The Official Dean Smith Thread | Page 73 | Vital Football

The Official Dean Smith Thread

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After the palace game I said to SD that although we all want to see front football is Deano having us too open . The palace game had us down to 10 men and we put on another striker. The Everton game we were winning but were living on the edge and could have easily conceded.
Haven't seen today but one nil up, 2-1 up against 10 men and we lose. Were we to open again. All very well and admirable attacking but at times you have to shut up shop.
 
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Melon Donkey said:
After the palace game I said to SD that although we all want to see front football is Deano having us too open . The palace game had us down to 10 men and we put on another striker. The Everton game we were winning but were living on the edge and could have easily conceded.
Haven't seen today but one nil up, 2-1 up against 10 men and we lose. Were we to open again. All very well and admirable attacking but at times you have to shut up shop.
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No if anything after 65mins we started to sit too deep. Deano suggested as much in his after match interview so it wasnt as a result of instructions from the bench. He was at fault for not reacting to Arsenal's superiority from around 65/70mins. We looked knackered, all of a sudden it looked like we had ten men and think it's fair to say he really should have made more changes earlier than he did.
 
I’ve just watched the Smith interview on sky.

I take reassurance from it because he sees what we are seeing as fans (maybe he is one ?). He sounds frustrated in that he tried to do something the players couldn’t execute. This is where we do perhaps need a more natural leader to step up, Jack isn’t necessarily going to be that man but you don’t need the armband to be that player. Mings and Engels are two who can, SJM another - who can see what’s going on or be told what’s going on and change it.

DS had his way of working at Brentford, it was great at home - it was a consistent style and they won. Away from home I seem to recall them being poor, trying to do the same thing in a completely different atmosphere. I just hope we aren’t going to make up the numbers away from home and have to rely on points from 19 home games - that’s my worry. There’s nothing wrong with points on the road whether you’re playing Arsenal or Brighton.
 
Melon Donkey said:
. Were we to open again.
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Far from it mate, and that was the problem. We just sat on the edge of our box for the last 20 minutes and couldn't handle the pressure. When we took the game to Arsenal, they couldn't cope, especially when Grealish and Trezeguet (and El Ghazi, to be fair at times) were running at them.

We had no business losing that match, but as soon as Chambers scored, the writing was on the wall. We had a nailed-on penalty though, which would have salvaged a point, the least we deserved from that.
 
I think Smiths tactics today cost us. His use of substitutes isn’t great in all fairness. At 1-0 or 2-1, if he puts on some fresh legs and changes our shape a little, we win that. He also has his favourites. His subs are predictable. Hopefully he will learn this himself sooner else he could be sacked from his dream job by Xmas.
 
Bringing on Elmo as a winger doesn’t look well in hindsight. Perhaps he no longer rates jota.

When you see that our wingers out on loan aren’t even getting a game in divisions 2, 3 and 4, the cupboard is embarrassingly bare
 
onlyteaminthemids said:
Bringing on Elmo as a winger doesn’t look well in hindsight. Perhaps he no longer rates jota.

When you see that our wingers out on loan aren’t even getting a game in divisions 2, 3 and 4, the cupboard is embarrassingly bare
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Why did he have to substitute Trezugut anyway
 
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