Dean Smith

[romavillan]

12 minutes ago, hippo said:

Agreed - its so bad that he who must not be criticised send out the possible replacements from our u23's on loan. 

So none of the credit and all of the blame? I would think Pitarch as DOF would have been part of that decision, along with the u23 coach and Smith.

To be honest it would be nice to think we could have kept them here and played them, but the angry brigade might have got on their backs with pressure to get in the playoffs or the manager shoudl be sacked etc. Might not be a bad thing that they get 15 games or so away from the nasty atmosphere around VP and come back in the summer with hours of competitive football under their belts.

Also, I've notcied that most people being vocal about Smith getting the boot are also suggesting Big Sam, Wenger, Dunga and an equally impossible list of names that will come down to Bodymoor wave a magic wand and using magic beans, a league one budget, fairy dust and claret and blue unicorns build a squad to get autos next year.

[hippo]

Just now, romavillan said:

So none of the credit and all of the blame? I would think Pitarch as DOF would have been part of that decision, along with the u23 coach and Smith.

To be honest it would be nice to think we could have kept them here and played them, but the angry brigade might have got on their backs with pressure to get in the playoffs or the manager shoudl be sacked etc. Might not be a bad thing that they get 15 games or so away from the nasty atmosphere around VP and come back in the summer with hours of competitive football under their belts.

Also, I've notcied that most people being vocal about Smith getting the boot are also suggesting Big Sam, Wenger, Dunga and an equally impossible list of names that will come down to Bodymoor wave a magic wand and using magic beans, a league one budget, fairy dust and claret and blue unicorns build a squad to get autos next year.

 

Not I - In fact I worry about the next Managerial appointment as Henry was reportedly in the frame with DS

However whether you rate him or not - to me there is a distinct possibility he will be gone by Christmas - and I would therefore think the club has a better chance of getting it right in May/Jun - than in mid season months when anyone any good already has a club. 

Smith is the head coach - if the loans were against his wishes he should have grew a pair and said so, instead of rolling over to have his belly tickled.

[bannedfromHandV]

I think Slavisa Jokanovic would be getting a better tune out of our squad.

I'd go all out for him in the summer if things don't improve, drastically between now and then.

[hippo]

10 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

I think Slavisa Jokanovic would be getting a better tune out of our squad.

I'd go all out for him in the summer if things don't improve, drastically between now and then.

Key word being the summer - he will have another club by Oct/Nov - should we in those months decide Smith isn't the man after all. 

[Risso]

12 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

I think Slavisa Jokanovic would be getting a better tune out of our squad.

I'd go all out for him in the summer if things don't improve, drastically between now and then.

Same here.  Hard to see where the next win in the next five games is going to come from to be honest.  I understand all the reasons for giving him time, but with any manager there comes a point of no return.

[brommy]

12 minutes ago, Risso said:

Same here.  Hard to see where the next win in the next five games is going to come from to be honest.  I understand all the reasons for giving him time, but with any manager there comes a point of no return.

How long would you give the next manager?

[weedman]

Our squad is hugely unbalanced for sure, and we're probably not good enough for promotion quality wise, however we have some of the best players in the league for their respective positions (Tammy, McGinn, Mings, Kalinic, not even including Tuanzebe or Grealish). The players are better than relegation form.

At worst we should be mid table, comfortably seeing off the bottom teams and not having quite enough to compete with the top ones. We're barely competing against anyone at the minute. I want Smith to do well, and it's too early to judge him but if we don't show any improvement between now and the end of the season questions will rightly have to be asked 

[hippo]

19 minutes ago, brommy said:

How long would you give the next manager?

If he struggles you look at his previous, to see if there is any prospect of him coming good. 

[hippo]

35 minutes ago, Risso said:

Same here.  Hard to see where the next win in the next five games is going to come from to be honest.  I understand all the reasons for giving him time, but with any manager there comes a point of no return.

We could feasibly beat Stoke. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

22 minutes ago, brommy said:

How long would you give the next manager?

10 games max before we are calling him a failed Premier League Manager.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

5 minutes ago, hippo said:

If he struggles you look at his previous, to see if there is any prospect of him coming good. 

Then surely we should have stuck with Bruce?

[Vive_La_Villa]

56 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

I think Slavisa Jokanovic would be getting a better tune out of our squad.

I'd go all out for him in the summer if things don't improve, drastically between now and then.

To be fair it took him half the season to get a tune out of Fulham in the promotion season. If we had that same kind form after a manager had a few seasons at the club the fans would be calling for his head.

He would have most likely have been sacked before the upturn. 

[Mark Albrighton]

1 hour ago, bannedfromHandV said:

I think Slavisa Jokanovic would be getting a better tune out of our squad.

I'd go all out for him in the summer if things don't improve, drastically between now and then.

In your view, what does improve drastically mean?

Does it mean, say, scrape 6 or 7 wins from the final 13 games? Say the Ipswich game x 6. Wins, but not convincing.

Does it mean having a bit of a topsy-turvy end to the season, a few surprising scores like Boro/Derby, along with some games where we think “ah we should have seen that through like Forest/Leeds. Some chaotic games, but with some signs there’s possibly something there with the right personnel?

