Dean Smith - Confirmed

[N'ZMAV]

Keeping hold of Smith for the rest of the season could go two ways.
Mid-table and below or top-half comfortably.
The difference between the two is standing still, at best, after a spending more money or progress.
It may not seem a big difference, especially in terms of league placing - but losing momentum is costly - especially with the likes of Konsa, Martinez and maybe McGinn having their heads turned.

[simboy]

Mings getting booked for slow play at the sixty minute mark tells you everything.

What does it tell us?

It was a poor bit of decision making, by the man on the pitch, goaded by the dog heads. It told us that Oliver was more interested in penalising a bit of game time “management” than Traore kicking lumps out of Konsa … but apart from that … what did it tell us?

Their sub of Podence made the difference he attacked a soft left side of the Villa. Luiz and Emi2 were knackered and Nakamba didn’t cover very well.

We lost a game we shouldn’t have. It happens.

[villa for life]

Too often

[OzVilla]

Smiths spent a astronomical amount so i am not suprised edens was furious.

Two pathetic results in a row.

He hasn't spent anything.

"Edens was furious" where has that come from?

Somebody mentioned Eden’s “looked furious at the end.”

And to be fair, if that last 15 mins didn’t make him furious he never will be. These owners aren’t the sorts to put up with much more of that shit.

[N'ZMAV]

Eden’s should have been furious. Everyone probably was.

[TheMalandro]

He stood up at the end and slowly pointed his thumb to the ground.

[Demitri_C]

Remembee when baileys dad said he would let bailey join losers? Well thats exactly what we were yesterday.  Complete losers. 

If we go on another run like last year after xmas when i think it was 1 win in 11-12 then he has go for me. I wont tolerate that crap again this year.

[Villan82]

Under Smith there are too many games where we come away empty handed. So many defeats. Remember our first season up and he was saying after ten games that we hadn't got the points our performances merited? There is a sloppiness about us, a sort of lackadaisical tendency. He simply has to eliminate that if he wants to stay in his job.

[Ian.]

He stood up at the end and slowly pointed his thumb to the ground.

Who, Eden’s?

I’m sure Smith’s and the team are in for a right rollicking today.

[Beard82]

He stood up at the end and slowly pointed his thumb to the ground.

Who, Eden’s?

I’m sure Smith’s and the team are in for a right rollicking today.

I am worried for dean,  I know we are only 8 games in - but unless we turn it round in the next 2. or 3 I think he’s going to be in real trouble.

He’s been unlucky with the pre season and injuries, but this isn’t a bottom half of the table squad - and the players we have will want out in the summer. 

Also so far we don’t seem to know how to get the best out of any of the 3 big money signings. 

I really don’t think the owners will tolerate anything other then clear progress - and we’re know at the point where any manager is 4-5 bad games away from being sacked - and let’s be honest we have only had 2 good games so far this season.

Hope dean has it in him - as don’t think I could handle losing him and joe in such quick succession

[mike]

He stood up at the end and slowly pointed his thumb to the ground.

Who, Eden’s?

I’m sure Smith’s and the team are in for a right rollicking today.

I am worried for dean,  I know we are only 8 games in - but unless we turn it round in the next 2. or 3 I think he’s going to be in real trouble.

He’s been unlucky with the pre season and injuries, but this isn’t a bottom half of the table squad - and the players we have will want out in the summer. 

Also so far we don’t seem to know how to get the best out of any of the 3 big money signings. 

I really don’t think the owners will tolerate anything other then clear progress - and we’re know at the point where any manager is 4-5 bad games away from being sacked - and let’s be honest we have only had 2 good games so far this season.

Hope dean has it in him - as don’t think I could handle losing him and joe in such quick succession

We really tailed off half way through last season too. Remember the always optimistic Champions League thread that had to quietly disappear. I think over the last 30 or so games we have not particularly been anything like a European team. Add in that the latest human rights abusers to be give a PL team will most likely transform Newcastle next season I would expect that our owners will want a bit more from us this season to put us down n a healthier place to compete. I think they will give Dean a bit of time but I think he is near to last chance saloon. As someone else said, if there was a sniff of a top manager I can see the owners doing to Dean what they did to Heaton.

