The Official Dean Smith Thread

[david-avfc]

To be honest . I will always be proud of 1982 but....
I cringe whenever I hear our fans sing 'champions of Europe you'll never sing that'.

Yes I wasn’t born for over a decade after that and I bet there’s a good 50% of the away following who are in the same boat. It’s embarrassing really. As is that stupid song about “small heath get battered..” I mean firstly I’m here to support villa not sing about them, and secondly we’re the ones losing every week. First heard that song in Czech Republic for England re Scotland it was just bizarre people would go that far to watch football and then spend the whole game signing about another country... and then we lost anyway

 

[mike_field]

The truth is no one knows our full list of targets, certainly not the press who pushed the names above as 'favourites' yet we blindsided them every time.

The hindsight point scoring on Mings etc is funny given last summer he was one of the players we 100% needed to sign according to everyone.

As for those who think only a weak manager works under a sporting director/director of football - that would then include Allardyce, Poch, Mourinho, Rafa, Houllier, Zidane, Klopp, Guardiola - so we don't want any of them then do we.

DS/Suso appear to be 50/50 with DS having a good input as long as the price is right - hence the talk of Engels etc and previous knowledge. But he's certainly not in complete control or targets, but nor are all targets foisted upon him in my humble.

None of the above, in my humble, are the biggest concerns. If we didn't need to balance the potential of relegation + signing 10 players, I'm pretty sure we would've seen 40% of targets being different - but it's where we were and apart from those who thought we'd do a Wolves and be challenging for Europe instantly, well, we're where I thought I'd be and however unlikely Chelsea feels, it's still in our hands and even if it's not - there are enough points left to get it back in our hands.

That's why none of the above are concerns...the concern is spirit and how quickly our heads now drop as we've shown we can compete.

 

[Melon Donkey]

What has happened to the attacking progressive football Smith set us up with Ok,I know last years run was in the EFL . Different level now . But earlier in the season we were trying to be progressive.

But we now are looking like we have no attacking intent at all. Samagoal is isolated. The midfield don't join the attack.

He has lost the plot. The players look confused scared/not bothered .

 

[danvilla2]

What has happened to the attacking progressive football Smith set us up with Ok,I know last years run was in the EFL . Different level now . But earlier in the season we were trying to be progressive.

But we now are looking like we have no attacking intent at all. Samagoal is isolated. The midfield don't join the attack.

He has lost the plot. The players look confused scared/not bothered .

You’re right, earlier in the season we started 100mph, pressed high up the pitch as a unit and played a high tempo game which was more dynamic meaning there were options for the ball.

The current problems were evident straight away, the Everton game sticks in my mind where we won but they had a couple of glorious chances and Bournemouth just before punished our mistakes.

It felt like some of those early wins were cup finals, rather than routine wins where everyone needed to be up for it including the fans. If it isn’t the perfect conditions with Lady Luck on our wide then we just can’t compete for a boring draw even on an off day.

It’s strange how some players - Luiz and Engels - have turned so bad from looking very promising.

 

[Langoe66]

What has happened to the attacking progressive football Smith set us up with Ok,I know last years run was in the EFL . Different level now . But earlier in the season we were trying to be progressive.

But we now are looking like we have no attacking intent at all. Samagoal is isolated. The midfield don't join the attack.

He has lost the plot. The players look confused scared/not bothered .

Think Dean Smith‘s after match interviews last night pretty much summed up his current mindset....he looked unsure, shellshocked even...I feel for the bloke as he’ll know his dream job is slowing slipping away from his grasp. Not that this is any different to many others before him....they come in, have some success, then the job seems to wear them down 2/3/4 years in....it seems to be par for the course. Thought in May, this ‘new dawn’ might be different but here we go again.....

 

[McParlandTheGreat]

The truth is no one knows our full list of targets, certainly not the press who pushed the names above as 'favourites' yet we blindsided them every time.

The hindsight point scoring on Mings etc is funny given last summer he was one of the players we 100% needed to sign according to everyone.

As for those who think only a weak manager works under a sporting director/director of football - that would then include Allardyce, Poch, Mourinho, Rafa, Houllier, Zidane, Klopp, Guardiola - so we don't want any of them then do we.

DS/Suso appear to be 50/50 with DS having a good input as long as the price is right - hence the talk of Engels etc and previous knowledge. But he's certainly not in complete control or targets, but nor are all targets foisted upon him in my humble.

