Dean Smith - Confirmed

[ChicagoLion]

My issue is I can't see what we're trying to do. I'd still be a bit pissed off but if we were getting these results but you could see what DS and the coaches were trying to implement i'd be a lot more patient. We just look a mess. Again.

This.

We look like we did in 86-7 when we went down. Just no discernible shape, I couldn't see what we were trying to do let alone work out why we were failing to achieve it.

Hourihane persists week after week and shows the same problems every time. How does he not notice that? If he does notice it, why is it still happening?

What bit of being forced to work with players someone else bought explains the inability of our players to string more than two passes together?

He's got them playing for a spell of a few games when he came, so why can't he do it now?

It is just pathetic. I want him to succeed, he's one of our own etc etc but honestly, can anyone really defend the shite we've seen so far?

It's nowhere near acceptable and it looks like it is getting worse, not better.

Agree, it’s his stubbornness which may mean there is no plan B.
If that is the case then he is no improvement on Bruce.

[ez]

It seems like a long time since we weren't second best in a game.

[stubbsyandy]

Our wide players are useless...no attacking threat and no defensive strength..El Ghazi? ha!, Alberts shot, Kodjia doesnt like the system, Green isnt good enough
No leader in central mid, no cover for defence, no fullbacks......no plan

[Ads]

His failing has been to persist with Whelan and Hourihane in a 3.

I know what he wants to do and how he wants us to play. We juat cannot do it. Certainly there are failings elsewhere, but you cannot play a quick passing game when on the ball with Whelan and Hourihane and you cannot press when they're 66% of your midfield.

Whelan has us too deep and we concede territory and isolate Tammy. They're both slow in transition and they're doing it from 20 yards further back down the pitch.

Off the ball, Whelan is just far too slow. This is a season beyond him.

While Hourihane is weak and gives away so much space.

There are a number of players where it's a season too far. We're far too old and painfully slow. Hutton and Adomah are another two.

He needs to be radical and change the shape. He needs to.play Green as he is the future, thankfully the likes of Albert are not.

[Toronto Villa]

I don't think we will have wingers next season. We will have 5 in midfield who will have better energy, pace and ball retention skills than any of these wankers we have now. What Smith is realizing very quickly is that most of these fuckers are worthless and the sooner they are of the books the better.

[themossman]

In his good spell we had some diabolical results (forest) but pretty much all agreed they were the price of playing with a philosophy and points dropped were forgiven on that basis.

Genuinely baffling that he has abandoned that in favour of horrible attritional Bruceball.

[Toronto Villa]

His failing has been to persist with Whelan and Hourihane in a 3.

I know what he wants to do and how he wants us to play. We juat cannot do it. Certainly there are failings elsewhere, but you cannot play a quick passing game when on the ball with Whelan and Hourihane and you cannot press when they're 66% of your midfield.

Whelan has us too deep and we concede territory and isolate Tammy. They're both slow in transition and they're doing it from 20 yards further back down the pitch.

Off the ball, Whelan is just far too slow. This is a season beyond him.

While Hourihane is weak and gives away so much space.

There are a number of players where it's a season too far. We're far too old and painfully slow. Hutton and Adomah are another two.

He needs to be radical and change the shape. He needs to.play Green as he is the future, thankfully the likes of Albert are not.

How many times have I said that Ads? I agree entirely. Whelan forces us to play deep and Hourihane isn't a two way player. He's limited to what he does well which is mainly set pieces but also in an attacking capacity only. Ask him to do more he simply cannot do it.

[themossman]

It seems like a long time since we weren't second best in a game.

Stoke was definitely the cut off. I know because that was my daughter’s first game and bless her she has insisted on watching every increasingly shit and clueless performance since.

[LukeJames]

There is going to be a mass clear out this summer and that alone is what will make me sleep happily tonight.

[WarszaVillan]

We have to remember how close we were to going bankrupt last season. We went into this season completely unprepared, with an ageing and unbalanced squad filled up with half arsed loans.  It's obvious that the club decided this transfer window not to fill the squad up with new expensive players that would be another burden on the club in a few years. By next season Smith needs to have a young hard working squad, with a couple of real quality players to make us stand out from the rest. I hope that Smith is the man to turn things round, but he's pretty much going to have to start from scratch.

[VILLA MOLE]

the disappointing thing is the optimism has been flushed away over the last couple of months

[curiousorange]

I think some people assume a rebuild will be both easy and instant. That's certainly the feeling I get after performances like this on social media or wherever. But there's a lot of assumptions made about who we'll be able to junk, how much we'll get for them and who will replace them, and then that the new squad will take to Smith's system like the proverbials to water. That's a whole lot of ifs and buts. My fear is that the players we would like to build the squad around won't be here and the ones we put out for the dustmen won't get picked up.

[AV82EC]

Sorry wrong thread, reposted to post match

[olaftab]

There is going to be a mass clear out this summer and that alone is what will make me sleep happily tonight.

This and I am already asleep.

[Ads]

Adomah
Whelan
Jedinak
Elphick
Hutton

All out of contract, thankfully. That would be a start.