Dean Smith

[tinker]

Smiths at fault by ignoring all our striking options over the last 3 months and sticking with Wes,  he could clearly have  done with a rest, was a bizarre decision. 

Hes also ignored our wealth of talent in midfield and stuck with McGinn when he had an array of midfield talent waiting to astound us all with their skills and tenacious attitude. 

The formations he has chosen has robbed our players of the opportunity to challenge for 50/50! ball's and forced them into bottling tackles and hiding when we have the ball

Manager hasn't picked these new players, a group of experts have and it hasn't worked, just like it never worked before. Smith wanted Phillips from Leeds and we ended up with Marv and Doug......did anyone watch Phillips against Arsenal? He was everywhere .....

 

[Guest av1]

Smith is the right bloke. 

[Tomaszk]

8 minutes ago, TRO said:

Watford, irrespective of their time in the Premier League, (could be a hundred Years for all I care).......They were dead and Buried, deceased, until Pearson arrived......a manager ,I might add would not be considered by many Fans

A change of manager has brought a change of approach and that for me is the significant thing......Nigel Pearson, would not be most Villa fans cup of tea, but his approach has brought about the change.

Some fans are obsessed with expansive and attractive football, with scant regard for the result, would they admit that.....Never.

I love attractive football, but realise the result comes first, we have to stay in this division and I also recognise what type of players will give us the opportunity to stay in it.....names don't matter, types do.

When you create a strong base that makes you hard to beat, you can always add the cosmetics afterwards.....The eye candy comes later.

I'll try again.

Neither Pearson or Sam would keep us up TRO. You think they would make these poor players better? You think Hourihane would be flying into tackles and offering himself for passes? You think Taylor will suddenly become a footballer? We'll suddenly have a striker to play?

I'm afraid not. 

Summer recruitment has made this an almost impossible task. Smith has made errors along the way though.

[TRO]

12 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

I'll try again.

Neither Pearson or Sam would keep us up TRO. You think they would make these poor players better? You think Hourihane would be flying into tackles and offering himself for passes? You think Taylor will suddenly become a footballer? We'll suddenly have a striker to play?

I'm afraid not. 

Summer recruitment has made this an almost impossible task. Smith has made errors along the way though.

I disagree....but that sounds like I want Smith gone....I don't, I think he is learning, but its come a bit late for us.

Its hypothetical, I know, but yes I do think they would make a difference.......They would make them better organised as a team, but I cannot deny, we have player issues, i agree.....its only recently, we have deviated from 4-3-3, with the second worst defensive record in the division, I mean come on...benevolence is our middle name.

Watford were worse than us, comotose, no tackling, no physical contact, just drifting through games full of melancholy......a dead duck.

Whether Nigel Pearson is long term, that's a different argument, not sure....but short term its working.

Sure the Neanderthal Troy Deeney back from injury has helped...........and I wonder why that is ?......answers on a postcard.

I don't know how difficult recruitment is, but I think we have targetted the wrong type of players.....sorry.

Edited January 18, 2020 by TRO

[Tomaszk]

21 minutes ago, TRO said:

Sure the Neanderthal Troy Deeney back from injury has helped...........and I wonder why that is ?......answers on a postcard.

I don't know how difficult recruitment is, but I think we have targetted the wrong type of players.....sorry.

I like Troy Deeney and I think he's exactly what we need as a personality and footballer.

Poster boy for prison reform.

[KentVillan]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

But Pearson has changed it in 5 minutes.....Its all about the approach.

and it doesn't surprise me......I am not saying sack Dean smith, but I am confident Allardyce would keep us up.

Its about choices....Dean needs to tune in to what this league demands.....its not the championship.

People were saying same thing about Solsjkaer last season. A good squad underperforming, previous manager has lost the dressing room... it's the classic new manager bounce.

Smith still needs time. People keep saying he's had time, but he really hasn't. This is basically a completely new team he's trying to build at a level above what most of these players have ever experienced, and he's had injuries to all of his key players, so we've never had a chance to put out a settled 11. Everything (pressing and aggression included) improves when the team starts to settle.

[markavfc40]

37 minutes ago, TRO said:

Watford, irrespective of their time in the Premier League, (could be a hundred Years for all I care).......They were dead and Buried, deceased, until Pearson arrived......a manager ,I might add would not be considered by many Fans

A change of manager has brought a change of approach and that for me is the significant thing....

On the flip side Southampton were also in dire straights not so long ago and decided to stick with their manager and have put an excellent run together and now find themselves 12th. Just over 3 weeks ago they were where we are now and at that point had been battered a number of times including 9-0 at home to Leicester.

Every club is different and at different stages of building or rebuilding squads etc and each manager/head coach will be judged based on their circumstance. 

