The Official Dean Smith Thread
- Thread starter Melon Donkey
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The Fear
A Wise Man (once sat next to him)
Everton we blew it and they were woeful. Palace, great and necessary win, they were woeful. 2 of the 5 we lost. Last night was very good.
Survival will be great, I would LOVE him to get that, as a Villa fan especially, to take us down would be awful. But I hope it is thanks and ta'ra after that. Doubt it will be though, this club specialises in bang average sadly.
The Fear
A Wise Man (once sat next to him)
Agreed.
DeanoVilla
One Bloody Number
Has he got a statue yet?
Wurzel
Vital Football Legend
Bit harsh on Everton, the players blew it. It is true we will see what the owners are made of very soon, especially if we stay up. We will soon find out.
Wurzel
Vital Football Legend
He should do if we stay up!
The Fear
A Wise Man (once sat next to him)
Was talking to a Toffee fan yesterday, my window cleaner, nice lad! He agreed they were poor, said they had been like that, on and off, all season. Not sure it is harsh on them, they were certainly looking like they were on the beach at least. Which is actually what I said to the Toffee before he informed me that lacklustre type of display was par for the course.
Oh yes, I am talking collectively blew it, but we blow more games late on than any other team I think the stats said, or is one worse, I forget. That calls into question fitness for me.
And agreed, we'll soon find out, it is up to them and how they view this season, if they view this as good enough and part of their plan, then I'll not be banging my head against a brick wall, I'll just look forward to more average and largely boring football when we are allowed back.
The Fear
A Wise Man (once sat next to him)
Wasn't meant to be harsh, just reality, end of the day you can only play what is in front of you and I thought the game was abysmal really, which is standard fodder in the over hyped PL. They looked like they were on the beach and we were hardly spite and venom busting a gut to win a really important game.
I just see things a bit different to you at the moment I think. I am sad to see, for reality to really smack in the face, that we've been bang average for a very long time and getting managers in like Dean Smith, nice guy and Villa fan though he is, just feeds that feeling of being bang average. It was hardly saber rattling 'we are here and we mean business.'
If it was 1st phase and we now stay up and push on, then fine, it will have been a good plan.
I wanted to see improvements this year, once he was appointed (didn't want him before that) I wanted him to succeed and push us on, but same as a few, despite trying, I had my doubts, still do.
If he stays, hope he allays those doubts and we do push on. This season has been too tame for me to apportion any congratulations or to be impressed though.
I just see things a bit different to you at the moment I think. I am sad to see, for reality to really smack in the face, that we've been bang average for a very long time and getting managers in like Dean Smith, nice guy and Villa fan though he is, just feeds that feeling of being bang average. It was hardly saber rattling 'we are here and we mean business.'
If it was 1st phase and we now stay up and push on, then fine, it will have been a good plan.
I wanted to see improvements this year, once he was appointed (didn't want him before that) I wanted him to succeed and push us on, but same as a few, despite trying, I had my doubts, still do.
If he stays, hope he allays those doubts and we do push on. This season has been too tame for me to apportion any congratulations or to be impressed though.
Wurzel
Vital Football Legend
I agree with virtually everything you say J.
Pangloss
Vital Football Legend
I'm not the sort to weight more blame on players over the manager but I do agree here, El Ghazi wasn't instructed to miss a sitter it was purely down to the fact that he's a pure puss-boy who didn't want to get hurt, it should have been 2-0 and game over.
Got to say before the restart I was hoping for a miracle but the logical man in me said staying up was very unlikely.
Just like last season when we were sat mid table in the championship and we hired Dean Smith, I was hopeful he would turn things around and we could challenge for promotion the FOLLOWING season, but miracles occured and he got us promoted that very season.
Miracle worker once again, he's coached this group of players over lockdown the ability to keep clean sheets, to look defensively strong, and now we are favourites to avoid the drop.
In a time where Watford have got through four managers, West Ham have sacked a premier league winning coach and replaced him with Moyesy, Bournemouth likely to go down with a 200m squad and one of the highest rated English coaches in the league, it might be time to appreciate the coach we have and give him our entire support next season.
Mr "Bang Average" has led your club to a promotion and now likely a second season in the Premier League. It's time to aim your stones at another scapegoat I think.
Just like last season when we were sat mid table in the championship and we hired Dean Smith, I was hopeful he would turn things around and we could challenge for promotion the FOLLOWING season, but miracles occured and he got us promoted that very season.
