Ratings & Reactions: Villa v West Ham

[TRO]

3 hours ago, Robtaylor200 said:

THIS for me. Mitigating circumstances are beginning to wear thin for me, (Mitigating circumstances are facts that do not excuse the  misconduct blah blah, but may show some  valid reasons for the actions taken) I think we are reading and listening to more mitigating circumstances after every match than what we actually did well for ourselves. The team and the staff seem to feel that everything is going against them at the moment. 

Well it wont change unless we make it change, I believe we need to get some discipline back into the squad No more Mr. Nice guy and protector 

Dean out and JT back as caretaker manager until a better replacement can be found 

its all too familiar events of the past.

[TRO]

38 minutes ago, villabromsgrove said:

I didn't expect us to win yesterday so I was not disappointed with the result.

However, I did expect to see full commitment out on the pitch and I really only got to see that from four players. Nakamba, Hause, Cash and Watkins.

Nakamba was energetically throwing himself into tackles and shouting and waving players into position, trying to get them to press more, but his technical limitations were once again exposed. If Nakamba is clearly man of the match then the team has real problems.

Hause is also technically limited and could easily have seen a red card, but again his tackling and commitment was an example to others who seem to prefer to play more cautiously.

Cash to his credit chased and harried all game.

Watkins put in his usual shift.

After three years in charge a manager should have a team style and ethos that reflects his own philosophy and characteristics. Sadly I think that the fairly laid back, comfortable bunch of individuals that pull on a Villa shirt on match days probably do.

Dean is a lovely guy and I don't think he's going to have a personality transplant any time soon. Our squad urgently needs someone with fresh ideas to come in and get rid of the complacency that appears to have taken root.

Deans own words......"The team mirrors the manager".......passive.

I say no more.

[delboy54]

We should never ever be in a position of being a one man team again and depending on one person to carry the game for us.

When Gresford was not playing we were poor, and now he is gone we have not developed a system to play without him nor got the players.

I have to agree with much of what TRO says on this site. 

We were beaten by a better team, a team not with one fancy dan individual that carried all the others. Moyes has done a good job with the kit stealers lets admit it.

The thing that annoys me is we start to whinge about the 50 50 decisions, the ref, the weather, luck is not on our side etc etc. when results go against us

There is something fundamentally not right with the squad this season The kit stealers progress is where we need to be...but does that make us "whingey entitlements" as fans?

Not sure if sacking Dean is the right thing, but then I don't own AVFC and see my investment shrinking...

All the best

 

Del

 

 

[TRO]

8 hours ago, Ponky said:

Would have had no argument if Hause was sent off but sending off Konsa was ridiculous. What new information did the ref gain from VAR for the Konsa incident? Zero. No clear and obvious error. 

West Han deserved the win but we effectively handed it to them on a platter. Awful closing down for their first two, both of which Martinez of last season would have stopped. 

Back to the drawing board for Smiffy. Clock's ticking. 

Its inevitable, that if this slump is not addressed other players will get dragged in to it....Martinez being one.

[TRO]

8 hours ago, tinker said:

I agree with most of what you're saying but JT would definitely not be the answer. He hasn't got the experience and would basically fall apart after a couple more losses. 

Smith can turn this around but he needs to start again and go back to basics. Let's get more in the midfield and try and stop teams playing to try and stop the losses. We can build the creative part of the game from a solid base and we have the players to come off the bench to do that late in games, at least games  that we have managed to stay in. 

We've got experience already and its showing no dividend... we need belief....and a rallying call....We need a William Wallace, injection.

There is no solid base, we traded that for Vanity....we had c £100 mill of forward line on display...you are barking up the wrong tree, like many.

We are hemorrhaging goals our defensive capability is like a sieve.

We have 3 in midfield, how can we play more....the problem is, they are all too similar, with similar weaknesses.

This has been coming for some time, but we have failed to see it, it is that simple.....Jack leaving has just highlighted the inabilities with in the team, no one can keep or run with the ball without losing it so easily....the opposiition are not afraid to challenge us, because its so easy to relieve us of the ball.....it leaves us just floundering around.

I am getting less sure Dean can turn this around.....some of these traits in our play go back, it just now it seems to have come to a head.....our results sequences are worrying and should have been addressed before now....study them, its concerning.

