Dean Smith - Confirmed

[Dazvillain]

Yep the next 2 games (Stoke and Derby) in particular are bordering on mission impossible for Smith to get any points with SJM out and none of the injured players expected to make a return. Hopefully we'll be in better shape for the Blose game at the Sty.

Not for any footballing brain educated fan it won’t be although it can’t be publicised by him or club. Let’s judge after new owners, ceo, director of football, DS have all had their first summer window together

[Ads]

I'm saying wanting a manager sacked after 1 win in 6 is a ridiculous position. Trying to defend that with hyperbolic nonsense about the worst ever performance you'd seen is ridiculous.

Two managers aren't getting much out of this squad, and squad is too kind a description for the rabble. Most of us don't want a dozen or so at the club and yet if nobody is back from injury, despite my calls for him to be radical, he has Hourihane, Whelan and Jedinak as senior players to choose to stock that central midfield.

How do you reconcile a desire for a complete sea change in thinking, to implement a style so abstract from what Bruce had and then decide after 1 win 6 that's enough. It's nonsense. It isn't good enough at the moment, but look at what we have for Stoke and tell me which manager is supposed to get something out of those three options. We all seem to agree we're a tired, old and slow side on and off the ball. There's no magic manager coming in to wave their wand and get them playing football we want without time and fresh blood.

Certainly it's got to improve and he's got to do something different short term, hopefully injuries healing up will allow him that or the emergence of Ramsey.

I agree with SHQ assessment of where we'll more than likely finish, so I don't think we'll be in some 1 win in 20 position. Give him the summer, pre-season and let's have the courage to back this idea we have, as seems like a good one. Let's not revisit the stupidity of 2011 again.

[brian green]

Agree with pretty much all of that Ads, especially the need to be radical.

Where the deepest problem lies is that so much needs to be done I can't see it being done (to our satisfaction) in one summer.  That in turn throws up the strong possibility of a mixed start to the season and all that brings.  We, the fans  have had so much to suck up over the last ten years DS will not get the supporters' indefinite support and the cycle of discontent starts all over again.

I suspect a staged recovery might be attempted for at least one season during which we become much more physical and defence orientated.  One way or another we shall not, I fear, see much of The Beautiful Game from Villa any time soon.

[Allan C]

So on the basis that most of the following are shit, old, slow and not fit to where the shirt...

Whelan (out of contract)
Jedinak (out of contract)
Hutton (out of contract)
Taylor (out of contract)
Hourihane
Adomah
Kodjia
Elmo
BB
El Ghazi (loan)

Who should Smith pick to fill in the blanks, given the injuries and bans...

• Kalanic
• Hause (loan)
• Mings (loan)
• Elphick (out of contract)
• ?
• Green
• Ramsey
• ?
• ?
• ?
• Abraham

Banned/Injured:
SJM
Grealish
Carroll (loan)
Lansbury
Axel (loan)
Davis
Richards (presumed dead)

Out on loan (for those that keep asking why O'Hare and RHM aren't given a chance):
O'Hare
RHM
Bree
Hogan
Clark
Fat Ross
RDL (out of contract?)
Gardner (out of contract?)

Brilliant post  I just hope that the people on here who keep harping on about Smith “getting more from the squad” have a reality check

[Rigadon]

I am starting to come around to the opinion that some on here have been stating for a little while, in that we need to start building now for next season.  I want to see some more of the younger players in the match day squad and team.  I want to see Smith try some ideas out and I'm prepared to lose some games in the process.  What I have zero desire to watch is more of the same.  If he does that, he will lose me a bit i'm afraid. 

To say that this season is pretty much over in terms of promotion is probably about right at this stage.   

[Des Little]

As far as this season goes, the way I see it is we have one remaining objective, and that is not to lose at Blues. Other than that, use the remaining games to give some of the younger lads a chance. That’s it.

[john e]

We’ve sacked managers before after a few games RD Matteo, Garde and it didn’t work

We’ve given managers time to build and rebuild Lambert, Bruce and it didn’t work

there is no guarantee of something working by sticking by a particular formula you just have to try and land on the right manager in the first place

[brian green]

And it helps if the manager is a lucky one.

[myf]

Purslow was quite clear that Smith was appointed for the long-term rebuild. he'll look foolish if we sack him before next season.

[john e]

And it helps if the manager is a lucky one.

Probably the most important ingredient

[PaulWinch again]

Purslow was quite clear that Smith was appointed for the long-term rebuild. he'll look foolish if we sack him before next season.

Again though this all depends on what Smith does in the next few months. I get the arguments on the squad, but we can’t simply continue to play dreadfully and lose and just write it off. Dean needs to show we are progressing towards the summer. We’re not going to replace the entire squad, so it’s important that those left don’t develop a culture where losing is shrugged off and accepted.

I hope when Jack comes back it improves things, but there’s a probably a chance he’ll leave in the summer, particularly if he doesn’t feel we’ve got a bloody good chance of going up. We need to be able to manage when he’s not here.

[Dave P]

Sack Smith, install 3rd manager. Watch him flounder with the diabolical midfield options. Watch him win one in 6, sack him appoint 4th manager, last 5 games. Sack him. Appoint new manager in summer. Pot bare for transfers owing to compensation, poor start, sack him.

That sounds like the pundits on TV and radio, on your basis you never sack anyone. At some point a manager, not talking about DS, has to go, what are your tipping points, after a relegation, after 1 win in 20, after 5 seasons of treading water?

The tipping point is certainly not after 4 months and no summer.  Sacking Smith now serves no logical purpose.

[mr underhill]

it doesn't but questions have to be asked if by the end of the season, we have only won two or three more games. Who knows we might do a mini Fulham an win all our remaining fixtures. If Bristol City and win eight on the bounce...

[colin69]

Far too early to be talking about sacking Smith, but the performances really are awful at the moment.

He really doesn’t have much to choose from as we have so many out on loan but we need to see something positive soon don’t we?

[mr underhill]

well here's something Tshibola's still ours for another year!