The Official Dean Smith Thread

[danvilla2]

Whats also odd about the 3-5-2 set up is Luiz is still dropping deep in between our CBs. You end up with 4 players sitting in our own half offering nothing in the final third, tapping it around the middle of the pitch. And like you say playing suicide passes into our CMs or straight up giving it straight to the opposition.

Yes, Luiz likes to drop deep, it seems to be his comfort zone but he has the intelligence to read the play and be a defensive body when needed. I’m not sold he’s better in a more forward midfield position but I would like him to play 5 yards higher up.

Konsa had that stat last season where no player had dribbled past him which won’t be a wholly different this year. He is the only player since McGrath (and I was too young to fully appreciate God), where you could put any player against him one on one including Salah or Ronny, and I’d remain calm thinking Konsa has got this.

So I certainly don’t think for a game where teams play one striker and a few who get forward, why you need three centre backs and a midfielder who can drop in. We could’ve let Konsa mark Hwang on his own and he’d have done the job. We could’ve quite easily sacrificed Axel yesterday for AEG or Bert, and I think we could’ve been sat on a clean sheet for 80 mins as Wolves were a low threat.

Ultimately the wing backs aren’t good enough in those positions for this system. Targett is a good player but limited to full back, if I look at Ben Chilwell he’s a level above Matty in terms of ability and athleticism hence why he’s at Chelsea.

 

[Xchurch Villa]

4-3-3 with Bert and Bailey either side of Ings.

Ollie isn't at the races at the moment.

That is where the problem lies currently. He can't play 4 3 3 as Bailey and Bert are both injured. Therefore he plays 3 5 2 as, under the current circumstances, it's our strongest side.

 

[Xchurch Villa]

As for Ollie he must be dropped. He is in headless chicken teritory

 

[Wicked Messenger]

That is where the problem lies currently. He can't play 4 3 3 as Bailey and Bert are both injured. Therefore he plays 3 5 2 as, under the current circumstances, it's our strongest side.

If that was our strongest side we’re doomed. We’ve just let in 6 in our last two games.

 

[Villan57]

I bet Elghazi is right pissed off getting left out for this lot

 

[Platypus]

It's the three at the back for me. Unless we're playing a team with massive attacking threats like Manure or Chelsea, all we're doing is playing a backup defender, in Axel or Kortney, instead of one of our actually good attacking players.

Either way, we should be leaving with three points yesterday and it was the subs that turned it. Bad day at the office for everyone though, not just Dean.

 

[Xchurch Villa]

Smith is letting sentiment cloud his judgement. Watkins should be dropped and we should play Ings as the lone striker (once we have Bert and Bailey up and running)

 

[Fulford]

Yesterday was without doubt Smith's worst performance since he's been here. Totally out-thought by a rookie manager who simply waited for Smith to show his hand and put on his players that he knew could destroy us. To put Axel in from the start over Hause shows his lack of man-management skills and to leave on Watkins when there's a striker on fire sitting on the bench just shows his total incompetency. I thank him for what he has achieved but if we are to move on to the next level he needs to go. I can't see our owners putting up with this for much longer.

 

[mike_field]

Yes Lage out thought everyone by bringing on every striker he had available.

DS totally fucked up by taking off a fatigued Luiz who was too lazy to rest up properly having played on the early hours of Friday morning.

He added to that by not leaving on an injured Buendia and Cash.

Injuries out.

 

[Pangloss]

I bet Elghazi is right pissed off getting left out for this lot

Well he's not a wing back is he?

El Ghazi, scores 10 in the league last season, Traroe scores 7 assists 6. Bailey is winger/ attacking forward. We're just pottering on with wing backs who can barely do that job until we rip up the formation again when certain players are fit.

This season is going to be mess.

 

[Villan57]

Yesterday was without doubt Smith's worst performance since he's been here. Totally out-thought by a rookie manager who simply waited for Smith to show his hand and put on his players that he knew could destroy us. To put Axel in from the start over Hause shows his lack of man-management skills and to leave on Watkins when there's a striker on fire sitting on the bench just shows his total incompetency. I thank him for what he has achieved but if we are to move on to the next level he needs to go. I can't see our owners putting up with this for much longer.

at 2-0 he was doing ok, I'm the first to jump on the manager's case but yesterday was down to the player's lack of composure and mentality

 

[Fulford]

at 2-0 he was doing ok, I'm the first to jump on the manager's case but yesterday was down to the player's lack of composure and mentality

Not for me. His substitutions yesterday when we were starting to be under the cosh summed him up imo. A tactically astute manager wouldn't have done what he did.

 

[Villan57]

Not for me. His substitutions yesterday when we were starting to be under the cosh summed him up imo. A tactically astute manager wouldn't have done what he did.

