collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Topics

Recent Posts

Re: Gordon Cowans by Risso
[Today at 08:16:07 PM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by pablo_picasso
[Today at 08:07:11 PM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by The Edge
[Today at 07:51:24 PM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 07:47:37 PM]


Re: Chris Heck - President of Business Operations by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 07:39:18 PM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by OCD
[Today at 07:39:18 PM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Nev
[Today at 07:38:29 PM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Ian.
[Today at 07:37:07 PM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1522421 times)

Offline Matt Collins

  • Member
  • Posts: 10884
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #915 on: October 24, 2018, 05:53:07 AM »
I did think he was a bit overly positive. Buy wouldn't read too much into it

Offline OzVilla

  • Member
  • Posts: 7886
  • Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia
  • GM : 16.08.2023
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #916 on: October 24, 2018, 07:14:49 AM »
He's not going to throw anyone under the bus, not after 2 games.  He's looking at what he's got and giving everyone a clean slate, i'm happy with that approach.  That also means though that he cant be making knee jerk comments post match.  It's basically up to the players now in training and games for the next month.

Offline mr underhill

  • Member
  • Posts: 8493
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #917 on: October 24, 2018, 07:32:14 AM »
Next month? Come January 1st we could very easily be stuck in the bottom six. We need players in and there is little hope of shifting many out. The guy deserves a massive bonus if he gets up top ten this season.

Offline john e

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 19207
  • GM : 28.06.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #918 on: October 24, 2018, 09:51:03 AM »
the fundamental problem is Smith hasn't got enough players who can play in the way he wants them to
ie control, pass, move

the defence are playing out from the back as we saw last night, but none of them are comfortable on the ball so they tie themselves in knots and look awkward

the rest of the team bar a couple just struggle with the ball at there feet and lose possession to quickly
Ball retention is a massive part of Smiths football philosophy but many of our players are just not capable in that department and I fear never will be

Smith will have to find players who can play his way, whether we bring them in over time or find them in the youth squads I don't know

I'm delighted with the new direction, and I love what Smith is at least trying to do, that's a positive
but I'm not going to pretend the cards he had been dealt are good enough when they are not
that's not being unessesarily negative it's just what you can see on the pitch

the stats last night re shots and the ball hitting the post etc, we can talk all we like about how a second goal would have changed the game but that's what we did with Bruce make excuses when the reality is we were second best at actually controlling and passing the ball especially second half

I don't buy this 'best squad in the championship' stuff, unfortunatly for the way Smith wants to play they arnt as good as the ones he left

it's only a negative if we don't change and move in the new direction, but Smith had been bought in to do just that so that's the positive,
I refute claims of people last night being overly negative when it's clear at least to me he has been handed a group of Bruce players with poor ball retaining skills, the good news is he's been bought in to change that and I believe he can and will






Offline Neil Hawkes

  • Member
  • Posts: 2521
  • Age: 60
  • Location: Cyprus
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #919 on: October 24, 2018, 10:37:05 AM »
Ball retention is a massive part of Smiths football philosophy but many of our players are just not capable in that department and I fear never will be
This is not a dig at the poster - just a general comment - I do not believe any Championship player is incapable of this, they are (no matter what you think of them) professionals and professionals can be coached to be better.

Let's see if we improve in the months leading up to January, as every Villa player knows that barring FFP, we have the money to replace them. The ball is in their court.

Offline mr underhill

  • Member
  • Posts: 8493
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #920 on: October 24, 2018, 10:39:26 AM »
that's theBruce legacy for you - being forced into buying yet more players and ending up with a squad bigger than Uranus.

Offline Chris Smith

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 35613
  • Location: At home
  • GM : 08.01.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #921 on: October 24, 2018, 10:55:58 AM »
that's theBruce legacy for you - being forced into buying yet more players and ending up with a squad bigger than Uranus.

We already knew we are short of defenders. Smith should have some time after Friday to start looking at the whole squad and assessing some of the fringe and younger players to see if they can do a job as well as working with the more established group, the schedule so far has not allowed that. It will take time and I think a degree of patience is needed.

Offline OCD

  • Member
  • Posts: 32546
  • Location: Stuck in the middle with you
    • http://www.rightconsultant.com
  • GM : May, 2012
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #922 on: October 24, 2018, 10:56:58 AM »
Hopefully we can move players on too.

Offline OCD

  • Member
  • Posts: 32546
  • Location: Stuck in the middle with you
    • http://www.rightconsultant.com
  • GM : May, 2012
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #923 on: October 24, 2018, 11:05:56 AM »
Poor substitution tonight the Hogan one.

The players kept playing the ball up to him, like Bruce would have had them do. He's not a hold-up player, he needs the ball played in behind like Vardy does at Leicester. I imagine Smith would have noted that and will be working on it in training and might go with Kodija in preference if he feels it's not working yet.

Offline footyskillz

  • Member
  • Posts: 3262
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #924 on: October 24, 2018, 11:09:55 AM »
 
the fundamental problem is Smith hasn't got enough players who can play in the way he wants them to
ie control, pass, move

the defence are playing out from the back as we saw last night, but none of them are comfortable on the ball so they tie themselves in knots and look awkward

the rest of the team bar a couple just struggle with the ball at there feet and lose possession to quickly
Ball retention is a massive part of Smiths football philosophy but many of our players are just not capable in that department and I fear never will be

Smith will have to find players who can play his way, whether we bring them in over time or find them in the youth squads I don't know

I'm delighted with the new direction, and I love what Smith is at least trying to do, that's a positive
but I'm not going to pretend the cards he had been dealt are good enough when they are not
that's not being unessesarily negative it's just what you can see on the pitch

the stats last night re shots and the ball hitting the post etc, we can talk all we like about how a second goal would have changed the game but that's what we did with Bruce make excuses when the reality is we were second best at actually controlling and passing the ball especially second half

I don't buy this 'best squad in the championship' stuff, unfortunatly for the way Smith wants to play they arnt as good as the ones he left

it's only a negative if we don't change and move in the new direction, but Smith had been bought in to do just that so that's the positive,
I refute claims of people last night being overly negative when it's clear at least to me he has been handed a group of Bruce players with poor ball retaining skills, the good news is he's been bought in to change that and I believe he can and will


The 2 centre backs can play and pass .
Tuanzabe stood out yesterday not hust defending but his passing and was  90.2% season high accuracy .

