Dean Smith

[Dave-R]

18 minutes ago, M_Afro said:

He watched a very different game to me! Also, why is he scared of playing Brentford! What have we become!

The  brentford boss did switch the system I don't think that helped at all, took us even more off the game than what we were, totally got fooled.

[KenjiOgiwara]

6 hours ago, Keyblade said:

And then what, sack him after 20 games too?

Which is why people even discussing this needs to get their heads checked. Makes no sense. 

We are trying to adapt to new style of play, new philosophies and to that new will see new players and less old farts like Hutton, Whelan and Jedinak. But it won't happen over night. 

[cbr600rr]

tough job, villa expect better ,DS has 18months to turn it,

ITS GOING TO HAPPEN ..MY MONEY IS ON OCTOBER NEXT YEAR.

WHOS NEXT?

[Rodders]

No but if in the meantime, hes incapable of any sort of pragmatism in terms of getting results, what's the point? How many insipid defeats and clueless performances are acceptable? How much fans time and money be wasted watching tripe? Should fans accept there will be no improvement in performance for another 6 or 7 months?

Yes, many of the players are not good enough, but they are experienced enough and have shown ability previously to do a lot beter than they currently are. They look directionless, and lack cohesion. If we're writing off the season, why even bother turning up on Saturdays? What are the goals and objectives of this season? I don't think anyone knows what they want at management level.

[hippo]

2 minutes ago, cbr600rr said:

tough job, villa expect better ,DS has 18months to turn it,

ITS GOING TO HAPPEN ..MY MONEY IS ON OCTOBER NEXT YEAR.

WHOS NEXT?

Thats why I think. But who's next will depend on who is available in October ? usually not very much.

[DaveAV1]

Our last two opponents have been teams that have been together for a while and know each and what the manager expects from them.  They are also packed with players that on the whole are young, highly motivated to do well and suited to a high energy game. We are the exact opposite, full of over paid, unmotivated players that are coming to the end of their careers. The vast majority of these players know that they won’t be here next season and probably won’t get another contract anything like the one they have now. They’re on their way down and it shows. 

It will take time before we can make proper progress. I think the board see this as a project and will afford time to the people they have chosen to carry out their vision for the future. We are trying to change the whole culture both on and off the pitch, trying to turn an oil tanker around if you like. Quick fixes have not only failed in the past, they have brought us to where we are today and in fact nearly bankrupted is just a few months ago. That has to change and change like many things in life is difficult. Those who hold their nerve and will battle to get through the hard times are what we require and hopefully will bring us ultimate success. It won’t be easy and their will be casualties along the way, but we mustn’t fail because we revert back to quick fix, short term thinking. 

[hippo]

6 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

Our last two opponents have been teams that have been together for a while and know each and what the manager expects from them.  They are also packed with players that on the whole are young, highly motivated to do well and suited to a high energy game. We are the exact opposite, full of over paid, unmotivated players that are coming to the end of their careers. The vast majority of these players know that they won’t be here next season and probably won’t get another contract anything like the one they have now. They’re on their way down and it shows. 

It will take time before we can make proper progress. I think the board see this as a project and will afford time to the people they have chosen to carry out their vision for the future. We are trying to change the whole culture both on and off the pitch, trying to turn an oil tanker around if you like. Quick fixes have not only failed in the past, they have brought us to where we are today and in fact nearly bankrupted is just a few months ago. That has to change and change like many things in life is difficult. Those who hold their nerve and will battle to get through the hard times are what we require and hopefully will bring us ultimate success. It won’t be easy and their will be casualties along the way, but we mustn’t fail because we revert back to quick fix, short term thinking. 

Keeps losing games he will go. Despite all the 'words' above.

 

[OutByEaster?]

West Brom, Stoke, Derby, small heath, Forest.

The job starts in the summer and it's a huge job, but Smith needs to be careful, the way we're currently playing we could quite easily lose all five of those games. 

If we do, there will be calls for his head.

He needs to find a way to win, and sharpish.

 

[punkiller1981]

Not quite sure how DS can say it wasn’t what we deserved. We hardly touched the ball all night and the two times we got in all night the finishing was poor. Friday night we got something we didn’t deserve in a point when we should have had nothing. Also can somebody show Andre green some YouTube clips if mbappe and tell him to try and copy him

[Demitri_C]

40 minutes ago, Dave-R said:

The  brentford boss did switch the system I don't think that helped at all, took us even more off the game than what we were, totally got fooled.

Then Smith isn't the man for us if he can't adjust to a formula change. I can't believe his number two tactically beat him with ease yesterday. 