I don't know what the answer is, in one word, because when it gets like this, its usually a combination of things, buts lets make one thing clear.......you and me and everyone on here, could get these results, if we was in charge.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by TRO

[villalad21]

4 minutes ago, TRO said:

We've got experience all ready and its showing no dividend... we need belief....and a rallying call....We need a William Wallace, injection.

There is no solid base, we traded that for Vanity....we had c £100 mill of forward line on display...you are barking up the wrong tree, like many.

We are hemorrhaging goals our defensive capability is like a sieve.

We have 3 in midfield, how can we play more....the problem is, they are all too similar, with similar weaknesses.

This has been coming for some time, but we have failed to see it, it is that simple.....Jack leaving has just highlighted the inabilities with in the team, no one can keep or run with the ball without losing it so easily....the opposiition are not afraid to challenge us, because its so easy to relieve us of the ball.....it leaves us just floundering around.

I am getting less sure Dean can turn this around.....some of these traits in our play go back, it just now it seems to have come to a head.....our results sequences are worrying and should have been addressed before now....study them, its concerning.

I don't know what the answer is, in one word, because when it gets like this, its usually a combination of things, buts lets make one thing clear.......you and me and everyone on here, could get these results, if we was in charge.

 

 

12 goals conceded in the last 4.

That's s the most terrifying stat for me. 

The sort of thing you see in teams who get relegated. 

[danceoftheshamen]

So i decided to wait until this morning to react so as not to do a knee jerk job. Sadly this season is deteriorating rapidly into a true relegation battle! It actually already is one now as with 1/4 of the season gone we have yet to play most of the top sides bar Chelsea away which we lost of course and are only a measily 3 points above the drop zone. Factor in that the zillionaires Newcastle will inevitably be buying massively in Jan and the threat is clear.

Currently i am staggered by our team & what a shambles it is. I was on the Holte yesterday as always and it was staggering to see how poor we are at playing out from the back. Poor old hause clearly is not comfortable doing it and looked clumsy on a few occasions when pressed usually ending up with a panicked hoof up the line which usually resulted in the ball coming straight back again. Targett was just as bad if not worse. 

West ham looked sharper and clearly all knew their roles well. Our players looked lost and were trying to figure it out on "on the fly" or were basically "winging it". Surely after 3 years at the helm for Smith this should not be the case!!!

I knew we would lose as soon as that odd team line-up was announced and that seemed to also be the general feeling on the Holte before a ball had been kicked. The pre-game buzz was simply not there, likely lost when the line up was revealed.  The Holte felt completely flat as though awaiting the inevitable incoming defeat, it was nowhere near the passion and bouyancy we enjoyed prior to the Everton game for example. Indeed a kind of Apathy has swept into Villa Park caused by the awful recent performances and last nights bizarre line-up from Smith. It seemed to sweep in at the moment a bunch of poor substitutions against Wolves caused us to throw away a 2-0 win in the space of 10 minutes. 

I feel Smith is now sctratching the bottom of the barrel and somehow has turned a European capable squad into relegation contenders. Pre-season was shambolic and caused a stuttering start which we managed to recover from eventually with the win at Old Trafford but what on Earth has happened since then? We should have been flying!!! He has lost the dressing room now by the looks of it. That was as patchy & uncoordinated a team as i have seen since the relegation season and he needs a small miracle to turn this around now.

Where were Ings, Mings, Traore, Sanson & co?! 

I noted after the game his "message to the Villa fans" was that there were "reasons for the defeats like injuries" What happened to the contradictory comments a few weeks ago about "how we now have a good enough squad to cope with a few injuries"??

Somethings not right and we are losing a crazy amount of games and that's not even against the top sides! 

Very concerned

 

[TRO]

2 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

12 goals conceded in the last 4.

That's s the most terrifying stat for me. 

The sort of thing you see in teams who get relegated. 

lets make no mistake, this is relegation form....what terrifys me more, I can't see any tangible reason to snap out of it.

[Philosopher]

9 hours ago, TRO said:

If I am being honest, no matter, who we pick, where they play or what formation we choose......I see the same fundamental flaws lately....too slow to the ball, insufficient ball control, spasmodic closing down, and poor tracking of runners, an much more.

That for me says more about the individual player and his attitude, than systems or positions.....They look like a rag tag shambles at times, particularly, without the ball....There seems a disconnect between Dean and the team, the same way as a connect between Moyes and his team.

