The Official Dean Smith Thread | Page 369 | Vital Football

The Official Dean Smith Thread

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Team is suffering from basically playing the same eleven each week. A lot of them have just got lazy because their place in the team is certain. Now is the time to shake it up a bit and make them all work for their places. With hindsight we should have kept El Ghazi in when he had played well and likewise with Hause and Nakamba. Dean hasn’t done himself any favours by his selection criteria.
 
Melon Donkey said:
Smith out.

Doing a terrible job.

Promotion, survival from what looked like a lost cause and the utter utter shame of 8th after 23 games having played 2 less than most.
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It’s true some of us are more concerned than you at the moment and our faith less rock solid. And some of us like speculating about why we have lost form. Not sure who said he’s doing a terrible job though?
 
sirdennis said:
Are teams not allowed a slump in form any more ?.
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Clearly not.

I genuinely do not know what the expectation is. And by that i mean the season as a whole not just this period of games which seems to have frazzled peoples minds .

Because if its above where we are and have been so far this season then I'm sorry i think some a miles off in what they are expecting from this team of players.

No secret I was less than enthused with our business but we have done is far above what was expected . Surely?.

The modern fan is a strange thing. Clearly its not a good thing to have hit this position in the league because it has shifted expectations to an unreasonable level .

I defy anyone to have said at the moment the final whistle went at West Ham that they wouldn't be happy in 7 months to be sitting 8th , on 36 points and safe from relegation. Yet it seems some aren't happy.

And its not as if the measures in some cases being put forward to judge are reasonable. Even if Smith isn't the 'right man' to take us forward it will be for other reasons and not solely because he picks one player. Plainly , just this one thing is a ridiculous measurement of a manager's overall ability.
 
I think Deano is a victim of his own success this season.
We have played some good stuff, and had some great results, and that in turn has raised expectations.
However if you look at the team on a player for player basis we are bang average, and the fact that we are where we are is a big surprise to me.
He has got us playing some good stuff, but with the squad we have its not going to happen every week, and when we come up short its as much because of our shortcomings as a squad, with limited talent in some positions, as it is Deano shortcoming for a manager still learning his trade at this level.
As sirdennis keeps saying we are a mid table side, and I think its testament to Dean and his coaching staff that we are where we are.
 
Wicked Messenger said:
Team is suffering from basically playing the same eleven each week. A lot of them have just got lazy because their place in the team is certain. Now is the time to shake it up a bit and make them all work for their places. With hindsight we should have kept El Ghazi in when he had played well and likewise with Hause and Nakamba. Dean hasn’t done himself any favours by his selection criteria.
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Not sure it's laziness. Most of the players are putting in a good, even very good shift. If things have gone off the boil a bit, mainly in midfield, there could be a number of reasons.

But things need freshening up. Resting Luiz and playing Nakamba was a good move. Dean needs to do more of this. His style of management may pay dividends in the long run, or it may result in us hitting a ceiling. I reckon he needs to have more faith in the squad and give more of those on the bench a chance of starting.
 
Fully agree MD, people talking of the Champions league, saying stuff like why did we need Sanson, saying we need back up players etc Now evident as to why we need Sanson and why we need better players not back up players.
Our kick on side won't have many of these players in it, you may disagree but teams change and evolve every season or they slip backwards.
I think when Watkins and SJM and the like are back up players we will have a really good side. No knocking what those two do in particular but if we had Harry Kane and Fernades those two wouldn't be getting a game and those are the levels of player that get you top 4 along with Jack and Martinez etc
 
Melon Donkey said:
We only had 2 first team regular starters out v Leicester and look at the lack of quality/experience on our bench. It was quite shocking actually.

Its a miracle we are 8th quite frankly. That bench was barely championship.
So much to do.

Smith has done fine this season
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We are virtually 50/50 wins and losses, some great wins and some games that remind me how bad we were last season. Take Jack out and we'd be Brighton, easy on the eye but can't win to save our lives.
Much to do yet and we've certainly been brought back to earth the last 10 games
 
Wicked Messenger said:
It’s true some of us are more concerned than you at the moment and our faith less rock solid. And some of us like speculating about why we have lost form. Not sure who said he’s doing a terrible job though?
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It all has to be so black and white these days, so melodramatic, no shades of grey or ability to say anything that conflicts with others opinions.

Sorry if you didn't get the memo.
 
I'm happy at the progress this season, even if we do slide and finish where many of us were predicting as a good progression - 10-12th.

Under that, I don't think will be good enough.

Still plenty to do, but I am sure Smith knows that. I think adding Shakespear has helped his backroom team greatly, and obviously the addition of this outstanding keeper has helped make us more solid.

As a work in progress, I wasn't that impressed, have to say, at present, I now am and as I said earlier in this thread, I had serious doubts but SO want Smith to be here in 10 years time, because if he is, it will be because he's brought us all what we want.

