Dean Smith - Confirmed

[stuart445]

Yesterday may well serve us better in the long run, as it showed that certain players aren't up to it and need to be fucked off.

Better to know that as we approach the window rather than after it.

And it's all my fault by the way, I told my nephew how much I rate Elmohamedy about 2 minutes before he stood by and let the lad through to score their first.

I'm slightly easier today.

If we'd have lost that 2-0, nobody could really have complained.  It was the way we lost that hurts.  1 point in the grand scheme of things isn't the end of the world but these last 3 games have virtually ended hopes of automatic promotion.

I too have been a supporter of Elmo but he could also be questioned for one of Stoke's goals last week.  The way Leeds play left him exposed 1 on 1 all game and the ploy inadvertently worked at the death.  Elmo could quite easily left the ball or at worst, headed it on for a corner.  He must have been convinced that someone was behind him.

I want an entire new back 4.  Chester possibly deserves a crack on the right and Elmo possibly deserves a crack at right back but I wouldn't be sorry to see all 4 replaced (which is what would have to happen if we went up).

Or didn't want to head it for a corner because Nyland is hopeless at corners.

[mr underhill]

Hogan played well for about six months for Brentford and we got mugged because Bruce was a mug. But here's something to chew over - I may be wrong but by and large our defence last year was the same as this year minus Terry  and Johnstone.  both were dodgy at times and i gave the latter a lot of stick for his piss poor kicking and wayward  distribution. But what wouldn't I give for them to have been playing since August. Even allowing for Terry being another yeas older.

[Toronto Villa]

Dean Smith isn't immune from blame for not doing more to change the system when we have the lead or with his subs. And the one thing I absolutely lay at his door is his reluctance to use younger players and insist on has beens like Whelan. But I will balance that off against him being at the club a very short time, having to deal with inheriting a disaster of defence compounded by losing his best player followed by at the very last minute his best defender yesterday. None of that can be easy to deal with in a new job. Along with Purslow/Pitarch he's clearly identified once of the key areas of weakness in our GK. He now needs to add 3 or 4 defensive players.

This isn't getting fixed overnight chaps. Bruce fucked us over massively and Smith is learning the job on the fly. He's going to do good things and make mistakes. There will be lots more ups and downs to come.

[stuart445]

Hogan played well for about six months for Brentford and we got mugged because Bruce was a mug. But here's something to chew over - I may be wrong but by and large our defence last year was the same as this year minus Terry  and Johnstone.  both were dodgy at times and i gave the latter a lot of stick for his piss poor kicking and wayward  distribution. But what wouldn't I give for them to have been playing since August. Even allowing for Terry being another yeas older.

What I don't understand is we have offered Collins a deal until January why haven't we offered it to Terry instead he could fit in easier than Collins as he knows the players here.

Imo last season that 3rd goal doesn't happen as Elmo would have headed out for a corner because he had confidence that Johnstone would deal with the corner, but its clear they have less confidence in Nyland than we do kicking it out of his hands in the 1st half proved that, Elmo clearly didn't want to head it out for a corner because of how weak Nyland is at dealing with them.

[Toronto Villa]

Hogan played well for about six months for Brentford and we got mugged because Bruce was a mug. But here's something to chew over - I may be wrong but by and large our defence last year was the same as this year minus Terry  and Johnstone.  both were dodgy at times and i gave the latter a lot of stick for his piss poor kicking and wayward  distribution. But what wouldn't I give for them to have been playing since August. Even allowing for Terry being another yeas older.

What I don't understand is we have offered Collins a deal until January why haven't we offered it to Terry instead he could fit in easier than Collins as he knows the players here.

Imo last season that 3rd goal doesn't happen as Elmo would have headed out for a corner because he had confidence that Johnstone would deal with the corner, but its clear they have less confidence in Nyland than we do kicking it out of his hands in the 1st half proved that, Elmo clearly didn't want to head it out for a corner because of how weak Nyland is at dealing with them.

Terry chose to retire. That’s the difference.

[Matt Collins]

I thought whelan was quite good v leeds

He just can't do certain things and I imagine his replacement in the summer will be more like a mceachran type

[SoccerHQ]

We’ve had 11 games under Smith and 9 of them have been against teams above us in the league. This season will be defined by the games we blew under Bruce, not the last 6 or 7.

The two teams weve played below us were in Smith’s first two games and we won both with clean sheets.

We’re in a better position with Smith in charge than even today’s game would suggest.

Also, we’re historically awful on Boxing Day, so am writing off the Swansea game now.

I think that the season will be defined by a combination of the Bruce games AND the batch of points dropped recently under Smith.

In fairness, top 2 was always going to be an uphill task after the Bruce calamities against Reading, Ipswich, Preston and Blackburn.  However, the late goals conceded against Leeds, Forest & Albion have cost us another 5 points that have left us out of the battle for top 2 and scrapping to make up ground with the top 6.