What take off two injured players and a midfielder who'd travelled back from South America the day before, they probably wouldn't have started Luiz but anyone would have subbed him for Marvelous. Not sure which bit of Cash and Buendia were injured people are not getting.

 

[Claret & Blue Blood]

4-3-3 with Bert and Bailey either side of Ings.

Ollie isn't at the races at the moment.

Is there a clause in Tuanzebe's loan agreement that says he has to play a certain number of games and him in a back 4 means dropping Mings or Konsa and we can't do that so play all 3 and have a 3-5-2 as a result.
I would be worried if this were the case and a loan player dictates our structure.

 

[Pangloss]

Is there a clause in Tuanzebe's loan agreement that says he has to play a certain number of games and him in a back 4 means dropping Mings or Konsa and we can't do that so play all 3 and have a 3-5-2 as a result.
I would be worried if this were the case and a loan player dictates our structure.

The 'existence' of this clause is pure speculation to be honest.

 

[The Fear]

Is there a clause in Tuanzebe's loan agreement that says he has to play a certain number of games and him in a back 4 means dropping Mings or Konsa and we can't do that so play all 3 and have a 3-5-2 as a result.
I would be worried if this were the case and a loan player dictates our structure.

Have been told over the years, by two (now former) CEO's that those sorts of clauses don't exist, as they would be nigh on impossible to agree to.

 

[mike_field]

Have been told over the years, by two (now former) CEO's that those sorts of clauses don't exist, as they would be nigh on impossible to agree to.

Buggers competitive advantage and someone would find a way to argue it would limit their playing time + additional bonuses.

They do exist in a sort - it's done by ratchets in what the club pays.

ie in a playing week loan club pays 20% of wage. In a non playing week loan club pays 80% of wage.

It encourages smaller clubs to give greater game time but we should not be in that position now.

 

[McParlandTheGreat]

There's no certainty in football, that's one of the beauties of it. All teams and managers get one put over them one time or another. I hate us losing, but I don't think simplistic whacking blame on individuals is the answer. There is a bigger picture, which is what matters.

What concerns me at the moment is this. We've come off the back of a good season. Something to build upon, and building on it matters a lot. Snake2 going doesn't help that, but doesn't destroy it either. We've made some good signings, all designed to take us forwards. But I don't get the sense we are building in that way.

We've changed direction, by going 3-5-2. Players who were a big part of where we got to last season are warming the bench, with apparently no chance of getting on as subs. It's not obvious where players brought in like Bailey are going to fit in. Players are getting on the field who aren't as good as those left out, e.g. Tuanzebe, and maybe Ramsey. Maybe DS thinks he needs to change tack as a result of Snake2 going. He doesn't. Maybe he just wants to try something different. It's a mistake.

Let Lambert be a lesson. Every time we got to the end of a season seeing signs of things beginning to progress he'd rip it up in the summer with nonsensical signings and went in a different direction.

Last season we ended with a good base to build on, with players comfortable with the system. We suffered when Snake2 wasn't playing but we were getting used to it and we've bought over the summer to rectify it. Time to take a hard look at our strengths and build on them.

 

[Villan57]

Buggers competitive advantage and someone would find a way to argue it would limit their playing time + additional bonuses.

They do exist in a sort - it's done by ratchets in what the club pays.

ie in a playing week loan club pays 20% of wage. In a non playing week loan club pays 80% of wage.

It encourages smaller clubs to give greater game time but we should not be in that position now.

are ratchets just a bit bigger than Mousechets

 

[Moose66]

There's no certainty in football, that's one of the beauties of it. All teams and managers get one put over them one time or another. I hate us losing, but I don't think simplistic whacking blame on individuals is the answer. There is a bigger picture, which is what matters.

What concerns me at the moment is this. We've come off the back of a good season. Something to build upon, and building on it matters a lot. Snake2 going doesn't help that, but doesn't destroy it either. We've made some good signings, all designed to take us forwards. But I don't get the sense we are building in that way.

We've changed direction, by going 3-5-2. Players who were a big part of where we got to last season are warming the bench, with apparently no chance of getting on as subs. It's not obvious where players brought in like Bailey are going to fit in. Players are getting on the field who aren't as good as those left out, e.g. Tuanzebe, and maybe Ramsey. Maybe DS thinks he needs to change tack as a result of Snake2 going. He doesn't. Maybe he just wants to try something different. It's a mistake.

Let Lambert be a lesson. Every time we got to the end of a season seeing signs of things beginning to progress he'd rip it up in the summer with nonsensical signings and go in a different direction.

Last season we ended with a good base to build on, with players comfortable with the system. We suffered when Snake2 wasn't playing but we were getting used to it and we've bought over the summer to rectify it. Time to take a hard look at our strengths and build on them.

That's a far too balanced view on things