Dean Smith - Confirmed

[Sdwbvf]

Chelsea and Arsenal taken it seriously - so should we.

[mcgrath_85]

I see Steve is up to his old tricks again. Change the record.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55458977

So happy to have Deano!

[john e]

This is the football we were told Smith played when he first came
Front foot, attacking looking to take the game to every team

that’s why I was so disappointed last season when we didn’t
there is obviously reasons for that but this season is what we thought we were getting with bells on

still think Shakespeare was the missing ingredient
and I don’t say that to take anything away from Smith I’m a firm believer that great leaders delegate well and aren’t threatened by those around them

Smiths built a cracking backroom team around him, that might well be his biggest achievement in how we are doing this season
Well that and a load of better players obviously, but then it’s that team that brings those players in

[algy]

This is the football we were told Smith played when he first came
Front foot, attacking looking to take the game to every team

that’s why I was so disappointed last season when we didn’t
there is obviously reasons for that but this season is what we thought we were getting with bells on

still think Shakespeare was the missing ingredient
and I don’t say that to take anything away from Smith I’m a firm believer that great leaders delegate well and aren’t threatened by those around them

Smiths built a cracking backroom team around him, that might well be his biggest achievement in how we are doing this season
Well that and a load of better players obviously, but then it’s that team that brings those players in

I felt last season, we started off playing attacking football, then as it became clear that it wasn't working, we tried a few things out to tighten up which didn't really work. Finally it clicked just after lockdown. The summer recruitment had been excellent all round, both players, coaching, and backroom staff. We've not looked back this season, we've been able to reintroduce that attacking play, but with that little bit more quality - and as important confidence - knocking around the club.

Really excited about the club at the moment. It feels like we're on the cusp of something great. I honestly wouldn't put it past us to win the league this season, we're just that good. It's brilliant.

[SoccerHQ]

Got the transfer market spot on last summer. As ever with us I wondered whether some of them would step up but what we got completely right and which DS has since mentioned last season is we massively lacked athleticism. All the top teams are all rapid in final third if you give them some space to run into and have a creator to feed the passes through.

We have that now and are light years ahead counter attacking as to what we were doing last year when it was snail pace if Jack wasn't on the ball.

Helped aswell conditioning of likes of Doug has improved and he can now last 90 minutes no problem. Strange sight to see Villa teams who actually end games more strongly than opposition now as last year and in many games in MON era we were out on our feet after 75 minutes and just clinging on for a point or games we were leading.

[KevinGage]

still think Shakespeare was the missing ingredient
and I don’t say that to take anything away from Smith I’m a firm believer that great leaders delegate well and aren’t threatened by those around them

Indeed. In contrast to O'Neill and other dinosaurs who spent a career giving jobs to their mates and never adapted their style.

He trusts O'Kelly, clearly. But was open to the board suggesting Terry and is happy to get input from an experienced coach at this level like Shakespeare. 

[Toronto Villa]

I also think he’s listened to those around him more. And accepted that we couldn’t just play the same way that was going to lead to our eventual relegation. We had to defensively disciplined first and use that as the platform to launch our attacks.

We needed those new players and the ones already at the club to become familiar with the overall style he wanted us to play in the PL but understand that with it comes an intense work rate far in excess of the levels we achieved in the Championship.

It’s a coming together of coaching, players becoming better and better players coming in all aligned on a specific way of doing things. And we also shouldn’t dismiss the impact of our owners and Purslow in all of this, who very quietly and with the minimum of fuss are doing their part behind the scenes.

[ChicagoLion]

I think you have to look at what happens to teams that have. Europa cup run that are recent to European football. If the holy grail is the Champions league then focus on qualification for that has to be the priority rather than flying all over Europe to play Bratislava Shedbuilders in a meaningless competition.

[john e]

Can you imagine what Ollie Watkins felt like at half time knowing the team were looking at defending a 1 goal lead with 10 men

then the manager stands in front of everyone and says there is no one in the premier league that he would want more than Watkins to lead the line in this half

he must have felt 10ft tall and a massive boost to the rest of the team
we didn’t defend a 1 goal lead we came out and put a couple more past them

I’ve doubted Smith in  the past, and I probably will do at times in the future
But that was great leadership yesterday

[cdbearsfan]

Yeah, I really liked that too.

[Monty]

Here's the thing. There's understandably a lot of chat about Jack in the media. There's also much discussion of similar catalysts of overachievement - Vardy, Ward-Prowse, James, Rodgers, Hasenhuttl etc. But not a lot of love for Deano, weirdly.