[exiled on the wirral!]

Smiths spent a astronomical amount so i am not suprised edens was furious.

Two pathetic results in a row.

He hasn't spent anything.

"Edens was furious" where has that come from?

Somebody mentioned Eden’s “looked furious at the end.”

And to be fair, if that last 15 mins didn’t make him furious he never will be. These owners aren’t the sorts to put up with much more of that shit.

I'm usually quite calm, but even I completely lost it yesterday and I haven't spent half a billion quid for the privilege. But I was more angry with the players complete lack of desire to see out the game rather than anything Smith did or didn't do.

[Beard82]

He stood up at the end and slowly pointed his thumb to the ground.

Yeah I think that’s my point - last season we had a brilliant position around Xmas time which effectively bought him a huge cushion to be able to point to improvements.

We’re now in the position of having to catch up - but this time next week we could be 6 points behind arsenal who we were laughing at.

This early in the season it is fine margins - as holding on yesterday would have made the whole thing look completely different - but i really think these owners are serious about making us a top team that challenges for Europe

Who, Eden’s?

I’m sure Smith’s and the team are in for a right rollicking today.

I am worried for dean,  I know we are only 8 games in - but unless we turn it round in the next 2. or 3 I think he’s going to be in real trouble.

He’s been unlucky with the pre season and injuries, but this isn’t a bottom half of the table squad - and the players we have will want out in the summer. 

Also so far we don’t seem to know how to get the best out of any of the 3 big money signings. 

I really don’t think the owners will tolerate anything other then clear progress - and we’re know at the point where any manager is 4-5 bad games away from being sacked - and let’s be honest we have only had 2 good games so far this season.

Hope dean has it in him - as don’t think I could handle losing him and joe in such quick succession

We really tailed off half way through last season too. Remember the always optimistic Champions League thread that had to quietly disappear. I think over the last 30 or so games we have not particularly been anything like a European team. Add in that the latest human rights abusers to be give a PL team will most likely transform Newcastle next season I would expect that our owners will want a bit more from us this season to put us down n a healthier place to compete. I think they will give Dean a bit of time but I think he is near to last chance saloon. As someone else said, if there was a sniff of a top manager I can see the owners doing to Dean what they did to Heaton.

[gpbarr]

An article in the FT a few years ago rings true more than ever. I quote:

However, the power of managers has long been overrated. Today, despite their outsized image, they matter less than ever. The best predictor of a club’s success is not who picks the team but the squad’s total wage bill. High wages attract good players. The higher the wage bill, the better the team typically performs. Averaged over 10 seasons, correlation between wage bill and final league position is about 90 per cent.

I think Smith deserves to retain his job despite an indifferent start to the season, but firing him would be easy. It might make us feel better, hoping the next guy would take us to the next level (top 6). But unless the owners are willing to significantly increase the wage bill, the next manager will struggle to get us there. The fact is we are about where we should be with this group of players - we are 12th now, we finished 11th last season. We will finish there again regardless who the manager is.

Yes there is always a 'Leicester' but thats a significant rarity, not the rule. And with Newcastle joining the super rich elite, that top 6 target probably requires Villa to double their wage bill - big, big decisions for the owners in the next year for sure.     

 

[Bobby Boy]

Smiths spent a astronomical amount so i am not suprised edens was furious.

Two pathetic results in a row.

He hasn't spent anything.

"Edens was furious" where has that come from?

Somebody mentioned Eden’s “looked furious at the end.”

And to be fair, if that last 15 mins didn’t make him furious he never will be. These owners aren’t the sorts to put up with much more of that shit.

I'm usually quite calm, but even I completely lost it yesterday and I haven't spent half a billion quid for the privilege. But I was more angry with the players complete lack of desire to see out the game rather than anything Smith did or didn't do.

Dean seems like a really nice bloke but I hope there is some steel there because he needs to be able to make uncomfortable or potentially unpopular decisions that the top managers will make.

It's easy to drop Ramsey or Nakamba but would he drop Mings or Watkins?

We've let leads slip at Burnley, Palace and now at home to Wolves.

Are we too soft? Is Dean?