Dean Smith

[ferguson1]

Some Corbyn reflection done overnight. Dean has to now perform a rallying cry in order to motivate the players for Norwich, as Southampton were motivated that was clear to see.

Change of formation, players, tactics etc?  We’ll probably see 433 still, but the main change is seeing some grit and fight.  Earn the right to play in the first instance. Norwich will certainly be motivated after the Carrow Road humiliation earlier in the season.  

Showing Dean blind faith after a Boxing Day defeat? I’m not so sure, because where would we go following another defeat? Imagine then a further defeat at Watford? There comes a point where the rot has to stop. 

Hopefully we’ll see a much improved performance against Norwich and we can put any talk of a change of manager to bed for a week or two at least.  I really want Dean to turn this around.

[Keyblade]

6 hours ago, PaulC said:

Yes we cant afford to leave it too long to make a change. Eddie howe has proven he isva good manager and they are on a poor run because of an horific injury list. Smith has done nothing to deserve that loyalty.

Nothing? Really?

[cheltenham_villa]

9 hours ago, Laughable Chimp said:

Have you been watching the football we've been playing the past weeks?

Yes and it's still not as bad as garde, Bruce and all the other dross that came before. Why would you want a big Sam, stay in the league but barely score a goal. Football is about entertainment, we maybe losing but at least we still have an attacking intent. Chances created again in double figures and we were no where near our best.

[villalad21]

8 minutes ago, cheltenham_villa said:

Yes and it's still not as bad as garde, Bruce and all the other dross that came before. Why would you want a big Sam, stay in the league but barely score a goal. Football is about entertainment, we maybe losing but at least we still have an attacking intent. Chances created again in double figures and we were no where near our best.

What you do with Big Sam is to have him around for a couple of years. Stabilize your club then you bring someone else in to improve the style of play. And that someone else should not be Smith.

Edited December 22, 2019 by villalad21

[cheltenham_villa]

Just now, villalad21 said:

What you do with Big Sam is to have him around for a couple of years. Stabilize your club then you bring someone else in to improve the style of play.

At which point you get relegated because he has players that can only play one way. I want to be entertained, I don't understand why anyone wants to just survive in the premier league.

Dean is being punished for getting promoted a year early.

[jim]

7 hours ago, KentVillan said:

I don't think that's right at all.

Most people on here were predicting a 16th / 17th place finish, which is still very much on the cards, and if it was a touch optimistic that's just the nature of football fans not wanting to predict relegation. Think the bookies had us as 4th favourites to go down at the end of the season, so not really out of step with reality was it?

Sheffield Utd barely spent any money, and Wilder has worked miracles there. I don't remember many people (if any) on here mocking them. But they were a sensible bet for relegation in August, and there was nothing "cocky" in predicting them to go down. As it happens, they've proved everyone wrong, and fair play to them.

As for Newcastle... they had a meltdown over the summer, sold two of their best players, brought in cabbage man as manager, and were among the bookies' favourites to go down. God knows how they're doing as well as they are. Remember we pasted them at Villa Park only a few weeks ago?

 

Well it’s all here, I’d suggest you go back and have a look at the Premier League and transfers thread around August time. I think there was also a where will we finish poll and there was a fair amount of mid-table predictions.

I knew we’d struggle this season but what u didn’t expect was us looking like going down with a whimper.
 

I am stunned a Villa fan cannot get some fight and pride out of this team. We look half arsed and lazy and for me that is why the manager needs to go as they aren’t playing for him. 

[villalad21]

Just now, cheltenham_villa said:

At which point you get relegated because he has players that can only play one way. I want to be entertained, I don't understand why anyone wants to just survive in the premier league.

Dean is being punished for getting promoted a year early.

Smith has proved to be tactically inept and inflexible at this level. Only have a plan A.

Good managers will tweak things when it's not working.

Even Bruce changed his formation at the start of the season when things was not working. He went back to how they played under Rafa and they have turned it around big time.

[sheepyvillian]

7 hours ago, Londonastonvilla said:

Nothing surprises me on Villatalk.

We are playing badly with little confidence and losing games.Sack all the players except Grealish and a few others,sack the manager and the board ...that’s a good idea.

Do we stand by people that have brought us success in the past?No let’s see who doing well in the premier league at the moment...Steve Bruce is doing well with a similar team to us let’s get  him....No no he’s terrible because that’s what a lot of fans said on here last year.

Look at Burnley I hate the football they play but Dyce is good premier league manager.Burnley were relegated 4 years ago but the club stuck by him.It wouldn’t happen at Villa because some fans would insist there is somebody better ...like Remi Garde

Somebody suggested on here we should drop Mings because he is prone to errors...be careful what you wish for...

