"Merd"
Vital Football Hero
Really safe ground here Melon, some vague reference to the beginning of the end . Not having a pop at you either because the nature of the PL is ruthless. I'm like you, Dean Smith hasn't done anything wrong since he's been at the club, but we all want an improved style of play, some excitement, a run of victories (remember that 10 on the bounce?) - ultimately that "feel good" factor. I can see the progression, I am being patient, but there is nothing that stirs the blood like a good old fashioned 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool (or similar).Him leaving
ROK leaving
Terry leaving
The plan of the last couple of years being ripped up because our whole ethos was around ‘him’.
I don‘t believe they thought SJ was leaving and i don’t believe the explanation from Purlsow about the ‘three players’. Buendia was bought to help SJ. Ings , well bit cynical in my humble announced when he was. Was it a rushed thing ?, not really in the plan until ‘he’ dropped us in it.
Injuries going into the season and players joining late .
Disrupted pre season friendly schedule.
And ok, not quite summer but international call up farce and another coming up
We have had to start again really buying and integrating key players in key positions and it remains to be seen whether it will work despite the thinking that we are ‘stronger’. Stronger for what ?. Mid table stronger or top 8 stronger?. Mid table wasn’t in the plan at the end of last season. 100% it wasn’t . Now it seems to be the satisfactory outcome for some. Is it for the owners ?
Smith has a huge job on to bring this all together now all with a hugely tough league and schedule to play and part of my gut feeling is also that managers have a life cycle , a shelf life at a club . Into his 4 season with us now he is well over the average premier league manager tenure . There are possibly more than a few pointers .
As said , don’t want it, want him to succeed, love the guy, done wonders , will always think fondly but all good things come to an end. No time scale from me either as to when but I just have a feeling , no more , no less, that the last few weeks or so will catch up and we will look back and think this was when it all started to come to a close for Smith.
Its football in 2021 .Would anyone really be surprised about what could happen despite what Deano has done for us ?
So I can see why you are suggesting this, but a good win against Everton, a victory against Chelsea reserves in the League Cup and finally beating Manure at old Trafford would significantly change the balance of thinking. Exceptionally hard to achieve, but it's those kind of results that'll keep Dean in the job and people behind him - lose and it'll be doom and gloom and the fans will be sharpening the knives.