Ratings & Reactions: Crystal Palace v Villa

[allani]

13 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

we haven’t even stumbled under Deano. It’s been constant progression and success.

I think our form since the end of the season counts as a bit of a stumble.  At the very least it is a pretty serious wobble.  Our poor run this season has lasted almost twice as long as our good run.

[allani]

21 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

See that’s funny, because Transfermarkt say they spent 95.2 million pounds on transfers this year. With Rodrigo costing 1 mil less than Watkins.

That’s on 14 players, a full team and half a bench.

But it’s still the same team as the Championship, sure.

And Rodrigo has scored 6 goals from 24.

 

So less money than we spent when we got promoted for a similar number of players.  We struggled to 17th and they are going to finish in the top half.  I think you have destroyed your own argument....

[TRO]

33 minutes ago, allani said:

I'm not desperate for us to sack Dean.  But there are plenty of worrying signs that he needs to address.  Our form since January has been awful - if you applied our points per game since January over a full season we would be 17th.  We don't have the fourth worst team / squad in the division.  There is only so long that you can praise our first 10 - 13 matches without getting worried about the last 20.  I've said before that had our form been more consistent during the season (i.e. we were 11th with the same number of points but the results had been more evenly distributed) I'd be pretty happy.  But we can't just ignore our form (in terms of both results and performances) since January - just as we can't discount our form at the start of the season.  Today kind of summed our season up - brilliant in the first third, poor in the second but failed to address the obvious concerns and being "happy" because we were still ahead and then awful in the final third.  Smith needs to prove that he can turn this around because if we start next season badly I'm not confident in his ability to turn it around.  Last season I think everyone at the club assumed we were down, relaxed and we suddenly picked up some massive results.  He's had 2 seasons in the Premier League now and yet is still making the same mistakes.  I'd rather get rid of a manager before they let us down and replace them with an upgrade than wait until they fail and we are back in another relegation battle.  Not sure we are at that stage yet but the question marks about Smith are getting bigger.  Similar to McGinn for me.  Been a big part of getting us to where we are but huge doubts about whether they are what we need to take us to the next step on the ladder.

Folk will have thier own opinions on Dean, depending on the criteria they wish to favour.

I just hope one thing, whether he stays or goes, we cannot afford to drift in to a decline again, by procrastinating on our decision making.....The owners should know, if Dean is meeting their ambitions and plans and act accordingly.

There are cases to be made on the varying opinions....but I don't want us to, sleep walk in to long periods of poor form, because we couldn't make our minds up as to where the problem lies.

However, I would hope some searching questions should be made in the summer as to why our form has dramatically dropped....and win one, lose one, draw one has become the pattern.

 

 

[HKP90]

A normal business run by Villa fans:

“Ah, Mr Smith take a seat. As you can see, year on year turnover is up again, our stock is the highest it’s been in 10 years. As our Managing Director you are to be commended.

By the way you’re fired, because Amazon beat our sales projection.

What? No we’re sacking you now just in case the turnover drops next year.

Yes we will invest in infrastructure. No, we have no reason to think turnover will drop. There are your cards matey.”
 

[allani]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

Folk will have thier own opinions on Dean, depending on the criteria they wish to favour.

I just hope one thing, whether he stays or goes, we cannot afford to drift in to a decline again, by procrastinating on our decision making.....The owners should know, if Dean is meeting their ambitions and plans and act accordingly.

There are cases to be made on the varying opinions....but I don't want us to, sleep walk in to long periods of poor form, because we couldn't make our minds up as to where the problem lies.

However, I would hope some searching questions should be made in the summer as to why our form has dramatically dropped....and win one, lose one, draw one has become the pattern.

 

 

This is exactly right.  We've "kept faith" with managers too long in the past and things got worse and worse.  Smith should have come in 4 months sooner than he did so that he had a summer to rebuild rather than let Bruce spunk more money on old players on big wages and no resale value.  We can't wait for Smith to fail.  We have to make a change when we think that his replacement will be an upgrade capable of taking us to the next level. 

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Jas10 said:

Do some people have no loyalty or appreciation? Sickens me that some are desperate for us to sack Deano.

We have gone from strength to strength with him at the helm, and he has worked wonders in such a short space of time in all honesty. There’s no doubt that he has overachieved really.