This is the time to be a true Villa fan ,when things are going badly to stick with the team and the manager.The easy option is let’s get rid of that player,that manager,etc the difficult bit is not overreacting when things get difficult.

Let’s look at Bournemouth they are on a terrible run Let’s sack Eddie Howe and all their players.

People talk about Smith having no plan b ,does pep have a plan b?

 

Pep doesn't need a plan b. His teams always have an indentity set in stone. 

As for us, we look rudderless, and as much as I want Deano to turn it round, I can't understand how this Villa team play in a way that is so contrasting to how Dean Smith had his Brentford team playing. Why has that identity disappeared? That for me is the question that needs answering. 

8 hours ago, VillaChris said:

 

 

[Eastie]

7 hours ago, PaulC said:

Yes we cant afford to leave it too long to make a change. Eddie howe has proven he isva good manager and they are on a poor run because of an horific injury list. Smith has done nothing to deserve that loyalty.

For me Sean Dyche would be a very good option and I think he would be tempted 

[jim]

1 hour ago, ferguson1 said:

Some Corbyn reflection done overnight. Dean has to now perform a rallying cry in order to motivate the players for Norwich, as Southampton were motivated that was clear to see.

Change of formation, players, tactics etc?  We’ll probably see 433 still, but the main change is seeing some grit and fight. 

Why haven’t we seen any of that in recent weeks though? Why, all of sudden is Dean going to install some motivation and fight? Why not the last few games as well?

This is the major problem at the moment and something a few have been banging the drum about but got waved off with “Can’t expect for anything against good teams we’ll be fine when we play those around us” Well we aren’t fine something is very wrong and it’s my belief Dean Smith is the cause. He’s a great bloke but can’t get a tune out of the players anymore. 
 

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by jim

[cheltenham_villa]

1 minute ago, villalad21 said:

Smith has proved to be tactically inept and inflexible at this level. Only have a plan A.

Good managers will tweak things when it's not working.

Even Bruce changed his formation at the start of the season when things was not working. He went back to how they played under Rafa and they have turned it around big time.

Bruce is playing a system that suits his players, I'd argue he was naive to do anything else in the first place which is what you want Smith to do. I'd like us to show some loyalty to one of our own, I also dont think anyone else could get more from the current crop of players. Big Sam brings another huge player overhaul

[Blasterpocket68]

7 hours ago, Londonastonvilla said:

Nothing surprises me on Villatalk.

We are playing badly with little confidence and losing games.Sack all the players except Grealish and a few others,sack the manager and the board ...that’s a good idea.

Do we stand by people that have brought us success in the past?No let’s see who doing well in the premier league at the moment...Steve Bruce is doing well with a similar team to us let’s get  him....No no he’s terrible because that’s what a lot of fans said on here last year.

Look at Burnley I hate the football they play but Dyce is good premier league manager.Burnley were relegated 4 years ago but the club stuck by him.It wouldn’t happen at Villa because some fans would insist there is somebody better ...like Remi Garde

Somebody suggested on here we should drop Mings because he is prone to errors...be careful what you wish for...

This is the time to be a true Villa fan ,when things are going badly to stick with the team and the manager.The easy option is let’s get rid of that player,that manager,etc the difficult bit is not overreacting when things get difficult.

Let’s look at Bournemouth they are on a terrible run Let’s sack Eddie Howe and all their players.

People talk about Smith having no plan b ,does pep have a plan b?

 

VillaTalk is a platform for fans to express opinions to be fair.

I don't believe any one wants Dean Smith to be sacked but don't believe we should also compare him with the likes of Eddie Howe and Dyce. They both have very different styles that are very effective , they have also adapted to premier league.

I feel we cant  to play so freely and open as Smith seems to persist with. We do not have the players capable to play the style he wants at this level. The quality is simply not there. Not sure who had the final say on recruitment but you cant keep pushing square pegs into round holes.  Something has to change if we have any slim chance of survival IMO.

Smith changes and adapts his style or he moves on . All i want is some passion  fight and desire  from all the players , without this we are going down !!! 

[sne]

Wasn't plan A to play Grealish in the middle like we did at the start of the season?

Plan B was to move him to the left that worked pretty well (first time in that position was 5-1 against Norwich) for a period until our opponents learned it and nullified it.

Remains to see what plan C will be. No doubt it will once again center around getting the ball to Grealish because the rest of our squad lacks quality.

The he only has a plan A is a bit not true.

