Dean Smith

[TRO]

Just now, vreitti said:

Then we might have an issue with what goes on at BMH. Training is perhaps just too comfortable and laidback. 

I think Smith and the players might also be a little shocked at how difficult this league actually is. Perhaps they didn't at all envisage us struggling this badly... I know I didn't, considering the gap in quality in the Premier League. The euforia from promotion might also still linger on in the minds of some of them. 

Thats my worry.....but what do I know.

[Laughable Chimp]

Yeah, I think the belief's gone tbh and I'm not sure if Smith is capable of getting it back. The only difference between our squad from now and the start of the season I feel is that there is no more belief that they would win and with this loss against Southampton any remnant of it is probably gone. Add to that that managers already know how to counter us with Smith seemingly having no idea what to do about it, the odds of us staying up barring another stretch of games of Grealish masterclasses are not looking good.

[hippo]

39 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

The board have a long term plan in place. They are not going to make rash decisions now, sacking the manager, sacking the scouts, changing everything. They’ve given Smith a long term contract for a reason. He’s changing the whole style of the football club, through the youth teams into the first team. Everyone knows we are struggling at the moment, but that was probably expected. We can turn this around, and I’m sure we will.

I actually think they will stick with Smith because they have no plan in place.

And don't forget Smith is head coach not manager. 

A lot of what you said above is unmeasurable - Randy, Tom Fox, - we've heard it all before.

Even If it were true - doing that shouldnt impact on the business of results hear and now. (1st team)

 

[SuffolkVillan]

Given drop off in form, system not working, lazy midfielders and ineffective wingers I think for Norwich we should have the following;

                                    Heaton

               Konza          Chester       Hause

Elmo                          Luiz                        Targett

               Hourihane               Grealish

                      Kodjia       Wesley

 

After yesterday I don't think Nakamba works hard enough to track back. If he did his job properly I would of liked to go him holding with Luiz in for Hourihane.

With this system we should give Norwich more to worry about and still remain a bit stronger in defence, Chester to play almost as a sweeper guiding the young lads.

Thoughts?

 

                  

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

55 minutes ago, Humanoid said:

Dean Smith doesn't need sacking, he just needs to change his failing formation and tactics.  If the board has anything about them, they'll have words with him about it.

The ideal scenario would be that they have a long chat, identify the problems, ask him what he needs and vice versa.

Talk about understanding he wants to play a certain way but it is obviously not working currently, and that they have to compromise with each other until we can do better.

It's true, it doesn't have to end in animosity or falling out.

If they have a good relationship, we should all be working for the good of the club.

I want him to succeed, but obviously if it gets to a point where he doesn't want to take any advice then it won't work.

Do we need to bring in a couple of new top coaches, would that help?

[Laughable Chimp]

9 minutes ago, PussEKatt said:

 

This is the same team that did well against Spurs away on the opening day of the season.This is the same team that did well against Arsenal a few games later,so whats changed ? They have given up because week after week they give it their best shot and what happens the manager persists in starting Wes.DS even refuses to play 442 and have Kodija up front with Wes, no lets carry on with 433 and Wes and everything will come right in the end.

 

Did we play that well tbf? We knicked an early goal and then hung on for dear life as Spurs sent wave after wave of attack at us. The moment they scored one suddenly the defence was in complete tatters and they look like they could score 5 more.

We lost against 10 men Arsenal. A very mediocre Arsenal side that has dropped poings against pleny of other teams around us with 11 men.

Look at a list of our wins we've had this season and they've all had a large caveat to them.

Everton-Who were apparently utterly horrific and a poster here described it as "the worst he's ever seen that team play".

Brighton-Who were down to 10 men for most of the match.

Norwich-Most of their first team was out due to injury.

Newcastle-Dean Smith always beats Steve Bruce. 

 

 

[PaulC]

4 hours ago, Keyblade said:

Nothing? Really?

 No getting us out of the championship doesn’t mean you have to stick with him in the Premier League. Eddie Howe did that and has kept a tiny club like Bournemouth in the top flight for a number of year.

If they feel Smith can turn it around with a few additions in January then fair enough but what he has done before doesn’t come into it. 

Edited December 22, 2019 by PaulC

[screwdriver]

6 hours ago, DaveAV1 said:

You think that Jack Grealish is a better player than Paul McGrath? Jack is a good player, but he couldn’t lace McGrath’s drinks. 

Dont really want to go off this topic at this crucial time but how many worldies did mcGrath score?

Back on topic:

Shearer destroyed us on match of the day.  purslow should have been in qutar watching liverpool last night (camera panned to poch during extra time) blowing huge ammounts of smoke.

[Vive_La_Villa]

I think we’re in trouble but they’ll be 3 worse teams than us this season.  It may even go to the wire. Not sure sacking Smith would help things though. 

[zab6359]

1 hour ago, dudevillaisnice said:

I don’t think he is cut out for this league being honest. All a bit Nigel Adkins to me. 

I really hope you are wrong but I am starting to think along those lines! Other than "attractive" football which has now disappeared in the hard cold light of the PL what does DS bring to the table?

