The manager situation

[DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth]

28 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

Steve Bruce

Understand what you are saying. He went through personal tragedy whilst with us and did stop the boat sinking. But he was never a long term solution in my eyes, and the obvious Smith/Villa connection gives Smith the edge.

[Risso]

10 minutes ago, hippo said:

Its the last bit that really bothers me.

Why? What have they done so far to make you doubt them?

[briny_ear]

1 hour ago, fightoffyour said:

18/19: Maybe sneak a playoff place but basically just improve. Definitely not an expectation to go up, as has been stated factually by Purslow.

19/20: Get promoted

20/21: Avoid relegation

21/22: Mid table consolidation

22/23: European places

 

I’m really not sure how else you could see the board’s targets unless you think either Purslow lied about promotion in the first season, we should’ve been mid table first year in the PL, or you want us to jump straight from survival to Europe.

Where and when did they publish these targets?

[villabromsgrove]

I wonder how many of us have voted emotionally because we like Dean, and how many have used cold hard facts to inform their decision?

If you look at the stats for our first ten games of this season then it's hard to put a positive spin on results going forward.

We need luck to score goals because we only average 3.6 shots on target per game. Our stat for " big chances created" is rated at just one per game.

Our pass completion rate is very poor. We have conceded the third most goals in the PL. We do less running and cover less ground per match than almost all other PL teams. etc. etc.

I know we have had a number of injuries  that has disrupted team selection, but the tactics (?) and low energy performances have left us looking confused and demoralised.

We haven't played well for 90 minutes in any of our ten games.

After three years of Dean Smith's management it should be much better than this, which is why I've voted for his replacement.

[hippo]

12 minutes ago, Risso said:

Why? What have they done so far to make you doubt them?

Allowed our most successful coaching staff set for many years to fall apart.

Signed Danny Ings and a whole host of wide players we didn't really need and can't play together.

I can't back this up. But I have feeling they might have got bored.

[Risso]

Just now, hippo said:

Allowed our most successful coaching staff set for many years to fall apart.

Signed Danny Ings and a whole host of wide players we didn't really need and can't play together.

I can't back this up. But I have feeling they might have got bored.

I wouldn’t think the owners have much input over the signings other than providing a budget, they’ll leave that to Purslow, Lange, Smith and the rest. I would think they’ll take a much bigger interest in who the new manager would be.

[useless]

I thought defeat to Southampton might lead to him being sacked, but looks like he isn't going anywere, at least not yet. Maybe if there's no significant improvement by Christmas then things will change. He's safe for now, the winds of change are but a forecast that we can't yet feel in our hair.

[The Fun Factory]

If we beat Southampton this could well be seen as a storm in a teacup. If.

[Risso]

1 minute ago, The Fun Factory said:

If we beat Southampton this could well be seen as a storm in a teacup. If.

I think it would just be delaying the inevitable personally. This season has been a disaster so far, and we don’t have a set formation or way of playing. Looks like a poisonous atmosphere in the camp as well.

[Spoony]

I don’t think finding a bit of form will solve anything. Relationships seem to have soured horribly between the coaches, players and fans. 

[Philosopher]

I have voted the sack if we lose the next two games. 

The reason for this is:

A. I have never been convinced by Smith's tactical nous. 

B. He has made a difficult situation harder by making poor tactical decisions, and not being consistent with his shape and tactics. You should never experiment with shape, tactics, and personnel at the start of a season where you have a new set of attackers to bed in.

C. The staff brought in to support him in the wake of Terry and ROK leaving never looked up to it, to me. 

Why I give him a chance to turn it around is because these are 2 very winnable games, if he manages to lose both 6 losses in a row, most winnable games means he'd deserve the sack.

Also he has had an injury crisis to deal with, and didn't know his best team even with everyone fit and available.

He has done well for the club and has credit in the bank.

My biggest fear if we sack him is that we end up with a Remi Garde. We need a people person.

We must sign a manager good with young players this is a must. The talent we have in the u23s could save hundreds of millions. He also has to be know for his team being adept at keeping the ball while playing on the front foot. 

[thabucks]

39 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

My answer would be: Back him until there is a very good alternative available and attainable

This is where I pivoted to last night when realistically analysing current options. 

[Stevo985]

2 hours ago, fightoffyour said:

18/19: Maybe sneak a playoff place but basically just improve. Definitely not an expectation to go up, as has been stated factually by Purslow.

