highlighted major flaws imo.

Anyway i think Deans days are numbered.  Poor performance tonight I wouldn’t be at all surprised he gets let go. 

No way!  He’ll get half a season at the very least.

[heffoman]

49 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

For sure not gonna call it a collapse in public. Wouldn't be a good look on the club.

I'm sure he has a very different opinion on it in private, because it certainly wasn't random.

I can get his point about randomness for the last goal but again. You make your own luck. Why did we allow them into our half and getting so many set pieces in dangerous areas? That's more what I'm getting at.

But he is protecting the club and players in the public which is the right thing to do. 

 

Like yourself i don't think it was random.

If you look back on the game we completely switched off after the first goal and stopped playing. Wolves were getting on top. Our second was a bit of fluke.

But as soon as they got one back you just knew how it was ending. We were completely disjointed for most of that game bar an excellent period at the beginning of the second half. 

[HeyAnty]

1 minute ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

No way!  He’ll get half a season at the very least.

You’re probably right but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t.  Be to late by then if the owners believe that we are capable of a top 6.

[Peter Griffin]

4 minutes ago, HeyAnty said:

Anyway i think Deans days are numbered.  Poor performance tonight I wouldn’t be at all surprised he gets let go. 

Wow, I do think Dean is on thin ice at the moment and he does need to improve but I would think he has this season without that worry unless we flirt with relegation (u are making me think about it now). I think this evening will a fairly cautious game. Dean won't want any madness like against Wolves and that may result in a bit of a boring draw. I would love to see us play 433 and really go for the win but I can't see that happening

[Vive_La_Villa]

3 minutes ago, Peter Griffin said:

Wow, I do think Dean is on thin ice at the moment and he does need to improve but I would think he has this season without that worry unless we flirt with relegation (u are making me think about it now). I think this evening will a fairly cautious game. Dean won't want any madness like against Wolves and that may result in a bit of a boring draw. I would love to see us play 433 and really go for the win but I can't see that happening

I think the opposite. We’ll really go for it. I think we’ll beat them and pile more pressure on Arteta. 

[Peter Griffin]

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

I think the opposite. We’ll really go for it. I think we’ll beat them and pile more pressure on Arteta. 

I really hope u are right. It will be an enjoyable Friday night if we do. I don't mind losing (too much) as long as we put in a strong showing for the entire 90 mins and try and win the game

[Vive_La_Villa]

3 minutes ago, Peter Griffin said:

I really hope u are right. It will be an enjoyable Friday night if we do. I don't mind losing (too much) as long as we put in a strong showing for the entire 90 mins and try and win the game

My biggest concern is actually the Friday night pissed up atmosphere. It can give players a lot of energy. Alternatively if we get on top it could also turn toxic.