Bonker
Vital Football Hero
Yeah but he didn't mate - Trez and Nakamba on the bench vs Hourihane and Drinkwater on the pitch.
Whatever else you may think about Trez and Nakamba, nobody can describe Hourihane and Drinkwater as strong and fit.
The Official Dean Smith Thread
- Thread starter Melon Donkey
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Yeah but he didn't mate - Trez and Nakamba on the bench vs Hourihane and Drinkwater on the pitch.
Whatever else you may think about Trez and Nakamba, nobody can describe Hourihane and Drinkwater as strong and fit.
Bonker
Vital Football Hero
Compare the apparent attitude/spirit from the start of the season to what we've witnessed recently and, clearly, something major changed inbetween times.
I think it was McGinn being out for the rest of the season - I think that broke this team, not just on the pitch in terms of capability but in the other player's heads with confidence draining from them in each successive game without him and then we piled on losing Mings and then Heaton on top.
The players must know, they must look around at the other fit players and think FFS we've got no chance.
Dean picked Drinkwater because he looked fit and hungry in training, he made some stupid mistakes but so did Nakamba against Leicester. Hourihane and Trezeguet are both championship quality players, he probably just put Hourihane in for his dead ball abilities. Could have worked out, it didn't.
Fulford
Vital Football Legend
Last season I got thrown at me the following 2 statements from the pro Smith camp.
Wait until he has his own players and see the difference,
Give him time with them and see the difference his coaching skills make.
Well he has his own players and has had time to coach them but we are in the bottom 3 and look hopeless.
Something has to change.
Wait until he has his own players and see the difference,
Give him time with them and see the difference his coaching skills make.
Well he has his own players and has had time to coach them but we are in the bottom 3 and look hopeless.
Something has to change.
I think sacking dean smith, or just not even fully supporting dean smith, because some of us think the substandard performances from some shoddy football players somehow represent his abilities as a coach, would be one of the biggest mistakes this football club could make. It's our duty as fans to support those things that are good for this club and Dean Smith is one of those bloody things.
Nyland - bruce
Elmo - Bruce
Konsa - Dean
Mings - Dean
Hause - Dean
Taylor - Bruce(?)
Douglas - Jesus
Drinkwater - Dean
Hourihane - Bruce(?)
Grealish
El Ghazi (Dean)
We look hopeless because we have a squad of crap players. The players have to change.
Would you want this squad and Mourinho, or a new squad and Dean?
Villan57
Alert Team
To be honest he hasn't got his own players he's still got the like of Lansbury Taylor Hourihane,Elmo Chester Nyland etc there again he doesn't have to play them I suppose When they've gone and the current bunch are only good enough for the bench we'll know if he can up his level
ASPINALL
Vital Champions League
Honestly mate, i think the tide is turning with that train of thought.
Just too many shocking performances, the fans will only take so much before questioning his ability at this level.
I hope ( SO MUCH ) he turns this around, but he looks totally gone.
The Fear
A Wise Man (once sat next to him)
Brentford seem to be doing better without his top class coaching?
Not being bitchy, I'm grappling the same as anyone else, as to why we are so very bad at the basics, why our shape is so poor, why other clubs love to play us these days because they have totally sussed us.
If that isn't to do with the coaching, then...................
I hope he turns out the bestest thing ever for us, I really do, but I don't see it at all. He doesn't seem to instil any passion or fight in the team and the way he stands like a statue at the matches probably doesn't inspire. Pep the other day was 3 up and going mad at his lot not doing what he had told them to.
I was talking to an ex player and he also pointed this out and said it not only gives the team a life, it is also 'show' for the fans.
Not being bitchy, I'm grappling the same as anyone else, as to why we are so very bad at the basics, why our shape is so poor, why other clubs love to play us these days because they have totally sussed us.
If that isn't to do with the coaching, then...................
I hope he turns out the bestest thing ever for us, I really do, but I don't see it at all. He doesn't seem to instil any passion or fight in the team and the way he stands like a statue at the matches probably doesn't inspire. Pep the other day was 3 up and going mad at his lot not doing what he had told them to.
I was talking to an ex player and he also pointed this out and said it not only gives the team a life, it is also 'show' for the fans.
ASPINALL
Vital Champions League
What worries me is this has all become acceptable.
It hasn`t to me.
Watford, Southampton and Man City made me lose my mind.