19/20: Get promoted

20/21: Avoid relegation

21/22: Mid table consolidation

22/23: European places

 

I’m really not sure how else you could see the board’s targets unless you think either Purslow lied about promotion in the first season, we should’ve been mid table first year in the PL, or you want us to jump straight from survival to Europe.

Getting promoted from the Premier League in 19/20 seems a tad unrealistic

[tom_avfc]

6 minutes ago, Risso said:

I think it would just be delaying the inevitable personally. This season has been a disaster so far, and we don’t have a set formation or way of playing. Looks like a poisonous atmosphere in the camp as well.

Has it been a disaster? Looking at the individual results I'm not that convinced.

We have wins against Newcastle (h), Everton (h) and Manchester United (a).

Draw against Brentford (h).

Defeats to Watford (a), Wolves(h), Spurs (a), West Ham (h), Chelsea (a) and Arsenal (a).

Of those defeats 5 of those teams look set to finish in the top half of the table with a newly promoted Watford on the first day of the season as a result which looks particularly bad. Obviously the Wolves game is a tough one to take but given that they are now one of the in form teams of the division and up to 7th in the league I guess there is some context to it.

So for me the particularly bad results are losses to Watford (in their first game post promotion), the defeat to Wolves (given the nature of it) and the draw with Brentford (although again they hit the ground running post promotion). Lets say that that's potentially 6-8 points additional that I think we could realistically expect from those games. Against that you can throw in the win away at Manchester United which is 3 points that we almost never get in a season to leave us somewhere around 3-5 points off where I'd expect us to be.

Given that we haven't been able to name our first eleven in any match this season due to international breaks, injuries, illness and whatever else has gone on I don't see it as an unmitigated disaster as you are claiming. 7 out of the 10 teams that we have played are currently in the top half of the table and I'd expect at least 6 of them to be there come the end of the season. 

I think its far too early to be getting rid of a manager who has overseen the period of success that Dean Smith has. 

[hippo]

31 minutes ago, Risso said:

I wouldn’t think the owners have much input over the signings other than providing a budget, they’ll leave that to Purslow, Lange, Smith and the rest. I would think they’ll take a much bigger interest in who the new manager would be.

Really. I think the manager will be decided from Purslow downwards.

[birdman]

Stick with Smith, stick with the project and get back on track. If we're struggling badly in the New Year then look at options.

Players need to have a hard look at themselves too. Regardless of systems there is no excuse for half arsed performances or shying away from defensive duties as that has been THE big problem. Get the fk over the Wolves defeat and the whole team pull your collective heads from your arses! We are capable. UTV! 

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by birdman

[VillaChris]

1 hour ago, hippo said:

Its the last bit that really bothers me.

Everyone says how great the owners are. And Purslow to me is a far better CEO than likes of Wyness and Tom Fox (not hard I know) so not sure where this blind panic is coming from we're going to be appointing another Garde or Sherwood.

They got the Dean Smith appointment bang on when we really needed it to work so I'd just trust them.

There's more to being a very good ownership than just spending 100m + every summer, we saw enough of that under Lerner. It's all about appointing good capable people in roles all over the club and I'd suggest the ownership at Leicester has mastered that to the nth degree and they have a proper plan in place regardless of who they sell each summer.

[lexicon]

29 minutes ago, thabucks said:

This is where I pivoted to last night when realistically analysing current options. 

Which is fair enough, I suppose. Expectations have been clouded by ambitions lately and it's a little difficult to see the wood for the trees sometimes. I don't think the panic to progress caused by the Newcastle takeover has helped either. 
 

[VillaChris]

19 minutes ago, hippo said:

Really. I think the manager will be decided from Purslow downwards.

You're probably right, think Purslow really pushed for DS when Henry's name was being floated about.

The owners will likely want to sit in on the interviews though just to get a feel of whoever the next manager will be you'd think though to see if they "get" the club.

[The Fun Factory]

44 minutes ago, Spoony said:

I don’t think finding a bit of form will solve anything. Relationships seem to have soured horribly between the coaches, players and fans. 

Do you have information on this or this is a wild stab in the dark?

Body language always looks worse when you lose. I think they should have tried to manage expectations a bit better rather than constantly talking about Europe in the summer. Another year of consolidation always looked the more likely option but sounds less sexy.

Edited November 3, 2021 by The Fun Factory