He has to find a solution.

I somewhat agree with you. I think we have played at least 3 different systems in less than 10 matches, playing almost every player in our first team squad. We are having to adapt our style or play because previously everything centered around Jack Grealish. We are also having to bed in a new attack. Throw that we had lost 3 matches in a row and 2 of which in rather demoralising fashion. Makes me believe it's part confidence in themselves, and part confidence in the system (they simply haven't had a proper chance to establish one).  

I think now the players may start to doubt Smith. I think players know when they aren't being played how they would like, and this definitely affects them. For me the biggest criticism I can levy is that he has changed things around too much (which isn't all his fault really, as injuries and availability have forced much of it on him), and playing players in new roles or not playing to players strengths.

We were never going to hit the ground running and even without the injuries the first 10 games were always going to be difficult. My issues with Smith is a changing to 442 then 352, he should have stuck with 4231 / 433 for continuity. He shouldn't have tried to play Buendia as a 10 or an 8.  It's also common knowledge that 352 away from home against 442 means if the home team look to attack the flanks it's overloads all day long!

He has made a difficult start harder by by overcomplicating things. When you're are trying to integrate new players and a new style, play players in their preferred positions, and to their strengths. And do that consistently. Minimise formation changes and personnel changes. 

Yesterday he changed the formation, shoehorned Ramsey into the no 10 role, played Buendia without anyone making runs infront of him. Had Watkins taking up spaces that Bailey should be running into. Dropped the captain and main organiser. And played Mcginn in what is the worst way to play him (play him as the only DM he knows to stay back, hold his position and not go running everywhere, play him as a number 8 he knows he has the freedom to go where the ball is, playing as a half and half is not good for him). So play would obviously be slow and disjointed as many didn't know whether to stick or twist.

Premier league football is high speed, so a manager has to make the decision making as simple as possible for his players. Drill the same shit over and over. Play them how they are used to playing, and in a system they are used to with players whose game they know. He needs to go back to basics.

[delboy54]

Can you imagine the opposite, we have just beaten West ham to now have 4 straight wins,.....VP atmosphere would be terrific, opposition teams scared, Villa team full of confidence etc etc.

There is a fine line, the problem is while confidence breeds confidence, the opposite can occur and is harder to get out of the tailspin...

Very concerning about how Dean turns this around

[TRO]

13 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

So i decided to wait until this morning to react so as not to do a knee jerk job. Sadly this season is deteriorating rapidly into a true relegation battle! It actually already is one now as with 1/4 of the season gone we have yet to play most of the top sides bar Chelsea away which we lost of course and are only a measily 3 points above the drop zone. Factor in that the zillionaires Newcastle will inevitably be buying massively in Jan and the threat is clear.

Currently i am staggered by our team & what a shambles it is. I was on the Holte yesterday as always and it was staggering to see how poor we are at playing out from the back. Poor old hause clearly is not comfortable doing it and looked clumsy on a few occasions when pressed usually ending up with a panicked hoof up the line which usually resulted in the ball coming straight back again. Targett was just as bad if not worse. 

West ham looked sharper and clearly all knew their roles well. Our players looked lost and were trying to figure it out on "on the fly" or were basically "winging it". Surely after 3 years at the helm for Smith this should not be the case!!!

I knew we would lose as soon as that odd team line-up was announced and that seemed to also be the general feeling on the Holte before a ball had been kicked. The pre-game buzz was simply not there, likely lost when the line up was revealed.  The Holte felt completely flat as though awaiting the inevitable incoming defeat, it was nowhere near the passion and bouyancy we enjoyed prior to the Everton game for example. Indeed a kind of Apathy has swept into Villa Park caused by the awful recent performances and last nights bizarre line-up from Smith. It seemed to sweep in at the moment a bunch of poor substitutions against Wolves caused us to throw away a 2-0 win in the space of 10 minutes. 

I feel Smith is now sctratching the bottom of the barrel and somehow has turned a European capable squad into relegation contenders. Pre-season was shambolic and caused a stuttering start which we managed to recover from eventually with the win at Old Trafford but what on Earth has happened since then? We should have been flying!!! He has lost the dressing room now by the looks of it. That was as patchy & uncoordinated a team as i have seen since the relegation season and he needs a small miracle to turn this around now.

Where were Ings, Mings, Traore, Sanson & co?! 

