Dean Smith's Aston Villa 1-0 Swansea City Post Match Thread

[QuintonVilla]

For everyone digging me out about my comments about the atmosphere, have a gander on Twitter and you'll find most Villa fans saying the same thing. I thought for a sell out it was very subdued and quiet for long spells. Maybe it's what football is like these days? Maybe we've been used to being shit and everyone was expecting an equaliser? The upper Holte and lower North have a go but that's it.

[mr underhill]

fuck me - only Villa could out sell Chavski v Yanited and still moan about the atmosphere.

[Villan For Life]

fuck me - only Villa could out sell Chavski v Yanited and still moan about the atmosphere.

Let’s face it we only outsold them because our ground is bigger. If Chelsea had a bigger ground then they’d comfortably outsell us.

[mr underhill]

yes but they haven't ! All I'm saying is let's jenjoy the win in front of a big crowd on Dean's debut - Terry's twitter whatevers certainly were.

[waynejames]

There was an edgy feel to the atmosphere yesterday.
We were all desperate for a winning start and that was clearly evident in the crowd at times.
A second goal early on and i think the roof would have blown off the Holte End with the relief.
In all honesty i think we are used to having the mindset that once we go one up, we are then waiting for the inevitable to happen.
Anyway onwards and upwards now, inpressed with the high pressing game especially the pressure put on when the oppossing keeper wanted to play out short from the back.
It's a new dawn....
UTV!

[The Edge]

For everyone digging me out about my comments about the atmosphere, have a gander on Twitter and you'll find most Villa fans saying the same thing. I thought for a sell out it was very subdued and quiet for long spells. Maybe it's what football is like these days? Maybe we've been used to being shit and everyone was expecting an equaliser? The upper Holte and lower North have a go but that's it.

That's the case with any football ground anywhere. What I do think is lacking is some new songs. "Paul McGrath my lord" etc gets a bit boring. The guy with the airhorn in the 80s an 90s did a good job but I guess they're banned now?

[waynejames]

fuck me - only Villa could out sell Chavski v Yanited and still moan about the atmosphere.

Let’s face it we only outsold them because our ground is bigger. If Chelsea had a bigger ground then they’d comfortably outsell us.

Feck Chelsea
This is the championship and i'd love to see their attendances if they ever went down a division.
Now would't that be nice......

[john e]

the reception for Smith was good but the atmosphere for the match was a normal match day stuff

I thought the remembering of Doug Ellis might have dampened things down a bit which was quite understandable
i have been to Villa park when it is absolutely jumping and yesterday was not one of those days

it doesn't bother me either way really, I enjoyed the game my first this season with my young lad

the biggest difference for me was the playing it out from the back, we were trying to do it as much as we could which is definitely a Smith thing
I thought the back 4 were solid yesterday, all of them had good games defending wise

 but they probably aren't the greatest passers of the ball especially Tuanzebe but at least we were trying
we might have to persevere as fans as I think we could get ourselves tied in knots at times as we adapt to the new styles

I'm not complaining, I'm all for it, but I'm not sure we have the players in some areas to adapt very quickly

[curiousorange]

I was in A8 in front of two pissheads who somehow had responsibility for some young kids and spent most of the game at the bar. They kept trying to start chants (one went 'Terry and Smith' to the tune of The Addams Family) but annoying as they were, one drunken one has had me laughing still simply because it was so boneheaded in its specifics:

M54
M54
Why don't you do one?
M54

[Mortimer's Bear]

Re the atmosphere, I said to my dad on about 60 minutes if we get a second goal the place will be absolutely jumping. As it was there was a bit of aprehension in the air as Swansea pushed on, all in all though I thought it was decent.

[exigo]

Re the atmosphere, I said to my dad on about 60 minutes if we get a second goal the place will be absolutely jumping. As it was there was a bit of aprehension in the air as Swansea pushed on, all in all though I thought it was decent.

Yeah, agree with this. It sounded great for the first and last ten minutes, but it felt a bit subdued in between – there were times when all you could hear was the sound of thousands of people talking, like a background noise. Probably the sound of 41,000 people saying 'this passing lark looks half decent'.

Few more small observations.

I specifically went in earlier than normal to watch the warm up for any noticeable changes. In the shuttle runs, all the players did the full distance under the watchful eye of the fitness coach – rather than half-arsed jog somewhere near it. And in the five-a-side, there was a noticeable swarm on whichever player had the ball – three players at least doing the closing; it was noticeable a few times in the game that anybody who'd closed down on their own would then berate the players around them if they hadn't followed. Thought this showed what Smith is trying to do with a leadership group.

We actually showed some ball management after the ref's whistle. It boils my piss that every other team knows to pick the ball up and walk off with it when they've conceded a foul, or kick it away to a teammate. Yesterday was the first time I've seen us do it.

We were switched on at throw-ins. Quite a few quick ones to retain possession, and even some movement for the others. It could catch on.

The quick press on the opposition when they first receive the ball was noticeable too. I listened to one of the Barcelona Legacy podcasts recently, where they said how Cruyff as a manager always said that the first five seconds a player has the ball is when he's most vulnerable; and how Guardiola tightened that up to three seconds. Definitely felt like Smith had tried to implement the same approach.

[olaftab]

For everyone digging me out about my comments about the atmosphere, have a gander on Twitter and you'll find most Villa fans saying the same thing. I thought for a sell out it was very subdued and quiet for long spells. Maybe it's what football is like these days? Maybe we've been used to being shit and everyone was expecting an equaliser? The upper Holte and lower North have a go but that's it.

I thought the fans were patient, respectful and considerate. It was first game under new head coach there was no need to go gung ho.  The team needed a win and fans just needed to see that through against a very good team.

[eddiemunster]

A manager who plays players in their correct positions, some tactical nous, high pressing fast football...…….sorry, it'll never catch on......SMITH OUT...…..Lol!!!!!

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

For everyone digging me out about my comments about the atmosphere, have a gander on Twitter and you'll find most Villa fans saying the same thing. I thought for a sell out it was very subdued and quiet for long spells. Maybe it's what football is like these days? Maybe we've been used to being shit and everyone was expecting an equaliser? The upper Holte and lower North have a go but that's it.

Maybe you and all these likeminded fans on Twitter should get together and do something constructive about it then, sing louder, maybe print out a songsheet or bring a banjo.  I haven't had a gander on there, only on here, and here you are moaning about the crowd, again, as you always do.

[Clampy]

For everyone digging me out about my comments about the atmosphere, have a gander on Twitter and you'll find most Villa fans saying the same thing. I thought for a sell out it was very subdued and quiet for long spells. Maybe it's what football is like these days? Maybe we've been used to being shit and everyone was expecting an equaliser? The upper Holte and lower North have a go but that's it.

I think people are 'digging you out' because you tend to whinge about it after every home game and it's a bit tiresome.