Dean Smith - Confirmed

[Drummond]

Dean has done a fine job for us without question but his tactical rigidity and like-for-like substitutions seem to show a lack of imagination and tactical nous that you need to be a really top manager.

If you look at Leicester Brendan Rodgers is constantly tweaking styles and formations to get the best out of his teams. They have been without a number of their star players for chunks of this season and have scarcely missed a beat.

Seeing the line up and formation yesterday was dispiriting. Even without Grealish or particularly without Grealish we need a bit of tactical imagination that we seem to be lacking.

Nail and head here.  Look at the injuries Leicester have had this season (were without Barnes and Maddison yesterday) yet Rodgers has changed the shape/formation when different players have come in and they play as if it is no different every week. I would say that our squad is not that far off Leicesters for quality so it just needs more tactical awareness both on and off the pitch.  A couple of top class additions this summer and we would be level in quality with them.

I would say our squad is miles off Leicester's in terms of quality, which is no surprise given what each club has been doing for the last 5 years.

I'd say 10 years when their ownership changed. but I'd still agree about the quality, consistency and embedding of culture etc.

[SoccerHQ]

Think with all the sobering stats thrown around the one point from losing positions gained all season is a really worrying one for me.

It was similar last season and yet with a much better team we're as bad if not worse at it this season.

It's the same when Jack is playing, why are we no good digging out draws and the odd win when we're one down with 30 minutes left? Watford game an example when we did it last season and that was a very crucial three points in the end. We were playing a team last night who've lost countless points from 1 up all season (lost to Arsenal from 1-0 7 days ago) so to me we will never become a top 6 team again if we don't sort that out as we got loads of points in the MON seasons coming back from 1 or 2 down on many occasions so that's a template.

[brontebilly]

Our best player (one of the very best anywhere) is out. The player signed to help make a difference is out of form after his injury.

With those two in and firing, we're a completely different team. Our movement, ball retention and creativity are wanting at the moment and it puts pressure on others.

We're not on the best run but it's not about the quality of the manager, it's about the quality of the players we (don't) have.

Traore has gone off the boil. Trez works hard and whilst it works when there is creativity elsewhere in the side, it makes us look weaker when there isn't. AEG just isn't consistent enough yet.

Fully agree, every team has a dip during the season and should not be totally unexpected in this particularly strange season.

This isn't a dip though. We are playing some of the most turgid football seen since the days of Alex McLeish. Smith seems clueless as to what to do when Grealish is unavailable, that's going back to the day he joined the club not any recent development. In recent games, we have had Trez in the Grealish sized hole on our left flank with predictable results. Surely yesterday was the ideal day for tearing up the tactical script against a very vulnerable Spurs team. Not the same 433 rubbish with two horribly out of form wingers.

Any team suffers when a world-class player isn't available, unless they have other world-class players to replace them; that's not the fault of the manager it's just a plain and simple fact.

Yes, you can make adjustments to cope, but in reality that again comes down to the quality of the other players available to you. Barkley would have been seen as someone to add quality, and he did for a while. Other than that, we're short in that area and will no doubt be looking for additional resources.

And tearing up the tactical script and going for what? If you change it massively, you'll end up confusing the issue.

Long and short of it is that we're still improving. We're inconsistent but we are way better than we were. We will come back into form again, we'll improve again too.

So far Smith got us promoted a year early. Then he kept us up. This season we're safe with a dozen games to go and the very definition of a mid-table team. Next season we should be aiming for top 8, though that means overhauling a bunch of teams who have spent considerably more than we have, and had plenty of time to build.

Confusing what issue? Let's say 352 as an example, what's the worst that can happen. Mings plays on the left of a three for England, both our full backs should be fine further up. Konsa I'm sure could cope. It would mean a recall from cold storage for Engels alright but if we are going to flog him in the summer that would be no harm, put him in the middle. Maybe even go direct like Spurs did yesterday with two up top.

Anything to avoid playing with 2/3 of Trez, AEG and Traore on the wings is worth a go. Any team would miss a player of Jack's quality but that in itself is no excuse for the rubbish performances we are turning out.

[Mister E]

Confusing what issue? Let's say 352 as an example, what's the worst that can happen. Mings plays on the left of a three for England, both our full backs should be fine further up. Konsa I'm sure could cope. It would mean a recall from cold storage for Engels alright but if we are going to flog him in the summer that would be no harm, put him in the middle. Maybe even go direct like Spurs did yesterday with two up top.
Anything to avoid playing with 2/3 of Trez, AEG and Traore on the wings is worth a go. Any team would miss a player of Jack's quality but that in itself is no excuse for the rubbish performances we are turning out.