For me Smith in his 15 months, given what he inherited, did a great job in getting us up. Then, due to what he inherited, the club was left in a position of needing quantity and quality in one transfer window. A tough ask for any club and it is no surprise that we have found it really tough this season. Smith though for me has enough credit in the bank, and has shown enough in his time here, to be worthy of time to try to keep us up this season and if we drop to perhaps be given the opportunity to again bring us up. 

[TheAuthority]

2 hours ago, av1 said:

Smith is the right bloke. 

I agree but I'm not so sure about Suso.

[Kiwivillan]

Smith is right. Manager change won't fix individual errors

Opta statistics show no team in the Premier League has made more individual mistakes than Villa.

“The players need to stamp it out. If they’re making individual mistakes, there’s not a lot we can do on the coaching field about it,” said manager Dean Smith.

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/aston-villa-relegation-premier-league-table-transfers-dean-smith-1368990

[holteend1982]

6 hours ago, Tomaszk said:

I'll try again.

Neither Pearson or Sam would keep us up TRO. You think they would make these poor players better? You think Hourihane would be flying into tackles and offering himself for passes? You think Taylor will suddenly become a footballer? We'll suddenly have a striker to play?

I'm afraid not. 

Summer recruitment has made this an almost impossible task. Smith has made errors along the way though.

They might not make them better players individually but as a unit they would make us much stronger and organised. We'd Conceede less from sloppy set plays and there'd be 0 chance of playing out unnecessarily from the back and making mistakes like we have. I think we'd have a better chance staying up with the likes of alladyce or Pearson. I can't make my mind up on Smith, some performances I'm impressed and think he can keep us up but then a week later we look garbage and certain to go down, today is massive for him! 

[HKP90]

Big Sam?  Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

No one ever, ever learns. Never.

 

[MikeMcKenna]

9 hours ago, TRO said:

I disagree....but that sounds like I want Smith gone....I don't, I think he is learning, but its come a bit late for us.

Its hypothetical, I know, but yes I do think they would make a difference.......They would make them better organised as a team, but I cannot deny, we have player issues, i agree.....its only recently, we have deviated from 4-3-3, with the second worst defensive record in the division, I mean come on...benevolence is our middle name.

Watford were worse than us, comotose, no tackling, no physical contact, just drifting through games full of melancholy......a dead duck.

Whether Nigel Pearson is long term, that's a different argument, not sure....but short term its working.

Sure the Neanderthal Troy Deeney back from injury has helped...........and I wonder why that is ?......answers on a postcard.

I don't know how difficult recruitment is, but I think we have targetted the wrong type of players.....sorry.

I have issues with DS, but if we replaced him with Allardyce, I would frankly consider giving up. Can’t stand the bloke, dodgy as ****! Even given the way football is nowadays for me he would be the limit. As for recruitment, I think it is widely agreed that DS didn’t pick the players that were brought in. It’s probably wishful thinking, but I still think if we can pull off an unexpected result and get a few players in, he can turn it around. Almost certainly DS is not being replaced, we have to dig in, support him and forget bringing in dross like Allardyce. 

Edited January 18, 2020 by MikeMcKenna

[foreveryoung]

11 hours ago, av1 said:

Smith is the right bloke. 

To take us back in the Championship, yeah?

Tell me what your seeing on the pitch to suggest he is the man??

[KHV]

7 hours ago, Kiwivillan said:

Smith is right. Manager change won't fix individual errors

Opta statistics show no team in the Premier League has made more individual mistakes than Villa.

“The players need to stamp it out. If they’re making individual mistakes, there’s not a lot we can do on the coaching field about it,” said manager Dean Smith.

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/aston-villa-relegation-premier-league-table-transfers-dean-smith-1368990

A change may fix individual errors

Smith likes to play out from the back and always has

It doesn’t work though when you have fairly crap players all round, especially at the back and in midfield

A simple change in philosophy to get rid of the ball in and around the box would be a good place to start

Also telling the midfielders to stop showing for the ball whilst facing their own goal in our own half would be another good idea

Hardly rocket science, but mistakes we make over and over and over again

We have some fairly pacey forwards, if it danger clear it into the channels and push up instead of trying the Barcelona build up from the 18 yard line

None of this will happen with Smith in charge

[terrytini]

Wasn’t long ago some posters said we needed to be more like Warnock and Cardiff, in order to get promoted, and some seem to be saying we should play more like them in order to stay here.

The truth is...

.....There isn’t just one way of playing football, there isn’t even one way for each individual manager
 

( ...the great Ron Saunders achieved nothing at all at Blues and West Brom, his teams at those Clubs showed none of the qualities he was renowned - here - for)

Whichever way you play you need all your players at it every game, or you will struggle.

And you are more likely to have more players at it more often the better the players, the better the character of the players, the longer they’ve had together, the better they are coached.

