Dean Smith

[villalad21]

I'm glad this whole "tough schedule" is over now.

Nowhere to hide now. No more excuses. If things don't improve soon the board needs to be decisive and act.

Edited December 14, 2019 by villalad21

[TRO]

11 minutes ago, Dave-R said:

I so many times ha e felt some Fergie moments were needed with this squad. If soft love isn't getting through to them then tough love is the only way. He has to lay into them because each and everyone of them is playing like there futures do not matter. Each and everyone of them are playing like they are spoilt and that Aston Villa should be grateful for bringing them here. It should be each and everyone of these new players who are grateful for the chance in which they have been given to play football at its very highest level. Because of our squad we sit in the bottom four, because of them its looking like we have a squad of rejects who shouldnt be playing premier football, they need to act like premier league players and put put performances worthy of premier league players.

I'm mad with them, with the opportunities they have been given and with the opportunities they squander, they behave like entitled kids.

Smith needs to rip these players a new one, get inside of there heads and make them feel they are doing wrong and it's only them who can set it right by there performances.

Sheffield United played like they have wanted premier league football all there life. Each and every Sheffield United player wanted the ball, wanted to make us look like we were nothing and wanted to play to there hearts content and ahow the world that they were the best on the night. Each and every one of our players looked like they couldn't wait to get home and be off down the pub with there mates, instead of concentrating on what was in front of them.

Something is wrong and I feel recruitment and what Smith is trying to do is worlds apart, it must be because they are not doing what Smith is training them for on the pitch. 

Games need to be won and I was down with Smith for the foreseeable future but sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind and premier football is priority over keeping someone that is not working out. It may take someone very special to fill this job and make it stick and to get special you have to be prepared to pay for it. Our Owners are going to ha e to come out at some point and say to Smith it's time, you have X amount of games left, show us your stuff or it's time to replace you. It's a cut throat business top flight football is and we have to take the appropriate approach to succeed and bring in the best of the best in order to succeed.

We havnt the luxury of time on our side like sheffield United have with a well oiled promoted side. We've got a thrown together squad who i doubt can accomplish survival and its a mistake to do that with players who have hardly had any time together along with no experience in top flight or English football. I chose to lay my faith but sixteen games in and my faith is shaken big time now as with many others, I hope Smith and the players can bring some of it back, the games before Christmas will tell me if they can or not.

All I can say is goodluck Smith and CO and hope you can pull a miraclebefore XMAS off.

Dave......I am not mad tonight, because the anger has left me weeks ago, I could see it coming, but being a fan, I don't want to be right.....at Old Trafford, I saw a spark and thought we might turn it around and we still might....but I am truly worried.

I am not calling for the managers head.....because, I simply don't know where the blame lies......what I do know is, what I see from many players , not all, is not right.......what I also see is the same faults game in game out, win,lose or draw.

Sheff Utd have shown a willingness to compete and battle for initiative that we can only dream of and they have been doing that, this season and last......so its not about spending huge sums of money, its about getting players in, that the balance of the squad NEEDS.

IMO we need a top class replacement for Glen Whelan......quite apart from a striker who can do the basics.

Lets not forget, they turned us over last season,up there. just the same......and was 0-3 up at our place until we woke up.

its not good enough.

Edited December 14, 2019 by TRO

[vreitti]

1 minute ago, villalad21 said:

I'm glad this whole "touch schedule" is over now.

Nowhere to hide now. If things don't improve soon the board needs to be decisive and act.

Agreed. We need results now. Smith will know this. 

[hippo]

29 minutes ago, TRO said:

No, Big, enormous teams like Everton are apparently.

Everton have very wealthy owners - yet I think even they may struggle to land him.

On the cusp of the relegation zone - we give Smith a 4 year contract - let it be known we won't be investing massively in Jan......

Can you not see where this is going ? Smith is here for the long term - I would put massive amounts of money on Benitez or Ancelloti not being our next manager.. .....

 

[wilko154]

Whilst I've said that Smith should be given the next 4 games to sort the team out and pick up some results, it's way too early to be talking about potential managers.

I still have faith in Smith's ability to turn it around, and a home game on Saturday is the perfect chance to do just that.

His stubbornness has the potential to be his downfall, a lot like Bruce's was previously. He needs to realise that there are games where players need to be utilised differently, formations changed when they aren't working and players rested when they aren't performing. 

Grealish needs to be played centrally, even if it's just for a few games whilst the momentum picks back up. McGinn needs dropping for a weekend off to recharge his batteries and some fireworks need to be installed in Wesley's backside (a Davis return would be massive right now)

Keep the faith

[vreitti]

1 minute ago, hippo said:

Everton have very wealthy owners - yet I think even they may struggle to land him.

On the cusp of the relegation zone - we give Smith a 4 year contract - let it be known we won't be investing massively in Jan......

Can you not see where this is going ? Smith is here for the long term - I would put massive amounts of money on Benitez or Ancelloti not being our next manager.. .....

 

Good, wouldn't want either of them. Short term solutions. Smith needs time, and we as fans must show more patience. The squad is not good enough for this level, it should be evident to all. 

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, hippo said:

Everton have very wealthy owners - yet I think even they may struggle to land him.

On the cusp of the relegation zone - we give Smith a 4 year contract - let it be known we won't be investing massively in Jan......

Can you not see where this is going ? Smith is here for the long term - I would put massive amounts of money on Benitez or Ancelloti not being our next manager.. .....

 

I am not expecting him to go at this stage, far too early.

what I am expecting is action.....and action in Jan, even if its loans......I don't think he has the personnel to fix it.

