collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Topics

Gordon Cowans by CT Villan
[Today at 02:12:50 AM]


Other Games - 2023/24 by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 01:07:18 AM]


Chris Heck - President of Business Operations by VillaTim
[March 28, 2024, 11:45:01 PM]


COLD BLOW LANE ... 1967 to 1975 ... Did anyone (dare to) visit the Den? by dcdavecollett
[March 28, 2024, 11:02:33 PM]


Youri Tielemans (confirmed) by Somniloquism
[March 28, 2024, 10:54:34 PM]


FFP by AV82EC
[March 28, 2024, 10:36:39 PM]


All aboard the shuttle bus. by Demitri_C
[March 28, 2024, 10:29:02 PM]


GUESS THE CROWD R22: ASTON VILLA v Wolves, Saturday 30th March! 🥧 by ironmaidenmania
[March 28, 2024, 08:43:00 PM]

Recent Posts

Re: Gordon Cowans by CT Villan
[Today at 02:12:50 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by JD
[Today at 01:37:32 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 01:07:18 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Percy McCarthy
[Today at 01:05:25 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by The Left Side
[Today at 12:52:12 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by tomd2103
[Today at 12:47:19 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by edgysatsuma89
[Today at 12:33:09 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by KevinGage
[Today at 12:22:56 AM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1522938 times)

Offline ozzjim

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 29983
  • Location: Here.
  • GM : 30.08.2022
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9420 on: July 14, 2020, 01:04:35 PM »
We were promoted a year ahead of schedule apparently, and I wonder if Purslow thought that Dean would make the necessary changes/management improvements over a couple of years and be able to cope with life in the Premier Division?  This is perhaps the reason he hasn't been fired?  Given Dean had no management experience of top flight football, perhaps it isn't a surprise to Purslow that we aren't doing as well as we might, given the whole new squad thrown in too.  I wonder if Purslow is thinking that Smith is the right man to bring us back up and that his year in the Prem will stand him in good stead? I'm hypothesising of course.  Purslow is a far better businessman than I am and I would have sacked Dean Smith already, perhaps wrongly as Dean may get better with experience.  Time will tell. 

In fairness the one i world happily replace him with, Dyche, did exactly that at Burnley. Up, down, up, consolidate.

Offline Villan82

  • Member
  • Posts: 3215
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9421 on: July 14, 2020, 01:10:58 PM »
The reason I have been 'anti' is a simple one.

McLeish and Lambert were judged as terrible managers who nearly relegated us when, a few seasons prior, we had been pushing for top four.

However, both McLeish and Lambert were always good for either grinding out enough draws (McLeish) when there was a lack of fire-power due to injury or getting big results against your Liverpools, Chelseas, Arsenals etc (more so Lambert). Even Sherwood got us a great win away at White Hart Lane.

Smith hasn't delivered on grinding out a point per game average. Games that should have been drawn have been lost through carelessness & the best result against a top side is the draw at Old Trafford.  This is why we only have 30 points after 35 games & have been under serious pressure all season.

If he wins the next three and keeps us up he will have got us (and himself) out of jail & deserves another crack but I would say he would be on thin ice if it looked like happening again.

McLeish & Lambert had better players to work with and most importantly Lambert had a goalscorer.

I don't disagree with you there to be honest. Though both did have some very average players, off the top of my head: Westwood, Ahmadi, Bennett, Lichaj, Clark, Sylla, N'Zogbia etc. I would imagine, also, that both would have liked to have worked with Grealish at the stage he's at now.

Offline dave.woodhall

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 61435
  • Location: Treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry.
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9422 on: July 14, 2020, 01:20:29 PM »
The reason I have been 'anti' is a simple one.

McLeish and Lambert were judged as terrible managers who nearly relegated us when, a few seasons prior, we had been pushing for top four.

However, both McLeish and Lambert were always good for either grinding out enough draws (McLeish) when there was a lack of fire-power due to injury or getting big results against your Liverpools, Chelseas, Arsenals etc (more so Lambert). Even Sherwood got us a great win away at White Hart Lane.

Smith hasn't delivered on grinding out a point per game average. Games that should have been drawn have been lost through carelessness & the best result against a top side is the draw at Old Trafford.  This is why we only have 30 points after 35 games & have been under serious pressure all season.

If he wins the next three and keeps us up he will have got us (and himself) out of jail & deserves another crack but I would say he would be on thin ice if it looked like happening again.

McLeish & Lambert had better players to work with and most importantly Lambert had a goalscorer.

