Dean Smith

[villalad21]

7 minutes ago, hippo said:

I agree in part - but lets not forget those choosing the manager had Theiry Henry very seriously in the frame. Best outcome is Smith turns it round 

DS is obviously a much better option than Henry, but the fact that DS has been leaking goals in every club he's been at is a massive concern for me.

In the Wigan game it seriously looked like the team weren't playing for the manager anymore, the lack of effort and desire scared me. The upcoming games will show whether he's lost the dressing room or not.

But the idea that DS should keep the job after the season regardless of what happens to me is obsurd. No he should earn his right to keep the job.

Edited January 13, 2019 by villalad21

[DaveAV1]

On 12/01/2019 at 20:57, briny_ear said:

My worry about Smith was always that he wouldn’t be up to the job. (Not sure who is though.) 

I was very impressed with his early results, especially the Middlesbrough game and convinced myself I was completely wrong.

However it’s now looking a lot more dicey for him. I’m now learning that he needs time, needs a preseason and needs to buy his own players. We hear this about every new manager and they all seem to fail in the end. 

What I’m seeing is him losing influence over the way his team plays. He needs to get that back quickly because a manager who can’t affect the way his squad is playing is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

All managers have patches like this, particularly relatively young managers. It’s how they react to these set backs that defines their career. We can analyse all day and night and come up with all sorts of different conclusions, but the only thing that really matters is whether they can turn it around or not and in a time frame that the board are happy with. I think he deserves and will be given time.

The squad will definitely get a major overhaul in the summer because so many contracts are ending, so we are definitely in a transition period. Patience will be a virtue, but the owners are ambitious men and will need to see progress towards the vision they have for the club. There won’t be any knee jerk reactions, but Dean Smith won’t get a free pass either. 

Edited January 14, 2019 by DaveAV1

[wilko154]

8 hours ago, villalad21 said:

No we don't have to.

It's time to be ruthless. Bradford fans weren't too sad to see him go, like the vistiting fan clearly stated DS is incapable in organize a defence. The honeymoon period is over and DS have been a massive failure so far.

The Wigan result was the last straw for me. Been a long time since i've been this embarrased of my club and it's not acceptable.

I imagine the Bradford fans weren't too sad to see him go... in fact I bet they didn't give a toss seeing as though he was managing Brentford.

Since Smith left Brentford they have nosedived down the league table, although over the last 5 games they have picked up a fair few points to drag them away from a relegation battle.

The honeymoon period is definately over, by DS hasn't been a massive failure at all. He's shown exactly why we brought him in as manager, he just doesn't have the squad to implement the football style he wants. He has been massively let down by the lack of squad depth in certain areas, something we were all aware of over the Summer transfer window and the dealings Bruce made.

It's far too early to be saying it's the final straw, it could well be the kick up the arse that the players need.

[VillaAlex]

 

Interesting, backs up the a few posts in here that we simply aren't fit enough to play a whole game. 

[villalad21]

11 minutes ago, wilko154 said:

It's far too early to be saying it's the final straw

As i've stated before i don't mind losing games as long as the team gives everything on the pitch, but it's the manner and they way we lost these last 2 games that has scared me.

A team not being bothered is a warning sign of a manager that has lost the dressing room. But we will see in the upcoming games if players has lost faith in him or not.

[roadoftrinity]

8 hours ago, villalad21 said:

 

The Wigan result was the last straw for me. Been a long time since i've been this embarrased of my club and it's not acceptable.

Where have you been for the last 5 years? 

[Dave J]

10 hours ago, jonjon said:

Dean Smith only had a 40.74% win rate with us, Mark Warburton 51.28% and Uwe Rossler 43.08%, So we actually took a step backwards with employing him, granted he got us playing a very high pressing fast game that was a joy to watch but on the other hand our defending was terrible and we leaked a lot of silly goals, I have watched Villa a few times this season and can see a mirror image of how we played.

His main fault with us was his substitution policy, he either left it too late, changed the wrong players and without changing tactics, he left us for you on the back of a no win in 5 games, we continued this vein with our new Head Coach with only 2 wins in ten, However, he has now changed our defensive formation and steadied the ship and and we are unbeaten in 6 and only conceded 3 goals, and comprehensively beat Stoke on Saturday with a fantastic display.

His record at Walsall was the same, good attacking football but leaking goals, so a pattern seems to be forming with you as well, it seems he is unable to cure this inherent problem, did your board not take this into consideration and not gone for someone experienced with a Big club history and culture like Villa have.

Your views would be interesting to a Household with a Brentford (Me) and Villa (The Wife) supporters

 

You'd think with John Terry at the helm - our defence should be better.

Does DS even bother with coaching this aspect of the game - otherwise why would JT be here?

by the way this is not a dig in any way at JT.

[hippo]

Just now, Dave J said:

You'd think with John Terry at the helm - our defence should be better.

Does DS even bother with coaching this aspect of the game - otherwise why would JT be here?

by the way this is not a dig in any way at JT.

I don't think JT is involved as much as you think. There have even been suggestions that he only works a couple of days a week. DS is the head coach I would imagine he leads the training. It would be very brave of him to delegate the defensive coaching element to JT

[tomav84]

21 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

As i've stated before i don't mind losing games as long as the team gives everything on the pitch, but it's the manner and they way we lost these last 2 games that has scared me.