Was expecting to see some interesting play to expose some of brentfords weaknesses as he knows them all inside out. He exposed  nothing. 

Very very disappointed in him. He won't last long next year with garbage like this. 

[cbr600rr]

Theirs a tool for every job.. 

just bet big Sam in, he would get villa up , commands respect, get villa organised from top to bottom. 

[Demitri_C]

7 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

West Brom, Stoke, Derby, small heath, Forest.

The job starts in the summer and it's a huge job, but Smith needs to be careful, the way we're currently playing we could quite easily lose all five of those games. 

If we do, there will be calls for his head.

He needs to find a way to win, and sharpish.

 

Exactly. It is all good saying wait to the summer but if he loses then five games he really will have the fan base against him and might not make it to then. 

He needs to get the best out of what he has until the summer it's as simple as that. If we get thumped as I expect at the sty the fans really will turn on him. 

[cbr600rr]

4 minutes ago, punkiller1981 said:

Not quite sure how DS can say it wasn’t what we deserved. We hardly touched the ball all night and the two times we got in all night the finishing was poor. Friday night we got something we didn’t deserve in a point when we should have had nothing. Also can somebody show Andre green some YouTube clips if mbappe and tell him to try and copy him

That’s the problem, denial , 

[wilko154]

Some of the calls for his head are ridiculous, he will build for next season over the summer and I think it will change the club in a huge way. A rebuild which has been needed for over 10 years. However in saying this I am dissapointed in what I have seen of late. There are two reasons for the current dismal displays and Smith has to take the flack for one of them:

1) The players aren't giving the same effort that they did earlier in the season, they aren't working hard enough, pressing hard enough and generally trying to win football matches in the same way we did last season and when Smith took over. Unfortunately the vast majority of them just aren't good enough but there are no excuses for not putting the work in. There are teams in this league with players with less technical abilities that make it up in work ethic each week, just look at Brentford last night.

2) This is where Smith has let us down. Tactically he was spot on in the early stages, he changed the formation and style and with Tuanzebe & Grealish we were a real force. Since those two have been injured the formation and style hasn't worked, as the manager it's his job to get the best out of the players he has and he just hasn't done it. The midfield has been overrun in every game, I just can't understand how he hasn't seen this and changed the way we play, changed the formation to adapt to this. Sometimes playing direct is needed with an extra striker up front, lose the wingers if they aren't proving effective and flood the midfield, play an extra centre back and let the fullbacks go forward. But we have just continued in the same way, drawing, losing, scraping wins whilst playing some absolutely turgid stuff.

 

On the plus... the defence now looks very solid. Mings, Elphick and Kalinic deserve some credit, but so does Smith. If this is what he can do in one January transfer window surely he deserves the Summer to see through a complete rebuild of the squad?

[Pimlico_Villa]

31 minutes ago, Rodders said:

No but if in the meantime, hes incapable of any sort of pragmatism in terms of getting results, what's the point? How many insipid defeats and clueless performances are acceptable? How much fans time and money be wasted watching tripe? Should fans accept there will be no improvement in performance for another 6 or 7 months?

Yes, many of the players are not good enough, but they are experienced enough and have shown ability previously to do a lot beter than they currently are. They look directionless, and lack cohesion. If we're writing off the season, why even bother turning up on Saturdays? What are the goals and objectives of this season? I don't think anyone knows what they want at management level.

Great post. 

[romavillan]

3 minutes ago, wilko154 said:

Some of the calls for his head are ridiculous, he will build for next season over the summer and I think it will change the club in a huge way. A rebuild which has been needed for over 10 years. However in saying this I am dissapointed in what I have seen of late. There are two reasons for the current dismal displays and Smith has to take the flack for one of them:

1) The players aren't giving the same effort that they did earlier in the season, they aren't working hard enough, pressing hard enough and generally trying to win football matches in the same way we did last season and when Smith took over. Unfortunately the vast majority of them just aren't good enough but there are no excuses for not putting the work in. There are teams in this league with players with less technical abilities that make it up in work ethic each week, just look at Brentford last night.

2) This is where Smith has let us down. Tactically he was spot on in the early stages, he changed the formation and style and with Tuanzebe & Grealish we were a real force. Since those two have been injured the formation and style hasn't worked, as the manager it's his job to get the best out of the players he has and he just hasn't done it. The midfield has been overrun in every game, I just can't understand how he hasn't seen this and changed the way we play, changed the formation to adapt to this. Sometimes playing direct is needed with an extra striker up front, lose the wingers if they aren't proving effective and flood the midfield, play an extra centre back and let the fullbacks go forward. But we have just continued in the same way, drawing, losing, scraping wins whilst playing some absolutely turgid stuff.