And in seeking to get those players your pulling power matters, and in getting them you will buy duds aswell as gems.

This Club, under new owners, made a conscious decision to break with the MON/Lambert/ Mcleish/Bruce style.....as increasingly many Clubs have done...for better or for worse. That was always going to be a difficult transition. 
 

It’s a very different thing than taking over a Club and team already playing a certain way and reinvigorating it.

The idea that Smith, or the Club,  is just discovering certain traits are “ needed” in the top league are, at best, patronising. He may, or may not, turn out to have what it takes to be a Premier League Coach but one thing is for sure, it can’t be fairly judged after 20 odd games !!

It seems to me there is a three way split between those that simply don’t want him, those that want him to succeed but think he is naive, or lacking competence, and those that think he just needs and deserves time to work on the Team.

I remain in the latter camp. After what feels like a lifetime of aimless “band aid” football I’d like to think we might actually be worth watching at some point in the future. I don’t know whether Smith will be able to being that about ( I’ve seen evidence For, and Against) but I’m glad the Owners are willing to give him the opportunity and hopefully the time to see whether he can.
 

[terrytini]

5 hours ago, holteend1982 said:

I can't make my mind up on Smith, some performances I'm impressed and think he can keep us up but then a week later we look garbage and certain to go down, today is massive for him! 

That’s life for most newly promoted teams isn’t it ?

My advice, for what it’s worth ? 
Don’t try to “make up your mind“ ! Accept he’s the Head Coach, moan when he fails, praise when he succeeds, and hope it’s the latter more than the former !

 

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 hour ago, KHV said:

A change may fix individual errors

Smith likes to play out from the back and always has

It doesn’t work though when you have fairly crap players all round, especially at the back and in midfield

A simple change in philosophy to get rid of the ball in and around the box would be a good place to start

Also telling the midfielders to stop showing for the ball whilst facing their own goal in our own half would be another good idea

Hardly rocket science, but mistakes we make over and over and over again

We have some fairly pacey forwards, if it danger clear it into the channels and push up instead of trying the Barcelona build up from the 18 yard line

None of this will happen with Smith in charge

Maybe you’re right but the alternative is too get a more direct manager that maybe keeps us up and then get rid of him again to try and build a new style and way of playing again that becomes the clubs identity. Effectively starting again, 
 

Or we just trust Smith.

[Vive_La_Villa]

18 minutes ago, terrytini said:

Wasn’t long ago some posters said we needed to be more like Warnock and Cardiff, in order to get promoted, and some seem to be saying we should play more like them in order to stay here.

The truth is...

.....There isn’t just one way of playing football, there isn’t even one way for each individual manager
 

( ...the great Ron Saunders achieved nothing at all at Blues and West Brom, his teams at those Clubs showed none of the qualities he was renowned - here - for)

Whichever way you play you need all your players at it every game, or you will struggle.

And you are more likely to have more players at it more often the better the players, the better the character of the players, the longer they’ve had together, the better they are coached.

And in seeking to get those players your pulling power matters, and in getting them you will buy duds aswell as gems.

This Club, under new owners, made a conscious decision to break with the MON/Lambert/ Mcleish/Bruce style.....as increasingly many Clubs have done...for better or for worse. That was always going to be a difficult transition. 
 

It’s a very different thing than taking over a Club and team already playing a certain way and reinvigorating it.

The idea that Smith, or the Club,  is just discovering certain traits are “ needed” in the top league are, at best, patronising. He may, or may not, turn out to have what it takes to be a Premier League Coach but one thing is for sure, it can’t be fairly judged after 20 odd games !!

It seems to me there is a three way split between those that simply don’t want him, those that want him to succeed but think he is naive, or lacking competence, and those that think he just needs and deserves time to work on the Team.

I remain in the latter camp. After what feels like a lifetime of aimless “band aid” football I’d like to think we might actually be worth watching at some point in the future. I don’t know whether Smith will be able to being that about ( I’ve seen evidence For, and Against) but I’m glad the Owners are willing to give him the opportunity and hopefully the time to see whether he can.
 

Maybe we should just go back to this and accept it’s the clubs identity. Like a Stoke or a Burnley. I think a quite few fans on here probably would prefer that. 

[jim]

13 hours ago, av1 said:

Smith is the right bloke. 

To take us down. Spot on there.

[sne]

While I do feel Smith is one of the weaker managers in the league I still feel it's more a case of the squad not being quite good enough.

If you compare with Watford they clearly have a good squad that was under performing and needed a new voice.

While I think we are performing about as expected when you look at our squad. We'd need more than just a new voice to see improvements.

The squad has glaring issues at in multiple positions and with the summer as it was it's hardly surprising. However the striker situation was a ball dropped by the club.

Changing managers without fixing the squad issues would be utterly pointless should only be done as a last gasp option.

Smith deserves to be where he is.