I noted after the game his "message to the Villa fans" was that there were "reasons for the defeats like injuries" What happened to the contradictory comments a few weeks ago about "how we now have a good enough squad to cope with a few injuries"??

Somethings not right and we are losing a crazy amount of games and that's not even against the top sides! 

Very concerned

 

I agree.

I don't profess to know the answer, but i have been here before. I feel a lot of excuses are being rolled out, from many quarters...you don't play this bad ( last 4 games) unless something is up..These displays could not have beaten Everton or Man U, I am sure of that.

I am a believer of, you are only as good as your worst performance or a chain is only as strong as the weakest link...This team of ours is passive.

For me, it doesn't matter what the line up is or what formation, it simply matters not......This team is lacking in mentality and belief in each other....We are in a dark place right now.

We need a bright light to lead us out of the tunnel.

[TRO]

12 minutes ago, Philosopher said:

I somewhat agree with you. I think we have played at least 3 different systems in less than 10 matches, playing almost every player in our first team squad. We are having to adapt our style or play because previously everything centered around Jack Grealish. We are also having to bed in a new attack. Throw that we had lost 3 matches in a row and 2 of which in rather demoralising fashion. Makes me believe it's part confidence in themselves, and part confidence in the system (they simply haven't had a proper chance to establish one).  

I think now the players may start to doubt Smith. I think players know when they aren't being played how they would like, and this definitely affects them. For me the biggest criticism I can levy is that he has changed things around too much (which isn't all his fault really, as injuries and availability have forced much of it on him), and playing players in new roles or not playing to players strengths.

We were never going to hit the ground running and even without the injuries the first 10 games were always going to be difficult. My issues with Smith is a changing to 442 then 352, he should have stuck with 4231 / 433 for continuity. He shouldn't have tried to play Buendia as a 10 or an 8.  It's also common knowledge that 352 away from home against 442 means if the home team look to attack the flanks it's overloads all day long!

He has made a difficult start harder by by overcomplicating things. When you're are trying to integrate new players and a new style, play players in their preferred positions, and to their strengths. And do that consistently. Minimise formation changes and personnel changes. 

Yesterday he changed the formation, shoehorned Ramsey into the no 10 role, played Buendia without anyone making runs infront of him. Had Watkins taking up spaces that Bailey should be running into. Dropped the captain and main organiser. And played Mcginn in what is the worst way to play him (play him as the only DM he knows to stay back, hold his position and not go running everywhere, play him as a number 8 he knows he has the freedom to go where the ball is, playing as a half and half is not good for him). So play would obviously be slow and disjointed as many didn't know whether to stick or twist.

Premier league football is high speed, so a manager has to make the decision making as simple as possible for his players. Drill the same shit over and over. Play them how they are used to playing, and in a system they are used to with players whose game they know. He needs to go back to basics.

I am watching us go from game to game, with a weeks work at BMH in between and I find it hard to see any flicker of improvement in form, these last 4 matches...despite the changes you mention, I still see the same old flaws.

Lets be honest here, even at 2-0 up against Wolves, there was elements of concern in our play, for the discerning eye.

I think we are being subjected to a bit of kidology, from pundits and Dean at times.

[onmeedson]

Rabbits in the headlights, that soft underbelly has them all in a panic and for professional footballers they have to be in the bottom league for willing to fight for a cause. All the heads go down and leave the battle to someone else instead of sweating blood for the team.

[tinker]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

We've got experience all ready and its showing no dividend... we need belief....and a rallying call....We need a William Wallace, injection.

There is no solid base, we traded that for Vanity....we had c £100 mill of forward line on display...you are barking up the wrong tree, like many.

We are hemorrhaging goals our defensive capability is like a sieve.

We have 3 in midfield, how can we play more....the problem is, they are all too similar, with similar weaknesses.

This has been coming for some time, but we have failed to see it, it is that simple.....Jack leaving has just highlighted the inabilities with in the team, no one can keep or run with the ball without losing it so easily....the opposiition are not afraid to challenge us, because its so easy to relieve us of the ball.....it leaves us just floundering around.

I am getting less sure Dean can turn this around.....some of these traits in our play go back, it just now it seems to have come to a head.....our results sequences are worrying and should have been addressed before now....study them, its concerning.