Miracle worker once again, he's coached this group of players over lockdown the ability to keep clean sheets, to look defensively strong, and now we are favourites to avoid the drop.
In a time where Watford have got through four managers, West Ham have sacked a premier league winning coach and replaced him with Moyesy, Bournemouth likely to go down with a 200m squad and one of the highest rated English coaches in the league, it might be time to appreciate the coach we have and give him our entire support next season.
Mr "Bang Average" has led your club to a promotion and now likely a second season in the Premier League. It's time to aim your stones at another scapegoat I think.
Nerrad Villa
Vital Squad Member
i think its took them most of the season to gel sum players have been found wanting 11 on the pitch last night are alright its the rest you need to get rid . Maybe the lock down helped its been a learning curve for lot of the players and manager aswell and when we survive be interesting what new recruits come aboard as they wont make the same mistake we can hope again .
Dumble
Vital Squad Member
I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit, aware that I’ve somewhat flip flopped throughout the season in my opinion regarding Smith etc.
This is where I’m now at... (still flip flopping!).
IF we stay up (a capitalised IF because it’s Vila and you still never know!) then I’m imagining two scenarios (the first might be wishful thinking).
First scenario (the ‘acting like a big club move’):
We somehow convince Poch and his team that Villa are the club for him. Smith is let go but his legacy is safe having guided us up and kept us up.
I, like all, desperately want us to become a club that can keep our best players (especially when they are home grown!)
Imagine us staying up, but Grealish has an offer from a champs league team that he simply can’t refuse.
But then, the Villa tell him that Poch is coming and he wants to build a team around you.... then would he stay? I think quite possibly.
Would Poch come in the first place? Who knows.
Second Scenario:
We realise we are not ‘there’ just yet in our quest to become a big club that thinks like a big club.
We recognise Smiths achievements and keep faith in him and the aim is a top half finish next season, and then we reassess whether we need someone else to take us forwards. There is an inquest into recruitment strategy, and possibly heads will roll (ie. Jesus but not Smith).
With this in mind, I’ve been taking a look at Man City’s Wickipedia page, needing to jog my memory, and these are the key facts I found:
Taken over in 2008.
Recent history of mid table finishes.
Retained Hughes as Manager.
Flurry of bids for high profile players.
Bought Robinho.
Team finished 10th.
2009 summer: over £100m on players (a lot more dosh than it is even now only 11 years later)
December: sacked Hughes.
Brought in big name in world football, Mancini.
Finished 5th, rest is history.
I’m not saying we look to replicate that, or even that we should model ourselves on that - prefer the Liverpool approach/spurs under Poch (minus their dippy chairman). It was also a different time (ffp), different owners (ours are rich, but not that level of rich!) But the key I think here is that City didn’t take long to start ‘thinking big’ and acting big (and ultimately, are still not a bigger club than Villa! Ha)
I think the big thing for me is all of the rhetoric in the summer was about ‘not making up the numbers’, in it to win it etc etc but it hasn’t been backed up on the pitch.
A combo of being a bit unrealistic, and not getting the buys quite right? Perhaps. If the owners think avoiding a relegation battle, at the very least, was achievable, then Smith’s head probably should be on the chopping block. For those fans that pre season believed finishing 17th (if that turns out to be the case) would be a good achievement, then they would argue against that. I can understand the reasons for that perspective, given the state of our squad when we got promoted. But that wasn’t the line that the club chose to peddle.
But if they talk the talk they need to walk the walk - to my mind though, it’s only worth getting rid of Smith if we can get a top name in woth
If you’re a top player (or up and coming one), who do you want to go and play for? Dean Smith, or Mauricio Pochettino? (Or insert other big name with good record here)
It all hinges on whether we can even get someone like that in, at this stage. And there’s also the problem that a manager like Poch wants to spend money... (sacked by Spurs because Levy wouldn’t spend, basically) how much can we spend? How much are our hands tied at this stage by FFP? (Over to you Mike, I don’t understand this stuff!!)
also if the next season starts in September, it ain’t long for a new manager to get his ideas over. Which is the bigger risk?!
Anyway that’s my garbled attempt at explaining my constantly changing thought process and I’m well aware of my own hipocrisy. I guess that’s what football is all about!
I’m tempting fate I might add, as we could still go down!
I’ve also just had two large coffees and I tend to go off on one.
This is where I’m now at... (still flip flopping!).
IF we stay up (a capitalised IF because it’s Vila and you still never know!) then I’m imagining two scenarios (the first might be wishful thinking).
