The manager situation

[PussEKatt]

We are riding the crest of a slump at the moment.

[bannedfromHandV]

I want Smith to come good, I like him, I think he’s done some great stuff here and of course, the fact he’s a fan and has a long standing family association with the club elevates his potential.

 

However, I do think he’s dropped the ball or at least hasn’t done enough to stop the ball from dropping.

Losing Grealish was always going to be huge, not just in terms of the impact on our ability on the pitch but every facet of the club, he was Mr Aston Villa, it’s that simple. Now I don’t blame Smith for Grealish going but I think he maybe could have done more to arrest the other upheavals we had in terms of O’Kelly and Terry both moving on, I think (with hindsight) we could ill afford any major movement on top of the Grealish situation.

The West Ham game reminded me a little of the season we went down, discipline has become poor, confidence is down, the cohesion we seemed to have got nailed down within the squad seems to be falling apart, which i suspect has come from not just losing Grealish but also a bunch of other influential folks such as Hourihane and Elmo, I worry that the new folks we’ve brought in aren’t buying into the culture at the same kind of level - Bailey for example looks a great talent but is he difficult off the pitch? Is he going to buckle down and put extra effort in when the teams struggling? 

I don’t know what the answer is but if we lose the next two that’s 6 defeats in a row and I don’t think any Manager can survive that, and perhaps shouldn’t either.

[Blasterpocket68]

On 03/11/2021 at 12:08, tomsky_11 said:

I don't think we've had it at all as bad as other teams. Only teams with fewer everpresent starters are Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City. I'm going to guess this is more down to intentional rotation of squads with much greater depth and a lot of enforced absenses. The only teams we the same number of everpresent starters are Liverpool (better squad rotation) or teams below us in the table (Watford and Newcastle). Probably also worth noting the two of the teams with the most consistent starting line ups are ones we've just faced in WHU (8 everpresents) and Wolves (5 everpresents and 11 players starting 7 or more games). I think its fair to say enforced absences have impacted us more than most, especially it probably impacted most in our first three games which were probably our most winnable. Ironically, the need to get some consistency in the starting lineup has probably cost us too, as to only times we've made no changes from the previous game were Spurs and Arsenal, games in which us playing 352 probably suited the opposition more that us.

IMO it's unfair to write off winning away to Utd for the first time in forever, creating most of the better chances, restricting them to mostly poor efforts from distance and keeping a clean sheet as riding our luck. Disagree Everton was dreadful before Bailey as well, it was an even game for 60 and then killed them last 30. Not sure the first 60 were helped by McGinn being in a daze for half of it before had to go off either. And hard to knock another clean sheet.

I missed the Wolves game so can't really speak for the perfomance, but from seeing the highlights and speaking to others it sounded like a draw was probably fair, we were somewhat affected by late injury/fitness enforced changes that hindered ball retention and defensive solidity and all 3 of there goals had elements of luck to them, the last one especially. Wolves it would seem being one of the more settled teams in the league and now 3rd in the form table suggest this game wasn't as easy as some perhaps thought either.

Disagree with this, we were improving before half time and I think every chance of getting something from this one before the sending off. It wasn't like we gave up high percentage chances for their first half goals either. We had 30 mins with 10 men before they scored, in this time we created the best chances so we were hardly soon picked off. When they did break for their third we were effectively down to 9 players with Nakamba off, just after our own decent counter had been stopped by the ref, and you could argue at least one of their players involved in the goal might have been given a red card just before it on another day with another ref. More fine margin stuff that ain't on Smith.

I agree we need to get back to a shape and style of play that we've seen be effective before under Smith, not just and Villa but multiple times when his Brentford side demolished us. And I fully expect this to come once we actually have some stability in terms of availability of our best players. Sure he's responsible for the team selection and the way we want to play, but that doesn't mean these things aren't also impacted by things outside of his control, of which I feel there have been many. And it's not like we haven't seen several dramatic upturns in form under Smith before after periods affected by key player absences.

Do I agree with every decision Smith has made so far this season? No. Do I understand how he came to most of these decisions even if I disagree with them? Yes. I personally wouldn't have wanted us to move to a 532/352 but given the opposition when we switched and the players we had available I get it. I wouldn't have stuck with it so long after, two wins from three and a decent performance in the defeat and I can understand why he stuck with it for Spurs given this and the need to get some consistency. Wolves was a system match so made sense to stick with it. Annoyed we didn't change it for Arsenal but feel we might have if Bailey was fit enough to start. At least he changed it at half time and we looked a lot better after that, though I'd have liked to him to have risked changing it sooner by moving Axel into DM given how bad that first half was.