Chester at 85.2% and along with Grealish has been most consistent in his passing accuracy and are the two most successful passers at the club.

Along with them is Glenn Whelan made 73 passes last night and has high 90% passing accuracy so was doing his job and has done in his matches generally regards finding his team mates his stats in the few games he's played this season and last night indicate to me he'll be involved under Smith.

The problem in ball rention yesterday then was with Hutton and Taylor they were below 75%

The other issue the movement for Abraham has constantly posted poor figures in passing the ball at 63% and 47% in his last matches . This is part him and part options.
However I have seen him closely and consider he needs to up his passing decisions as simple lay offs have been avoided and flicks and we passing have been made.

The other issue is passing ball forward and Hourihane who considered the more attacking midfielder rarely does more than sideways let alone forward. Also his movement after a passing is way off. As a central player it's not nearly good enough despite 85% accurate passing yesterday he was not fulflling his role in developing attacks.


Adomah and Elmohamedys also need to move more without the ball and have seen Hutton first half and Taylor less over lap and this sort of movement needs to be recognized by fellow team mates and also made by players

Similar to Abraham yesterday Adomah had given ball away in part to lack of movement in options in part to passing to him when he's isolated and in part to poor decisions by player to pass to a team mate.

Offline footyskillz

  • Member
  • Posts: 3262
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #925 on: October 24, 2018, 11:19:49 AM »
Ball retention is a massive part of Smiths football philosophy but many of our players are just not capable in that department and I fear never will be
This is not a dig at the poster - just a general comment - I do not believe any Championship player is incapable of this, they are (no matter what you think of them) professionals and professionals can be coached to be better.

Let's see if we improve in the months leading up to January, as every Villa player knows that barring FFP, we have the money to replace them. The ball is in their court.

I'm with you Neil.

And developing movement as smithy been saying working without the ball and concentration to make opportunity in forward play passing means the game style of the team can be achieved as it takes the coaching ideas to come into practice.

More accuracy in passing and more passes forward come with a developed idea to play higher to win the ball back and to give more options.
Ball retention can be achieved by more players consistently if as a team and players movement is good off the ball.

They are all professional and with the right coaching and development we will (but shouldn't be) surprised that villa can easily become a passing team

The beauty is they are high end and top quality players it's just getting the movements into spaces and passing will be made more with less worry of losing possession

And with the idea to win back the ball quicker and playing the passes forward more than back anf side ways really can have allot of positives.
Jack Grealish despite my frustrations on him can really come alive in a development as all round play if this coaching comes off 

It a win all round

Offline tomd2103

  • Member
  • Posts: 14178
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #926 on: October 24, 2018, 11:54:07 AM »
the fundamental problem is Smith hasn't got enough players who can play in the way he wants them to
ie control, pass, move

the defence are playing out from the back as we saw last night, but none of them are comfortable on the ball so they tie themselves in knots and look awkward

the rest of the team bar a couple just struggle with the ball at there feet and lose possession to quickly
Ball retention is a massive part of Smiths football philosophy but many of our players are just not capable in that department and I fear never will be

Smith will have to find players who can play his way, whether we bring them in over time or find them in the youth squads I don't know

I'm delighted with the new direction, and I love what Smith is at least trying to do, that's a positive
but I'm not going to pretend the cards he had been dealt are good enough when they are not
that's not being unessesarily negative it's just what you can see on the pitch

the stats last night re shots and the ball hitting the post etc, we can talk all we like about how a second goal would have changed the game but that's what we did with Bruce make excuses when the reality is we were second best at actually controlling and passing the ball especially second half

I don't buy this 'best squad in the championship' stuff, unfortunatly for the way Smith wants to play they arnt as good as the ones he left

it's only a negative if we don't change and move in the new direction, but Smith had been bought in to do just that so that's the positive,
I refute claims of people last night being overly negative when it's clear at least to me he has been handed a group of Bruce players with poor ball retaining skills, the good news is he's been bought in to change that and I believe he can and will

Totally agree John.  Smith and his staff are going to need time to put together the kind of squad capable of playing the style he wants to implement.  I do hope that there was an understanding of this from those calling for his appointment and that patience will be shown.   

Offline Neil Hawkes

  • Member
  • Posts: 2521
  • Age: 60
  • Location: Cyprus
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #927 on: October 24, 2018, 11:54:57 AM »
Thank you footyskillz

Offline sirlordbaltimore

  • Member
  • Posts: 2845
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #928 on: October 24, 2018, 12:05:32 PM »



Bringing Bree in now and giving him the chance to impress and benching Hutton would be a great start

Offline brian green

  • Member
  • Posts: 18350
  • Age: 85
  • Location: Nice France
  • GM : 19.06.2020
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #929 on: October 24, 2018, 12:17:06 PM »
I would agree pretty much with every word of some high quality posts.  My only change would be the addition of the words "basic technique" to "ball retention".  If we are to break free of the curse of slow, safety first, cross field football we have to have players with the best technique that can be coached into them.  Start to depend on players that need two or more touches when there needs to be only one to seize an opportunity and you struggle and we do struggle.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal