The Official Dean Smith Thread | Page 344 | Vital Football

The Official Dean Smith Thread

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Nice to see some coming to the defence of the man who got us promoted with a ten game winning run and a play off final win, to a league cup final, now to a 3rd place position with a game in hand. Why a defence of such a man is necessary, I'll never understand. But then I remember some United fans calling for Fergie's head and some Arsenal fans calling for Wenger's head. We expect better from Villa fans, but we are just as bad, if not worse.
 
We're no different from any fans if you look around to be honest.

Those doubting DS will see those doubts magnified after such a defeat. Those willing to be patient will have their position justified after such a defeat given our start and so on.

And the hangover from this game is magnified anyway given they should've seen at least 1 red card, we should've had the penalty (and plenty of other decisions that didn't go our way).
 
mike_field said:
We're no different from any fans if you look around to be honest.

Those doubting DS will see those doubts magnified after such a defeat. Those willing to be patient will have their position justified after such a defeat given our start and so on.

And the hangover from this game is magnified anyway given they should've seen at least 1 red card, we should've had the penalty (and plenty of other decisions that didn't go our way).
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We go again
 
Villan57 said:
I read Mings is loud but being loud isn't the same as being a leader, especially as he isn't that experienced as a CB, I'm not sure we have a leader on the pitch when the going gets tough
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Fulford said:
I totally agree mate and that's why I said last season that we needed to buy a captain.
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I said during the lockdown, after the Grealish incident, that we should have brought back Snodgrass and made him captain (he would’ve been ideal in that Leeds game as he’d have been tracking back to help Cash). Big personality, and already respected in our dressing room.
 
ldgavfc said:
Why a defence of such a man is necessary
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It isn't.

Coaches and managers have good days and bad days, just like players.

When Jack plays badly I don't feel the need to rattle off his previous playing achievements as some kind of defence against poor play or mistakes from him. It doesn't matter, in competitive sport you're only as good as your last result.

The fact you feel the need to do that at the slightest whiff of criticism of St Dean just isn't necessary either.

Unless you're trying to say that Dean has no room for improvement and development as a coach and he is the finished article?

Otherwise then, if you accept he has room to improve then just like a player where is the problem in identifying and discussing areas for improvement.
 
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gator said:
Don't understand this tbh your saying your not having a go at him but your not giving him any credit at all which to me is basically saying he's shite.
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I'm not saying he's shite. What I mean, is, he blows hot and cold. Therefore, I'm not convinced either way.
 
Pride of Lions said:
I'm not saying he's shite. What I mean, is, he blows hot and cold. Therefore, I'm not convinced either way.
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Yeah I tend to not get too carried away with any one person as we well know they come and go I learned that with Andy Gray who I thought would be at the Villa forever lol but I just feel at times he doesn't get the praise he deserves for what he has achieved but takes all the flak for what he has got wrong.It seems like for some because he hasn't got a sexy sounding name he's on a hiding to nothing.Not saying a top manager wouldn't have done a better job but I would imagine he has hit every target he has been set up to now hence the reason he's still in a job.
 
Its worth reading about other clubs that we think we should be above and managers who at one point of another we've expressed as options.

Reading the Sheffield Utd. forum is sobering and I find it good for grounding my views and expectations of Dean.

Many similarities and issues we also still have and issues every promoted club faces which I think we've done our best to overcome. They have no quality or depth, one injury now is absolutely destroying them and they've had to take a few punts of players who either look past it or are very raw (Rodwell / Brewster). They can't spend their way out of trouble, they can't even match our spending and we can't spend enough either. We think we're short on quality and ideas, good lord go have a look at them.

I also read a piece on Newcastle today, describing how they are a jackal and hyde team. Dreadful week in week out and then they have amazing performances where it all clicks. You think you'll kick on but they right back to being dreadful.

Even Graham Potter (who I admire and think is doing a fantastic job), his Brighton side is great to look at but another failure today to bring home the win. They can't ever seem to put games to bed and either lose or draw which really hampers their ability to progress. I didn't see the Everton game but by all accounts, they were also dreadful. Hassenhutl seems to be fairly well respected but he near got the sack early last year when they were turned over.