[villalad21]

3 minutes ago, wilko154 said:

Whilst I've said that Smith should be given the next 4 games to sort the team out and pick up some results, it's way too early to be talking about potential managers.

I still have faith in Smith's ability to turn it around, and a home game on Saturday is the perfect chance to do just that.

His stubbornness has the potential to be his downfall, a lot like Bruce's was previously. He needs to realise that there are games where players need to be utilised differently, formations changed when they aren't working and players rested when they aren't performing. 

Grealish needs to be played centrally, even if it's just for a few games whilst the momentum picks back up. McGinn needs dropping for a weekend off to recharge his batteries and some fireworks need to be installed in Wesley's backside (a Davis return would be massive right now)

Keep the faith

Don't think Jack works well as an 8.

Playing him as a 10 in a 4-2-3-1 system probably his best position.

Edited December 14, 2019 by villalad21

[Spoony]

16 minutes ago, vreitti said:

We've had a really tough schedule thus far, and we're still above the relegation zone. That in itself is an achievement, considering how bad we've been these last few weeks. I don't quite understand what ppl were expecting!? It was never going to be easy with a totally new squad full of unknowns. I'm sure Smith et.co. thought Wesley would be better. There's still time to find the right formula, even though we're a little bereft of alternatives at the moment... the squad is just too thin. Going forward Smith needs to come down on them hard, and choose the ones that are willing to show fight. We can't carry any passagers going into these crucial games. The Brazilians especially need to be left out. Think we need Davis. 

I don’t buy this tbh. We’ve played almost every team now. 

[TRO]

11 minutes ago, vreitti said:

You're correct TRO, but he can't make them better footballers in a week. He needs to address the lack of fight, first and foremost. Some of them are just to luxury-type individuals, only good when we're winning and dictating games... which we can't at the moment. For me Wesley is the biggest culprit, he's affecting how we approach the offensive play too much, and it isn't working. 

Bang on...on all counts.

No he can't....so the recruitment should have done better.....because i'm talking basics not sophisticated play.

[vreitti]

Just now, Spoony said:

I don’t buy this tbh. We’ve played almost every team now. 

Fair enough. I think it matters, since we've been garbage away from home.

[Laughable Chimp]

I wonder what the reaction would be from other "meaner" managers to our recruitment so far. Perhaps Smith is just too nice and willing to shoulder all the blame on himself for the recruitment, but its pretty clear to me that a significant amount of these players were not at all recruited to play Smith's system and Smith was instead forced to jam square pegs into round holes.

[vreitti]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

Bang on...on all counts.

No he can't....so the recruitment should have done better.....because i'm talking basics not sophisticated play.

Agreed again. We can't fix that until January obviously... time to batten down the hatches I suppose. 

[Villarocker]

Deano, do yourself a favour and stop playing Jack wide left. He drifts inside too much and leaves us too exposed down our left. Play someone else there and go back to playing Jack behind the striker with McGinn and Nakamba also in the middle. We'll be happier and better then! 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

33 minutes ago, Laughable Chimp said:

I wonder what the reaction would be from other "meaner" managers to our recruitment so far. Perhaps Smith is just too nice and willing to shoulder all the blame on himself for the recruitment, but its pretty clear to me that a significant amount of these players were not at all recruited to play Smith's system and Smith was instead forced to jam square pegs into round holes.

This is where the "Head Coach" and not Manager title takes effect.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

33 minutes ago, Laughable Chimp said:

I wonder what the reaction would be from other "meaner" managers to our recruitment so far. Perhaps Smith is just too nice and willing to shoulder all the blame on himself for the recruitment, but its pretty clear to me that a significant amount of these players were not at all recruited to play Smith's system and Smith was instead forced to jam square pegs into round holes.

This is where the "Head Coach" and not Manager title takes effect.

[VillaChris]

1 hour ago, Spoony said:

I don’t buy this tbh. We’ve played almost every team now. 

The only two we haven't played are the two below us in the league and they're below us for a reason.

When you see teams like Everton and West Ham start to move away from us it's worth noting they've both taken six points from Watford and Southampton this season. Southampton are only level with us as they beat Watford the other week. West Ham also beat Norwich so pretty much 50% of their points tally has come v bottom 3.

We're poor atm but I'd just like to see us in the next two to see if we're as poor as the 18th and 20th. My feeling is our level is still better than that and we certainly must prove it.

Play badly in next 3 and only get 2 draws or even worse and yes things will be looking very bleak for our survival prospects and for the manager.

Edited December 14, 2019 by VillaChris

[striker]

Too early to talk about sacking the manager yet but that was a rank performance today which had relegation written all over it.

[Tomaszk]

I think he's an idealist.

It works sometimes so that drives him on to chase perfection but we need to learn to walk, we're trying to sprint all the time. When we're bad, we're very bad.

We have some players that are soft as puppy poo who don't help the boss at all.

El Ghazi, Lansbury, Targett, Hourihane, Luiz all have ability. They shrivel up constantly, you can see it coming, almost by just reading the fixture on a bit of paper. I think these are talented footballers so Smith gives them chance after chance, and you just know the games they'll disappoint in.

[MikeMcKenna]

5 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Would go all out for Benitez personally.

Seems to be enjoying it in China but I'd reckon he'd be tempted back as we have bigger budget than Newcastle and he could build us up over next 2-3 seasons which is what he wanted to do at Newcastle but didn't believe the owner wanted to do it.

I actually think he'd be Everton manager already if he hadn't such a connection to Liverpool.

Anyway I'm still far from wanting Dean sacked. He simply must starting getting results like we did after we had a slow start to the season.

How do you reconcile going ‘all out for Benitez’ and ‘I am still far from wanting Dean sacked”?