I don't know what the answer is, in one word, because when it gets like this, its usually a combination of things, buts lets make one thing clear.......you and me and everyone on here, could get these results, if we was in charge.

 

 

I'm not sure many of us did fail to see it. Plenty on here noticed our poor ability off the ball well before the recent run of form. 

The simple truth is there is no quick and easy answer to drag us out of it but we need to start somewhere and a new coach ( picked from those that are available) is not the easy answer many seem to think it is. 

Basically we have a squad and  coaching staff and we need to find answers within those confines. We need to stop leaking so many goals even if it still means losing , we shouldn't be losing by such large margins and so easily. 

My answer would be to stop playing  3 up top and bolster our defence in the middle of the park. 

 

[zenda]

Must admit I did cringe a bit at Dean referring to Rice as "Dec" when he spoke of him "nobbling one in". We're all one big football family, it's ace!

[WakefieldVillan]

Key was always going to be the midfield battle which we lost hands down but some strange selections by Smith and even more so with the substitutions I thought.

The Mings one was brave but that backfired. Bringing Young on to play in Midfield was the wrong call (thought that was negative as we had started badly, maybe trying to protect Chuck/A. Ramsey). Taking Buendia off also bizarre. Bailey was much worse.  But I would have took Targett off and moved Young to LB. Also last 20 minutes if we're going to be knocking long balls up to Ollie like we did then we may as well of brought Davis on to hold it up (not AEG) and try get some territory / second ball.  Anyway, not sure it would have changed things that much - The hammers didn't even have to play particularly well and still ran out easy winners (in the end) but thought the manager was poor and deserves criticism.

It was a poor performance, again, and there's no getting away from it but boy was that referee and VAR abysmal. In the 90's Hause probably gets away with a yellow, but I agree it is a red. Konsa was a yellow for me and the refs decision shouldn't have been overturned. As much as I wanted the numbers evening up I think Fornals was only a yellow and Bowen. But to blow your whistle when we were in such a promising position was infuriating. The ref made quite a few dubious calls but we only have ourselves to blame.

Think many of us predicted a defeat so it's not the end of the world, but a run of 4 consecutive defeats, playing poorly, conceding goals for fun, injuries, illnesses, squad disharmony? ETC it is very concerning and if it continues the pressure will really be on Dean and the players. We can be a decent side but you have to earn the right to play and at the moment we ain't doing that. We need to see some real fight or it's going to be a challenge staying up. 

 

[Philosopher]

45 minutes ago, TRO said:

I am watching us go from game to game, with a weeks work at BMH in between and I find it hard to see any flicker of improvement in form, these last 4 matches...despite the changes you mention, I still see the same old flaws.

Lets be honest here, even at 2-0 up against Wolves, there was elements of concern in our play, for the discerning eye.

I think we are being subjected to a bit of kidology, from pundits and Dean at times.

Like I have said. The passing out from the back has been a problem since last season. We are far to pedestrian when moving the ball around the defense and the defenders don't really move to create angles for the passing. This is clearly a coaching issue. Certain players don't seem to have the ability the move it quickly and accurately like Targett and Mcginn. Both Mings and Hause spend ages looking for a long ball as soon as they receive it. We don't play with a target man, our midfielders ate small wtf!

The defense is the same as last season so is the midfield, so why is there such a disconnect? It has to be put a Smith's door. What is Danks doing he is our in possession coach, so why do we look worse since he has come in. 

We have a situation where we are having to change and adapt, but there doesn't seem to be a clear plan or vision. Are we a possession based team, or a counter attacking team? Do we play 442, 4231, 433 or 352?  Smith needs to pick direction and way to play and just do that every game. You can't be tactical when you don't even have a base plan. Tactical coach's have a preferred system and then tweak it depending certain perceived threats and weaknesses.

Things are just too unsettled. Footballers are creatures of habit. And all this chop and change is unsettling the existing players while not allowing new ones to settle.  There is no conspiracy. it's just Smith having to juggle losing the player the team was built around, while having to integrate a new attack, while you have an injury crisis.  

Right now the only way to turn it around is to get the defense operating properly. Lets keep some clean sheets, be hard to beat. Defensively we are being pulled apart too easily right now. We have have goalscorers so if we keep a clean sheet we will turn draws into wins by virtue of having quality strikers. 

[TRO]

41 minutes ago, tinker said:

I'm not sure many of us did fail to see it. Plenty on here noticed our poor ability off the ball well before the recent run of form. 