A team not being bothered is a warning sign of a manager that has lost the dressing room. But we will see in the upcoming games if players has lost faith in him or not.

one one piece of your last couple of posts i do have to agree with. something was badly wrong saturday. wigan were dreadful IMO...absolutely there for the taking, and we gifted them 3 points without them needing to get out of 2nd gear. any half decent side would have taken something away from saturday. i wonder if something went on in the build up...something to do with kodjia being allowed to go to france whilst other injured players had to sit in the stands? who knows...and i agree the next couple of games will be a good indication

[jim]

36 minutes ago, wilko154 said:

 

Since Smith left Brentford they have nosedived down the league table, although over the last 5 games they have picked up a fair few points to drag them away from a relegation battle.

 

Brentford also had not won in 5 games before Smith left. They now appear to have stabilised being unbeaten in the last 6 and shored up the defense.

The worrying thing for me about Smith is he is a very 'streaky' manager. His record at his other clubs isn't great at all and he does not appear to have been able to sort out defensive issues and maintain any consistency. I'm baffled how he even got the job to be totally honest.  

 

[hippo]

3 minutes ago, jim said:

Brentford also had not won in 5 games before Smith left. They now appear to have stabilised being unbeaten in the last 6 and shored up the defense.

The worrying thing for me about Smith is he is a very 'streaky' manager. His record at his other clubs isn't great at all and he does not appear to have been able to sort out defensive issues and maintain any consistency. I'm baffled how he even got the job to be totally honest.  

 

Yep those are my concerns too ....when people say "I am 100% convinced he is the right man" - I just think 'why' ? 

That said if he isn't right the man heaven knows where we go from here. Just have to hope he comes good.

[villalad21]

1 minute ago, hippo said:

That said if he isn't right the man heaven knows where we go from here. Just have to hope he comes good.

John Terry is an option but then again that's a huge risk to take.

[Vive_La_Villa]

If we ever get to the stage where Smith fails miserably and is sacked then the only option is a big name experienced manager.  A Nuno, Rafa, Bielsa etc. Someone that has managed at the highest level and knows what it takes at a big club with massive expectations and pressure. 

How we entice a man with that level of experience is another story. 

But i still think we have to give Smith a chance with some of his own players first. 

[hippo]

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

If we ever get to the stage where Smith fails miserably and is sacked then the only option is a big name experienced manager.  A Nuno, Rafa, Bielsa etc. Someone that has managed at the highest level and knows what it takes at a big club with massive expectations and pressure. 

How we entice a man with that level of experience is another story. 

But i still think we have to give Smith a chance with some of his own players first. 

Thats the problem. I am old enough to remember when we were relegated in 1987 - Graham Taylor was one of the top managers around - he wasn't even mentioned as we just assumed he would be beyond our reach. For some reason he seen us a challenge and applied for the job.

How we can replicate that in 2019 I just don't know. Should Smith fail though I do think (like yourself) that a different approach to managerial  selection is needed.

[hippo]

22 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

one one piece of your last couple of posts i do have to agree with. something was badly wrong saturday. wigan were dreadful IMO...absolutely there for the taking, and we gifted them 3 points without them needing to get out of 2nd gear. any half decent side would have taken something away from saturday. i wonder if something went on in the build up...something to do with kodjia being allowed to go to france whilst other injured players had to sit in the stands? who knows...and i agree the next couple of games will be a good indication

Were you at the swansea game ? clearly an unhappy bunch as Swansea walk though our defence for a shot on goal, there was no mini inquest amongst the defenders - no pointing,  no shouting, they just turned and trotted back up field.

[Stevo985]

43 minutes ago, hippo said:

I don't think JT is involved as much as you think. There have even been suggestions that he only works a couple of days a week. DS is the head coach I would imagine he leads the training. It would be very brave of him to delegate the defensive coaching element to JT

And as I brought up in Terry's thread, there seems to be a common misconception that Terry's role is defensive coach.

It's not. He is Assistant Head Coach.

Now obviously you'd expect one of the premier league's best ever defenders to have an influence on the defence, of course. But it's not his sole responsibility.

[tomav84]

29 minutes ago, hippo said:

Were you at the swansea game ? clearly an unhappy bunch as Swansea walk though our defence for a shot on goal, there was no mini inquest amongst the defenders - no pointing,  no shouting, they just turned and trotted back up field.

i wasnt - but guess that's similar to saturday, apart from kalinic no one seemed to give a toss

[Demitri_C]

Smith will get until next season I'm sure of that an drightly so. If for some reason it never worked out I can see us looking at a European coach perhaps from Spain.

Have we veer had a Spanish manager before?

[Merson08]

2 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Smith will get until next season I'm sure of that an drightly so. If for some reason it never worked out I can see us looking at a European coach perhaps from Spain.

Have we veer had a Spanish manager before?

I'd take Rafa Benitez if Smith doesn't work out. 

Smiths transfers are still unknown but for all of Bruce's issues he seemed to be able to get a half decent side together. Admittedly half of the signings turned pretty sour, but half were good.  

[hippo]

9 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Smith will get until next season I'm sure of that an drightly so. If for some reason it never worked out I can see us looking at a European coach perhaps from Spain.

Have we veer had a Spanish manager before?

19 games left - He has won 1 of the last 7 - should he only get 3 more wins out of the remaining games would you expect  him to stay ?

That said we have Grealish to return - and there will be some meaningless end of season games - I think he will win some of those -so like yourself I think he will start next season.

Edited January 14, 2019 by hippo