Dean Smith

[TRO]

17 minutes ago, KHV said:

His unwillingness to change is what is starting to worry me. It’s like we are sleepwalking into trouble.

Hopefully he can get at least 5/6 points from the next 3.....

I don't think its sleepwalking, it been on the cards for weeks.......The clues are in our play.

He has a major task, because the players he has to change are much the same as the players he already has on the pitch......their types are too much the same.

The recruitment IMO has failed to give Dean Balance to the squad.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

1 hour ago, KHV said:

What would people genuinely think about Smith if we were to lose to Norwich,Southampton and Watford?

Would you still back him?

I think even the most diligent of us would be left with no choice but to turn.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

1 hour ago, M_Afro said:

We all get that you don’t like him. You don’t have to mention it in every post!

He's not alone to be fair, there is a whole clique...

The whole team are performing garbage, because they don't trust him... apparently.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, KHV said:

What would people genuinely think about Smith if we were to lose to Norwich,Southampton and Watford?

Would you still back him?

He has a golden opportunity now to show his true colours and turn this around.

any manager can wallow in the sun.

We have clear issues...lets see if he can come back fighting and show " True Grit"

[markavfc40]

My biggest criticism of Smith is his unwillingness to change the way we play be it to contain the opposition better or to expose their weaknesses. Even within a game when it is clear the formation we are playing is not working he won't change.

I have seen plenty of discussion about Grealish not working on the left, him not being involved enough or drifting inside too much and leaving Targett exposed. Before that it was felt Grealish in a midfield 3 was a bit gung ho with McGinn also having an instinct to get forward. With this in mind maybe it would be better to think about going with a diamond shape midfield 4 that Grealish is at the top of behind a front 2. Or a 3-5-1-1 with Grealish just behind a striker, a midfield 3 and wing backs.

I'd imagine as an opposition manager you know exactly how we are going to play.and when that system lacks players moving off the ball and any intensity, as it did yesterday, it is easy to play against.

I thought Sheff Utd were a joy to watch yesterday. They had centre backs popping up on the wing so good was their movement. That must create a real headache to play against. Smith could learn a lot from that in not being so predictable.

Edited December 15, 2019 by markavfc40

[TRO]

32 minutes ago, Villarocker said:

You could always support Spurs if it bothers you so much! 

to be fair, on this occasion, he shows how much he cares......and he does explain his inner thoughts.......as opposed to some who just roll out " give him a chance" or the jam tomorrow argument of " we''ll be ok when we play a team of our quality" or words to that effect.

 

[Vive_La_Villa]

Was always going to be a hard game. They are 5th for a reason.

We need at least 2 wins out the next 4 games or I fear for us and Smith.

[markavfc40]

Whilst I think criticism of Smith is fine I think some perspective is needed here before that criticism gets out of hand and his head on the block.

This season was always going to be a struggle. Whilst some seem to be looking at Sheff Utd as a stick to measure what we are doing they had 9 players on the pitch yesterday that played against us last season. We had 3. The huge overhaul in the squad always meant it was going to take a long time for us to mould a team and get some consistency into our play. 

The fact we spent 130 mill may have for some equated to thinking we should be targeting mid table. That 130 mill equated to just over 10 mill a player. Not a lot of money at this level.

My hope for this season was to not get relegated. Before a ball was kicked I said I'd take 17th. I fully expected we'd slip in and out of the bottom 3 throughout the season. I therefore judge where we are now based on those expectations. I get that if you set your expectations much higher then you are going to be disappointed but for me any expectations above being in a relegation battle were unrealistic.

Having said the above I am concerned at the moment as in the last 3 games our intensity in games has dropped off. We aren't pressing the opposition and our movement is poor. It may not be true but I am getting the impression the players in the main aren't putting 100% in and we are nowhere near good enough to not be giving our all in games.

Big test this next 3 games. The league table tells us they are teams on our level. Teams lacking confidence and struggling like us. This run will define our season. Do well in them and we'll be a few points clear of bottom 3 and drag a few teams closer to us. If they go the other way we'll be in the bottom 3 and within a win of only a couple of sides at best above us.

Edited December 15, 2019 by markavfc40

[TRO]

34 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

My biggest criticism of Smith is his unwillingness to change the way we play be it to contain the opposition better or to expose their weaknesses. Even within a game when it is clear the formation we are playing is not working he won't change.