All coaches seem to have their criticisms which don't really change and it seems to only really be ultra top-class managers that don't get criticized for consistent failings. They seem to learn and fix the problems.

I think we're going to see the same problems in our team and Dean's hands being tied behind his back a little. I doubt we'll see many of the criticisms of Dean go away until we get better players. McGinn is the ideal example, we need someone capable of keeping him out of the side and not just when he isn't playing well.
 
mike_field said:
Pulling Trez and giving Cash some back up would've been a start. McGinn and Barkley not at the races, try something different.

Those are old arguments, I was using them last season but as I've said this year has to be different and we've done well - however, prior to heads going against Leeds, he could've been proactive.

It might have still gone tits up and yes some would blame him for changing....I'd have been applauding he tried as the game was there for us to take.
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you don't change a winning team, do you?
 
What I don't get is that we're sitting in a far better position in the table than any of us could have dreamed of yet apparently we have major problems with manager and players.

You can only judge either after a run of matches. On the current run of 9 PL matches the balance is hugely in favour of both.

I was one of those reckoning the club needed to replace DS by Poch if possible. At the moment it looks like I was wrong and the club was right. We can only judge a season at the end of the season, but there is a positivity about the club which has been missing for a long long time. Leeds is only a very minor blip in the state of things.
 
After reading McParland’s post above, an interesting question to ponder....he suggests the club was right not to sack Dean Smith either during or at the end of last season. So how does everyone else answer that question? Should we have sacked him last season as a few were demanding or even at the end of it? Personally, I’ve never called for his head even though I felt he was starting to struggle between Christmas to lockdown in particular. I’m sure he’s aware of his faults, he often talks of the importance of players wanting to develop and to improve and I’m sure he doesn’t have a different mantra for himself and the coaches around him. If you analyse what he’s done in just 2 years could he realistically have done much better? Personally I think he’s done a terrific job thus far, he’s not faultless by any stretch and those weaknesses have sometimes been exposed but reading through the thread over the past week I do feel that some of the criticism has been a bit harsh in view of the start we’ve had and in view of the overall job he’s done in just 24 months. It’s almost as if those who were so anti Smith last February and in some cases before that will pounce on any setback to roll out the ‘Smith isn’t good enough for us’ argument. First setback came against Leeds and the claws were out despite the best start for many a year. And before anyone criticises that last sentence, i’m not suggesting he shouldn’t be criticised but it’s back to the question of balance in an argument which I often harp on about. Yes he has weaknesses as a coach but he’s also got many decent qualities which seem to get overlooked by some who clearly don’t think he’s good enough. If we look back to February he was getting absolute slaughtered, some of it deserved, we were struggling big time but some of it was way over the top and again not reflective of the job he’d done as a whole. So back to my original question and more intriguing I suppose now we’ve had the transfer window and a decent start.....Eight months on from the depths of despair as we trudged off the pitch against Leicester....Should we have sacked Dean Smith and replaced him? It’s a most definite ‘no‘ from me.
 
Langoe66 said:
Should we have sacked Dean Smith and replaced him?
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Firstly, paragraphs man, paragraphs 🤨😆

It’s a difficult one to answer without using hindsight which distorts the truth somewhat.

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. He should have been sacked in March right before lockdown - he was awful and getting worse not better. However after restart he had earned the right to continue and the break gave him chance to adjust things the way many wanted him to much earlier.

I’m very happy with the start to this season, the results have certainly come our way. Some performances look more coherent which is mainly what I look for and bang on about with respect to coaching ability.

I just want him to continue to improve and for Villa to be successful.

When that improvement stops/ plateaus then it’s time to move on for both parties (for clarity I think there’s a way to go before we reach this point).

In the finality, I am an Aston Villa FC fan, not a Dean Smith fan, so my only loyalty is to the club and not to players, staff, coaches, owners etc who are a means to an end.
 
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