Smith is very attack minded - To the detriment of the defence (which is woeful and needs protecting).  it is the sacrifice we must make in the short term until it can be addressed in January and most likely further in the summer.

To challenge for top 2 you need to be bullet proof against bottom 8-9 teams. Look at Norwich and Leeds results recently. I just can't look past all the teams at the bottom we couldn't beat under SB in August and September, not beating Ipswich who had 10 men for 50 minutes ffs. They are rock bottom.

Would be interested to see how our record looks v bottom half teams compared to all those above us.

Edit: All teams in the championship lose games to teams around them. Didn't do Wolves, Cardiff or Fulham any harm when they lost to us last season after all.

[SoccerHQ]

Hogan played well for about six months for Brentford and we got mugged because Bruce was a mug. But here's something to chew over - I may be wrong but by and large our defence last year was the same as this year minus Terry  and Johnstone.  both were dodgy at times and i gave the latter a lot of stick for his piss poor kicking and wayward  distribution. But what wouldn't I give for them to have been playing since August. Even allowing for Terry being another yeas older.

We played much deeper last season and also the FBs had more protection from the wide players.

If fans want the front foot exciting football to continue they have to accept the back 4 will be parked nearer the halfway line and they'll be occasions when our FBs are exposed one v one.

Hopefully bt February we'll have better players in some of those positions but think it's optmistic to think we'll become a clean sheet machine.

Said before but to me this is a league of chaos where teams just assemble 3-4 excellent attacking players and just try to outscore everyone.

When Norwich and WBA are two of the top teams in this league and conceding 2 and 3 regularly it does raise a point.

[stuart445]

Hogan played well for about six months for Brentford and we got mugged because Bruce was a mug. But here's something to chew over - I may be wrong but by and large our defence last year was the same as this year minus Terry  and Johnstone.  both were dodgy at times and i gave the latter a lot of stick for his piss poor kicking and wayward  distribution. But what wouldn't I give for them to have been playing since August. Even allowing for Terry being another yeas older.

What I don't understand is we have offered Collins a deal until January why haven't we offered it to Terry instead he could fit in easier than Collins as he knows the players here.

Imo last season that 3rd goal doesn't happen as Elmo would have headed out for a corner because he had confidence that Johnstone would deal with the corner, but its clear they have less confidence in Nyland than we do kicking it out of his hands in the 1st half proved that, Elmo clearly didn't want to head it out for a corner because of how weak Nyland is at dealing with them.

Terry chose to retire. That’s the difference.

I'm sure we could have persuaded him to come out of retirement until January as surely he can't be enjoying what he's seeing

[Toronto Villa]

He’s a coach now. It’s part of his job to fix what he sees as a coach. That’s the challenge now and he’s not going to be able to do as a player or without the club buying new and better players to coach.

[Matt Collins]

I'm not sure how well a 38 year old Terry would fare in our high pressing style anyway to be honest

He was awful when Chelsea played  a high press under AVB

[Steve67]

Terry is 38 and hasn't played for six months. I think we need to move on, no matter how desperate we are for defenders.

[The Edge]

Yesterday may well serve us better in the long run, as it showed that certain players aren't up to it and need to be fucked off.

Better to know that as we approach the window rather than after it.

And it's all my fault by the way, I told my nephew how much I rate Elmohamedy about 2 minutes before he stood by and let the lad through to score their first.

I'm slightly easier today.

If we'd have lost that 2-0, nobody could really have complained.  It was the way we lost that hurts.  1 point in the grand scheme of things isn't the end of the world but these last 3 games have virtually ended hopes of automatic promotion.

I too have been a supporter of Elmo but he could also be questioned for one of Stoke's goals last week.  The way Leeds play left him exposed 1 on 1 all game and the ploy inadvertently worked at the death.  Elmo could quite easily left the ball or at worst, headed it on for a corner.  He must have been convinced that someone was behind him.

I want an entire new back 4.  Chester possibly deserves a crack on the right and Elmo possibly deserves a crack at right back but I wouldn't be sorry to see all 4 replaced (which is what would have to happen if we went up).

Or didn't want to head it for a corner because Nyland is hopeless at corners.

He had plenty of time he was in loads of space. He could of cushioned a header back to the keeper. Literally anything would have been better than what he did. He's got to go.

[Sexual Ealing]

I'm completely open to the idea that Hogan is rubbish,  but to suggest that he's had a fair crack of the whip under DS seems harsh to me.

[Pvb1968]

There has not been a game yet since Dean smiths arrival that we have not competed in and we easily could have taken points from all of them. At full strength we are a match for anyone and Dean smith has yet to bring players in that he wants. We all know where the problem lies but inheriting the poorest keeper I have ever seen in a villa shirt along with Hutton, whelan and Elhamdy is not Dean smiths fault. If we can bring in the players he wants and maybe recall mitch Clark and Tommy elphick we can make the play offs.