None of the above, in my humble, are the biggest concerns. If we didn't need to balance the potential of relegation + signing 10 players, I'm pretty sure we would've seen 40% of targets being different - but it's where we were and apart from those who thought we'd do a Wolves and be challenging for Europe instantly, well, we're where I thought I'd be and however unlikely Chelsea feels, it's still in our hands and even if it's not - there are enough points left to get it back in our hands.

That's why none of the above are concerns...the concern is spirit and how quickly our heads now drop as we've shown we can compete.

To me it's what happens on the field not who's on the field (by and large). Last night was an appalling mess. I think we were set up to "play the Villa way" not to win at any cost, and we were torn apart for it; we can't do that against the likes of Leicester, or Chelsea for that matter. Against MC we were more realistic and better. We have to do that against Chelsea and hope the spirit is still there.

 

[mike_field]

Yup, no excuses for Leicester and heads clearly went on the opening goal and any chance of bouncing back went with that utterly bullshit handball decision.

I'm not sure where we go, maybe McGinn will provide the Jack spark of last season for a proper pull together, and I'm concerned we haven't been able to build a bunker mentality by now.

Yes, agree, we've got to play the numbers game - 'attack' is a laudable concept, but not openly given our squad. I know some might shout it's not doing Sheff U any harm, but again they are drilled, they are more than 12 months in with the same tactics and understanding and pretty much the same group.

We aren't....there's no comparison to make. We're trying to run before we can walk with that approach, regardless of the difference in opinion about 3rd placed Leicester's quality.

 

[Melon Donkey]

Think Dean Smith‘s after match interviews last night pretty much summed up his current mindset....he looked unsure, shellshocked even...I feel for the bloke as he’ll know his dream job is slowing slipping away from his grasp. Not that this is any different to many others before him....they come in, have some success, then the job seems to wear them down 2/3/4 years in....it seems to be par for the course. Thought in May, this ‘new dawn’ might be different but here we go again.....

I agree. He looked done and dusted. Had no real answers. Didn't know what to do next. The look of someone who knows what is coming.
Fact is his length of tenure with us now is at the point of being the average of a top flight manager. So it's in keeping with the modern game that he is on his way.

I am done with getting excited about a manager now. Like you, everytime a new one comes in I delude myself that this is the one who will build something long term. Whoever the next one is it will be a big MEH from me because I know where we will be with him in 18 months.

 

[mike_field]

That's a fair point though Melon. If the expectation is 18 months unless it's unbridled success....we'll never know if we have the right man unless we let them deal with a shit period and come out the other end.

Double edged sword I more than appreciate, but given the expectation seems to be we should already be safe from relegation given what we spent, whilst the squad is not good enough to survive as our recruitment was wrong from day 1....

 

[onlyteaminthemids]

Mixed feelings about this. Massively grateful for promotion but he looks increasingly out of his depth. Not learning and developing, just going backwards. Pity, a real pity. Can’t see us getting another point this season whoever is in charge.

 

[ironside]

The recruitment team and scouting network needs overhauling. I thought they were supposed to consider character as well as ability. I’m no fan of Allardyce but, before the season began, he said that Villa should buy a couple of seasoned Premier quality players. This Moneyball approach has sold us short. Those type of players are long term investments who you don’t expect to demonstrate their true worth immediately. They are a project.
We needed a functioning team.

 

[CDX_EIRE]

Yes, agree, we've got to play the numbers game - 'attack' is a laudable concept, but not openly given our squad. I know some might shout it's not doing Sheff U any harm, but again they are drilled, they are more than 12 months in with the same tactics and understanding and pretty much the same group.

We aren't....there's no comparison to make. We're trying to run before we can walk with that approach, regardless of the difference in opinion about 3rd placed Leicester's quality.

We're between a rock and a hard place in more ways than one, I feel like if we want to change managers our only hope is to appoint a fixer but I don't want that either. And if the fixer fails then we've just sacked one of the better people for getting us back up.

In the last twelve games I would have thought we'd have tried at least once to go back to basics. Man mark, simple passes, no fucking around in your own half and two banks behind the ball keeping it tight.

