Dean Smith - Confirmed

[brian green]

It sickens me to say it but Gold and Sullivan showed how it must be done.  Save your Premiership status while you still can.  It is not so much the playing performances that make us look bereft, though they do, it is the inescapable impression that there is turmoil behind the scenes at Villa Park that bodes so ill.  So reminiscent of the last time we gave our necks.

[Clampy]

It sickens me to say it but Gold and Sullivan showed how it must be done.  Save your Premiership status while you still can.  It is not so much the playing performances that make us look bereft, though they do, it is the inescapable impression that there is turmoil behind the scenes at Villa Park that bodes so ill.  So reminiscent of the last time we gave our necks.

I can imagine the response on here if the owners re-hired a manager they had previously sacked.

[Drummond]

It sickens me to say it but Gold and Sullivan showed how it must be done.  Save your Premiership status while you still can.  It is not so much the playing performances that make us look bereft, though they do, it is the inescapable impression that there is turmoil behind the scenes at Villa Park that bodes so ill.  So reminiscent of the last time we gave our necks.

I can imagine the response on here if the owners re-hired a manager they had previously sacked.

The ones who had any level of success are either dead or haven't managed a team for over 20 years.

[auntiesledd]

I think it's gone too far.  He's clearly not happy with the current set up, and even if Pitarch does pull a couple of transfer rabbits out of the hat, can you really see Smith getting the best out of them? 

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that there's a whole lot more wrong at the club in addition to DS being completely out of his depth. Would bringing in a manager/coach lead to an improvement in performance & results? God only knows. Given we seem to be heading for a rapid return to the Championship, I wouldn't be surprised if the owners have decided to stick with Smith - since he managed to get us promoted before. How quickly our early-season optimism has turned to utter shite. Meh.

[Malandro]

It sickens me to say it but Gold and Sullivan showed how it must be done.  Save your Premiership status while you still can.  It is not so much the playing performances that make us look bereft, though they do, it is the inescapable impression that there is turmoil behind the scenes at Villa Park that bodes so ill.  So reminiscent of the last time we gave our necks.

I can imagine the response on here if the owners re-hired a manager they had previously sacked.

I'm sure you'd be delighted to have Bruce back.

[Clampy]

It sickens me to say it but Gold and Sullivan showed how it must be done.  Save your Premiership status while you still can.  It is not so much the playing performances that make us look bereft, though they do, it is the inescapable impression that there is turmoil behind the scenes at Villa Park that bodes so ill.  So reminiscent of the last time we gave our necks.

I can imagine the response on here if the owners re-hired a manager they had previously sacked.

I'm sure you'd be delighted to have Bruce back.

No, I wouldn't and that's kind of my point.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Plus ça Change

[chrisw1]

It sickens me to say it but Gold and Sullivan showed how it must be done.  Save your Premiership status while you still can.  It is not so much the playing performances that make us look bereft, though they do, it is the inescapable impression that there is turmoil behind the scenes at Villa Park that bodes so ill.  So reminiscent of the last time we gave our necks.

But Brian you were at the front of the charge saying a Bruce type manager was the last thing we needed in the PL and the days for that type of dinosaur football is long gone.  Are you prepared to throw all that principle away to get into bed with the Devil (an Alardyce / Moyes or the like)?

Personally I'd prefer to stick with Smith and hope he can get it right.  I appreciate relegation will be a disaster, but I'd rather scrape through with Smith than tear everying up and go back 10 steps in terms of philosophy.

[john e]

It sickens me to say it but Gold and Sullivan showed how it must be done.  Save your Premiership status while you still can.  It is not so much the playing performances that make us look bereft, though they do, it is the inescapable impression that there is turmoil behind the scenes at Villa Park that bodes so ill.  So reminiscent of the last time we gave our necks.

But Brian you were at the front of the charge saying a Bruce type manager was the last thing we needed in the PL and the days for that type of dinosaur football is long gone.  Are you prepared to throw all that principle away to get into bed with the Devil (an Alardyce / Moyes or the like)?

Personally I'd prefer to stick with Smith and hope he can get it right.  I appreciate relegation will be a disaster, but I'd rather scrape through with Smith than tear everying up and go back 10 steps in terms of philosophy.

so would I but right now he’s looking more like Bruce than Bruce’y himself

[chrisw1]

John
You are right, the 10 men behind the ball v Leicester & City was very reminicent of Bruce that's why dispite the decent result I was surprised how much credit Smith got for the Leicester game from some as without some exceptional blocks and saves it could easily have gone the other way.  But Smith was doing it against the best teams in the league when we don't have any fit strikers.  Bruce was doing it against Middlesborough in Play-off semi-finals (which was pretty much when my views I turned on him)

I think the difference is we know Smith wants to play progressive football and given the tools to do so he will.  The injuries to an already thin squad have hurt us massively.  I still think if we can get a couple of quality players in Smith has a decent chance of turning it round.  Looks like it's a big if though.  I think even Allardyce would struggle to come up with a plan for our current squad.

[ASHTONVILLA]

But Brian you were at the front of the charge saying a Bruce type manager was the last thing we needed in the PL and the days for that type of dinosaur football is long gone.  Are you prepared to throw all that principle away to get into bed with the Devil (an Alardyce / Moyes or the like)?

Allardyce is a far better manager than Bruce will ever be, and does not deserve to be labelled a dinosaur. I think he would keep us up and then establish us midtable next season.

[brian green]

No chrisw1 that not what I am saying at all.  We are where we are because of Bruce (and McLeish, Lambert, Roberto Di Matteo, Sherwood, Garde, KMac and Black) and a famine of managerial talent at Villa Park. Exacerbated by selfish, naive, carpetbagging owners.  I wanted Dean Smith to be the manager he was at Brentford, brash, aggressive and inspirational.  He was a Wilder but he wanted to be a Wenger and has lost his way and his mojo.

[Ads]

On the 8th Devember at 13:59, he hadn't lost his mojo or his way.

[chrisw1]

No chrisw1 that not what I am saying at all.  We are where we are because of Bruce (and McLeish, Lambert, Roberto Di Matteo, Sherwood, Garde, KMac and Black) and a famine of managerial talent at Villa Park. Exacerbated by selfish, naive, carpetbagging owners.  I wanted Dean Smith to be the manager he was at Brentford, brash, aggressive and inspirational.  He was a Wilder but he wanted to be a Wenger and has lost his way and his mojo.

But you were praising West Ham's bravery for appointing Moyes?

[Ads]

No chrisw1 that not what I am saying at all.  We are where we are because of Bruce (and McLeish, Lambert, Roberto Di Matteo, Sherwood, Garde, KMac and Black) and a famine of managerial talent at Villa Park. Exacerbated by selfish, naive, carpetbagging owners.  I wanted Dean Smith to be the manager he was at Brentford, brash, aggressive and inspirational.  He was a Wilder but he wanted to be a Wenger and has lost his way and his mojo.

But you were praising West Ham's bravery for appointing Moyes?

He does win though. It's what he does. (Except when he loses, like their last game)