Dean Smith - Confirmed

[ez]

Last night was depressing while we were losing to relegation fodder. Even a draw is a bad result. For the first time I started to think Dean may not be at the club much longer. I'll be gutted for him if he has taken us as far as he can.

[Damo70]

I think Simeone is doomed to fail if he leaves the universe he's created in his image over there, and especially if he comes to England, as many people have remarked that his charisma is highly dependent on how he expresses himself in Spanish.

Yeah, but he's fucking cool and menacing. It's enough for me.

I think pound for pound Simeone has been the best coach in the world for several years and he would be my first choice by a million miles if we replaced Dean Smith.

[john e]

I think Simeone is doomed to fail if he leaves the universe he's created in his image over there, and especially if he comes to England, as many people have remarked that his charisma is highly dependent on how he expresses himself in Spanish.

Yeah, but he's fucking cool and menacing. It's enough for me.

I’d choose to be on his side in any pub Brawl that’s for sure

[danno]

I sometimes wish he would make changes earlier than the 70th minute.

[Monty]

I am really concerned about our run-in though. Everton, United, Palace, Spurs and Chelsea is a pretty unkind few games, and if we fail to win any of them where will we finish, and how will that affect Dean's position in the minds of the owners?

[SoccerHQ]

Get Bielsa in for the laugh....That would cause a meltdown not just on Leeds forum but here aswell I think given the constant comparisons.

Grealish in his system would be incredible though.

DS will get next season but not too fussed on him eventually leaving as I doubt it would all fall down like a deck of cards as happened after O'Neill left (and Dean is far more honourable to leave 5 days before the season started for starters).

Really to me everything hinges on Grealish. We have to provide him with as much quality as possible while he remains here and I'm fearful what the post Grealish future will look like as it will happen eventually.

[Drummond]

I think we're a couple of players short of a really good side.

Spurs have Kane and Son, Arsenal Pepe, Aubameyang and Lacazette, Man Utd have Greenwood, Rashford, Fernandez, Man City have well, pretty much everyone, and Liverpool have Salah, Firmino and Sane. They are all the sort of players we'd like to sign and that would make us better.

If you look at Leicester, they have Vardy, Iheanacho, Barnes and Maddison, Everton have got Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Mina.

West Ham have got Lingard and Soucek but other players doing well too like Cresswell.

We're pretty much all happy with our defence and keeper which is why I've tried to keep this to forward thinking players but the reality is we're behind all of those teams in terms of having the quality to make a real difference. Grealish is our one player like that and Watkins, in his first season in the top flight is proving to be so too.

Smith can only work with what he's got and I'm not sure many other managers would do any better.

[SoccerHQ]

Just got to sign some then.

I mentioned taking Neto from Wolves but he did his ACL. Saint Maximn would be exciting one with personality in final three but seems many think he's not any better than Bertrand Traore for some reason even though Newcastle stats with him in and out of the team in terms of points are very similar to Jack.

Last time we signed another prem team's best player was errr Charles N'zogiba. O.k scrub that, Darren Bent is better example so it's something we used to do a bit in the early years under Lerner as Downing was another and likes of Saint Maximn fit into that category.

[Smithy]

I think we're a couple of players short of a really good side.

Spurs have Kane and Son, Arsenal Pepe, Aubameyang and Lacazette, Man Utd have Greenwood, Rashford, Fernandez, Man City have well, pretty much everyone, and Liverpool have Salah, Firmino and Sane. They are all the sort of players we'd like to sign and that would make us better.

If you look at Leicester, they have Vardy, Iheanacho, Barnes and Maddison, Everton have got Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Mina.

West Ham have got Lingard and Soucek but other players doing well too like Cresswell.

We're pretty much all happy with our defence and keeper which is why I've tried to keep this to forward thinking players but the reality is we're behind all of those teams in terms of having the quality to make a real difference. Grealish is our one player like that and Watkins, in his first season in the top flight is proving to be so too.

Smith can only work with what he's got and I'm not sure many other managers would do any better.

Agreed - a front three of Grealish-Watkins-"AN Other", where the AN Other is very pacy and has top-4 quality would make us a formidable attacking threat.  Not much depth up front though, and we need to improve the midfield too, but make our first-choice front three top 4 quality and I think the rest will follow.   

Maybe this is the transfer window for us to have our "Robinho moment", where finally make a signing that makes people stand up and take notice of what's happening at Villa park?

[jwarry]

I am really concerned about our run-in though. Everton, United, Palace, Spurs and Chelsea is a pretty unkind few games, and if we fail to win any of them where will we finish, and how will that affect Dean's position in the minds of the owners?

Alternatively win them all and there is no problem

[Drummond]

I think we're a couple of players short of a really good side.

