The Official Dean Smith Thread | Page 416 | Vital Football

The Official Dean Smith Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Our form before christmas was great the disturbing thing is he hasn't been able to replicate the form for five month's so where is this idea that he can do it again next season if he is here next season i hope he does but dont see it happening.
 
As 57 said in the match thread, it is the hope that kills you!

I can see the nice, attacking football he wants to play, which we saw great glimpses of in the first half of this season, but to not be able to arrest the slump is a major worry - and sorry, it isn't all down to Jack being out, we were poor for at least 3 games before his injury (and I remember people saying Jack was being marked out of the game and others pointing out, that is where top players have to adapt and learn to counter that).

All in all, I would have replaced him at the start of this season IF someone like Poch was available, football isn't about sentimentality, but I think I've seen enough to hope with more quality added, we will see far more of what happened in the first half of the season and far less of the slump.

If the slump continues, they will need to take swift, decisive, action and to be fair, that is obvious to anyone and will obviously be something they have discussed.

Football is about results, not sentimentality. SO want him to succeed.
 
Our form before christmas was great the disturbing thing is he hasn't been able to replicate the form for five month's so where is this idea that he can do it again next season if he is here next season i hope he does but dont see it happening.

Form since Christmas? Highlights::

  • Taken 4 points off Everton
  • Taken 4 points off Newcastle
  • Beaten Leeds
  • Beaten Arsenal for the second time this season
  • Also beaten Southampton and Fulham
So, we've been more inconsistent compared to before Xmas but we've still had a reasonable number of good results. Not bad considering how we were hit by Covid.
 
This backs up my assertion that something is not right with the team spirit. Teams that are united don't throw away that many leads....

I disagree with that based purely on the fight we saw in the City and Southampton games in the new year. Those were all hands on deck moments to prevent the opposition from scoring. I do think the backline has minor disharmony with Luiz and a couple others for making careless unnecessary challenges.

IMO its lack of experience in the team as a whole and something I've long criticized Smith for which is game management. The former we'll pick up and hopefully we add a tiny bit of quality and experience in midfield to help. The latter I think is a choice. Dean showed last year when we made our miraculous run that he knew how to shut up shop. He even did it on our 10 game run. For whatever reason, it only seems like he's capable of making these intelligent choices when there's something real on the line or a goal to be achieved.

Bringing on Davis to hold the ball up and bringing on Marv to shore up midfield was a simple move he made last year. Hindsight is 2020 but I doubt there are more than a handful of match threads where the majority of us could see the tide turning and were asking for changes. Burnley instantly comes to mind, everyone saying we were getting sloppy and bullied by Burnley. He just kind of let it happen. There was the Leeds game where we could see we were getting destroyed down our right hand side all of the first half. Multiple more examples I just cant think of right now.
 
I've seen bad team spirit before, namely the season we went down, Taylor's second reign and elements of it in DOL's last season. I really do not see any signs of bad team spirit, granted your average player is a total cockwomble these days but I feel like there's a decent sense of togetherness among our lot.

What we do really lack is quality in some key areas and strength in depth.
 
Yeah, agree, this lot aren't the couldn't-give-a-damn-lilly-livvered-pricks that sent us down. I do think they have blown a few great chances at wins, but that isn't from bad team spirit from how it looks to me.
 
I've seen bad team spirit before, namely the season we went down, Taylor's second reign and elements of it in DOL's last season. I really do not see any signs of bad team spirit, granted your average player is a total cockwomble these days but I feel like there's a decent sense of togetherness among our lot.

What we do really lack is quality in some key areas and strength in depth.
yes except for Barkley who seems a sulk moody prick, who I wouldn't want in the dressing room
 
I've seen bad team spirit before, namely the season we went down, Taylor's second reign and elements of it in DOL's last season. I really do not see any signs of bad team spirit, granted your average player is a total cockwomble these days but I feel like there's a decent sense of togetherness among our lot.

What we do really lack is quality in some key areas and strength in depth.

It's a bit of a bingo game when the manager is under pressure.
Lost the dressing room.
No team spirit.
No plan b.
Naive.
Doesn't make changes.
Too many assistants.
Not enough assistants.
Assistants are in charge anyway
etc etc.

The more you give the more chance one will be right.

But just do not see a team spirit issue at all. No chance. Nope .
 
Yeah, agree, this lot aren't the couldn't-give-a-damn-lilly-livvered-pricks that sent us down. I do think they have blown a few great chances at wins, but that isn't from bad team spirit from how it looks to me.

I think it's more of a mentality thing among them, lack of experience maybe and not enough leadership throughout the pitch, but I think these things can be solved too.
 
They’re all just a bit too nice sometimes, including Smith. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the team spirit, when you lose after being ahead that’s deflating but I don’t see that much in the way of petulance apart from Barkley.

There’s a bit more head turning and finger pointing creeping into the team, but when players like Bert can’t be arsed to even be an obstacle, I’m surprised there isn’t more of that. If I were a player, I’d blow up at him every week.
 
It's a bit of a bingo game when the manager is under pressure.
Lost the dressing room.
No team spirit.
No plan b.
Naive.
Doesn't make changes.
Too many assistants.
Not enough assistants.
Assistants are in charge anyway
etc etc.

The more you give the more chance one will be right.

But just do not see a team spirit issue at all. No chance. Nope .

No style of play is another one.

I think all these terms are super vague anyway, like no plan B etc.
 
"Bloody criminal" lol, really Pride?

I've enjoyed huge parts of this season, including some of the best results I've ever seen as a Villa fan. It's also been a bizarre season under the circumstances.

I don't think Smith is in the same pile as Phil Brown and Gary Megson just yet.

i would like to see deano do well, maybe not at villa though, there are too many straits of brucie and sherwood, like, the plan as not worked, what do we do now, some managers take the subs off, if they are not at the races seanie
 
Last edited:
Yeah, agree, this lot aren't the couldn't-give-a-damn-lilly-livvered-pricks that sent us down. I do think they have blown a few great chances at wins, but that isn't from bad team spirit from how it looks to me.
Believe me, I'm not saying it's as chronic as some of more recent horrible teams we've seen in B6, but I just get the sense something isn't right. I know plenty disagree with me and that's fine too, because I hope I'm wrong.
But let's be honest, when am I ever wrong? :rofl::rofl::rofl:

It will be interesting to see who moves on in the summer and whether there are any "surprise" moves away... I'm hoping it's just the presence of a certain Chelski loanee that is the bad apple...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.