There are definitely areas I'd change, he does say players should earn their place in the team for instance, but I think that isn't always reflected in his actions (Hause dropped as soon as Mings was fit makes one player demotivated and another feel untouchable - and dropping Marvellous for Barkley another example) BUT Smith et al make those decisions and it is their jobs on the line.

All in all, very pleasantly surprised, things have surpassed all my expectations.
 
wittonite said:
I think Deano is a victim of his own success this season.
We have played some good stuff, and had some great results, and that in turn has raised expectations.
However if you look at the team on a player for player basis we are bang average, and the fact that we are where we are is a big surprise to me.
He has got us playing some good stuff, but with the squad we have its not going to happen every week, and when we come up short its as much because of our shortcomings as a squad, with limited talent in some positions, as it is Deano shortcoming for a manager still learning his trade at this level.
As sirdennis keeps saying we are a mid table side, and I think its testament to Dean and his coaching staff that we are where we are.
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100% - to dumb it down it seems to be whether you think Dean is not a great manager and he should be getting more out of the team or the squad simply isnt up to it but Deano is a decent manager. Either way, context is a great thing to layer in.

For me its simply frustration and a bit of both so I firmly sit on the fence.

I think its fine to hold the opinion that we're having a marvelous season but also that maybe we could be a little higher up. I think Dean has to learn to rotate a little more and to manage games a little better. I doubt we'd be as upset if West Ham weren't in the top 4.

As a whole the table doesnt line, we're well worth our place in 8th and I couldnt justify us being any higher than Everton.
 
Villan57 said:
Fully agree MD, people talking of the Champions league, saying stuff like why did we need Sanson, saying we need back up players etc Now evident as to why we need Sanson and why we need better players not back up players.
Our kick on side won't have many of these players in it, you may disagree but teams change and evolve every season or they slip backwards.
I think when Watkins and SJM and the like are back up players we will have a really good side. No knocking what those two do in particular but if we had Harry Kane and Fernades those two wouldn't be getting a game and those are the levels of player that get you top 4 along with Jack and Martinez etc
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Agree with virtually all of that Martin but Ollie is a young lad first season in the prem second season as a striker sky's the limit for this kid I wouldn't be surprised if he rivals or surpasses Kane next season I think he's a brilliant prospect we worry about holding onto Jack in the summer I think this kid will be in demand too.
 
gator said:
Agree with virtually all of that Martin but Ollie is a young lad first season in the prem second season as a striker sky's the limit for this kid I wouldn't be surprised if he rivals or surpasses Kane next season I think he's a brilliant prospect we worry about holding onto Jack in the summer I think this kid will be in demand too.
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if we ever set up to provide for Ollie properly he will score a bagfull.
 
gator said:
Agree with virtually all of that Martin but Ollie is a young lad first season in the prem second season as a striker sky's the limit for this kid I wouldn't be surprised if he rivals or surpasses Kane next season I think he's a brilliant prospect we worry about holding onto Jack in the summer I think this kid will be in demand too.
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He's 25 mate if he was 20 I would agree but I don't see him as some superstar striker, he's neat tidy, quick but not electric quick, runs the channels well scores 1 in 6 chances, stronger than he looks but I don't see what many see in him. He might do a Vardy he might not
 
Villan57 said:
He's 25 mate if he was 20 I would agree but I don't see him as some superstar striker, he's neat tidy, quick but not electric quick, runs the channels well scores 1 in 6 chances, stronger than he looks but I don't see what many see in him. He might do a Vardy he might not
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Only time will tell I think he will take off next season.
 
CDX_EIRE said:
100% - to dumb it down it seems to be whether you think Dean is not a great manager and he should be getting more out of the team or the squad simply isnt up to it but Deano is a decent manager. Either way, context is a great thing to layer in.

For me its simply frustration and a bit of both so I firmly sit on the fence.

I think its fine to hold the opinion that we're having a marvelous season but also that maybe we could be a little higher up. I think Dean has to learn to rotate a little more and to manage games a little better. I doubt we'd be as upset if West Ham weren't in the top 4.

As a whole the table doesnt line, we're well worth our place in 8th and I couldnt justify us being any higher than Everton.
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I think 8th is about as high as it gets. I'm sure we'll finish lower.

The great pity is that we had a decent sniff of Europa League qualification, but you can wave goodbye to that after Leeds on Saturday. DS should be able to get more out of the squad, they've been gash now for weeks and nothing seems to happen. I suppose DS has to get more out of himself first because he is quite stubborn with his one-eyed way of going about things.
 
Good season - two concerns for me.
Firstly we haven't played well since the first half against Burnley. We've scraped a few points but always seem under the cosh at the moment. The midfield needs a shake up to stop us getting overrun.
Second, the way we play is starving Ollie. He's doing fine individually but he really does survive on scraps.
 
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