I have seen plenty of discussion about Grealish not working on the left, him not being involved enough or drifting inside too much and leaving Targett exposed. Before that it was felt Grealish in a midfield 3 was a bit gung ho with McGinn also having an instinct to get forward. With this in mind maybe it would be better to think about going with a diamond shape midfield 4 that Grealish is at the top of behind a front 2. Or a 3-5-1-1 with Grealish just behind a striker, a midfield 3 and wing backs.

I'd imagine as an opposition manager you know exactly how we are going to play.and when that system lacks players moving off the ball and any intensity, as it did yesterday, it is easy to play against.

I thought Sheff Utd were a joy to watch yesterday. They had centre backs popping up on the wing so good was their movement. That must create a real headache to play against. Smith could learn a lot from that in not being so predictable.

good post Mark....very sensible suggestions.

I too have been impressed with Sheff Utd and to me its so obvious ,why they do so well....They remind me of us under Ron Saunders ( not in shape or set up, but in attitude ,approach and application), I think there is much to learn from them. It was the same for them last season, so predictability is not their enemy.

I don't really know what to think of Dean right now, so many opinions buzzing around in my head.....My wife who is also a season ticket holder, is not convinced and hasn't been from day one.....she likes him, don't we all....but not convinced on his ability to manage Villa....My worry is , is Dean big enough to manager the politics, that a Club like Villa will inevitably attract, can he fight his own corner?

I get all what you have said and its interesting.......I look at some of the basic things that give me tell tale signs, like we don't win headers at corners either end( enough).....we don't win headers at Throw-Ins( enough)......when such fundamental things like that are not dominated or won sufficiently, it starts to tell a story and a pattern develops.....Watching some of the game from yesterday, they were all standing off and ball watching, waiting for a loose ball to start a launch.....its all so reactive and passive, not proactive and combative.

I think we are in some trouble right now........and hopefully, Dean Smith will emerge from this like the manager we think/thought we had.....this is his time to stamp his mark or shrivel.

Time for Dean Smith to show the Contract was deserved.

Edited December 15, 2019 by TRO

[DaveAV1]

I’m old enough to have had the pleasure to be around during the Saunders days and those days were truly wonderful. The man himself has been rightly lauded since his passing and the phrase many people have used to sum him up was, “Would you bet against us.”

Now that was a wonderful piece of psychology by Ron to bring hope to supporters and players alike and of course it worked.
 

However I remember that Ipswich game and we really didn’t play well. I can only imagine the social media posts after that game had it existed. Not good enough, bottled it, players should have been rested etc. You could have said the same after our final game at Highbury. As it was results favoured us and Saunders great heart and spirit that he instilled into the team brought us through and we deservedly won the league. 

What I’m trying to say is, even the best teams aren’t perfect and even the greatest of seasons have their low points. No matter what level we’re at, sticking together, not folding when the pressure is on and avoiding knee jerk reactions will stand us in good stead in the long term. 

I know the modern world is an impatient place, but old principles still have an important role to play. Sacking managers every few months hasn’t exactly worked well in the past. I recall Klopp getting stick a couple of seasons ago and heaven knows what they would have said about Fergie finishing something like 11th in, I think it was in his second season. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by DaveAV1

[KenjiOgiwara]

I think the biggest midfield issue we got is how it's balanced. I think McGinn, Marvelous and Luiz are very good. 

But it becomes a problem when we push McGinn too high up the pitch. If he had stayed deeper, we would automatically look and be more balanced. 

[TRO]

30 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

I’m old enough to have had the pleasure to be around during the Saunders days and those days were truly wonderful. The man himself has been rightly lauded since his passing and the phrase many people have used to some him up was, “Would you bet against us.”

Now that was a wonderful piece of psychology my Ron to bring hope to supporters and players alike and of course it worked.
 

However I remember that Ipswich game and we really didn’t play well. I can only imagine the social media posts after that game had it existed. Not good enough, bottled it, players should have been rested etc. You could have said the same after our final game at Highbury. As it was results favoured us and Saunders great heart and spirit that he instilled into the team brought us through and we deservedly won the league. 

What I’m trying to say is, even the best teams aren’t perfect and even the greatest of seasons have their low points. No matter what level we’re at, sticking together, not folding when the pressure is on and avoiding knee jerk reactions will stand us in good stead in the long term. 

I know the modern world is an impatient place, but old principles still have an important role to play. Sacking managers every few months hasn’t exactly worked well in the past. I recall Klopp getting stuck a couple of seasons ago and heaven knows what they would have said about Fergie finishing something like 11th in, I think it was in his second season. 