Agree with everything you say Melon, and for the record I didnt want him but now we have him we should keep him for all the reasons those of us that want him to stay have said.
But playing devils advocate Watford have had eleven managers in six years.
They are, by comparison a very small club who operate on a shoe string budget, but dont hesitate to pull the plug and have stayed in the division by pulling the trigger when the performances drop off.
Cant stand Pearson, or Big Sam or any of the usual suspects but they do have a knack of getting a club a lift. That said I would pack it all in if any of that lot end up at VP.
That isnt how I want Aston Villa to operate but for those who do it does give their arguement some credence.
McParlandTheGreat
Vital Champions League
Wishful thinking. The argument is not going your way. McGinn being injured hit us hard. Mings was out for several games. Heaton and Wesley being out are hitting us. Do you expect these not making things very difficult? It would hit any team.
Of the four "6-pointer" matches, Southampton, Norwich, Watford, Burnley, we won 2. So, 6 points out of 4 games. Decent. We wanted more and I'm disappointed we didn't. But not the absolute disaster you harp on about time and time again.
Riyad Mahrez looks at the bench and sees Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva. Douglas Luiz looks at the bench and sees a 16 year old American lad and Henri Lansbury with an ice pack around his leg. But yeah, its Dean Smith's fault that a team with El Ghazi playing as a loan striker cant beat one of the best premier league teams of all time.
ASPINALL
Vital Champions League
I don`t expect to beat them, i just want some effort and pride ( on pitch and on bench ).
By your calculation then a better squad will always beat a lesser squad which goes against everything that has happened in football since time began.
Sometimes organisation and desire can win you a game, but i agree on Sunday you have no chance as team selection was poor, there was no organisation and the effort levels compared to the opposition was totally ridiculous.
If this has nothing to do with Smith then fair enough, but i think it does.
BonniePrinceCarew
Vital Reserves Team
Well it seems people are very split on Deano and his future at the club. Personally I would be very surprised if he is still here this time next season. That being said all I care about is that we are still in a league a club of our stature deserves to be in. Whether we deserve to stay up based on the quality of our football is another matter and as things stand we simply don't. It pains me to say it but the guy looks increasingly out of his depth.
ASPINALL
Vital Champions League
That could very easily have ended up 1 point and we played in one half of those 4 to any decent level.
Things are not right IMO, if you are happy with what we are doing fair play to you but i am not.
it is his fault when we go 3 nill down and he still doesnt change things he doesnt seen to know his best 11 or how to set them out at 3 nill down the chances are we are not getting back in to this game so he should be looking to make sure they never scored another 3 he should have gone to 4 at the back and 5 in mid and played the young american on his own up top and if he had of got a chance ond took it even at 6 nill down it would have give him the confidance to think if he can score against city then he can score against anyone
i think if smith loved villa as much as he says he does then he should walk away and admit its too big a job for him
Bonker
Vital Football Hero
DS obviously has a number of factors not going his way so far this season - possibly forced non-PL experience in the dozen players we picked up in the Summer followed by some horrific injuries to some of our best players.
It's never going to be easy for him in those circumstances and I'm not willing to toss the baby out with the bathwater yet with respect to giving him the bullet, although the team selection against Citeh had my head in my hands I must admit.
TBF, you can't do ifs, buts and maybes on those four six-pointer games, we picked up 1.5 pts per game, period, and that's enough to see us safe this season - the next game being Leicester away where we did really well then Citeh when we were mullered.
I strongly suspect this will be the pattern for the rest of the season - there's too many destabilising factors already at play (new/young/inexperienced/injury replacement players) for it not to be in all fairness.
Someone may well be able to come in and do a New Broom and magically get us two points per game over the next few months but there's no guarantee of that, particularly with this selection of players to work with.
It's never going to be easy for him in those circumstances and I'm not willing to toss the baby out with the bathwater yet with respect to giving him the bullet, although the team selection against Citeh had my head in my hands I must admit.
TBF, you can't do ifs, buts and maybes on those four six-pointer games, we picked up 1.5 pts per game, period, and that's enough to see us safe this season - the next game being Leicester away where we did really well then Citeh when we were mullered.
I strongly suspect this will be the pattern for the rest of the season - there's too many destabilising factors already at play (new/young/inexperienced/injury replacement players) for it not to be in all fairness.
Someone may well be able to come in and do a New Broom and magically get us two points per game over the next few months but there's no guarantee of that, particularly with this selection of players to work with.
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