The_Steve Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 Dean deserves better than a yo-yo club like Norwich 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talldarkandransome Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 14 hours ago, Stevo985 said: Still so so gutted for him. I've never wanted a manager to succeed like I did with Dean. This is about where I am. Brought the club and fans back together, for that, he will always be remembered fondly. Provided the only good memories in the last decade. I hope the togetherness continues with the new bloke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 Smith > Gerrard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a m ole Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 2 hours ago, DCJonah said: I hope that isn't forgotten. He’s one that will go down in history like Little 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 5 hours ago, thabucks said: Norwich would be a good fit for him and if im being brutally honest about his level. He did what was asked of him with grace and will always be remembered for the gent he was but harsh realities are that football doesn’t stand still and if you are not constantly improving you are going backwards. No time for sentimentality nowadays which is sad in many ways but felt the time was right for a change. Fair enough but we didnt replace him with better which is the main fanbase complaint 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 Such a shame he didn’t get to field his best team either… not once… I can’t deny he made mistakes but so much went against him and there was a certain degree of disarray to deal with… Maybe he IS too nice and too accepting of changes being made (for him?)… maybe the one/main thing he lacks is a ruthless, disciplined side… maybe he was too friendly with the players… I don’t know. It’s just sad… all seems a bit cruel too but that’s football. I was and remain suspicious of the coaching changes and believe that they harmed us badly… I did not like the amount of influence McPhee was having and what he was turning us into. Dean needed to be stronger here and maybe have more self belief and hold his ground. He possibly needed to assert his authority better… where did Smithball go? Just still can’t get over this… it would have been amazing to achieve even more success with him e.g. getting into Europe. I believed it was going to happen… that we would have another experience such as the Atletico Madrid game under John Gregory… that it would be Dean’s turn… Imagine the joy… it just won’t/wouldn’t be the same with any random manager who has no genuine affinity to the club… Maybe Dean can learn more, pick up more skills, gain more experience and come back to us one day, as a better manager…? He will have leant harsh lessons from his time here too… Miss the guy… wanted to experience and enjoy more wonderful moments with him at the helm… It’s so rare to have a guy that is so intertwined and attached to your club leading it… Oh well, on to the future. Can’t dwell on the past. UTV… Always 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 This thread is like a form of therapy now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Steve Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 Tactical limitations aside, one of his biggest assets was how he was the ideal father figure for many of the lads, especially Grealish and Ollie. I think the acrimony around the transfer saga, whilst they knew deep down it would happen eventually, was a personal hammer blow to Dean. Especially so close to the season starting. Naïve? Perhaps, it’s hard to see such a bond they had wouldn’t knock your confidence, especially with their abilities. Though he’s too professional to admit it, I’m sure he was hurting. The saddest picture is those two on the bench but clearly so distant. I’m not blaming Jack, it’s more an observation about how such an investment can probably really knock the wind out of your sails, especially when Terry and ROK left soon after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 On 09/11/2021 at 12:37, sne said: The new David Squires one is lovely as always. https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/nov/09/david-squires-on-the-premier-leagues-mechanical-pencil-of-damocles Quote DanieLLLLLLDDLLW Farke 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhan_Zhuang Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 Starting to think the writing was on the wall long before Greal-hiss left...Smith was just too nice and liked certain players too much in the hope they would perform consistently. I think some of the players badly let him down! First Terry and O'kelly upset some of the 'soundboards' for Smith. MacPhee and Shakespeare seemed to create confusion but the coup de grâce was losing our best player. I hope Smith becomes an even better manager from his experience and makes the correct decision for his future role as it could define him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meregreen Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 8 hours ago, Zatman said: Fair enough but we didnt replace him with better which is the main fanbase complaint Yes we did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jas10 Posted November 12, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 12, 2021 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam-AVFC Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 34 minutes ago, meregreen said: Yes we did. You can't possibly be sure of that at this time. Alex McLeish won far more at Rangers. For all the talk of Rangers coming back from the brink, it's simply to paint an underdog narrative. Actually look at their squads last year and you'll see Rangers was far superior. Now, going unbeaten and reaching the points they did last season is very impressive. The worrying balance to that being their football has been nowhere near as good this season, even if they have got the wins needed. Some because of pretty dodgy decisions. Now of course we all hope he shows himself to be the next big thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post PieFacE Posted November 12, 2021 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted November 12, 2021 Not really given my opinion on his exit. But here it is for whatever it's worth. Definitely felt it was the right time for him to go, even though it's incredibly sad. Our performances without Grealish in the team have been pretty shocking and I'm not sure he could turn it around with this group of players. I feel like the squad needs a different voice and different ideas post Grealish for us to kick on now. So I totally understand why the owners did what they did. However, I really really wanted it to work with Smith. Wish him nothing but the best in the future. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted November 12, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted November 12, 2021 49 minutes ago, meregreen said: Yes we did. There's a long way to go to prove that this is true 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 9 hours ago, Zatman said: Fair enough but we didnt replace him with better which is the main fanbase complaint Possibly worth waiting to see how it pans out rather than write him off before he’s even started? That would certainly maintain the spirit of how much slack Smith was cut during his time here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaJ100 Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Sam-AVFC said: You can't possibly be sure of that at this time. Alex McLeish won far more at Rangers. For all the talk of Rangers coming back from the brink, it's simply to paint an underdog narrative. Actually look at their squads last year and you'll see Rangers was far superior. Now, going unbeaten and reaching the points they did last season is very impressive. The worrying balance to that being their football has been nowhere near as good this season, even if they have got the wins needed. Some because of pretty dodgy decisions. Now of course we all hope he shows himself to be the next big thing. He also finished 3rd with Rangers which should have barred him from any managerial post for the rest of time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sam-AVFC Posted November 12, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 12, 2021 1 hour ago, briny_ear said: Possibly worth waiting to see how it pans out rather than write him off before he’s even started? That would certainly maintain the spirit of how much slack Smith was cut during his time here. Literally within hours of Smith getting the job you posted this: On 10/10/2018 at 22:45, briny_ear said: Best of luck, Dean. Given I think you’re not up to the job, maybe you will need a lot of it. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam-AVFC Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 10 minutes ago, VillaJ100 said: He also finished 3rd with Rangers which should have barred him from any managerial post for the rest of time I'm going to give the guy every chance and really hope he does well. I just get annoyed by the absolute certainty from some that he is going to be amazing before he's proved much. Interestingly Rangers fans criticisms* of him seem to be almost identical to the ones regularly posted about Smith - too many favourites, crap with subs etc. *excluding the recent slew from jilted lovers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts