collapse collapse

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

Recent Topics

Gordon Cowans by JD
[Today at 01:37:32 AM]


Other Games - 2023/24 by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 01:07:18 AM]


Chris Heck - President of Business Operations by VillaTim
[March 28, 2024, 11:45:01 PM]


COLD BLOW LANE ... 1967 to 1975 ... Did anyone (dare to) visit the Den? by dcdavecollett
[March 28, 2024, 11:02:33 PM]


Youri Tielemans (confirmed) by Somniloquism
[March 28, 2024, 10:54:34 PM]


FFP by AV82EC
[March 28, 2024, 10:36:39 PM]


All aboard the shuttle bus. by Demitri_C
[March 28, 2024, 10:29:02 PM]


GUESS THE CROWD R22: ASTON VILLA v Wolves, Saturday 30th March! 🥧 by ironmaidenmania
[March 28, 2024, 08:43:00 PM]

Recent Posts

Re: Gordon Cowans by JD
[Today at 01:37:32 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 01:07:18 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Percy McCarthy
[Today at 01:05:25 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by The Left Side
[Today at 12:52:12 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by tomd2103
[Today at 12:47:19 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by edgysatsuma89
[Today at 12:33:09 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by KevinGage
[Today at 12:22:56 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Percy McCarthy
[Today at 12:10:30 AM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1522715 times)

Offline Steve67

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 12235
  • Location: Down south now. Born in Aston.
  • GM : 01.12.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3045 on: February 10, 2019, 06:51:47 PM »
Good post Risso, and all Smith can do is pick the same players as that's all he's got.  It would have been great to address another couple of the positions in the window, which I think was a bit disappointing over all as we only seemed to bring in a keeper and Mings to shore two of the five positions that I think needed sorting over the summer.   Hopefully, the left back, winger and deep lying midfielder issues will be resolved in the summer.

Offline Brassneck

  • Member
  • Posts: 1753
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3046 on: February 10, 2019, 07:34:50 PM »
I think the fitness thing is a complete red herring.  It isn't a lack of fitness hampering certain players, it's a lack of ability and/or confidence, combined with a lack of proper organisation from the manager.  Alan Hutton, even at 30+ is up and down the right hand side of the pitch all game.  It's not lack of fitness that makes him a liability, it's the inability to do his job as a defender properly.  With Hourihane, he just doesn't have the natural aggressive game to be a sitting midfielder.

I can't think of any player where you could honestly say that Bruce's pre-season regime is the cause of their inability to do their job properly, it's just that we have two many players who aren't very good.  A situation that we really should have done more to rectify in the recent transfer window.

Do you actually watch the games?  If so, how do you possibly miss Hutton jogging back when the opponents break quickly?

Bruce's style is at complete opposite end of the spectrum to Smith's.  Bruce was quite happy to concede possession higher up the field without pressing.  We had no pace or energy throughout the side.  Leeds were in training 3 times a day in the summer.  I dare say that Norwich's pre-season was pretty intense as well.  Bruce's training would have been a holiday camp compared to those teams and the slow start we made to the last 2 campaigns is probably because other teams were out of the blocks quicker than we were; on the back of a better pre-season.

Offline London Villan

  • Member
  • Posts: 9514
  • Location: Brum
  • GM : 27.05.2019
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3047 on: February 10, 2019, 07:39:22 PM »
Was Bruce back when pre-season kicked off?

Offline Clampy

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 28333
  • Location: warley
  • GM : PCM
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3048 on: February 10, 2019, 07:41:47 PM »
I don't blame the club for not doing more in the January window, it was always going to be difficult.

Offline Brassneck

  • Member
  • Posts: 1753
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3049 on: February 10, 2019, 07:45:44 PM »
I don't blame the club for not doing more in the January window, it was always going to be difficult.

I think we did OK - Certainly better than most.  If Fer had signed, most of us would be pretty satisfied with the window.  We addressed the GK & central defence.  We have a couple of options to make loans permanent and a new RB for next season.

Offline paul_e

  • Member
  • Posts: 33280
  • Age: 44
  • GM : July, 2013
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3050 on: February 10, 2019, 07:47:35 PM »
I think the fitness thing is a complete red herring.  It isn't a lack of fitness hampering certain players, it's a lack of ability and/or confidence, combined with a lack of proper organisation from the manager.  Alan Hutton, even at 30+ is up and down the right hand side of the pitch all game.  It's not lack of fitness that makes him a liability, it's the inability to do his job as a defender properly.  With Hourihane, he just doesn't have the natural aggressive game to be a sitting midfielder.

I can't think of any player where you could honestly say that Bruce's pre-season regime is the cause of their inability to do their job properly, it's just that we have two many players who aren't very good.  A situation that we really should have done more to rectify in the recent transfer window.

What I mean is that if we'd had a summer focusing on a high intensity, pressing style I think we'd be in a much better place. The way we played under Bruce was much more sedate and the players are just struggling with it. Maybe fitness isn't the right term but I think getting players to up the intensity regularly after coming in midway through the season was always going to be tough, I think that's why we have seen the team revert back to Bruce style (2 banks of players defending the box and trying to get the ball forward fast). I think the ability of the players to do it is just as big a part which is why I say I think it's a combination of things that have caused us to drop off.

Offline Villa75

  • Member
  • Posts: 1033
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3051 on: February 10, 2019, 07:55:25 PM »
Not the "pre season" excuse again, please!?

We've got top professionals, with many years in the game, training our fit athletes. The overweight Steve Bruce would not have been in charge of their training regime any more than he would have been responsible for their dietary needs - thank god.

What I'm seeing on the pitch is not a team playing fantastic, flowing football for 75 minutes before, unfortunately, running out of steam and letting the opposition back into games. In Fact, from the word go in most matches, it looks more like a team that is confused and unsure of exactly what they should be doing with all of their energy.


Offline Brassneck

  • Member
  • Posts: 1753
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3052 on: February 10, 2019, 08:04:27 PM »
Not the "pre season" excuse again, please!?

We've got top professionals, with many years in the game, training our fit athletes. The overweight Steve Bruce would not have been in charge of their training regime any more than he would have been responsible for their dietary needs - thank god.

What I'm seeing on the pitch is not a team playing fantastic, flowing football for 75 minutes before, unfortunately, running out of steam and letting the opposition back into games. In Fact, from the word go in most matches, it looks more like a team that is confused and unsure of exactly what they should be doing with all of their energy.

Of course Bruce would have been in charge of the training regime.  Are you seriously suggesting that these fitness coaches make it up as they go along or focus on what they want to without consulting Bruce?

You've posted some absolute crap on here over the past few weeks - Presumably to provoke reactions but the above nonsense is your most ridiculous yet.

Offline ROBBO

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 7408
  • Location: MELBOURNE
  • GM : 15.01.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3053 on: February 10, 2019, 08:08:40 PM »
Watching the Leeds-Norwich game made me realise how lacking in intensity we are, both teams were at it all game and although Norwich ran out winners it wasn't through lack of intensity on Leeds players part it was that Norwich had that little extra class. The last ten minutes of Fridays game is how we should play all game.

Offline Smithy

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6247
  • Location: Windsor, Royal Berkshire, la de da
  • GM : 12.12.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3054 on: February 10, 2019, 08:23:45 PM »
I am completely happy to concede that it takes a manager time to get his players playing the way he wants, and to recruit players to do the job the way he likes it done. Particularly when it appears the old vs new styles are SO different. The thing I really DON'T understand is that the team seemed to improve SO quickly, and the style changed so rapidly when Smith first took over, that the current form and performances just feel like it's all gone backwards again.

How were the players able to implement Smith's way of playing so successfully against Bolton, Derby, Small Heath, Forest and Boro - all within a few short weeks of him taking over - and now after a few months they let the performances drop off and revert to something akin to the Bruce days?  Surely to God it can't ALL be down to losing Jack and Axel?

Offline Risso

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 84834
  • Location: Leics
  • GM : 04.03.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3055 on: February 10, 2019, 08:25:21 PM »
I don't blame the club for not doing more in the January window, it was always going to be difficult.

I think we did OK - Certainly better than most.  If Fer had signed, most of us would be pretty satisfied with the window.  We addressed the GK & central defence.  We have a couple of options to make loans permanent and a new RB for next season.

Utter, utter bollocks. We needed a right back, a left back and decent midfielder immediately. We got none of those.

Offline PeterWithesShin

  • Member
  • Posts: 67456
  • GM : 17.03.2015
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3056 on: February 10, 2019, 08:31:43 PM »
I'm sure if we weren't a second division side with an already stupidly high wage bill and FFP to think about we'd probably have signed more players than we did.

Offline Drummond

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 28668
  • Age: 52
  • Location: My own little world.
  • GM : 10.10.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3057 on: February 10, 2019, 08:38:00 PM »
I don't blame the club for not doing more in the January window, it was always going to be difficult.

I think we did OK - Certainly better than most.  If Fer had signed, most of us would be pretty satisfied with the window.  We addressed the GK & central defence.  We have a couple of options to make loans permanent and a new RB for next season.

Utter, utter bollocks. We needed a right back, a left back and decent midfielder immediately. We got none of those.

If you're right, whose responsibility was it?

It costs money to do what you suggest, and the prices are ridiculous in January as well as availability being limited.

Smith has to change the system, the players aren't up to it generally.

Offline brian green

  • Member
  • Posts: 18350
  • Age: 85
  • Location: Nice France
  • GM : 19.06.2020
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3058 on: February 10, 2019, 08:38:10 PM »
I was distinctly underwhelmed by our business in the window.  However I have a feeling that Tyrone may be a gem. 

Offline paul_e

  • Member
  • Posts: 33280
  • Age: 44
  • GM : July, 2013
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #3059 on: February 10, 2019, 08:39:57 PM »
Not the "pre season" excuse again, please!?

We've got top professionals, with many years in the game, training our fit athletes. The overweight Steve Bruce would not have been in charge of their training regime any more than he would have been responsible for their dietary needs - thank god.

What I'm seeing on the pitch is not a team playing fantastic, flowing football for 75 minutes before, unfortunately, running out of steam and letting the opposition back into games. In Fact, from the word go in most matches, it looks more like a team that is confused and unsure of exactly what they should be doing with all of their energy.

Of course Bruce would have been in charge of the training regime.  Are you seriously suggesting that these fitness coaches make it up as they go along or focus on what they want to without consulting Bruce?

You've posted some absolute crap on here over the past few weeks - Presumably to provoke reactions but the above nonsense is your most ridiculous yet.

Pretty much this. If you don't think Bruce was setting out what training he wanted or that the training he asked for is vastly different to what Brentford will have done then you're in a tiny minority.

If you use the term fitness lots of people do exactly what you did and assume that an unfit player can't last 90 minutes but that's just not how it works. If you're short of fitness the biggest effect is that you're half a yard off the pace. Look at someone like Fabian Delph, he kept getting booked and losing possession for the first season he broke through because he was lacking the sharpness that you get from being fully fit. Once he got that built up a lot of those problems disappeared.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal