Dean Smith

[MikeMcKenna]

7 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Despite everything, we're still well in touch, not even close to being cut adrift.

I have more faith in Smith than the players. However we're going to be stuck with these crap players for the next 2/3/4 years FFS.

Smith having a go at then in public is just trying to raise something I think. Some effort.

When a team is down on confidence I really doubt slagging them in public will help. I think it was a bad move by DS. 

[Fairy In Boots]

21 minutes ago, Brumstopdogs said:

In those 10 we've played Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City and Wolves. I honestly didn't expect us to win any of those.

Of the other 4 we were cheated out of a point against Palace, we beat Norwich 5-1, we lost to an inform Sheffield United  and then we had yesterday's woeful performance.

It's clearly poor overall but it should be looked at in the context of who we have played. No doubt we need to improve big time though!

 

Arsenal and Spurs are shite this year it’s not a free hit, nor Chelsea really who are in a spiral themselves. 

In fact that Arsenal result given where they are as a team is all the more disgusting given the circumstances 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Fairy In Boots

[PieFacE]

One thing that has been hugely disappointing is how poor we've been at attacking and defending set pieces. It appears we don't practice either and I find it so baffling. Surely on just the law of averages you'd create more attacking chances from set pieces than we do, especially considering how often Jack gets fouled. We don't seem to really have much of a plan for attacking them it's utterly weird.

[Fairy In Boots]

8 minutes ago, MikeMcKenna said:

When a team is down on confidence I really doubt slagging them in public will help. I think it was a bad move by DS. 

Self preservation that was “its them in telling them” 

[Zatman]

30 minutes ago, Laughable Chimp said:

In fairness, and this is coming from one of the more vocal Anti-Smith guys, we probably had the worst away run of games in the first half of the PL of any team in the league.

Arsenal, Spurs, City, United, Chelsea, Wolves 6 of last season top 7. Even Palace and Sheff United are flying and we played them away

Only Liverpool and Leicester be top teams we played at Villa Park

[villaglint]

FWIW he retains my backing and will do for sometime yet. 

It’s obvously been garbage but trying to win a game with Wesley, Trezeguet, el ghazi and Jota as your attacking options would have Pep scratching his head. He’s tried to put Jack there to improve our attacking options but removing McGinn and Jack from CM has removed what was our biggest strength and turned it into a very passive weakness which isn’t good enough in either direction.

Clearly he bought all those players so ultimately he will pay the price if things don’t improve. 

Personally feel we were spread to thin over the summer and that was mainly down to the horror state of the club when NWSE took over. 

[Guest av1]

It's clear that a lot of the signings over the summer are not (yet) up to the job, now I'm just guessing so I'm happy to be proven wrong but I think many of these weren't down to Smith. 

Konsa/Engels/Jota/Heaton would be my guess. Now that isn't a bad bunch really, Jota isn't great but at £4m you don't get a lot. 

The issue with that (if I'm right) is that he simply has to be stronger with the board. We are led to believe that he wanted Benrahma, Maupay and Webster, who would all have been good additions. 

I think he is to passive both with the board and the players, he needs to be tougher with both. 

[Davkaus]

33 minutes ago, Fairy In Boots said:

 

In fact that Arsenal result given where they are as a team is all the more disgusting given the circumstances 

And the red card.

United were shit as well. I feel like we're considering games "free hits" based on how good some of these teams were when we were last up here.

[Nabby]

2 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

And the red card.

United were shit as well. I feel like we're considering games "free hits" based on how good some of these teams were when we were last up here.

Yeah the going on about drawing at OT is grating , we got a respectable draw but we once again lost a lead and conceded 2 goals because we couldn't defend cross's 

[Robtaylor200]

27 minutes ago, av1 said:

It's clear that a lot of the signings over the summer are not (yet) up to the job, now I'm just guessing so I'm happy to be proven wrong but I think many of these weren't down to Smith. 

Konsa/Engels/Jota/Heaton would be my guess. Now that isn't a bad bunch really, Jota isn't great but at £4m you don't get a lot. 

The issue with that (if I'm right) is that he simply has to be stronger with the board. We are led to believe that he wanted Benrahma, Maupay and Webster, who would all have been good additions. 