You're right Dave....Ipswich were the flair team of the day, they beat us 3 times that season home and away in the league and in the cup.....but we won the league, in the main through.....resillience, doggedness, work rate, will etc etc etc  triumphed over flair.....110% workrate was Rons Brand

Football has changed, we all know that, but those qualities I mention are still required today.....If I am being brutally honest, I don't think some of our modern fans would have liked Ron'S Style, despite him being labelled as probably our best ever manager.....personally,I Loved it.

Look we all want both and to some degree the top teams do give you both......but right now we are very low on the combative bits....which has drifted in to affecting our whole game, the confidence has gone, only hard work and determination will bring it back, its a collective thing.

We play some good football, when the opposition is having an off day( or let us) or not up for it or have injuries or have lost their edge......as soon as a team is up for it, we faulter and shy away......we have too many players in the squad who do that.

It was interesting to hear Chris Wilder saying Dean ,John and Neil....shook every Sheff Utd players hand in the tunnel......guess they was making a point to their own players.

Edited December 15, 2019 by TRO

[TRO]

13 minutes ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

I think the biggest midfield issue we got is how it's balanced. I think McGinn, Marvelous and Luiz are very good. 

But it becomes a problem when we push McGinn too high up the pitch. If he had stayed deeper, we would automatically look and be more balanced. 

I know what you are trying to say and I agree with the balance....but I disagree on those players.

none of those players are winning the ball.....just looking for interceptions or loose balls from mistakes or convenient pick ups......they are simply not proactive enough.

[KenjiOgiwara]

We're just not a settled side. It's like the criticism Gana got at times. When we lost he didn't contribute. Then he moved on and it was shown to be one of the better anchors in the league. 

Being in a rough patch doesn't mean the players are poor. 

[useless]

Eight or more points over Christmas and the league table could start looking very different for us, we've not only got a chance to get some points on the board but also make sure the teams beneath don't get any points, so in a way we've got three six-pointers in a row coming. We could even find ourselves within touching distance of Sheffield United come the new year as they've got three away games approaching, including Man Cit and Liverpool away, all it would take is a bad Christmas for them and a good one for us and suddenly they won't be so far ahead of us.

[Laughable Chimp]

51 minutes ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

We're just not a settled side. It's like the criticism Gana got at times. When we lost he didn't contribute. Then he moved on and it was shown to be one of the better anchors in the league. 

Being in a rough patch doesn't mean the players are poor. 

Wasn't Gana one of our most praised players that season tbf?

I get the same feeling with most of our current crop. I think they're a talented bunch but Smith is failing to get the best out of them for some reason. Look at our relegation season and see who we paid the most money for that season. Gana, Amavi, Ayew, Veretout, Gestede and Traore and with the exception of Gestede all have gotten better than they were for us, some having more success than others. But for one reason or another, they failed to do that well for us when we had them. 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Laughable Chimp

[Tomaszk]

2 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

I thought Sheff Utd were a joy to watch yesterday. They had centre backs popping up on the wing so good was their movement. That must create a real headache to play against. Smith could learn a lot from that in not being so predictable.

I agree they are always enjoyable.

In terms of predictability though, that's exactly the way they've played all season long. I could have named that team and formation for you last Monday.

Their squad fits the formation perfectly. Ours doesn't fit Dean's sadly. He's hasn't addressed it, and just continues to try and play it.

[Condimentalist]

People need to chill. We've been losing because we've been up against some of the top sides in the league in consecutive matches. We got a good point at United and beat Newcastle just a couple of weeks ago . I have every confidence in Deano to get us ready for these crucial few weeks and I hope the board help him out with a striker in January. 

[KHV]

3 hours ago, TRO said:

we haven't got the quality  midfield players to play 3 .....we need more.

suggest 3-5-2

Who is wide in the 5, Targett and Guilbert?

That would clearly mean the end of Trezeguet and El Ghazi then if we go that way. 

[Tomaszk]

1 minute ago, KHV said:

Who is wide in the 5, Targett and Guilbert?

That would clearly mean the end of Trezeguet and El Ghazi then if we go that way. 

They can both play up front right now. Or one of them with Wes.

We shouldn't be going to play it next game for me. We've shown we can beat poor teams at home with the 433.

The time to try it was Wolves, Leicester, Sheff Utd, teams built to open us up like a tin of beans and games we struggled massively in.