Dean Smith - Confirmed

[PaulWinch again]

I don't care if he is one of our own or not, that was a disgusting fucking mess out there today.

AGAIN playing a shape and personnel that doesn't work. Waiting too long to change anything. What the hell is he doing?

He deserves the sack, right now, and it's all entirely his fault.

Look how piss poor we are.

We've just taken zero points from nine, including two matches away to shit teams of the type we HAVE to beat.

Yep it’s utterly disjointed thinking. Hause is a prime example. Smith likes to play possession football, but he has a centre half who cannot pass at all. He then substitutes a right footed centre half and has Hause, who is left footed, on the right and is unsurprisingly even worse.

[Jon Crofts]

Some vitriol also needs directing at Terry, worst defence in the PL, that takes some doing.

[hilts_coolerking]

I'm sorry but that's just more vagueness with no specifics at all.

[themossman]

I don’t especially mean this as an insult to either but dean is the managerial version of Hourihane. Good in some extremely limited areas, is enough to make him stand out against meat and potatoes championship opposition, but wildly out of his depth in the PL. It would have been great if he’d stepped up but he hasn’t and he’s had as much of a chance as anyone might reasonably have expected.

[Holy Trinity]

I said months and months ago Dean dont have what it takes in the prem and I said when we didnt sack him I would stand behind him but I cant any longer!

Dean out thanks for the memories try and win the cup for us next week and grab your p45 on the way out of Wembley. This squad is not even close to the worst squad in the league but we have the worst manager in the league by a comfortable margin.  Even bruce would have this squad comfortably mid table and hes a plonker too

[Malandro]

One thing I didn't expect this season - to be almost as bad as the last Villa team in this division.

[Jon Crofts]

I'm sorry but that's just more vagueness with no specifics at all.

52 goals conceded is the most in the PL. I’d say that makes us the worst defence in the PL wouldn’t you?

[Ad@m]

One thing I didn't expect this season - to be almost as bad as the last Villa team in this division.

Christ alive!  Don't be so melodramatic.

We won 3 games that season.  We've more than doubled that 2/3rds of the way through this season.

[Dave P]

We all understand that if Smith is sacked, that John Terry will take over don’t we?

[Risso]

I said in the match thread, but the fact that a team with Mings and Grealish in it is doing quite so badly is a really terrible indictment of the entire management team, from the idiot in Pitarch making the signings, to the dismal non entity of a manager attempting and failing to organise the team.

[Malandro]

One thing I didn't expect this season - to be almost as bad as the last Villa team in this division.

Christ alive!  Don't be so melodramatic.

We won 3 games that season.  We've more than doubled that 2/3rds of the way through this season.

I'm talking about the performances.

I don't see much difference.

[PaulWinch again]

I said in the match thread, but the fact that a team with Mings and Grealish in it is doing quite so badly is a really terrible indictment of the entire management team, from the idiot in Pitarch making the signings, to the dismal non entity of a manager attempting and failing to organise the team.

Yes you can see what a good manager can do. Chris Wilder has made Basham look like a Premier League player.

[tomd2103]

The new owners seem to be in it for the long haul, going about building the club in the right way, from the youth team, to Bodymoor, and creating an identity which we haven't had for years.  Smith is clearly core to that so he's going nowhere.

This kind of stuff is straight out of the prospectus though.  What is the long haul?  What is the right way?  What identity are we trying to create?  Why is Smith core to that if he's not good enough?  It's all jam tomorrow bullshit.

Look at the list of managers we've had since the 90s - GT, O'Leary, MON, Houllier, TSM, Lambert, RDM, Garde, Bruce.  Literally no pattern to them, no rhyme or reason why one should follow the last.  Every time we're starting from scratch.

Like it or not, FFP protects the clubs who are already successful so we can't buy our way to the top, we have to build our way there, sustainably and sustainability does not involve binning a manager who got us promoted six months ago and starting again.

We all knew Smith was making a massive step up when he joined us and he's learning his way, just like most of the squad.  From where we are now, getting relegated won't be the end of the world, so we shouldn't tear up the strategy simply to gamble on avoiding it.  Stick to the plan and as long as the plan is a good one, we'll be much better off in the long run.

Have to disagree Adam.  Relegation would be a huge set back and I honestly believe that with the inevitable fire sale that would follow with the likes of Grealish, McGinn and Mings going, we would be looking at another extended spell in the Championship. 

Considering that and after watching that today, I think there is more than a good case to call for a change of manager.  I like Dean Smith and really want him to succeed, but there have just been too many of those kind of performances and the coaching staff just look out of ideas. 

He deserves the chance to lead the team out at Wembley next weekend, but time and patience are running out.

[Risso]

How on earth is the plan a good one?  Buy shit players, and coach them badly.  Yeah, let's stick with that.

[Demitri_C]

Honestly Demitri, I'd go and try something else.  You're getting close to responding to yourself on this thread you're posting so much.

It's just not worth getting that worked up about.  We've been relegated before, with a much worse squad, a worse manager, a worse owner, and it really wasn't that bad.

If you're not getting any enjoyment out of following the Villa (and there's no evidence on here to suggest you are) then you're better off trying something else with your time.

So im not allowed to be upset with team that i have supported for over 30 years when they eprform like that?

Its not just me posting so why you singling me out? Im sorry im not having a go at you mate. This situation we find ourself is hurting

You talk about relegatikn but this team has such huge potential with jack mcginn and mings. If we go down it could destroy our club

Of course you're allowed to be upset after a poor result - my concern is more that you don't seem to be happy after a good one.

If a hobby only ever makes you sad it's time to try something else.  Life's too short.

Its not life or death for me but come on do you not get hurt seeing your club go through this again? That relegation almost killed us and we look like we have to go through it again next year.

Im not giving up on the club.

There are various posters on here that know me personally and know that when villa are doing well  i am one happy SOB!

That relegation didn't nearly kill us.  Dr Tone and his shambolic ownership nearly killed us.

After the Lambert years, the last 3 seasons have been some of the most enjoyable we've had at the Villa in years.  If it happens again, we'll go in to next season with a better squad, better finances, a manager who got us promoted against the odds last time, and we'll absolutely piss it!

I think of we go down. If the  superthree go on. We need to bin trezeguet drinkwater elmo and lansbury.

Keep samatta and wes as i think at chanoiknship level they will score lots. Keep nakamba and luiz, targett konsa and guilbert as they will solod in championship.

Then we need to add leaders to this team as  barring the keeprrs we dont have any.

The worst thing about going down is that we will likely play fucking Coventry