First scenario (the ‘acting like a big club move’):
We somehow convince Poch and his team that Villa are the club for him. Smith is let go but his legacy is safe having guided us up and kept us up.
I, like all, desperately want us to become a club that can keep our best players (especially when they are home grown!)
Imagine us staying up, but Grealish has an offer from a champs league team that he simply can’t refuse.
But then, the Villa tell him that Poch is coming and he wants to build a team around you.... then would he stay? I think quite possibly.
Would Poch come in the first place? Who knows.
Second Scenario:
We realise we are not ‘there’ just yet in our quest to become a big club that thinks like a big club.
We recognise Smiths achievements and keep faith in him and the aim is a top half finish next season, and then we reassess whether we need someone else to take us forwards. There is an inquest into recruitment strategy, and possibly heads will roll (ie. Jesus but not Smith).
With this in mind, I’ve been taking a look at Man City’s Wickipedia page, needing to jog my memory, and these are the key facts I found:
Taken over in 2008.
Recent history of mid table finishes.
Retained Hughes as Manager.
Flurry of bids for high profile players.
Bought Robinho.
Team finished 10th.
2009 summer: over £100m on players (a lot more dosh than it is even now only 11 years later)
December: sacked Hughes.
Brought in big name in world football, Mancini.
Finished 5th, rest is history.
I’m not saying we look to replicate that, or even that we should model ourselves on that - prefer the Liverpool approach/spurs under Poch (minus their dippy chairman). It was also a different time (ffp), different owners (ours are rich, but not that level of rich!) But the key I think here is that City didn’t take long to start ‘thinking big’ and acting big (and ultimately, are still not a bigger club than Villa! Ha)
I think the big thing for me is all of the rhetoric in the summer was about ‘not making up the numbers’, in it to win it etc etc but it hasn’t been backed up on the pitch.
A combo of being a bit unrealistic, and not getting the buys quite right? Perhaps. If the owners think avoiding a relegation battle, at the very least, was achievable, then Smith’s head probably should be on the chopping block. For those fans that pre season believed finishing 17th (if that turns out to be the case) would be a good achievement, then they would argue against that. I can understand the reasons for that perspective, given the state of our squad when we got promoted. But that wasn’t the line that the club chose to peddle.
But if they talk the talk they need to walk the walk - to my mind though, it’s only worth getting rid of Smith if we can get a top name in woth
If you’re a top player (or up and coming one), who do you want to go and play for? Dean Smith, or Mauricio Pochettino? (Or insert other big name with good record here)
It all hinges on whether we can even get someone like that in, at this stage. And there’s also the problem that a manager like Poch wants to spend money... (sacked by Spurs because Levy wouldn’t spend, basically) how much can we spend? How much are our hands tied at this stage by FFP? (Over to you Mike, I don’t understand this stuff!!)
also if the next season starts in September, it ain’t long for a new manager to get his ideas over. Which is the bigger risk?!
Anyway that’s my garbled attempt at explaining my constantly changing thought process and I’m well aware of my own hipocrisy. I guess that’s what football is all about!
I’m tempting fate I might add, as we could still go down!
I’ve also just had two large coffees and I tend to go off on one.
crimsondonkey
Vital 1st Team Regular
With their backs up against the wall it certainly looks like some previously maligned players have started to show some bottle. They do look tighter since the break and have snuck a few goals in after a poor return after the restart.
Whether we do stay up and the miracle dream comes true or not I hope that level of performance can be maintained for 'run of the mill' games when survival isn't at stake - I think that's a better indicator of both playing and coaching staff.
Whether we do stay up and the miracle dream comes true or not I hope that level of performance can be maintained for 'run of the mill' games when survival isn't at stake - I think that's a better indicator of both playing and coaching staff.
Dont put the mockers on it Idgavfc, we are not safe yet, closer than it was, but this is Aston Villa we are talking about here, and they never fail to dissapoint.
Divine_islet
Vital 1st Team Regular
It was fantastic to win last night although I must admit that this was against the worst Arsenal side that I've ever seen us play against. Even Palace and Everton were rubbish and there wasn't any difference in the way all those teams played against us vs how we had been playing before the restart.
However, we still had to beat them and we performed much better than them and deserved 3 wins on the trot. If the team continues to play football like they have been since Trez's morale-boosting first goal vs Palace, I support Dean Smith fully whether in the prem or the championship.
Divine_islet
Vital 1st Team Regular
Divine_islet
Vital 1st Team Regular
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