I really hope he gets the time. I’m talking this season and next at least even if we don’t go up this year which I’m convinced we won’t.
What's frustrating for me is we're finally doing what I wanted us to do the first season down here. Start from the beginning and build to a defined plan that is sustainable and can be carried on by future managers, unfortunately as we're doing it in season 3 we've wasted 5 transfer windows and countless millions buying players that aren't suited to playing that way.
By all means they may take a while to be familiar with fresh tactics or coaching methods but basic stuff like ball retention and accurate passing is something they should have been comfortable with by the time they graduated from junior football let alone youth football. We should stop making excuses for them - if they aren't comfortable then ship em out
The only tiny addition I would make is that I think the change of philosophy should have happened as soon as Eric Black took over. We went down like a basket case team of serial losers. We should have been preparing to hit the Championship like Dean Smith is going to get us playing now.
Quote from: villa `cross the mersey on October 24, 2018, 07:36:27 PMBy all means they may take a while to be familiar with fresh tactics or coaching methods but basic stuff like ball retention and accurate passing is something they should have been comfortable with by the time they graduated from junior football let alone youth football. We should stop making excuses for them - if they aren't comfortable then ship em out We can't though, can we? The transfer window is closed. So the only thing to do is make the best of what we've got and for Smith to try to hammer some basics into them for the next two months.
I find it astonishing that we are talking about highly paid "professional" footballers who are unable to make simple passes or even control the ball - how can it be that some players are " not comfortable on the ball " it's their job/ trade. They will have been kicking a ball from an early age - they train daily - how can each and every one of them not be adept at basic skills? It's like a builder turning up on site and not being able to use a hammer or an office worker not knowing how to use a PC.By all means they may take a while to be familiar with fresh tactics or coaching methods but basic stuff like ball retention and accurate passing is something they should have been comfortable with by the time they graduated from junior football let alone youth football. We should stop making excuses for them - if they aren't comfortable then ship em out
The new owners should have potted Bruce and got Smith in in the summer. Then he'd at least have a chance with some of his own players instead of the car crash squad that Bruce has assembled.
Quote from: villa `cross the mersey on October 24, 2018, 07:36:27 PMI find it astonishing that we are talking about highly paid "professional" footballers who are unable to make simple passes or even control the ball - how can it be that some players are " not comfortable on the ball " it's their job/ trade. They will have been kicking a ball from an early age - they train daily - how can each and every one of them not be adept at basic skills? It's like a builder turning up on site and not being able to use a hammer or an office worker not knowing how to use a PC.By all means they may take a while to be familiar with fresh tactics or coaching methods but basic stuff like ball retention and accurate passing is something they should have been comfortable with by the time they graduated from junior football let alone youth football. We should stop making excuses for them - if they aren't comfortable then ship em out I completely disagree with the view that they can't retain the ball. Our midfield isn't made up of cast aways and rejects - we went around picking off smaller clubs' best players - Hourihane - Barnsley captain; Lansbury - Forest captain; Jedinak - Palace captain; Adomah - virtual ever present the year Boro got promoted; Grealish - one of the most comfortable players on the ball most have ever seen.To say this lot aren't comfortable on the ball is frankly bollocks. What's more likely is that they've spent the last two year being "coached" by Bruce to not worry about that side of things and have got in to the wrong mindset. Give Deano some time with them and they'll be more than fine.