Does it mean more consistent, solid performances but not always getting what we should have done, like WBA away or those early Norwich/QPR games?

The season’s pretty much over, Smith potentially has a fight to prove he’s up to the job next season. I’m just trying to get an idea of what exactly people want to see from Smith for the remainder of the season, to ease some of the concerns people have.

For what it’s worth, I’m not entirely sure myself. I’m leaning towards more improved performances, but I can’t articulate why.

[tomav84]

1 hour ago, romavillan said:

So none of the credit and all of the blame? I would think Pitarch as DOF would have been part of that decision, along with the u23 coach and Smith.

To be honest it would be nice to think we could have kept them here and played them, but the angry brigade might have got on their backs with pressure to get in the playoffs or the manager shoudl be sacked etc. Might not be a bad thing that they get 15 games or so away from the nasty atmosphere around VP and come back in the summer with hours of competitive football under their belts.

Also, I've notcied that most people being vocal about Smith getting the boot are also suggesting Big Sam, Wenger, Dunga and an equally impossible list of names that will come down to Bodymoor wave a magic wand and using magic beans, a league one budget, fairy dust and claret and blue unicorns build a squad to get autos next year.

It's a difficult one...they're going to have to experience the atmosphere sooner than later but on the other hand it might be good for them to get the experience away from VP for a bit. i wonder how ramsey felt hearing a few thousand groans when he gave the ball away on saturday. you cant help a natural reaction to a misplaced pass etc and think you'll get that whether you're pushing promotion, mid table, or fighting relegation

[hippo]

33 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Then surely we should have stuck with Bruce?

????

Random ? - The question was how long would we give the next manager. Unless you know something I don't,  that  won't be Bruce.

  

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by hippo

[brommy]

29 minutes ago, hippo said:

If he struggles you look at his previous, to see if there is any prospect of him coming good. 

In the hope that past performance is a guide to future? I note Steve Bruce has already been referenced so I’ll simply ask how long do you then wait before pushing the eject button?

[romavillan]

31 minutes ago, Shropshire Lad said:

In your view, what does improve drastically mean?

Does it mean, say, scrape 6 or 7 wins from the final 13 games? Say the Ipswich game x 6. Wins, but not convincing.

Does it mean having a bit of a topsy-turvy end to the season, a few surprising scores like Boro/Derby, along with some games where we think “ah we should have seen that through like Forest/Leeds. Some chaotic games, but with some signs there’s possibly something there with the right personnel?

Does it mean more consistent, solid performances but not always getting what we should have done, like WBA away or those early Norwich/QPR games?

The season’s pretty much over, Smith potentially has a fight to prove he’s up to the job next season. I’m just trying to get an idea of what exactly people want to see from Smith for the remainder of the season, to ease some of the concerns people have.

For what it’s worth, I’m not entirely sure myself. I’m leaning towards more improved performances, but I can’t articulate why.

With the majority of the first team not going to be here, even improved performances are going to have very little bearing on what happens next year. I think that's all though really, playoffs have gone so I'd like to see us playing like the first half hour at the weekend as much as possible from now till the summer. We could win 10 on the bounce with this squad and it would have no bearing on next season beyond a few of the soon to be out of contract players maybe wanting to stake a claim to stay. Judging by the effort levels of some of them of late that's the last thing on their minds though. 

 

[hippo]

5 minutes ago, brommy said:

In the hope that past performance is a guide to future? I note Steve Bruce has already been referenced so I’ll simply ask how long do you then wait before pushing the eject button?

It isn't foolproof but its the best indicator there is.

Smith will have 34 games by the time the season ends - Based on current form we might get 2-3 wins of the remaining 13. If he only wins 1 then he is goner in my book.

I personally think the job he has done at Brentford is overstated.

I worry about who we appoint next - I doubt Smith will be here beyond Xmas even if he gets the summer. 

[romavillan]

22 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

It's a difficult one...they're going to have to experience the atmosphere sooner than later but on the other hand it might be good for them to get the experience away from VP for a bit. i wonder how ramsey felt hearing a few thousand groans when he gave the ball away on saturday. you cant help a natural reaction to a misplaced pass etc and think you'll get that whether you're pushing promotion, mid table, or fighting relegation

They'll get those reactions where they've gone too, just that it will be half as many people and they're away from the spotlight a bit. Like I said *might* be good for them. On the other hand though, if we wanted the remaining games to mean something in terms of performances etc, then a first team made up of the kids plus who we think will be here next year would have been a good idea. Just that can you imagine the shit they'd be getting having a run like the one we've been on? 

[hippo]

Just now, romavillan said:

With the majority of the first team not going to be here, even improved performances are going to have very little bearing on what happens next year. I think that's all though really, playoffs have gone so I'd like to see us playing like the first half hour at the weekend as much as possible from now till the summer. We could win 10 on the bounce with this squad and it would have no bearing on next season beyond a few of the soon to be out of contract players maybe wanting to stake a claim to stay. Judging by the effort levels of some of them of late that's the last thing on their minds though. 

 

Serious - if we won 10 on the bounce - I would feel a lot happier about next season - are you saying you wouldn't ? 

I think if we won 10 on the bounce if would have a massive bearing on next season. We would have a guy who knows how to organise and motivate a football team at one of the divisions bigger clubs.