I don't disagree with you there to be honest. Though both did have some very average players, off the top of my head: Westwood, Ahmadi, Bennett, Lichaj, Clark, Sylla, N'Zogbia etc. I would imagine, also, that both would have liked to have worked with Grealish at the stage he's at now.

i'm sure they would, although they also had some quality left as well. But the main thing is that Lambert had Benteke, who was always likely to go on the sort of goalscoring run that would save any team. Equally, when McLeish had Bent we weren't tearing up trees but we were looking safe enough. The inability to bring in a striker who would get even ten goals a season is what's done for us.

Offline garyellis

  • Member
  • Posts: 911
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9423 on: July 14, 2020, 01:39:02 PM »
For me its the goals against column that's done the damage. Sheff Utd have scored the same amount but conceded 32 goals less. Their top scorer is McBurnie with 6.
How much of that falls on Dean?

Offline Villan82

  • Member
  • Posts: 3215
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9424 on: July 14, 2020, 02:04:50 PM »
Wesley has 5 league goals so it's not unreasonable to assume he would have got to 9-10 if he hadn't been injured. As you point out, the goals against have really hurt us and, in my opinion, we were too open at the start of the season.

Offline wozwebs

  • Member
  • Posts: 2577
  • GM : 20.04.2019
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9425 on: July 14, 2020, 02:09:10 PM »
Samatta started off OK but since the restart has looked like he's won a competition to lead the Villa front line. Been awful.

Online simboy

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1247
  • GM : 05.11.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9426 on: July 14, 2020, 02:20:07 PM »
For me its the goals against column that's done the damage. Sheff Utd have scored the same amount but conceded 32 goals less. Their top scorer is McBurnie with 6.
How much of that falls on Dean?


Agree. If there has been one major error this season it has been the failure to defend. Mings has had at least one mistake per game in him, i think we have used so many combinations of centre halves I have lost count, and we have lacked a consistently decent defensive midfielder.  The performance of the defence , by and large [not always!], since we have restarted has been better as Luiz has established himself in that more defensive role.

Offline dave.woodhall

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 61435
  • Location: Treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry.
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9427 on: July 14, 2020, 02:33:28 PM »
The defence has been poor but that wouldn't have mattered so much if we'd had a semi-reliable goalscorer.

Offline WarszaVillan

  • Member
  • Posts: 4501
  • Location: Warsaw
  • GM : 06.10.2023
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9428 on: July 14, 2020, 02:37:36 PM »
The Burnley match was the turning point for me. Heaton getting injured has left us without a top class goalie and Wesley was starting to look the part in that game, linking up well and scoring before also getting injured for the season.

Offline PeterWithesShin

  • Member
  • Posts: 67456
  • GM : 17.03.2015
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9429 on: July 14, 2020, 02:49:57 PM »
It's the defence that's cost us more than the attack. Newcastle, Brighton, Palace have all scored less than us. Everton are 15 points ahead of us and have scored 3 more than us. It's the defence that's meant we've dropped a load of points after leading and i'd fancy more often than not the team with the second worst defence in the league ends up relegated.

Offline Mister E

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 16583
  • Location: Mostly the Republic of Yorkshire (N)
  • GM : 16.02.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9430 on: July 14, 2020, 02:54:01 PM »
Not conceding has to be the foundation stone of any survival campaign.
When we came up at the end of last season, we had a relatively poor goals-against record; and not just a result of Bruce's early-season tenure. So, we had form for defensive frailty, not addressed in this campaign.



Offline mr underhill

  • Member
  • Posts: 8493
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9431 on: July 14, 2020, 03:18:56 PM »
great news - Clive Tyldesley has been axed by ITV.

Offline brian green

  • Member
  • Posts: 18350
  • Age: 85
  • Location: Nice France
  • GM : 19.06.2020
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9432 on: July 14, 2020, 03:27:59 PM »
My grandson, reading Medieval History suggests that Clive Tydesley should be more correctly, being of Plantagenet stock, Clive De Tyseley, making him one of us.

Offline Chris Smith

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 35613
  • Location: At home
  • GM : 08.01.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9433 on: July 14, 2020, 03:28:26 PM »
Not conceding has to be the foundation stone of any survival campaign.
When we came up at the end of last season, we had a relatively poor goals-against record; and not just a result of Bruce's early-season tenure. So, we had form for defensive frailty, not addressed in this campaign.




Our defensive record was about average for the league until Heaton got crocked. Steer and Nyland are both decent shot stoppers but neither seemEd to organise those in front of them. It’s been ok again since the restart as they’ve obviously had time to work on it again with an experienced keeper.

Offline dave.woodhall

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 61435
  • Location: Treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry.
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #9434 on: July 14, 2020, 03:29:08 PM »
My grandson, reading Medieval History suggests that Clive Tydesley should be more correctly, being of Plantagenet stock, Clive De Tyseley, making him one of us.

Before I potentially disagree, is this the six foot four boxing grandson?

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal