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Richard O’Kelly


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12 hours ago, TrentVilla said:

 

I don't really get the 'thing' that has been made over Smith's backroom staff but then its John Terry and some in the press will always look for an angle, especially when they were pro-Bruce....

So, here is how I see it.

* Smith wasn't the manager at Brentford he was the head coach and there is a difference and was a difference at Brentford

* Smith has been appointed as head coach at Villa and will quite clearly be working in that capacity as part of a wider football structure, he won't be a traditional British style manager 

* When Smith was head coach at Brentford he had not one but two assistants, Richard O'Kelly and Thomas Frank.

* O'Kelly was Smith's guy and it appears and always appeared like Frank was the clubs man and quite possibly always seen as Smith's successor

* John Terry was appointed as Assistant Coach 

* When O'Kelly is confirmed he might be First Team Coach but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he has the same title as Terry

Ask any Brentford fan about Smith and they will tell you its not all about him, its about the wider set up at the club above and beyond him and that pre-dated him. That isn't them down playing his impact, simply a reflection of the fact they have a more continental structure and as important as Smith has been for them its not the same as losing old school 'manager'.

I've also seen people in the press try and use this as a reason why Smith might not be successful at Villa while at the same time raising questions about Terry.

But it looks to me like we are very much trying to follow the example set by Brentford, like we will have a head coach with two assistants, one the pick of the head coach and the other more the pick of the club.

I'm perfectly comfortable with the set up, in fact it would be hard for me to be happier with it.

I make you spot on 

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2 hours ago, NurembergVillan said:

I'm wondering if getting in Smith and O'Kelly is the start of it, not that we've already done it.  They'll need the insight of someone familiar with the system to be able to implement it.

Yes, exactly. If you were going to follow that way of operating, (well, if it were up to me) you'd want to get the/a main man/woman in, who understands how to set up the system, and how it would need to work. You'd not start with the manager and coaches and DoF.

I don't think we're going to copy the Brentford model. I think we'll do it "our" way, which will be more like continental clubs. Have a structure that means not having to throw the baby out with the bathwater each time. I'm also surte we'll learn from Brentford and adopt some of their methodologies, brought along by DS and RO'K.

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2 hours ago, blandy said:

Yes, exactly. If you were going to follow that way of operating, (well, if it were up to me) you'd want to get the/a main man/woman in, who understands how to set up the system, and how it would need to work. You'd not start with the manager and coaches and DoF.

I don't think we're going to copy the Brentford model. I think we'll do it "our" way, which will be more like continental clubs. Have a structure that means not having to throw the baby out with the bathwater each time. I'm also surte we'll learn from Brentford and adopt some of their methodologies, brought along by DS and RO'K.

I agree.

I think NV went a little further with it than what I was suggesting. What I was suggesting was that Smith having two assistant head coaches in Terry and O'Kelly wasn't an issue. That we were in effect replicating something that was in place at Brentford and a model of working that he was seemingly comfortable with, I still think there is a similarity between the roles of Terry and Frank and potentially similar motivations but that isn't the same as replicating their whole system.

I agree with you on the above.

 

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2 hours ago, TrentVilla said:

 

Confirmed and with the same title as John Terry? Who would have predicted that..... ?

As I read it O’Kelly is Assistant Head Coach and JT is Assistant Coach. That little four letter word could mean everything or nothing.

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57 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

O’Kelly is Assistant Head Coach and JT is Assistant Coach. That little four letter word could mean everything or nothing

There's definitely a big difference between head and no head, er, give or take a bit.

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30 minutes ago, rubberman said:

Interesting that Ro'K was so impressed by the technical skills of those in training...who were the 11 there?

Everyone at the club is likely vastly more technically gifted than they were allowed to play. Bruce stifled creativity to the point where showing you could actually play football was pointless. I am sure if Villa live streamed a training session we would all see a different side to most of the players we don't rate.  

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13 minutes ago, villan-scott said:

He seems genuinely delighted to be here. I like that! I wonder if he was a Villa fan growing up too?

He certainly sounds like a Brummie. 

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