Dean Smith - Confirmed

[olaftab]

I think Smith tried to play football the right way from the start and it worked for few games but other teams learnt and can stop us easily as our players are not good enough to counteract opposition tactics. If Smith is to be success at VP he needs much better players around him.

[Steve67]

'I could be closed to signing anyone as we are looking at a number of players'.

We have levelled with this group of players.  We cannot continue to buy our way out of trouble but we really do need fresh blood.

[Ad@m]

Another 2 goals conceded. We are going to go nowhere until we stop leaking goals.

14 goals conceded in last 5 home games. Even if you take out the 5 against Forest, what would still look piss poor.

Yep, although I blame the defence and midfield. Other than SJM the others are hopeless at tracking runners and protecting the back line.

SJM cost us the goal at Preston by not tracking his runner.

Him and Hourihane looked knackered today and Smith confirmed it after the game. I'd give plenty of the first team a rest on Saturday and give the kids a chance.

This squad isn't fit enough to do what Smith's asking them to do when the games come as thick and fast as they do at this time of year. He needs a full pre-season with them before we start judging him.

[PeterWithesShin]

4 games in 9 days and because of the situation we're in I think it's 6 players have played all of them, bar a few mins at the end a couple of times for Hourihane and once for Tammy, is going to have an effect as well.

[The_ads]

Smith has signed none of these players. Not one single one...and he’s already seeing the murmurings of criticism from some quarters. Smith gets a bye for the rest of the season no question. Notwithstanding I still think we’ll make the play offs and I still think we’ll be promoted.

[footyskillz]

Smith in his interview postmatch seems to know an awful lot of how the opposition going to play and what they are going to do and seems to tell us all about it .

Counter attacking was QPR game plan known before we even kick off according to Deano yet both our goals we conceded counter attack.

Happened against Leeds in final minute too.
Counter attack goals seem to be a killer why is this not being addressed?

He talks so different to Bruce but he is also making glaring errors and poor subs and tactics .

Sticking to one striker and losing leads

It's entertaining but very naive at times.

We won't get top quality players in this window so not really sure how can be addressed in midfield.

Also if villa were keeping clean sheets JT would be praises and credited we're not so I think should be questionned what he's doing

[PeterWithesShin]

I really like him but i'm not giving him a bye for 34 games.

[PeterWithe]

Smith has signed none of these players. Not one single one...and he’s already seeing the murmurings of criticism from some quarters. Smith gets a bye for the rest of the season no question. Notwithstanding I still think we’ll make the play offs and I still think we’ll be promoted.

An awful lot said that we just needed a change to an attack minded manager and we would fly as we had the best squad in the league.

I think we should be doing far better.

[SoccerHQ]

Not finishing in the top 6 would be a failure.

If people were asking this of SB when he first took over in 16/17 it certainly should be asked for now.

[Matt Collins]

We have to give some leeway due to the injuries and rubbish defence he was left with

I agree we should be doing better over recent games. And Smith has some culpability on that front. It would have been possible to get us defending better.

[Fred Crump]

Good grief. Give the bloke a break. He’s less than three months into the job , hasn’t yet had a transfer window, injuries to key players and we are still in with a good shout of the playoffs. How many of the critical posters above would feel happy being criticised in their jobs with similar constraints after that period of time , I wonder?

[footyskillz]

It's his obessesion with this front foot attacking football which raises already high expectations but also gives far too open a team .

I think getting done on counter attack will be a regular occurrence with this sort of tactic as teams know what to expect under a Dean smith team.

Unless we get Fernandino, and Luca modric in kidfield say David Alaba left back and Varane centre back then these 2-2 and such will probably keep occurring as we have the attacking players but defensively naive and I don't know how that will change this season or how Smiths philosophy can be implemented

It's a great idea but the players, like at Brentford will give you good value and some entertaining, but won't get the necessary results like boring Bruce.

I just hope Smith finds a balance and tweaks yo suit the squad we have .
He's certainly aware as a coach but it's having the know how to get the result .

[themossman]

What we saw in the games pre Stoke (and briefly vs Leeds) is that despite the unbalanced squad we have the attacking players to rip any team in this league a new arsehole.

Bruce copped criticism for failing to get a song from players who are better than this league, and to get results in keeping with our resources, and smith shouldn’t be immune to the same criticism this season.

For example we have a back 4 which most of us don’t rate but I’d say plenty of teams in this league would kill for.

Fed up of excuses.

[PeterWithesShin]

He definitely gets leeway from me for what he's had to work with this month especially defensively, but certainly in a couple of months I'd like to see us playing in a way that at the very least you can see a style of play that gives confidence that we'll be mounting a serious promotion challenge next season. The lack of sign of any kind of style of play or long term plan was the reason I started thinking Bruce wasn't the right person before his first season had ended.

[Toronto Villa]

Easy to say or assume but if Jack and Axel has stayed fit we’d still be playing a consistent style and we’d be in the top 6 comfortably. Bit hard to do when they haven’t been available along with other shit luck. Not saying he shouldn’t have tried to shut up shop in some games but even then I’m not convinced bone headed mistakes wouldn’t have happened.