Spurs have Kane and Son, Arsenal Pepe, Aubameyang and Lacazette, Man Utd have Greenwood, Rashford, Fernandez, Man City have well, pretty much everyone, and Liverpool have Salah, Firmino and Sane. They are all the sort of players we'd like to sign and that would make us better.

If you look at Leicester, they have Vardy, Iheanacho, Barnes and Maddison, Everton have got Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Mina.

West Ham have got Lingard and Soucek but other players doing well too like Cresswell.

We're pretty much all happy with our defence and keeper which is why I've tried to keep this to forward thinking players but the reality is we're behind all of those teams in terms of having the quality to make a real difference. Grealish is our one player like that and Watkins, in his first season in the top flight is proving to be so too.

Smith can only work with what he's got and I'm not sure many other managers would do any better.

Agreed - a front three of Grealish-Watkins-"AN Other", where the AN Other is very pacy and has top-4 quality would make us a formidable attacking threat.  Not much depth up front though, and we need to improve the midfield too, but make our first-choice front three top 4 quality and I think the rest will follow.   

Maybe this is the transfer window for us to have our "Robinho moment", where finally make a signing that makes people stand up and take notice of what's happening at Villa park?

Funnily enough, I was thinking the same about Robinho last night. We tried with Barkley to lift things a bit but he's proven to not be the one we needed; need to try again.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I don't think they'll choose players to play in both. Clubs can refuse to release players for the Olympics and they'd probably feel justified in doing so if Brazil tried that.

The Copa America runs June 13th to July 11th. Olympics is from July 21st to August 8th. The Premier League starts on 14th August.

If I recall correctly, Dougie is the captain of the Brazil team that would play at the Olympics. I recall him being extremely excited at the thought of playing in Tokyo.

[Brazilian Villain]

I think Dean Smith has done a great job since he came

But my own personal view is he will not be good enough to build a team to take us into the top six...

I agree with this and the rest of your post. I also agree with Risso that there's no point switching for another 'okay' manager. I'm happy to let DS prove me wrong for another season but a poor remaining run-in and start to next season may hasten his demise.

I think we need to look at Chelsea. 'Club Legend' Frank was doing an okay job but there was a top class manager available in Tuchel and they showed no sentiment and made the change. That will likely make the difference between a Europa League spot and a CL spot for them this season and it's the way we have to start thinking if we wish to rejoin the 'elite'.

[SoccerHQ]

Us selling Milner and replacing him with Stephen Ireland and Spurs signing Van Der Vaart to add to likes of Modric and Bale was what pushed Spurs well ahead of us in 2010. All that happened in a matter of weeks and we were pretty much level pegging with them in the years before.

Now after over a decade it feels like we're not that far off them or Arsenal now, indeed the league table still indicates that so big chance over next few years to start finishing above those two if we can get the big deals right and Spurs will have to sell Kane before too long.

Do that and that should be europa league football so we're not that far away imo but then it's easier to get from 10th to 7th than 6th to 4th as we've seen many teams struggle to do that.

[Smithy]

I think we're a couple of players short of a really good side.

Spurs have Kane and Son, Arsenal Pepe, Aubameyang and Lacazette, Man Utd have Greenwood, Rashford, Fernandez, Man City have well, pretty much everyone, and Liverpool have Salah, Firmino and Sane. They are all the sort of players we'd like to sign and that would make us better.

If you look at Leicester, they have Vardy, Iheanacho, Barnes and Maddison, Everton have got Rodriguez, Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Mina.

West Ham have got Lingard and Soucek but other players doing well too like Cresswell.

We're pretty much all happy with our defence and keeper which is why I've tried to keep this to forward thinking players but the reality is we're behind all of those teams in terms of having the quality to make a real difference. Grealish is our one player like that and Watkins, in his first season in the top flight is proving to be so too.

Smith can only work with what he's got and I'm not sure many other managers would do any better.

Agreed - a front three of Grealish-Watkins-"AN Other", where the AN Other is very pacy and has top-4 quality would make us a formidable attacking threat.  Not much depth up front though, and we need to improve the midfield too, but make our first-choice front three top 4 quality and I think the rest will follow.   

Maybe this is the transfer window for us to have our "Robinho moment", where finally make a signing that makes people stand up and take notice of what's happening at Villa park?

Funnily enough, I was thinking the same about Robinho last night. We tried with Barkley to lift things a bit but he's proven to not be the one we needed; need to try again.

Robinho was 24, Brazil's current golden boy, and in-demand from pretty much every club in the world when City signed him.  I don't see us getting someone quite of that calibre (guess that would a Jadon Sancho today?).  I think we're looking at the next level down, but I hope the next one isn't just someone who can't get a game for Chelsea or whoever their respective team is.