Probably because he doesn't look or sound fashionable. A plain-faced middle-aged English bloke with a tracksuit jacket and a Midlands accent. Were he a 37-year-old former Austrian international with sculpted facial hair and designer overcoats he would no doubt be the most fashionable man in English football, rather than (in the media's eyes) the latest shade of the Jewell-Mowbray-Coleman-Lambert type of British managerial beige. Even Wilder was a 'proper character' associated with an eye-catching tactic; Dean is a nice, likeable guy who plays formations which everyone who read Inverting the Pyramid thinks of as old news.

But just look at the evidence. Nevermind the successes - the promotion, the cup final, the survival, the revival - just look at his record with individual players. The great coaches of Now (Pep Klopp Poch etc) are rightly praised for the way they improve the footballers they work with, not just technically but tactically and psychologically. Well, look at Dean's record at the Villa: Doug, McGinn, Mings, Konsa (!), Trezeguet, now AEG, and of course Jack (and I'd argue Wesley showed signs of real improvement pre-injury). This is the record of a seriously good coach, and those who doubted him - me, that posh-named preener on the Graun pod - all have to acknowledge that the prejudices were there, were wrong, and are looking genuinely daft right now.

[dave.woodhall]

Here's the thing. There's understandably a lot of chat about Jack in the media. There's also much discussion of similar catalysts of overachievement - Vardy, Ward-Prowse, James, Rodgers, Hasenhuttl etc. But not a lot of love for Deano, weirdly.

Probably because he doesn't look or sound fashionable. A plain-faced middle-aged English bloke with a tracksuit jacket and a Midlands accent. Were he a 37-year-old former Austrian international with sculpted facial hair and designer overcoats he would no doubt be the most fashionable man in English football, rather than (in the media's eyes) the latest shade of the Jewell-Mowbray-Coleman-Lambert type of British managerial beige. Even Wilder was a 'proper character' associated with an eye-catching tactic; Dean is a nice, likeable guy who plays formations which everyone who read Inverting the Pyramid thinks of as old news.

But just look at the evidence. Nevermind the successes - the promotion, the cup final, the survival, the revival - just look at his record with individual players. The great coaches of Now (Pep Klopp Poch etc) are rightly praised for the way they improve the footballers they work with, not just technically but tactically and psychologically. Well, look at Dean's record at the Villa: Doug, McGinn, Mings, Konsa (!), Trezeguet, now AEG, and of course Jack (and I'd argue Wesley showed signs of real improvement pre-injury). This is the record of a seriously good coach, and those who doubted him - me, that posh-named preener on the Graun pod - all have to acknowledge that the prejudices were there, were wrong, and are looking genuinely daft right now.

Comparisons between him and Bielsa are reminding me of Saunders and Robson, and look who won that particular battle.

[Toronto Villa]

We’ve all been rash (to varying degrees) in judging him and he is proving us wrong. Certainly me. He’s done a stunning job in looking at himself and his methods and turning what appeared a lost cause into one of the best stories in English and European football in the last 6 months. Six months. That’s right. In 6 months a side that was as good as dead is now threatening to break into the top 4 let alone the top 6. And doing it playing some wonderful football. Spurs today, for all they have spent and their illustrious manager didn’t get a shot off after the 21st minute. We create chance after chance and while we may not always win we are superb to watch.

You’re right Monty. He’s not the most fashionable bloke. He’s got a thick Brummie accent and is in many ways your bog standard bloke who you’d find shopping at Tescos on a Sunday afternoon with the family. He doesn’t wear a black shirt and suit. He doesn’t have a cultured look. But he’s proving that Birmingham has produced at this moment in time one of the most cultured progressive managers in Europe and easily one of the most cultured footballers in world football today.

[tomd2103]

This is the football we were told Smith played when he first came
Front foot, attacking looking to take the game to every team

that’s why I was so disappointed last season when we didn’t
there is obviously reasons for that but this season is what we thought we were getting with bells on

still think Shakespeare was the missing ingredient
and I don’t say that to take anything away from Smith I’m a firm believer that great leaders delegate well and aren’t threatened by those around them

Smiths built a cracking backroom team around him, that might well be his biggest achievement in how we are doing this season
Well that and a load of better players obviously, but then it’s that team that brings those players in

I felt last season, we started off playing attacking football, then as it became clear that it wasn't working, we tried a few things out to tighten up which didn't really work. Finally it clicked just after lockdown. The summer recruitment had been excellent all round, both players, coaching, and backroom staff. We've not looked back this season, we've been able to reintroduce that attacking play, but with that little bit more quality - and as important confidence - knocking around the club.

One of the most noticeable improvements for me has been the fitness levels of the players.  We used to look dead on our feet in the final stages, but now look much sharper overall and are able to take it to teams right up until the final whistle. 

[dave.woodhall]

This is the first time in his managerial career that Deano has ever been able to make plans, because last summer was the first close-season where he hasn't had to completely rebuild his team.