Dean Smith - Confirmed

[Scott Nielsen]

I will just never understand football managers. Anyone and everyone who has watched us this season spotted the starting midfield yesterday would not work. And, crucially, we did have other options available to us. Yet Smith, who is a professional of the game, with decades of training and hard-earned footballing experience, does not see it. Obviously he knows much more about football than I ever will. So what could his thought-process have been? It's incomprehensible to me.

[ROBBO]

We still have games in hand, DS has to be more ruthless in his team selection, keep going to back El Gahzi and Trez, and crossing his fingers that Barkley will finally come good will not cut it anymore.
Since the new year we have relied on JG to much, we are not going down so play a couple of the kids, at least they will be wanting to prove themselves.
I notice how Leicester bring their kids through and made a tonne of money doing it.

[sid1964]

We wont play the kids as most on here only want £50 million + superstars

[N'ZMAV]

We wont play the kids as most on here only want £50 million + superstars

you'll probably find that most on here would rather see Ramsey play instead of superstar Ross Barkley.

[Ian.]

We wont play the kids as most on here only want £50 million + superstars

I’m sure Smith doesn’t make decisions based on a relatively few people on a forum and most comments I’ve seen before yesterday and we would rather see Ramsey and Sanson in the team and were also hoping to see Kelser in the squad.

[ez]

Smith needs to be brave now, drop Barkley and trust Sanson and Ramsey to start and push McGinn further forward.

Dean shouldn't need to be brave to leave Barkley out if players are chosen on performances. Nakamba has been left out recently having played well in his previous game.

No-one apart from Barkley, Barkley's mum or his agent could complain if he was left out based on recent performances.

Or perhaps the Chelsea lawyer who wrote the terms of his loan deal?

Surely we (or anyone else) would never sign a contract stipulating someone is guaranteed a starting position. I just can't belive that.

Perhaps you're more old school like me, when a player had a bad game he was dropped and someone else was given a chance. Its obviously not like that anymore.

[nick harper]

I will just never understand football managers. Anyone and everyone who has watched us this season spotted the starting midfield yesterday would not work. And, crucially, we did have other options available to us. Yet Smith, who is a professional of the game, with decades of training and hard-earned footballing experience, does not see it. Obviously he knows much more about football than I ever will. So what could his thought-process have been? It's incomprehensible to me.

I agree with this. Most on here commented that we needed to have a more conservative shape in midfield and not give them the space to play in front of our back four, and to give Elmo protection in front of Barnes, as Leicester had planned for Grealish.

Instead it was the same personnel and shape, and the game was as good as done after 23 minutes, both goals coming from far too much space around the penalty area. The gap between our midfield and back four was huge - it was as if we’d never heard of Maddison.

I get that Smith wants teams to worry about us, but there are too many good sides to just ignore the threat the opposition pose.

[Villan82]

I get that Smith wants teams to worry about us, but there are too many good sides to just ignore the threat the opposition pose.

Until he changed direction for the final ten games and made us harder to beat that approach almost relegated us last season.

Teams rarely go a whole season with the same side and formation. Either teams figure out how to nullify it or circumstances (like injuries or the opposition) dictate there needs to be a change.

[ChicagoLion]

I get that Smith wants teams to worry about us, but there are too many good sides to just ignore the threat the opposition pose.

Until he changed direction for the final ten games and made us harder to beat that approach almost relegated us last season.

Which makes it baffling why he has reverted to allowing opposition teams free hits on goal.

[aj2k77]

I thought he was poor yesterday. We should have kept things extremely tight for an hour or so and wait to see if Leicester tired after their Europa trip.

[Ian.]

Maybe Smith is a bit over confident now that we have Martinez in goal? That and his belief in our own attacking ability.

[Bobby Boy]

I thought he was poor yesterday. We should have kept things extremely tight for an hour or so and wait to see if Leicester tired after their Europa trip.

We were so open it was untrue. Presumably though Dean doesn't decide how we are set up on his own. Shakespeare, Terry and O'Reilly must have a say. Someone has to be seeing what we are.

We were 16th in shots conceded in the league until yesterday. The defence is sound, Watkins works hard but the midfield is all wrong. We have been porous all season despite the clean sheets. Recently the shots against us per game have been terrible, back to last season levels.

Let's pick a midfield that is stout, compact and competes. Seriously, back to basics.

In the immediate future we can't be that open against Leeds. We need to be mobile and aggressive in midfield. No passengers.

[OCD]

Smith believes in the Expected Goal's statistic so he must then acknowledge that we're no longer doing what got us into contention for the European places.

[stubbsyandy]

I really like Dean snd believe he’s developing into a good manager but recently he’s been out thought by Rodgers, Potter and Moyes..I hope he’s learning from these experiences

[Baldy]

Dean used to be the West Midlands Chess Champion when at school. Evidence of a highly strategical mind.

Jack is our Queen, can roam everywhere. Mings our castle, a fortress. McGinn our bishop, great diagonals. Martinez our knight, great leap. Lots of pawns.

Barkley is our King. Only moves a bit.