The Official Dean Smith Thread | Page 429 | Vital Football

The Official Dean Smith Thread

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Noticed the number of players we had forward for the third goal on Sunday. Smith had obviously told them to do that. I don't think he's afraid to use our attacking teeth.
 
Hifriedelity said:
Our main improvement came after the lockdown period where they moved the defense up a bit to close spaces in front of them. It is no credit on anybody really that it took the covid break to come up with that.
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Well that (playing higher) would not have been coming from Terry. He had clashes with Benitez at Chelski because Rafa wanted them to play higher, and when he was with us as a player he was far more comfortable defending deep. To be fair to him, he recognized that he didn't have the recovery pace.....
 
As much as I'm sure most Villa fans will allow Deano more time than normal to get his house in order I'm not too sure the owners feel the same way. They have invested massively in this squad and will be looking to build considerably on last years finish. The buzzword this year amongst players and management alike is Europe. Our position in the league come Christmas may determine whether or not Deano is still our coach by the New Year.
A lot of neutrals are saying the only major weakness at our Club is the manager. I really hope he can prove them wrong...but this season could very well be make or break for him.
 
gmvillan said:
Well that (playing higher) would not have been coming from Terry. He had clashes with Benitez at Chelski because Rafa wanted them to play higher, and when he was with us as a player he was far more comfortable defending deep. To be fair to him, he recognized that he didn't have the recovery pace.....
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Yep Terry was a last-ditch defender like Mings certainly not one to push up he was far too slow to cope with the pace
 
BonniePrinceCarew said:
As much as I'm sure most Villa fans will allow Deano more time than normal to get his house in order I'm not too sure the owners feel the same way. They have invested massively in this squad and will be looking to build considerably on last years finish. The buzzword this year amongst players and management alike is Europe. Our position in the league come Christmas may determine whether or not Deano is still our coach by the New Year.
A lot of neutrals are saying the only major weakness at our Club is the manager. I really hope he can prove them wrong...but this season could very well be make or break for him.
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I think as long as he finishes top half it'll be mission accomplished. I think that is the minimum acceptable performance and I believe the owners are very pragmatic. With you know who gone I do think Smith is a little more vulnerable. I believe that relationship gave him a little bit of extra security. With him gone the club now has total freedom top to bottom and that means it'll be slightly easier to move Smith on.

With all that said he's probably one of the most underrated coaches in the league. I think it goes back to him being English which isnt fashionable. Fans of other clubs would rather boring old Nuno than Smith. They'd probably prefer Henry come in or some other unknown off the continent.

Smith masterminded the demolition of one of the best club teams ever. For me he has the credentials to go all the way.
 
CDX_EIRE said:
I think as long as he finishes top half it'll be mission accomplished. I think that is the minimum acceptable performance and I believe the owners are very pragmatic. With you know who gone I do think Smith is a little more vulnerable. I believe that relationship gave him a little bit of extra security. With him gone the club now has total freedom top to bottom and that means it'll be slightly easier to move Smith on.

With all that said he's probably one of the most underrated coaches in the league. I think it goes back to him being English which isnt fashionable. Fans of other clubs would rather boring old Nuno than Smith. They'd probably prefer Henry come in or some other unknown off the continent.

Smith masterminded the demolition of one of the best club teams ever. For me he has the credentials to go all the way.
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In the main I agree with you. However over the last couple of seasons Villa simply played to our strengths, namely do whatever we can to get the ball to the departed. Now we will see just how Deano will utilize the quality we have in a tactical sense, we will see his flexibility with rotating the squad and how we set up against certain teams. It will be his biggest challenge by far and a true test of his credentials in competing for Europe, which should be the objective given the squad of players at his disposal.
I really really like him and would love nothing more than to see him guide us to Europe. But football is a cruel mistress and he will be under the spotlight now more than ever to deliver. He has been fundamental to the progression of our Club season on season and for that he deserves to be applauded. But I say again this will be the season that defines his tenure as our Coach. He doesn't strike me as the kind of man that will hide away from the expectations now on his shoulders, which is a good thing because the bar has been raised. Mid-table won't do this season. Not with the money this Club has spent. Nobody knows this more than Deano and I sincerely hope come the end of this campaign a lot of people will be eating humble pie and praising the man for taking this Club even further rather than being the man who has held us back from we as a Club feel we belong.
 
Looking back over Dean's tenure I honestly don't think it could have been done better. Some rough patches but that happens if you're aiming high with a very mixed squad.

Baring us coming off the rails I can't see him leaving this season. If we'd have been relegated on our first season back I think there's a fairly good chance the owners would have stuck with him, partly because getting promoted the previous season put us ahead of the curve of where the squad was at.

I expect some bumpy moments this coming season, but think we'll weather them. Last season we were part of the group of teams above us rather than the teams below us, and I expect that to continue.
 
Silhillvilla said:
we haven't spent anything
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Was meant to say over the last three seasons rather than the 100 mill. As an aside regardless of what a Club generates in player sales owners are not obliged to reinvest that straight back into the squad. Regardless I doubt 11th place or similar finish would be seen as a successful season.
 
BonniePrinceCarew said:
Was meant to say over the last three seasons rather than the 100 mill. As an aside regardless of what a Club generates in player sales owners are not obliged to reinvest that straight back into the squad. Regardless I doubt 11th place or similar finish would be seen as a successful season.
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I don't think 11th will cut it with the owners and neither do I think they've stopped spending, after all, they have only spent the TV money and we haven't spent that this season
 
If you trace back his words over the past couple of years, this season is where he wants to add a bit of squad depth, which he certainly seems to be doing. I also don't think he's going to settle for "fillers" in the squad just to get the numbers up. If the supposed targets are correct, they fit with the philosophy. I don't think we'll be settling for less than players who can either improve us as we are, or have the potential to do so.
 
BonniePrinceCarew said:
As much as I'm sure most Villa fans will allow Deano more time than normal to get his house in order I'm not too sure the owners feel the same way. They have invested massively in this squad and will be looking to build considerably on last years finish. The buzzword this year amongst players and management alike is Europe. Our position in the league come Christmas may determine whether or not Deano is still our coach by the New Year.
A lot of neutrals are saying the only major weakness at our Club is the manager. I really hope he can prove them wrong...but this season could very well be make or break for him.
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False. The owners are aiming for CL in 4-5 seasons after promotion. We're in season 3.

I could care less what neutral fans think about our manager.
 
Kiwivillan said:
False. The owners are aiming for CL in 4-5 seasons after promotion. We're in season 3.

I could care less what neutral fans think about our manager.
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Thankfully in some cases, we aren't being taken seriously by the media but sadly we are not being taken seriously by some of our own fans and indeed a certain player .
 
Villan57 said:
Thankfully in some cases, we aren't being taken seriously by the media but sadly we are not being taken seriously by some of our own fans and indeed a certain player .
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Can we call him something other snake2? I'm calling him Chav Snake but saw comment calling him biscuit shins. Liked that
 
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