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Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1523715 times)

Online Legion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11250 on: February 23, 2021, 08:00:20 AM »
Peter Schmchael was our player not some waster  on loan

His contract stipulated that he had to start if fit.

Not quite, if this article is to be believed.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2002/0412/163431-astonvilla/

I am not surprised gentlemen's agreements may be in place sometimes but that is not the same as having it written into a formal contract. Of course, Smith/Villa may have a non-contractual agreement with Barkley/Chelsea that amounts to the same thing in practice.

Thanks for that.

Offline Bent Neilsens Screamer

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11251 on: February 23, 2021, 08:03:17 AM »
As has been said before, if you loan a player then there is an understanding that if you don't play him you haven't as much chance of getting another loan from the same club (and before anyone says how terrible it is that we're doing what Chelsea want how low have we fallen, that's the current reality). Plus, managers sometimes fancy, or don't, a player, as we saw with Lansbury, who was given every chance before he got binned.

I really do hope that our chances of future success aren't based on Chelsea loaning us any more players. It was fine when we were in the Championship needing to get out, and excusable this season taking a chance on Barkley, but next year will be our third year back, so I hope that we'll just be looking to buy the players we need to continue to improve. By my reckoning they us more than we owe them anyway, after paying some of Drinkwater's wages last year, and now doing the same with Barkley.

I’m not too hung up on loans, they serve a purpose for the biggest of clubs. I’d much rather Barkley turning these performances in knowing that we can give him back instead of thinking, shit, we’ve just spunked £40m on him. Saying that the loan fee of £11m, I heard ,feels like a transfer and judging by Smith’s selections he feels the same.

Offline Ian.

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11252 on: February 23, 2021, 08:10:47 AM »
Overall form-wise we don't look much different to any other team in the 5th-10th places. Over the last 5 games we've picked up exactly the same number of points as Everton, for example, and considerably more than Spurs have.

I think just a bit of patience with Dean and all would go a long way. We're now (IMO) looking like a top half team. Not one of the heavyweights, but not a side who many sides will expect to get 6pts off either.

Yep that’s very true Algy.

Offline Mister E

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11253 on: February 23, 2021, 08:44:59 AM »
I think our last 10 games (I know selective) points is pushing relegation form.  This has to be addressed quickly, our inability to rotate the squad is going to hurt us.  Ross Barkley SJM and Douglas Luis ,are all underperforming we have midfielders in the squad, who are of an unknown quality, give each one them 4 starts and the aforementioned trio a rest.
11 points in 10 games means we would probably stay up if that was indicative of the whole season.
It isn't.
Clearly our form has dipped, but - with 36 points in the bag - now is the time for Smith to give other members of the squad some game time and get them ready for next season. I'm thinking Sanson, Ramsey, Kesler and  - when fit - Barry. Possibly, Chuk as well.

Offline Risso

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11254 on: February 23, 2021, 09:00:35 AM »
As has been said before, if you loan a player then there is an understanding that if you don't play him you haven't as much chance of getting another loan from the same club (and before anyone says how terrible it is that we're doing what Chelsea want how low have we fallen, that's the current reality). Plus, managers sometimes fancy, or don't, a player, as we saw with Lansbury, who was given every chance before he got binned.

I really do hope that our chances of future success aren't based on Chelsea loaning us any more players. It was fine when we were in the Championship needing to get out, and excusable this season taking a chance on Barkley, but next year will be our third year back, so I hope that we'll just be looking to buy the players we need to continue to improve. By my reckoning they us more than we owe them anyway, after paying some of Drinkwater's wages last year, and now doing the same with Barkley.

I’m not too hung up on loans, they serve a purpose for the biggest of clubs. I’d much rather Barkley turning these performances in knowing that we can give him back instead of thinking, shit, we’ve just spunked £40m on him. Saying that the loan fee of £11m, I heard ,feels like a transfer and judging by Smith’s selections he feels the same.

I agree loans are fine, by and large, but we shouldn't continue to play Barkley just to increase Chelsea's chances of loaning players to us in the future, was my point. Now we're at the stage where we're getting closer to competing with them I can't imagine they'll be too keen to do us too many favours going forward anyway.

Offline Drummond

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11255 on: February 23, 2021, 11:24:53 AM »
The last ten games have seen us average a point a game, which after a great start to the season is really disappointing, and in terms of points extrapolated over a season is staying up by the skin of your teeth territory. We're also back to giving up c.20 shots a game, which is the problem we had all season up until the break last year. Given how much the first team has improved, what's gone wrong?