We finally, FINALLY, have a good manager with the potential to improve and perform even better as he continues to gain PL experience and sign and coach better players.

Like any manager, he has his flaws and makes mistakes - of course he does. But how much can he do/change when he’s working with what is honestly a poor squad? I’m sure we will keep improving and progressing as we continue to strengthen the team and squad.

Some people simply have no patience and want a shortcut to success - it doesn’t work that way. There really is a fickleness in a section of our fanbase and I really don’t like it, I had hoped we had more integrity.

Let’s back Dean all the way, he hasn’t let us down...

I think it more of a case, that many fans don't want to see us go backwards, back in to the dark old days.

These things creep up on you and unless you address them, they consume you, momentum can easily silp in to reverse, if the wrong decisions are made......we have done this in the past, some of us, still have the scars.

[Jas10]

6 minutes ago, allani said:

OK but playing Devil's Advocate - has Smith improved us or has £150m of better players improved us?  I think the squad is better than last season (I can't see that anyone can deny that).  Was it better enough to explain our start?  No.  Is it bad enough to explain our recent form?  No.  There are at least 6 teams that (on paper) are weaker than us and yet our form since January has been on a par with 17th (where we finished last season).  We are making many of the same mistakes this season (with better players) as we did last season.  At the very least we are making the same mistakes now after a 20 odd game run of poor form as we were in January / February when it first started.  I don't like chopping and changing managers.  I was disgusted that Leicester sacked Ranieri - yet in hindsight it was the correct decision.  Just as sometimes Smith refuses to make subs because we are doing OK and then leaves it too late and we've lost the game.  If we wait until we are in the **** before we make a change it might be too late and the new manager might not have enough time to turn it around.  I'd much rather spend £150 million with someone like Ancellotti in charge.  (I know we are not going to get him - but if Everton can attract a manager like him then there is absolutely no reason why Villa couldn't).  I think Smith deserves the summer but if we start next season poorly and he still refuses to make changes in matches when things are going against us there can be no excuse.  By then our owners will have spent £300 million plus on players and the "our squad isn't good enough" excuse is no longer acceptable.  I hope you are right and next season we are a different prospect - but my niggling concern is that improvements will be because the playing staff is better and that we're not checking whether our coaching team are outperforming their squad.  I have everything crossed for another step forward!!!

It sounds like you’re expecting us to do badly, why is that? As you also mentioned Dean letting us down in your last point...

Why take the negative view?

I don’t think there’s a massive justification for that... we’ve kicked on every season that Dean has been in charge and, yes, you have to spend money to do so too.

The season is long, full of ups and downs. You can’t win every game or perform amazingly in every game - what matters is how you have done overall and where you end up.

We can’t overlook all of the factors (Covid outbreak, Barkleys complete loss of form, Jack being injured for so long).

Before the season began, were we really expecting to do much better than consolidating ourselves in the league and a safe, bottom half finish? Being realistic and sensible.

The start of the season and our amazing results exceeded our expectations but it also raised them massively....

Finishing 10-13th in the end is not so bad really is it? Yes, we (& I) wanted more/better but it has been a crazy season unlike any other.

My advice is just to look forwards with hope and optimism...

[allani]

2 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

A normal business run by Villa fans:

“Ah, Mr Smith take a seat. As you can see, year on year turnover is up again, our stock is the highest it’s been in 10 years. As our Managing Director you are to be commended.

By the way you’re fired, because Amazon beat our sales projection.

What? No we’re sacking you now just in case the turnover drops next year.

Yes we will invest in infrastructure. No, we have no reason to think turnover will drop. There are your cards matey.”
 

Sorry but this is so wrong.  The world of business is littered with successful companies that failed to recognise / heed warning signs concerning the way their business operated before it was too late and then collapsed into bankrupcy.  I mean pretty much every single shop on the high street (not any longer) is the perfect example of that.  Businesses that are successful in the long term are those that are not scared to make big and difficult decisions early, quickly and decisively.

[Jas10]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

I think it more of a case, that many fans don't want to see us go backwards, back in to the dark old days.

These things creep up on you and unless you address them, they consume you, momentum can easily silp in to reverse, if the wrong decisions are made......we have done this in the past, some of us, still have the scars.

Well that’s the thing TRO, it appears that some of us aren’t quite grasping or realising that this is a new era for us with a totally different and much better regime.