I think he is to passive both with the board and the players, he needs to be tougher with both. 

Do we need some one like Nigel Pearson 

[villalad21]

Poor poor Villa that got handed such a difficult run. Should we all start crying about it?

Everyone else except Villa is getting wins against the bigger teams. Southampton and Watford got humiliated by Leicester and Man City. You don't see them resigning.

Like Bruce would have said. It's time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and roll up our sleeves.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

59 minutes ago, MikeMcKenna said:

When a team is down on confidence I really doubt slagging them in public will help. I think it was a bad move by DS. 

Yet when he says he thought they were good he gets slagged off as well.

It's just a lose lose. Most times he is literally answering what he was asked and pointing out the obvious.

When things are bad, anything a manager/player/board says will be scrutinised.

When we we're winning in the Championship and he said "I didn't think we played well" it was lauded as refreshing honesty, ambition and high standards

The same way, if Wesley had scored 15 goals and was in the good books, him missing a chance wouldn't have helped further confirm him being "The worst striker in the history of football" for example.

Edited December 29, 2019 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[MikeMcKenna]

3 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Yet when he says he thought they were good he gets slagged off as well.

It's just a lose lose. Most times he is literally answering what he was asked and pointing out the obvious.

When things are bad, anything a manager/player/board says will be scrutinised.

The same way, if Wesley had scored 15 goals and was in the good books, him missing a chance wouldn't have helped further confirm him being "The worst striker in the history of football" for example.

I don’t see the equivalence. It makes sense for a manager to big up the players when they are good or visa versa have a word in private if they are not. It doesnt make sense to publicly say they lack commitment. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

8 minutes ago, MikeMcKenna said:

I don’t see the equivalence. It makes sense for a manager to big up the players when they are good or visa versa have a word in private if they are not. It doesnt make sense to publicly say they lack commitment. 

I edited and added to my post.

Also in my opinion, he has actually protected them too much generally.

[Fairy In Boots]

42 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

And the red card.

United were shit as well. I feel like we're considering games "free hits" based on how good some of these teams were when we were last up here.

 

37 minutes ago, Nabby said:

Yeah the going on about drawing at OT is grating , we got a respectable draw but we once again lost a lead and conceded 2 goals because we couldn't defend cross's 

Exactly too many judging based on the top 6 3 years ago, times have changed. This season our rerun is shite. 

27 minutes ago, Robtaylor200 said:

Do we need some one like Nigel Pearson 

Would have been perfect ironically 

[Nigel]

30 minutes ago, Robtaylor200 said:

Do we need some one like Nigel Pearson 

Is this a real question? 

[gwi1890]

32 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

Poor poor Villa that got handed such a difficult run. Should we all start crying about it?

Everyone else except Villa is getting wins against the bigger teams. Southampton and Watford got humiliated by Leicester and Man City. You don't see them resigning.

Like Bruce would have said. It's time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and roll up our sleeves.

And come end of the season we will be there or thereabouts

[Stratvillan]

4 minutes ago, gwi1890 said:

And come end of the season we will be there or thereabouts

It's where we are when the daffodils come up.

[Tomaszk]

1 hour ago, MikeMcKenna said:

When a team is down on confidence I really doubt slagging them in public will help. I think it was a bad move by DS. 

They can hardly put less effort in? Don't mind it at all.

He's spent his whole time here generally praising, with a few comments on general team perform not being good enough.

Though he hasn't helped himself recently, these crap players are not even working hard for him.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Robtaylor200 said:

Do we need some one like Nigel Pearson 

for where we are now....I think so, unless Dean can face up to change and realise a different approach is required.....where the Watfords and Sheff Utd's have clearly shown what grit and fire in the belly, can do.

just like football managers........it takes a certain type of M.D to recover a company haemorraging money, once you get to break even.....a different set of skills are required to make profit and move the company on.

Just been watching Wolves and despite their talent, the physicality is there too...they challenge every opponent, we just stand away.

Dean has to find a way to instil that in to them...else I fear we will drop.....when we are playing without a forward line most games, its too much of a burden too.

There are many factors that point to us being out fought, but he needs to deal with it or he has to move over to someone who can.

Edited December 29, 2019 by TRO