11 Points from last 10 matches.

Losses to Man City (isn't everyone) Man Utd (typical), Burnley (how the fuck did that happen?), West ham (great run in Chumps League places), and Leicester (doing really well). The only one to be really disappointed with would be Burnley in my view though West Ham potentially too.

Draws to Chelsea (not bad really), Brighton (the form team other than Man City).

Wins against Newcastle (quite right too), Southampton (good result that), and Arsenal (another positive result).

Chelsea - D
Man Utd - L
Man City - L
Newcastle - W
Burnley - L
Southampton - W
West Ham - L
Arsenal - W
Brighton - D
Leicester - L

I don't think those results look to bad in the context of where we finished last season and in the way we're developing. Over the course of the season, we're doing better than we would probably have expected to, but it's a shame our earlier really promising form has dropped off a bit.

I think it's the drop-off in form in the way we've played that's causing concern.  I don't think there is a fan on these pages who wouldn't have snapped your hand off for 36 points and 8th place after 23 games before a ball was kicked this season. 

The problem is that compared to 25 points after 13 games (I think that's what we had?) it feels a bit like we've fallen away lately?  Swap those two bits of form around (25 points from the most recent 13 games) and everyone would be happy, and feel like we're progressing nicely as a team. But having started the way we did, and seeing a few bad habits from last season creep back in (like the number of shots we're conceding), you can't help but feel a *little* disappointed with things right now.  Of course, a couple of wins will change that very easily!

Oh I agree, I felt flat again after Sunday, it's the hope that kills you. Though we got better and back into the game, we were clearly second best. I don't want to accept it, or bow down to anyone else but at the same time, we have to realise where we were two years ago and the progress we've made and are still making. 

We're still pushing well, our form over the past 10 games has dropped off but extrapolated over a season would have had us in 15th place last year so not even relegation form. Improvement but this is our bad spell. We were never going to maintain our early form were we? (Though I was dreaming about it...)

Offline ChicagoLion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11256 on: February 23, 2021, 12:07:05 PM »
All clubs have a poor run of form this season (Citeh had theirs early).
I was hoping that we would put one of those runs together to get us knocking on the Top 4 door but a combination of fatigue, errors, and poor team selection has so far stymied us.

There is always hope we go on a charge, midtable mediocrity is dull.

Online Legion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11257 on: February 23, 2021, 12:21:30 PM »
Eminently preferable to an 'exciting' relegation dog-fight.

Offline Meanwood Villa

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11258 on: February 23, 2021, 12:35:25 PM »
Yes we were all wishing for a nice dull season in the summer I'm sure. Europe has become the target but Jack's injury puts a significant spanner in the works. Just hope we don't completely stumble over the line and only pick up two or three more wins because I think that will puncture a lot of the feelgood there is at the moment.

Offline ChicagoLion

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11259 on: February 23, 2021, 12:50:20 PM »
Eminently preferable to an 'exciting' relegation dog-fight.
There is a bit of me that actually likes being involved right to the end of the season.

Online dave shelley

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11260 on: February 23, 2021, 04:23:34 PM »
Eminently preferable to an 'exciting' relegation dog-fight.
There is a bit of me that actually likes being involved right to the end of the season.

Not for me, nothing like being safe at the earliest possible moment.  I feel if you have the correct structure in place then you can use the time for introducing promising youth and acclimatising them into the method they will be expected to play.  Also, time for the management to experiment with new formations.  Challenging for European positions notwithstanding.

Offline exigo

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11261 on: February 23, 2021, 06:48:58 PM »
10,000 fans in for the last home game of the season. Carnival atmosphere. Yes, it would be nice to have Europe going into it, but I'll celebrate 10th at that game like it's the best thing that's happened in a long while.

Offline OCD

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11262 on: February 23, 2021, 06:52:01 PM »
Will the Premier League approve the last game letting fans back in though? Only the teams who were drawn to be at home in the last game of the season will benefit so I wouldn't be surprised if they put it off until next season. For the sake of one game, they may as well wait until August when I assume capacity crowds will be allowed in again.

Offline exigo

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11263 on: February 23, 2021, 06:55:42 PM »
Course they will. Clubs will demand it.
Villa haven't had a fan in all season, so would argue that the likes of Liverpool, Everton and the south coast teams had an advantage earlier in the season when they had 2,000 and 4,000 in.

Online dave.woodhall

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Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #11264 on: February 23, 2021, 06:55:49 PM »
Eminently preferable to an 'exciting' relegation dog-fight.
There is a bit of me that actually likes being involved right to the end of the season.

Boring mid-table will mean an extra £20 million or so in prize money.

 


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