Dean Smith - Confirmed

[The Edge]

A whole league Table higher than when he took over.

And one point, a draw, from being back down there again, despite spending £140m in the summer with the highest net PL spend, more than Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal etc.

And how many of them had to buy almost an entire new squad? Had about three players who were good enough two months before the season started? Or had season-ending injuries to two major players in the same game?

It seems odd that one of our own would make that very dubious comparison just to try and knock Dean Smith. Not understanding or at least pretending not to, that Arsenal,Liverpool or Man U spending a similar amount to us to improve their already talented squad is false and totally unfair on the club they claim to support. I'd expect to see that comment on one of our illustrious bitter neighbour's fan forums but not on here.

[Smithy]

I'm happy for Dean Smith. I'll be honest, before the lockdown after that Leicester game, I was calling for his head. I thought he was out of his depth.

He's obviously worked on the defensive problems. My worry is we're not going to have another break like that mid-season if all is failing next season.

I get the impression it wasn't so much a chance to fix things he'd suddenly realised were wrong, but to work with a squad of players that hadn't played much together before the season started.  His comments about Douglas being a case in point.  He arrived two days before the season started, and didn't look all that great at the start.  The lockdown was probably their first chance to work on things for any period of time without the focus being on "the next game". He's looked WAY better as a result. The same is probably true for the defensive unit as a whole.

I think we got lucky with the lockdown, without it, I think we were down.  But we used it really well, and it was a massive benefit to a squad like ours with lots of new players who were given the chance to get some proper coaching from the staff - the stuff you can't work on for any length of time when you're never more than four or five days from your next match.

I would hope the ways we've defended after lockdown is the way we'll defend moving forward, rather than being a temporary blip.

[rob_bridge]

Dean Smith has 100% earned another crack.

However, there needs to be progress next season. We need to be winning more games and grinding out more draws.We lost 21 games this season, that needs to be down to less than 16 next season minimum - say 11 wins and 11 draws, what Newcastle did to finish 13th this season.

Progress next year would be finishing north of 14th, never being in a relegation scrap and always feeling that we were taking the points we had earned.

I think we should be aiming higher than this mate.

Progress would be between 45 and 50 points which could be 11th or could be 15th depending on how season pans out.

[Smithy]

Would also add, in our 10 games since the restart, we've played three of the top four sides, and still averaged a point a game, while only coneding 1.1 goals a game (our defence is the 8th best in the league since the restart).

That sort of form would see us safely mid-table next season (yes, a point a game isn't 'safely mid-table', but we won't be playing 30% of our games against the top four).

[Villan82]

Dean Smith has 100% earned another crack.

However, there needs to be progress next season. We need to be winning more games and grinding out more draws.We lost 21 games this season, that needs to be down to less than 16 next season minimum - say 11 wins and 11 draws, what Newcastle did to finish 13th this season.

Progress next year would be finishing north of 14th, never being in a relegation scrap and always feeling that we were taking the points we had earned.

I think we should be aiming higher than this mate.

I know what you mean. I am just saying as a minimum I want to see us at least 9 points better off than last season which would constitute our best season since 2010-11.

[Walmley_Villa]

Delighted for Dean and the owners. Show some ambition and I think Jack will stay. Dean has developed a team spirit and now has tactically matured. He deserves the chance foe next season and even more so with such a short season turnaround. Give him the tools and better quality players.
Dean deserves a chance as staying up with 6 goals from your strikers in a season and staying up is quite an achievement!

Anyone spot Suso yesterday?

[Risso]

I think without the coronavirus break we'd have sunk without a trace, so we can be thankful that he used the time to reorganise himself and the squad.

[DB]

Pay Potch whatever he wants and let’s properly crack on. There I said it. *ducks for cover.

Let’s face it. This season has been a drag. Getting seven points from our last 4 games against average teams who had nothing to play for saved us. That and are rivals being hopeless. I like Dean a lot, but lets act like the big club we are and be ambitious!

I agree with most of your view on Smith / survival, but add in the recruitment was poor last summer and in Jan. If we are to push on my worry is the recruitment team in place will make same mistakes.

[paul_e]

Pay Potch whatever he wants and let’s properly crack on. There I said it. *ducks for cover.

Let’s face it. This season has been a drag. Getting seven points from our last 4 games against average teams who had nothing to play for saved us. That and are rivals being hopeless. I like Dean a lot, but lets act like the big club we are and be ambitious!

I agree with most of your view on Smith / survival, but add in the recruitment was poor last summer and in Jan. If we are to push on my worry is the recruitment team in place will make same mistakes.

The recruitment needs this summer are very different to last year. There were rumours linking us to plenty of other players who we apparently ended up giving up on because of the cost. The one I'm holding on to is the link to Ben Yedder near the end of the window. He's exactly the sort of player we need to be looking at this time round.

[john e]

Pay Potch whatever he wants and let’s properly crack on. There I said it. *ducks for cover.

Let’s face it. This season has been a drag. Getting seven points from our last 4 games against average teams who had nothing to play for saved us. That and are rivals being hopeless. I like Dean a lot, but lets act like the big club we are and be ambitious!

I agree with most of your view on Smith / survival, but add in the recruitment was poor last summer and in Jan. If we are to push on my worry is the recruitment team in place will make same mistakes.

The recruitment needs this summer are very different to last year. There were rumours linking us to plenty of other players who we apparently ended up giving up on because of the cost. The one I'm holding on to is the link to Ben Yedder near the end of the window. He's exactly the sort of player we need to be looking at this time round.

My lad tells me he’s proper good on fifa 20 as well

[LeeB]

I think without the coronavirus break we'd have sunk without a trace, so we can be thankful that he used the time to reorganise himself and the squad.

It's to his enormous credit that he did, and did it well, and also had to deal with the death of his Dad at the same time.

[Meanwood Villa]

I love Dean, even when we looked doomed I found it hard to criticise the bloke. So if, as seems likely, he's our boss next year I'm happy with that and hope we can push on.

If, however, the owners push the boat out on a really big name manager I wouldn't object to that either.

[Ads]

Ben Yedder sounds like a kid from Cradely Heath that's good in the air.

[rob_bridge]

I think without the coronavirus break we'd have sunk without a trace, so we can be thankful that he used the time to reorganise himself and the squad.

Pre lockdown I thought it was Norwch plus two from us Bournemouth and Brighton. Thought Watford were big and ugly enough to draw clear and West Ham had too much quality.

[DB]

I remember Bruce getting pelted on here by some when his folks died close together for not putting it behind him and doing his job.