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Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1517809 times)

Offline Big Ming

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8790 on: July 07, 2020, 09:34:08 AM »
Heresy, I know, but Tony Pulis (pass the sick bag) on a short-term(big bonus) contract would probably have kept us up, if a timely change had been made.

The football would been dreadful, but we would have had a defence tighter than a duck's arse. We also would have sneaked the odd scrappy one goal. undeserved win.

I would have settled for that.

Offline colin69

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8791 on: July 07, 2020, 10:25:03 AM »
I'm not against Smith. I thought he's done what was asked for him when it was obvious Bruce was a busted flush. He deserved this season I think on merit. The whole summer rebuild was madness  and hampered him but he had no option. Wrong players bought - certainly. More premier experience needed, definetely. Covid compounded it to my mind - four months off when half the team was new. Rotten luck.

 Not so sure we give him next season though if we go down. On the one hand i think we would be up there next season in the championship if he stayed. On the other hand, i've got increasingly worried about his judgement since we returned. The liverpool game has really bugged me if im honest and the forward situation. If you haven't got a forward worthy of the name then play a midfielder there, or a youth player who knows where the net is.. Anything. Don't just stick a guy with the attacking threat of a rubber sword up front and hope. And then witter on about how many chances we created afterwards. We know. We could be still playing now, have chances in 3 figures and we still wouldn't have scored.  I've got nothing against Davis and i think a lot of his play is rather good, but he's utterly pointless as a forward and the longer Smith plays him, the more doubts i have about him staying next season.

Steve Bruce ‘the busted flush’ has Newcastle in a league position I’d love us to be in,
He didn’t quite manage to get us up but he steadied the ship and got us going in the right direction to be fair to him. I don’t think he deserved all the flak he got to be honest.

Offline ChicagoLion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8792 on: July 07, 2020, 10:38:11 AM »
I'm not against Smith. I thought he's done what was asked for him when it was obvious Bruce was a busted flush. He deserved this season I think on merit. The whole summer rebuild was madness  and hampered him but he had no option. Wrong players bought - certainly. More premier experience needed, definetely. Covid compounded it to my mind - four months off when half the team was new. Rotten luck.

 Not so sure we give him next season though if we go down. On the one hand i think we would be up there next season in the championship if he stayed. On the other hand, i've got increasingly worried about his judgement since we returned. The liverpool game has really bugged me if im honest and the forward situation. If you haven't got a forward worthy of the name then play a midfielder there, or a youth player who knows where the net is.. Anything. Don't just stick a guy with the attacking threat of a rubber sword up front and hope. And then witter on about how many chances we created afterwards. We know. We could be still playing now, have chances in 3 figures and we still wouldn't have scored.  I've got nothing against Davis and i think a lot of his play is rather good, but he's utterly pointless as a forward and the longer Smith plays him, the more doubts i have about him staying next season.

Steve Bruce ‘the busted flush’ has Newcastle in a league position I’d love us to be in,
He didn’t quite manage to get us up but he steadied the ship and got us going in the right direction to be fair to him. I don’t think he deserved all the flak he got to be honest.
I think he got off lightly with his Bank Balance inflated to set himself up with a swansong up Norf.

Offline mr underhill

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8793 on: July 07, 2020, 11:31:16 AM »
he's done well, there is no denying that

Offline brian green

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8794 on: July 07, 2020, 11:39:14 AM »
I agree with Chicago.  Bruce got off lightly.  He has done well, for himself.  The absolute epitome of anti football.

Offline Risso

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8795 on: July 07, 2020, 11:45:03 AM »
The start of last season was atrocious.  The defence we began the season with was an absolute disgrace.

Offline tony scott

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  • GM : 31.05.2020
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8796 on: July 07, 2020, 11:47:59 AM »
Because of our current lack of pace and goal threat, do we have youth team strikers fit and ready if Dean Smith can bring himself to gamble?

Offline Legion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8797 on: July 07, 2020, 11:50:09 AM »
Unfortunately not. Training is for the first team only. No academy provision unless chosen to train with the main squad. Think Vassilev is the only one.

Offline Risso

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8798 on: July 07, 2020, 12:09:00 PM »
Unfortunately not. Training is for the first team only. No academy provision unless chosen to train with the main squad. Think Vassilev is the only one.

I'm not going to comment on Vassilev's performances as he's hardly had any time, but what are his strengths?  Quick, strong, eye for goal, tricky, good in the air?  Any of those?

Offline AsTallAsLions

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8799 on: July 07, 2020, 12:15:40 PM »
The start of last season was atrocious.  The defence we began the season with was an absolute disgrace.

Agreed. People forget so quickly just how bad things were.

Offline Legion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8800 on: July 07, 2020, 12:20:03 PM »
Unfortunately not. Training is for the first team only. No academy provision unless chosen to train with the main squad. Think Vassilev is the only one.

I'm not going to comment on Vassilev's performances as he's hardly had any time, but what are his strengths?  Quick, strong, eye for goal, tricky, good in the air?  Any of those?

I really don't know.

Offline LeeB

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8801 on: July 07, 2020, 12:25:04 PM »
The start of last season was atrocious.  The defence we began the season with was an absolute disgrace.

100% agreed, he had to go Tom.

Newcastle was the perfect fit for Bruce, backs to the wall situation with little expectation, it where he's always thrived.

Offline Ads

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  • GM : 17.04.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8802 on: July 07, 2020, 12:27:23 PM »
Unfortunately not. Training is for the first team only. No academy provision unless chosen to train with the main squad. Think Vassilev is the only one.

I'm not going to comment on Vassilev's performances as he's hardly had any time, but what are his strengths?  Quick, strong, eye for goal, tricky, good in the air?  Any of those?

His biggest weakness is that he is afraid of Delph.

Offline ChicagoLion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8803 on: July 07, 2020, 01:53:22 PM »
Unfortunately not. Training is for the first team only. No academy provision unless chosen to train with the main squad. Think Vassilev is the only one.

I'm not going to comment on Vassilev's performances as he's hardly had any time, but what are his strengths?  Quick, strong, eye for goal, tricky, good in the air?  Any of those?
He is not Trezeguet :)

Offline Ad@m

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  • GM : 23.03.2023
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #8804 on: July 07, 2020, 02:06:50 PM »
Trezeguet. The Egyptian Tonev.  I'm still amazed he gets to wear a Villa shirt as anything other than a fan.

As for Vassilev, I'm not sure anyone outside the club has seen enough of him to know but from the bits I've seen of him he seems pretty nippy, runs like he's grateful to be there, and generally causes a bit of a nuisance.

Given how utterly toothless we've been up front since the restart I don't know what we've got to lose by playing him. Davis isn't going to score any time soon is he.

 


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