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Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1522537 times)

Offline not3bad

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10275 on: September 29, 2020, 10:52:15 PM »
Dean Smith made mistakes in his first season in the top flight. This is hardly unusual. The important question is did he learn from them. So far it looks promising.

Online Sexual Ealing

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10276 on: September 29, 2020, 10:55:47 PM »
He's doing the business. As soon as he isn't there will be no shortage of people lining up to call him a c*nt. Let's just enjoy it while it lasts.

Online dave.woodhall

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10277 on: September 29, 2020, 10:58:36 PM »
Really hoping I was wrong, and am encouraged very much by the signs so far this season.

I was very critical and I still feel I was right to be. He saved his Villa career by using the break to fundamentally change how we played games. And we have become much better organized and disciplined because of it. But even yesterday we saw signs where instead of taking the game to a much weaker team and controlling possession, we allowed them too much of the ball for long periods. We can not afford to do that against the better sides. But so far, so good. Cannot really be critical about a 4 win start. I hope it continues.

Was that a mistake or was it a case of the game's won, it's a long season and we've still got a thin squad so let's not cause ourselves any undue problems?

Offline LeeB

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10278 on: September 29, 2020, 11:10:50 PM »
Really hoping I was wrong, and am encouraged very much by the signs so far this season.

I was very critical and I still feel I was right to be. He saved his Villa career by using the break to fundamentally change how we played games. And we have become much better organized and disciplined because of it. But even yesterday we saw signs where instead of taking the game to a much weaker team and controlling possession, we allowed them too much of the ball for long periods. We can not afford to do that against the better sides. But so far, so good. Cannot really be critical about a 4 win start. I hope it continues.

Was that a mistake or was it a case of the game's won, it's a long season and we've still got a thin squad so let's not cause ourselves any undue problems?

I jumped onto the match thread at around 30 mins in, and laughed to myself at some of the hysterical comments. It's been a long time since I felt that relaxed watching the Villa, we were completely dominant, even when we hadn't got the ball, Christ, even when they were crossing it.

Anyway, I'm a better fan than the lot of you, I didn't waiver at all. He's absolutely the right person at the right time for this job, and that doesn't happen very often.

Offline Toronto Villa

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10279 on: September 29, 2020, 11:40:33 PM »
Really hoping I was wrong, and am encouraged very much by the signs so far this season.

I was very critical and I still feel I was right to be. He saved his Villa career by using the break to fundamentally change how we played games. And we have become much better organized and disciplined because of it. But even yesterday we saw signs where instead of taking the game to a much weaker team and controlling possession, we allowed them too much of the ball for long periods. We can not afford to do that against the better sides. But so far, so good. Cannot really be critical about a 4 win start. I hope it continues.

Was that a mistake or was it a case of the game's won, it's a long season and we've still got a thin squad so let's not cause ourselves any undue problems?

It’s very possible that we paced ourselves last night. That we had the confidence of taking control when we needed to. We certainly only allowed them to play in their own half or in non threatening spaces. We need to add to the squad so it’s deeper and the talent level doesn’t drop off so quickly. That still a concern which I hope is addressed between now and mid October. But encouraging signs and we have a proper test on Sunday to see just how far we’ve come. We could very well lose but it will be more about how we play.

Offline paul_e

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10280 on: September 30, 2020, 12:00:46 AM »
I thought last night was a very good performance because we played like a team who knew the game was won after 15minutes. We didn't need to boss possession or constantly press, we just held them at arms length and let them persist with throwing poor crosses over that were of no threat.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10281 on: September 30, 2020, 12:07:20 AM »
I always said he was the next Ron Saunders and look forward to reminding the doubters of this for many years to come. Truly, I am a better fan than you all.

Would be happy with the next Brian Little, top again and a trophy win in next 5 years sounds very good to me and would certainly give him legendary status at this club for a lifetime.

Offline Monty

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10282 on: September 30, 2020, 12:11:11 AM »
I thought we didn't look too comfortable in possession last night, sure, but then last week we had fecking 72% of the ball, and looked far less dangerous! There's more than one way to skin a cat, and yesterday was clearly a game for Klopp's 'pressing is the best playmaker' thing - every time we won the ball high or in midfield we looked like we could be in within one pass.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2020, 12:12:55 AM by Monty »

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10283 on: September 30, 2020, 12:11:44 AM »
I thought last night was a very good performance because we played like a team who knew the game was won after 15minutes. We didn't need to boss possession or constantly press, we just held them at arms length and let them persist with throwing poor crosses over that were of no threat.