The owners are genuine and credible people, they have constantly pumped millions into all areas of the club and it’s obvious that they want us to be as successful as possible. These aren’t shoddy conmen! (Hi there Tony! )
 

Dean is also a very credible manager and coach who has earned his success and shown he has the quality and experience to move us forwards (he’s already been doing it). He is moving forward with us.

 

We have no patience but nothing has even happened yet for us to be negative or pessimistic. We haven’t once gone backwards since he’s been here.

[Louis]

1 hour ago, Lerner's Driver said:

...As it so often has in the second half of this season.

Time and time again.

But, but we were winning at the half way stage!

Yes exactly, it takes me back to that night at Burnley. We cannot keep leads and Grealish wasn’t today either.

[HKP90]

4 minutes ago, allani said:

Sorry but this is so wrong.  The world of business is littered with successful companies that failed to recognise / heed warning signs concerning the way their business operated before it was too late and then collapsed into bankrupcy.  I mean pretty much every single shop on the high street (not any longer) is the perfect example of that.  Businesses that are successful in the long term are those that are not scared to make big and difficult decisions early, quickly and decisively.

I’m sorry but If I sacked my employees because I think their performance will drop next year I would be rightly taken to tribunal. 
 

Moreover who the F would want to work for a company that sacks employees for meeting targets?

 

[Zhan_Zhuang]

Unfortunately two average midtable teams and Villa were beaten by the the better team.

Eze was quality, my MOTM.

[sheepyvillian]

2 hours ago, HKP90 said:

Sure would be nice to have a DM, don’t you think??????

We've got one in the Youth team, Rakki, I'd have with the first team next year. For me, he was the best player on the pitch Friday night. A proper old head on young shoulders. 

[TRO]

1 minute ago, allani said:

This is exactly right.  We've "kept faith" with managers too long in the past and things got worse and worse.  Smith should have come in 4 months sooner than he did so that he had a summer to rebuild rather than let Bruce spunk more money on old players on big wages and no resale value.  We can't wait for Smith to fail.  We have to make a change when we think that his replacement will be an upgrade capable of taking us to the next level. 

The owners will see, with any manager, if they have what it takes, they will judge at close quarters....we only see the matches, they will see him working and his persona around the place whether it is inspiring, has he the leadership of men quality....is he a driver or a coaster?....all thes type of things.

They will know more than we........His record overall, is one of gradual improvement, but our form since Xmas is concerning......The owners will be asking themselves which way is it going....is it the long term view or the current view.

They will possibly spend another 100 mill, they will want to be sure, its going to be spent well and that the subsequent blending will reap rewards.....On the basis of that game, and the current form, I would advise Dean to have a few answers ready.

I think it could be a tricky old time.

[sheepyvillian]

1 minute ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

Eze was quality, my MOTM.

Easily. I'd have him in a heartbeat. 

[HKP90]

5 minutes ago, sheepyvillian said:

We've got one in the Youth team, Rakki, I'd have with the first team next year. For me, he was the best player on the pitch Friday night. A proper old head on young shoulders. 

Not heard of him. Sad to say I don’t follow the youth team as much as I should. What type is he?

[sheepyvillian]

10 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

We have no patience but nothing has even happened yet for us to be negative or pessimistic. We haven’t once gone backwards since he’s been here

In a nutshell. 

[Herman22]

I think there were two things to consider from today's game. We played with 2 or our starting back 4 and I think it showed. I think we really miss Cash when he's out. 

Also, I don't think Jack is actually fit. He's not really making a difference off the bench. He looks slow and laboured in possession. 

Big summer for Dean and the team. We need 2-3 quality additions to take us to battling for Europe next season. If we get Emi/ Watkins level of transfers I'll be happy. 

[sheepyvillian]

1 minute ago, HKP90 said:

Not heard of him. Sad to say I don’t follow the youth team as much as I should. What type is he?

It's a pity. Loves the ball, fights for the ball and knows exactly what he wants to do with the ball as soon as he gets it. The kind of midfielder this team is crying out for. 

[HKP90]

Just now, sheepyvillian said:

It's a pity. Loves the ball, fights for the ball and knows exactly what he wants to do with the ball as soon as he gets it. The kind of midfielder this team is crying out for. 

That IS exactly what we need. Ball winner and outlet.