I just think Deano is failing to adapt his way of playing to what he has. The backline and the midfield are so poor I don't know why he hasn't employed two lads to just sit and hold in midfield. The burden of our entire defensive strategy seems to fall on Nakamba. The poor lad is chasing shadows because no matter who we stick in beside him they can't get a foothold in the game. Throwing Luiz in the beside him is almost like sticking Jacob Ramsey in there, its unfair he isn't ready and its showing. It says a lot about Hourihane and Lansbury who are supposed to be senior players.

 

[mike_field]

100% CDX, I'd just like us to gamble on what we have rather than the unknown for a change and see where it takes us.

A fixer brings no promises - more than anything further problems down the line.

But yes, nobody can deny the performances/spirit/ease of head drop now either. DS gets the tactics right on occasions and we've been unlucky - he also gets it massively wrong it seems.

In some ways he's still trying to do a Clough at Leeds....my way, fit in, it worked last year...this lady isn't for turning. But we are better on the counter, with the defensive outlook.

And yes, the players who aren't playing should tell people about his options given their names/experience and love or hate relationship at the club.

There was always going to be one hand behind his back this year, but with respect, he's falling too often into the 'we are Villa' we fear no one (as a fan would) approach to games and whilst I can laud that - we aren't there yet and it's costing us.

 

[McParlandTheGreat]

On the Sky panel they were talking about the way we were trying to play "football", and Carra said that where Villa are they need to stop thinking about playing football and start thinking about winning matches. Dead right. We're trying to play a style which we don't have the players to do in the PL. It doesn't mean parking the bus. It does mean setting up a defence which isn't vulnerable to top class attackers.

 

[BodyButter]

He said he'd build a team around Jack and he'd have picked him to play for England.
I think the bloke is much maligned, people have preconceived ideas on how he plays but it's just not always the case, nothing wrong with scoring from corners and free-kicks it's actually where most goals come from that and mistakes from players being pressured.
after all we concede most from freekicks and corners

I fully agree. He played route 1 football with his Bolton team at the start because they didn't have the players to play anything else. Over time he evolved the team to play better football as they got better players.

Most of the teams he took over were in big trouble and he sorted out the defence first.

If he spoke with a posh accent, he'd have been manager of England after Bolton. The press don't like him because he has a working class accent and he believes (rightly) that he deserves much more credit that he has got.

 

[BodyButter]

It is really sad. Smith seems like a top bloke. And he has claret and blue blood. Never nice wanting someone to lose their job. But survival is survival. It's a ruthless business.
I do endorse a quick change short term change. But my real passion. And I mean REAL passion. Is sacking whoever got these players in. Could possibly be smith. Could be jesus soso. Could be purslow. Who knows. But whoever it is. Needs to get the feck out of our club. Our recruitment has been SHOCKING.

We always blame the players and then they leave us and go on to do a good job somewhere else. I think these players, for the most part, have enough quality. The problem is that they are being asked to played a failed system that gets torn apart by every opposition. The lads at Sheffield Utd know exactly what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to be. Enda Stevens wasn't good enough for us but he's a top player in a team challenging for the CL spots now.

 

[eltoro]

Smiths like the Titanic, just sailing towards the inevitable, on one course.....he’s 3 mile from the iceberg.....(the Bridge) “Captain we’re gonna hit that if we don’t change direction” (Smith) hopefully someone else will hit it before us.... see you all in the lower leagues. (20,000)

And the Oscar for best nautical themed football post goes to....
Thank you, thank you...

 

[Claret & Blue Blood]

Smiths like the Titanic, just sailing towards the inevitable, on one course.....he’s 3 mile from the iceberg.....(the Bridge) “Captain we’re gonna hit that if we don’t change direction” (Smith) hopefully someone else will hit it before us.... see you all in the lower leagues. (20,000)

And the Oscar for best nautical themed football post goes to....
Thank you, thank you...

Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on
Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

We will go on and on - irrespective of the division, the owners, the players or the manager.
VTID

 

[eltoro]

Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you go on
Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

We will go on and on - irrespective of the division, the owners, the players or the manager.
VTID

What have I started

 

[Wicked Messenger]

The buying was shocking, the players are poor, elementary mistake after elementary mistake. I can’t see them surviving in the championship either, not physical enough to survive there nor do they have a natural football intelligence to overcome that.
I didn’t expect to do a wolves but for the money we spent I did expect players who could pass the ball to each other rather than the opposition and a couple of strikers who could worry a defence. I can’t see any excuses for this debacle whatsoever.