Yep same for me. Yesterday had the air of a mid table team swatting away one bound for relegation. It was what was happening to us away to Sheffield United and at home to Southampton in December last year and both of them were well clear of relegation in the end.

Caution is always waiting 10 games in to properly judge a season as I remember thinking Lambert had cracked it after beating Arsenal away in first game in his second season and everything quickly went s*** again but DS has a better overall squad and clearly has had a good rethink in last few months that's it's o.k to play a pragmatic style in the premier league. We are thriving from it now.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10284 on: September 30, 2020, 12:24:42 AM »
I thought we didn't look too comfortable in possession last night, sure, but then last week we had fecking 72% of the ball, and looked far less dangerous! There's more than one way to skin a cat, and yesterday was clearly a game for Klopp's 'pressing is the best playmaker' thing - every time we won the ball high or in midfield we looked like we could be in within one pass.

I'd happily go back to being a pure counter attacking side. With the players we've added and hopefully can add further like Rashica who looks pacy when running with the ball we now have the ability to stretch teams when they leave space.

I know a few turned their noses up at the football we played under MON but generally it suited our squad down to a t although of course frustrating we didn't have a Grealish type creative player in the squad who could've made a difference in the million home draws we had.

When you look at the top premier league teams now only Man. City play the Wenger type possesion style, all the others are just about winning the ball back quickly in the midfield and quickly getting it up to the rapid forwards like Son, Adama, Rashford Vardy, Kane, Aubameyang, Pulisic, Mane and Salah to do the rest.

To be a top premier league side you need lots of speed in the final third so we're finally addressing it as it was a huge weakness last season. Top end of premier league is even more counter attack than it ever was as reflected in the mediocre performances of Man. United, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal so far.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2020, 12:26:48 AM by SoccerHQ »

Offline Monty

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10285 on: September 30, 2020, 12:28:20 AM »
There are more types of counterattacking too. There's MON-ball, sitting in and waiting and boofing long to a big lad, and there's Kloppball, looking to win the ball high with pacy nuisance attackers, and everything in between. We'll need to be able to break teams down as well because we will go behind, we will face defensive teams, we will have teams come to VP to block us for 90 minutes, but purpose on the break is also an absolute necessity.

Offline Toronto Villa

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10286 on: September 30, 2020, 01:27:19 AM »
The best tactic isn’t just one but several. That we are able to have a defined style of play but one that is versatile enough because of our players and coaching to combat multiple styles and types of opponent. I’d love for us to press all game and certainly against the weaker sides. But we have to be good at being patient, dropping deep and breaking or having something in between depending on who we play, or even in game based on how things are going. We are a long way from that but I hope over time, with better players, more experience and confidence we can do that.

Offline nigel

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10287 on: September 30, 2020, 07:07:33 AM »
Really hoping I was wrong, and am encouraged very much by the signs so far this season.

I was very critical and I still feel I was right to be. He saved his Villa career by using the break to fundamentally change how we played games. And we have become much better organized and disciplined because of it. But even yesterday we saw signs where instead of taking the game to a much weaker team and controlling possession, we allowed them too much of the ball for long periods. We can not afford to do that against the better sides. But so far, so good. Cannot really be critical about a 4 win start. I hope it continues.

Was that a mistake or was it a case of the game's won, it's a long season and we've still got a thin squad so let's not cause ourselves any undue problems?

Didn’t he say in the post match interview that they knew Fulham would have a lot of the ball, that’s how they play.
The key was we didn’t allow them to do much with it.
A bit like us under Lambert, loads of possession,but no end product

Offline themossman

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10288 on: September 30, 2020, 09:58:49 AM »





Hard to disagree

Some good points marred significantly by the brainless use of "fans".

Offline chrisw1

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10289 on: September 30, 2020, 10:18:11 AM »
Really hoping I was wrong, and am encouraged very much by the signs so far this season.

I was very critical and I still feel I was right to be. He saved his Villa career by using the break to fundamentally change how we played games. And we have become much better organized and disciplined because of it. But even yesterday we saw signs where instead of taking the game to a much weaker team and controlling possession, we allowed them too much of the ball for long periods. We can not afford to do that against the better sides. But so far, so good. Cannot really be critical about a 4 win start. I hope it continues.
But this time last year he was being criticised for being too gung-ho and failing to hold onto leads.  It's the age old debate, if a manager goes defensive and we lose a lead he gets criticised, if a manager doesn't go defensive and we lose a lead he gets criticised.  Yes in an ideal world you just keep posession and see it out, but in reality it's not that easy.  I thought the second half looked poor too, but the reality is he was just trying to adopt game management to see out the win against a side who had come back strongly against Leeds. 

 


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