Edited December 22, 2019 by sne

[Dr_Pangloss]

Waking up this morning, for the first time this season, I'm almost completely certain that we're going down if something doesn't change, a gap, albeit small is starting to emerge between the bottom three and rest. Yes only three points, but when you actually look at those sides they're all a lot better and more experienced than us, the only weak one being Brighton. But Potter has got them playing the sort of football we should be playing and they have more fire power.

Southampton are showing the value of having a goal scorer, Ings will fire them out of trouble unless he gets a really bad injury, which might be our only shot. There's no chance Everton or West Ham are going down, Bournemouth have more than enough quality as well. It's really not looking good.

We spent a lot of money in the summer but not correctly, a even just looking at Wesley and Trezeguet that's like £33m+ wasted. We currently look very weak defensively, shipping goals from set pieces, shipping attempts on goal like nothing and our attack is pretty clueless as well, it's just 'give the ball to Grealish'.

To stay up we will need a striker, a right winger and a central midfielder at a minimum and the quality in these positions needs to be much better than what we currently have. 

Edited December 22, 2019 by Dr_Pangloss

[ozvillafan]

For mine, the change in formation is telling.

We have played 4-3-3 all season because Smith believes that's how we should be playing football. The brief change to 4-4-2 is an admission of some sort.

Perhaps that it isn't working. Perhaps that other teams have found us out. Or perhaps that the players haven't bought into it.

Either way, it spells trouble. Now is not the time to be thinking about how we should be playing football - now is the time to perfect what we have been doing all season. Sadly, our last few performances have been worse than what we started the season with.

I hope he can turn it around quickly, because we are going to need it.

[Pimlico_Villa]

We’d be a great fit for Eddie Howe. A stepping stone before he gets a Top 6.

[Brumstopdogs]

Very disappointing performance yesterday and a continuation of the poor form we have been showing. 

I would like Smith to change something up vs Norwich and prove he can still get performances from these players. If he can't then people will, rightly, question him.

Crap at the back and woeful up front - not a great mix!

[TRO]

8 hours ago, KentVillan said:

I don't think that's right at all.

Most people on here were predicting a 16th / 17th place finish, which is still very much on the cards, and if it was a touch optimistic that's just the nature of football fans not wanting to predict relegation. Think the bookies had us as 4th favourites to go down at the end of the season, so not really out of step with reality was it?

Sheffield Utd barely spent any money, and Wilder has worked miracles there. I don't remember many people (if any) on here mocking them. But they were a sensible bet for relegation in August, and there was nothing "cocky" in predicting them to go down. As it happens, they've proved everyone wrong, and fair play to them.

As for Newcastle... they had a meltdown over the summer, sold two of their best players, brought in cabbage man as manager, and were among the bookies' favourites to go down. God knows how they're doing as well as they are. Remember we pasted them at Villa Park only a few weeks ago?

My take on it is that we are overly dependent on a small number of players - Mings, McGinn and (especially) Grealish - and lack options up front. If two of those key players are injured, as they were today, and if we play Grealish too predictably in that wide left role, then all the opposition have to do is double-mark him and hit us on the counter or on set pieces. They can even push their centre backs high, because our strikers don't cause enough problems, and that squeezes all the space in midfield.

Does a new manager fix that? Maybe he sets us up less predictably, which would be a good start. Grealish at number 10 is probably harder to plan for than Grealish at wide left. Maybe a new manager signs a new striker in January, but then Smith could sign a new striker and get the same benefit.

New manager could improve our set pieces, and that's the one area where I think all criticism of Smith is justified - we have been unforgivably crap at set pieces ever since he joined.

But a lot of the problems in open play are thorny problems that I can't see a new manager fixing overnight. I'm not completely opposed to us getting a new manager, but if it's a Fat Sam type I would be gutted. He will leave a **** mess behind, as @Zatman says, and he doesn't even guarantee we stay up, that's a myth.

playing like that who could.

If I was Dean Smith, I would be gutted, presiding over that.....he actually looked remarkably calm in his interview......not sure if that's good or bad.

[TRO]

9 minutes ago, Brumstopdogs said:

Very disappointing performance yesterday and a continuation of the poor form we have been showing. 

I would like Smith to change something up vs Norwich and prove he can still get performances from these players. If he can't then people will, rightly, question him.

Crap at the back and woeful up front - not a great mix!

and a bag of poo in the middle.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, cheltenham_villa said:

Yes and it's still not as bad as garde, Bruce and all the other dross that came before. Why would you want a big Sam, stay in the league but barely score a goal. Football is about entertainment, we maybe losing but at least we still have an attacking intent. Chances created again in double figures and we were no where near our best.

Desperation.....to match the desperation on the pitch.

plus he knows how to get a team to defend, probably that's the reason.

Edited December 22, 2019 by TRO