 

On the plus... the defence now looks very solid. Mings, Elphick and Kalinic deserve some credit, but so does Smith. If this is what he can do in one January transfer window surely he deserves the Summer to see through a complete rebuild of the squad?

I think 1 and 2 are related, in that the players as a group seem to have realised they aren't going to be a group anymore for very long and a lot are just in arse saving mode. Trying to get through 90 minutes without a howler and it being their fault, just a couple of players playing that way is enough to **** it up for everyone we seem to have a few more than that every week. Also I wouldn't say Brentford players were lacking technically, they did the basics very well, first touch, movement, head up, pass quickly. Everything Smith is about ironically seeing as how our lot just seem like rabbits in the headlights most of the time bar the obvious 2 or 3.

On to 2, if the players are looking to just survive and do the minimum without being noticed and making a huge mistake, then we can't play the way Smith got us playing at the start, everyone needs to be at it. For me Smith has tried to change it, we go long a hell of a lot more than what we were trying to do a couple of months ago. We look to go from back to front very quickly at the cost of losing the ball. It's percentages, try and hit Tammy as often as you can and hopefully something will stick and he'll score. It's desperation brought on by the players seemingly being unable to play how Smith wants without shipping a fuckton of goals. Smith switched to a 4-4-2 last night, he's ditched the playing out from the back, he's ditched trying the possession game etc. too. He has madea  load of changes to try and make us more solid.

Personally I'd prefer him to get back to what he's about and if the senior pros can't do it try and get some of the u23s in and used to how he wants to play, even if we do get a few beatings along the way. **** it.  At least we'd be out of this weird limbo playing players who won't be here in a few months in a style we won't be using in a few months.

[AvfcRigo82]

38 minutes ago, Rodders said:

No but if in the meantime, hes incapable of any sort of pragmatism in terms of getting results, what's the point? How many insipid defeats and clueless performances are acceptable? How much fans time and money be wasted watching tripe? Should fans accept there will be no improvement in performance for another 6 or 7 months?

Yes, many of the players are not good enough, but they are experienced enough and have shown ability previously to do a lot beter than they currently are. They look directionless, and lack cohesion. If we're writing off the season, why even bother turning up on Saturdays? What are the goals and objectives of this season? I don't think anyone knows what they want at management level.

Spot on Rodders.

Fwiw I would demand a refund for most of the shit we have had to endure aince Dececmber.

I said it at the beginning and il say it again - The club and the occasion are too big and overwhelming for Smith and co.

I cannot get behind shit, dull, dire football with no game plan for another game. Enough's enough.

[KenjiOgiwara]

36 minutes ago, Rodders said:

How many insipid defeats and clueless performances are acceptable? How much fans time and money be wasted watching tripe? Should fans accept there will be no improvement in performance for another 6 or 7 months?

Well Bruce got 2 years didn't he? So that's a bench mark right there. 

Obviously not but people are seriously complaining about performances 3-4 months in with one January window to work with, while inheriting an aging and completely imbalanced squad. DS is a good manager, but he's not Gandalf.

Football teams, like big companies, are like suezmax tankers. You can make the right changes, but it has to be repeated for a while before you get the result you want. The fact that people are losing their shit now is the reason why this club never moved past hoofball. 

Swear sometimes it feels some fans here are more interested in who our next manager may be than winning trophies long term. 

 

[lexicon]

A lot of people talked about fundamental root and branch changes at the football club. A philosophy. An ethos. Totally different types of players identified, signed and developed. How long does that take? A few months? Hell no, don't be ridiculous. We have to be willing to accept short term problems to fix things in the long term. You can't have your cake and eat it too, I'm afraid. 

[hippo]

1 minute ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

Well Bruce got 2 years didn't he? So that's a bench mark right there. 

Obviously not but people are seriously complaining about performances 3-4 months in with one January window to work with, while inheriting an aging and completely imbalanced squad. DS is a good manager, but he's not Gandalf.

Football teams, like big companies, are like suezmax tankers. You can make the right changes, but it has to be repeated for a while before you get the result you want. The fact that people are losing their shit now is the reason why this club never moved past hoofball. 

Swear sometimes it feels some fans here are more interested in who our next manager may be than winning trophies long term. 

 

Even if all the above is valid (which I don't agree, but bear with me) - Where is the next win coming from ? - because he needs 2 or 3 wins between now and May.  Or else he won't be here to execute his long term vision.