The simple truth is there is no quick and easy answer to drag us out of it but we need to start somewhere and a new coach ( picked from those that are available) is not the easy answer many seem to think it is. 

Basically we have a squad and  coaching staff and we need to find answers within those confines. We need to stop leaking so many goals even if it still means losing , we shouldn't be losing by such large margins and so easily. 

My answer would be to stop playing  3 up top and bolster our defence in the middle of the park. 

 

and some wanted to argue against it....when it was clear. current form has just exacerbated it.

we have averaged in the last 2 seasons 1.16 points, per game...this run of form has been hiding around the corner.

A stitch in time save nine.....we just failed to stitch, and this is the result of it.

Edited November 1, 2021 by TRO

[TRO]

18 minutes ago, Philosopher said:

Like I have said. The passing out from the back has been a problem since last season. We are far to pedestrian when moving the ball around the defense and the defenders don't really move to create angles for the passing. This is clearly a coaching issue. Certain players don't seem to have the ability the move it quickly and accurately like Targett and Mcginn. Both Mings and Hause spend ages looking for a long ball as soon as they receive it. We don't play with a target man, our midfielders ate small wtf!

The defense is the same as last season so is the midfield, so why is there such a disconnect? It has to be put a Smith's door. What is Danks doing he is our in possession coach, so why do we look worse since he has come in. 

We have a situation where we are having to change and adapt, but there doesn't seem to be a clear plan or vision. Are we a possession based team, or a counter attacking team? Do we play 442, 4231, 433 or 352?  Smith needs to pick direction and way to play and just do that every game. You can't be tactical when you don't even have a base plan. Tactical coach's have a preferred system and then tweak it depending certain perceived threats and weaknesses.

Things are just too unsettled. Footballers are creatures of habit. And all this chop and change is unsettling the existing players while not allowing new ones to settle.  There is no conspiracy. it's just Smith having to juggle losing the player the team was built around, while having to integrate a new attack, while you have an injury crisis.  

Right now the only way to turn it around is to get the defense operating properly. Lets keep some clean sheets, be hard to beat. Defensively we are being pulled apart too easily right now. We have have goalscorers so if we keep a clean sheet we will turn draws into wins by virtue of having quality strikers. 

Can't argue with that.

but I will add.....Things were not exactly hunky dory, when we was winning, a few, thats the time to act, not when the wheels are coming off, like now.

Jack, was one of the few players, who could carry the ball, sure he was exceptional, but we should have attempted to acquire a quality ball carrier in centre mid, who could pull the strings and lead us.....instead we just relied on him.

It was so easy, just give it to Jack...and Jack just wears himself out.

We are now just clutching at straws...citing everything and anything.

In contrast, Moyes has just dismantled us 1-4 and all he and his team talk about is improving and highlighting errors they identified mid-game, such a different temperament.......can you imagine coming on here and pointing out flaws after winning 4-1, your loyalty to the club would be questioned.

What I am attempting to highlight, is the mentality and the culture....once that slips, its hard to get it back.

 

[TRO]

4 hours ago, wict01 said:

Having taken a bit of time to reflect on yesterday, I don't think anybody really did themselves justice. Everything was flat, from the players' performance, to the manager's performance, to the fans and the atmosphere. First half was like a morgue, and I get that partially because the performance gave us absolutely nothing to shout about. 

The biggest worry for me is that usually I agree with most things Dean says in his post-match but after the game yesterday I am not sure what he saw to inspire any confidence at all. Aside from the 30 seconds where we scored and a further 30 seconds where Watkins hits the bar, we were awful. Totally outfought, outthought and outmuscled all over the pitch by a team who know their roles and have the basics of football down to a fine art. 

Not that I want him to go, but I think if we fail to win on Friday then it will be curtains for Smith. I just cannot see who would replace him. Potter turned down Spurs so why would he come to us. Fonseca cannot organise a defence to save his life and Roma fans were glad to see the back of him.

This whole transfer window and start to the season feels a bit 13-14 Spurs post-Bale to me. 

I don't see Friday being a water shed moment or it shouldn't IMO.....whether we win or lose.

Deans future should not depend on one game....if it does, he goes for the wrong reasons.

We have averaged 1.16 points over 2 seasons, that is a part of the criteria, he should be judged on.