Dean Smith - Confirmed

[KRS]

What’s not surprising at all, Wilder said after the match that they concentrated on attacking our fullbacks.

I’m very disappointed Hutton and Taylor are still in the team.

He’s not the first and he won’t be the last...both of them not fit or good enough to wear the shirt.

[Matt Collins]

Definitely needs time. The fact there's a Smith out thread on here and on twitter is embarrassing. The fans - or rather some fans _+- are definitely part of the problem

It's all about building for the next two seasons for me. Its a big job. We'll need a whole new front three, holding midfielder, left back abs an intensive summer of drilling to change the playing style

But I wish I could see signs we're making that transition. The performances are arguably just getting worse and worse. And I think there are signs that he's not going with his principles and trying to be more pragmatic. Maybe thats right in the circumstances but it's not giving me cause for optimism

[john e]

Definitely needs time. The fact there's a Smith out thread on here and on twitter is embarrassing. The fans - or rather some fans _+- are definitely part of the problem

It's all about building for the next two seasons for me. Its a big job. We'll need a whole new front three, holding midfielder, left back abs an intensive summer of drilling to change the playing style

But I wish I could see signs we're making that transition. The performances are arguably just getting worse and worse. And I think there are signs that he's not going with his principles and trying to be more pragmatic. Maybe thats right in the circumstances but it's not giving me cause for optimism

the Smith Out thread was too embarrassing even for us lot and has been removed

[mr underhill]

Maybe but he can't be above criticism - apart from one or two  thrilling performances we've been hugely uninspiring and plain embarrassing defensively.

[simboy]

Smith doesn’t become a bad manger overnight, exactly the same as we don’t become a good team overnight.

[Brassneck]

Maybe but he can't be above criticism - apart from one or two  thrilling performances we've been hugely uninspiring and plain embarrassing defensively.

I agree that he isn't above criticism.  However, for me, I will hold back until next season, after Smith has had an opportunity to really make his stamp on the team by bringing in his own players.

The harsh reality is that we will lose Grealish so it really will be an overhaul in midfield (with the possibility of losing McGinn as well).  The plus side is that the money we will receive will give us anther throw of the dice in terms of spending bigger than our rivals.  Next season will see an entirely new team with as many as 6 new signings in the starting 11.  The old legs will all have gone and be replaced by energy, as we have seen Leeds, Norwich & Sheff United display.  Bruce was a dinosaur, despite his denials and the players we are stuck with are nearly all his players.  They don't suit Smith's style of play and no manager would have got a tune out of the defenders Smith inherited.  As much as I like Hutton and still appreciate his commitment, he is not good enough any more.  The less said about Taylor the better and Tommy Elphick still has to prove himself to me.  We've seen him play well over 10 games before and then follow it up with one of his calamities.

[brontebilly]

It does need to be pointed out, look at our bench last night. For most with the exception of Steer, their last appearances for us verged from the very poor (Whelo, Green, AA) to the downright awful (Hause, BB, Elmo).

I'm hopeful that Kodjia, Jedinak and Taylor don't appear in a Villa shirt again after last night but who do you replace them with? Move Hutton to left back and bring Elmo back in, is that really going to improve matters? Whelan isn't able to play every week, I honestly don't think Carroll or Lansbury will improve matters in midfield if ever they get fit. Does anyone have any confidence that AA or BB will turn around their awful form?

[Rigadon]

We've been so up and down since he came in, with some amazing performances and some downright awful ones.  I get why people want to give him the chance to sign some players before judging it.  Mings, I think looks a very very good signing.  So, more like that please. 

I also get why people feel that a good coach should be able to get more from a squad than a poor one.  Loads of people moaning about Bruce were saying how the squad was stronger than the performances he was getting from it.   It's fair that the same rules apply to DS.

I'd say that any team with Jack Grealish in it is significantly better than one without him and our own failings have been exposed royally since he was injured.  That has to be properly addressed in the summer if he goes (almost certainly if we are in the 2nd Division still) or not. 

DS has my full support anyway.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Well done H&V on removing that dreadful thread designed for the clickbaiting press! In Deano I trust. UTV!

[GarTomas]

Stats comparing Conor Hourihane with John McGinn.
                                   Hourihane  McGinn     
% tackles won                 55%      66.1%
Clearances                       28           14       
Blocks                                 6             5
Interceptions                    11           23
% Shooting accuracy   45.9%     32.6%
Goals                                  4              2
Assists                               8              6
% Successful crosses  10.8%      25%
Chances created            41            48
Total passes                  1284        916
% passing accuracy     87.1%     79.5%
% passing accuracy
In opposition half         82.8%      76.8%
% Duals won                 56.9%      53.6%
Aerial duals won          48.4%       40%
Recoveries                     146          169

Stats always tell their own story and some above are in favour of Hourihane and some are against him in comparison to McGinn. What they do prove is that, to say Hourihane is a "passenger" and "contributing little" is frankly ridiculous. He has his faults as all footballers do but he also has his strengths not least the fact that he has contributed to 22.6% (nearly 1 in 4) of our goals in the championship this season.
I trust Smith to keep picking the best players at his disposal.

Without the heat map of where these passes are it's meaningless.

McGinn 25% less passes and 17% more chances created? Says it all.

We can only hope that Hourihanes impressive stats means we can move him on in the summer.

[Villa75]

Are people seriously suggesting that this is the very best we can expect, from a decent manager, with the squad we have?

[olaftab]

YES.

[Dave P]

It’s been said before, but consider that we are without Grealish, Axel and been forced to play Chester half fit for two months. Couple that with the fact it wasn’t his team to start with.

[Nunkin1965]

Smith needs time to try and develop his team. I’ll judge him properly on what I see after a summer of departures and arrivals because he’ll be fortunate to be able to do this.
Fast forward one year and see where we are.
He shouldn’t be immune from criticism but he needs a decent amount of time to see if he can get us out of the Championship and stay out and also try and develop something that’s sustainable.
He may succeed or fail but we have to be patient.
People aren’t though hence the half empty stadium.
I’ve only ever left early once ( If you did, unlucky!) and that was 33 odd years ago when we were 0-3 to Blose.

[pauliewalnuts]

People suggesting the squad is poor have clearly not been paying attention to some of the squads who have made us look piss poor these last few months.

DS has not improved us anywhere near enough.

That's not saying I want him out, it's expressing a disappointment at what we've seen so far.

People implying the fans are somehow a big part of the problem make me laugh. Save the self loathing for yourselves, don't apply it to the collective.

Week after week of utter shit and 35k there in a cold winter Friday night for a live television match for a mid table side who look incapable of beating anyone.

They don't deserve us.