I'm beginning to question under what credentials was he brought in? A good judge of a manager is there win rate under different teams and DS had never broke 40% before he was appointed as head coach. Last season the 10 game unbeaten run raised that, I daren't work out his PL win rate in would just depress me.

I just think he has a squad good enough to stay in this league, if we go down it's because of him.

I really doubt the board will give him much money for the January window as they are probably beginning to wonder about his ability.

[Pimlico_Villa]

A lot of this is because there isn’t an ounce of quality beyond our starting XI. There just aren’t any players that can come in as like for like when there are injuries or players need resting. 
 

Similarly, when an opposition has sussed us out, it might look like he doesn’t have a Plan B but the issue is that there just isn’t the personnel or quality to take a different approach. 
 

This is why quality has to be brought in during January. Over a course of a season it is very important to have quality in depth, given the intensity of the league. It would have been too much bringing in all of those players in  pre-season, so it might have always been the plan to do it in Jan once that crop of players had settled in. 
 

It’s also situations like this where Grealish is too young to Captain the side. He can lead by example and, yes, will be better for it, but when we need to get out of rut we need a a more experienced player. 

[PaulC]

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

I think we’re in trouble but they’ll be 3 worse teams than us this season.  It may even go to the wire. Not sure sacking Smith would help things though. 

Can’t leave it too late as we are 3 pts adrift now. If we get 6 or 7 pts adrift after Christmas the new manager will have an impossible job 

[avfc1982am]

I never want to be an advocate for getting rid of anyone without a fair crack of the whip. Certainly not in Deans case either. I think he's proved to be a good coach when there is no expectation and time is unlimited to implement his ethos. There are also the arguments that we did come up too early without having a new base and team structure bedded in with a completely new squad. Instead we rose quickly and have had to forgo the restructuring process as we all initially wanted it. We've chanced it with so many new individuals it's a difficult task for anyone, never mind someone managing in the Premier League for the first time. 

If I'm honest though I'm pretty concerned that in Smith's pursuit of sticking to this system with the lack of PL experience and youth of the squad, his naivety will cost us our place in the PL next season. It has been abundantly clear for a month or so that certain players needed resting. The formation, too open against teams that move the ball quickly. We are ourselves however far to slow to counter, not compact enough. don't move as a unit and become stretched and ill disciplined far too often. Not even going into individual players performances we are as a team, piss poorly organised. Watching us yesterday was mentally damaging. To the point I'd say this team would struggle against last years.    

Personally I think we got the players to stay up. Especially with a couple of players brought in to bolster us up. Smith though I think needs to get his shit together because it is on him now. We can preach all day about players stepping up but they also need a manager to mould them into a unit, put together the system or personnel to suit the game. Tweak and resolve the problems. IMO he is becoming more culpable for our problems than the players at the moment for not addressing the issues which are not only obvious to us but also our opponents on a weekly basis. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 minute ago, PaulC said:

Can’t leave it too late as we are 3 pts adrift now. If we get 6 or 7 pts adrift after Christmas the new manager will have an impossible job 

Well if the problem is the manager and not the players then a new manager should be able to turn around a 6-7 point deficit.

[KHV]

3 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I think we’re in trouble but they’ll be 3 worse teams than us this season.  It may even go to the wire. Not sure sacking Smith would help things though. 

Having watched all the teams this season only Watford and possibly Norwich are worse than us

[DaveAV1]

9 minutes ago, screwdriver said:

Dont really want to go off this topic at this crucial time but how many worldies did mcGrath score?

Back on topic:

Shearer destroyed us on match of the day.  purslow should have been in qutar watching liverpool last night (camera panned to poch during extra time) blowing huge ammounts of smoke.

Do you actually know what position McGrath played in?

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

6 minutes ago, KHV said:

Having watched all the teams this season only Watford and possibly Norwich are worse than us

Even Norwich is debatable (With us in current form)

They can play some good football and have a great finisher in Pukki

[Zatman]

8 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

Do you actually know what position McGrath played in?

I wouldnt bother, his trolling never escaped midtable Championship level

[Laughable Chimp]

10 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

 

Even Norwich is debatable (With us in current form)

They can play some good football and have a great finisher in Pukki

Watford are underscoring their expected goals and points by a massive margin too. This suggests that their team have been creating enough chances, they just haven't been able to finish them. Watching them against Liverpool last week, they had good chances in the first half and could've easily gone ahead if not for absolutely woeful finishing from them. They are also number 8 in the league in terms of expected goals against too which implies that they don't have too bad a defence.

And that kind of thing scares me about them. Because all it takes is perhaps a bit of belief or them signing a good finisher and they can easily surge up the table imo. They are not as bad as their current league table position suggests. They've been scrapping out a lot of draws, they just don't have the firepower or belief to win the matches.

Edited December 22, 2019 by Laughable Chimp

[Vive_La_Villa]

15 minutes ago, KHV said:

Having watched all the teams this season only Watford and possibly Norwich are worse than us

I personally think Newcastle are punching above their weight and will get dragged back in to the relegation scrap eventually.