I'm not sure results in the last 4 games, given the issues we've had and the opposition we've faced, justifies complete ignoring what Smith has achieved with use so far, which is quite substantial given our recent mangerial history. And as I mentioned before, I don't think the net result of six points from the last six games is that far off the expectations of most on this forum before those games, so is surprising to me how much opinion seems to have shift against Smith.

I guess it’s all perspective and opinions as fans . As I have said I like Dean Smith and respect his achievements at villa. I personally feel taking injuries ref and var in justifications over the course of last 12 months things just are not right . 

[danceoftheshamen]

I am right on the fence i think regards the current coaching team. I say that deliberately as i think just putting it on DS is wrong. We don't really know what happened regards ROK & JT. I have heard the stories / rumours but we do not really know what happened do we? 

As for the current set up it is of deep concern, however i guess it's hard to fall on the "Smith out" side until we have seen the team actually play together for a run of games. 

As we know pre-season was a shambles and was quickly followed by a ridiculous run of injuries and games missed through the international call ups etc. Then add Covid issues in such as the ones which caused turmoil in the team for the West Ham mess and how can one really make a proper judgement on anything? 

We are 10 games in and of those i would say hardly any, if any have we been at full strength with everyone fully fit. 

How we are supposed to know what this team is capable of under this coaching team i really don't know!.

On the other hand, form is so very poor currently that we look nowhere near. The team looks a shambles at the moment with new signings looking like strangers and mainstays in the team looking as though there are issues going on somewhere. 

It looks as though there is no clue on how to set us up "post Grealish" and yet bizarrely we won at Old Trafford for the first time in donkeys!! 

How on Earth you judge all that i have no idea?! 

Strange times at AVFC!

Edited November 4, 2021 by danceoftheshamen

[John]

19 hours ago, foreveryoung said:

Agree with this! We were desperately searching for a midfielder and JWP was our man. I think his agent convinced him to stay and put a release clause in his contract, so think he will be coming still in Jan or at the end of the season.

Same agent as Grealish remember.

I was really disappointed when we didn't clinch the JWP signing too, but I think that bird has flown now and when he does move it will be to somewhere else, like Newcastle. I think Dean knew we needed an extra midfielder ESR was a distraction and was never going to happen, our bids just got him the contract he wanted as also happened with JWP. You have to do what we did with Buendia, make them an offer they can't refuse, our failure to do so, may not be down to Dean, but it may be him that carries the can for it eventually. 

[useless]

At this rate we might need a manager to make sure we don't get relegated never mind one to 'take us to the next level'.

[thejoker]

We look dreadful again tonight, and I genuinely can’t decide if the players are awful, or whether the coaching is awful. Maybe a bit of both. 

[ferguson1]

The players need a lift and to hear a new voice. 

[NoelVilla]

If we just think to save this season there a few names that would work. Nuno and Chris Wilder.

Available managers that would only come under a longer contract; Lucien Favre, Rudi Garcia and Ernesto Valverde.

Valverde is the best of them.

 

[Davkaus]

Next up, Brighton and Palace.

After that Leicester, Man City, Liverpool. If we don't sack him before those two winnable games, we're looking likely to lose 10 on the bounce, he has to go so the new manager has a chance, 

[ferguson1]

Pull the trigger and don’t mess about. Someone start the rebuild next week please.

[StefanAVFC]

5 in a row is piss piss poor. I am nearly there. 

[rbcuk]

Always wanted Smith as manager before we got Di Matteo, but I’ve had enough has to go, we don’t look like winning under him 

[cheltenham_villa]

Judging by the second half, the players are still playing for him. 

[Jareth]

Well this is new. Sad to see a manager go and not wanting another. But another we need. Who the fook though?

[stewiek2]

18 defeats in 2021. This poor form isn't just this season. Smith has run his course

[ender4]

Nuno is available.  Any good?

[stewiek2]

Lost more games than any other team in the top flight this calendar year.

[DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth]

2 minutes ago, stewiek2 said:

Lost more games than any other team in the top flight this calendar year.

Amazing statistic. That as John Percy has eluded, may be the ultimate thing that brings him down, not the 5 in a row so muchZ

[picicata]

10 minutes ago, ender4 said:

Nuno is available.  Any good?

Eye bleedingly dull football. I'd rather not.