I got roundly slammed by a few people round here for suggesting a 3-5-2 a few weeks' ago. 
The logic is that we do not have good enough wingers and were getting over-run through the middle. With Cash and Targett, we have good WB's.
A MF 3 permed from JG, Luiz, Sanson, Ramsey and McGinn (depending on  the opposition and availability) and a front 2 of Watkins and Traore would give us more solidity and flexibility (with Barry or Ramsey Minor - when deemed good enough - offering options). The task in the summer would be to offload some deadwood and improve our CB options as well as getting cover for Targett. A world-class winger coming in would increase our tactical options.

[Clampy]

I think the system Mister E suggested would suit Traore as well. I'm not convinced about him playing out wide.

[LukeJames]

Confusing what issue? Let's say 352 as an example, what's the worst that can happen. Mings plays on the left of a three for England, both our full backs should be fine further up. Konsa I'm sure could cope. It would mean a recall from cold storage for Engels alright but if we are going to flog him in the summer that would be no harm, put him in the middle. Maybe even go direct like Spurs did yesterday with two up top.
Anything to avoid playing with 2/3 of Trez, AEG and Traore on the wings is worth a go. Any team would miss a player of Jack's quality but that in itself is no excuse for the rubbish performances we are turning out.

A world-class winger coming in would increase our tactical options.

Im hoping for two, move Jack too the 10 and spend whatever we'd have had to spend on Barkley plus another 30m on two quality winger's. Move Trezeguet on for whatever we can get.

[brontebilly]

I think the system Mister E suggested would suit Traore as well. I'm not convinced about him playing out wide.

Agreed, he looks poorly scouted in all honesty for that right wing spot, can't believe he played as a wing back for Lyon! A complete liability in our half of the pitch. His best work is often in and around the opposition box, has a tidy turn, touch and shot.

Needs taking out of the side for his own good currently.

[villa for life]

Given that we have one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, an England Central defender, another central defender who will surely be an England regular soon and who is desired by many of the top clubs. Add to this,  two decent full backs. Then we’ve got Mcginn who was once so good he was linked with Man U coupled with a Brazilian international. We are also lucky enough to have one of the best players in the Europe/world in Grealish and now a Centre forward who has just earned England recognition, is 10th -13th a fair reflection of where this team should sit?

10-13th is obviously a huge improvement on last year, but I’d argue that isn’t particularly impressive in itself as we’ve added Martinez, Traore, Cash and Watkins,  so one would expect a higher finish.

I suppose we, the fans, and more importantly certain players, who might be tempted to leave need to keep the faith. If we can add 2/3 quality players and then finish next season 5 places higher than this season, that’ll be progress. But if that looks unlikely to happen, Dean will be under pressure.

We’ve been bad for quite a while already, and if we have a poor end to the season, plus an underwhelming start to next season, that’ll be the equivalent of almost a season’s worth of playing well below par...hopefully, that scenario doesn’t unfold, and we turn it around next game.

[London Villan]

One of the things that allowed us to catch teams out early in the season was them not quite knowing how we'd play - like adding Barkley to the mix. We are now totally predictable - even more so with Grealish out. The 3-5-2 option above is imaginative and plays to the strengths of the squad.

It would also be worthwhile interchanging Jack as a 10 or out wide with flat 3 in the middle - depending on who we are playing. It just keeps other teams guessing and makes us less predictable.

[aj2k77]

Just try something other than the current lazy swapping of wide men and whatever centre mid had a nightmare last game. Show some nous, or imagination or the ability to change things on the fly.

[brontebilly]

Obviously we did try 3 for a while last season and it went ok for a while until it didn't. But there were a couple of fundamental problems with it, namely Hause was blindingly unsuited to it as all three need to be comfortable on the ball. Mings was/is nowhere near good enough to be in the centre of the three as it only exposes his lack of a right foot. Think Engels might have played on the right of the three a bit, like when Shane Long made bits of his lack of pace. But all could be fixable with Engels in the centre and Konsa and Mings either side. Worth a shot anyway. Think bringing in someone like Tuanzebe in the summer could make this a more realistic option next season, he is very good with the ball and stepping into midfield.

Worth a shot v Fulham and free Jack up to play near Watkins.

[Mister E]

One of the things that allowed us to catch teams out early in the season was them not quite knowing how we'd play - like adding Barkley to the mix. We are now totally predictable...

That's the killer: the obvious predictability of our set-up. We've rightly moaned on here about our quality dropping since the CV-19 outbreak, but I think our decline is as least as much to do with teams preparing for us in the sure knowledge that we'll play a certain way - nullify Grealish and overload the midfield.

[exigo]

There was a point in the game yesterday where the camera cut away to our bench. Shakespeare was vociferously making a point with his fingers, where a player could move to to create an advantage; O'Kelly shrugged his shoulders; Smith brought on Barkley for Sanson.

I really want us to get to the next level with Dean at the helm. But he's got to be braver, more imaginative. Otherwise he's going to get called out for being another Bruce, making the same subs at the same time with the same predictable outcome.

Watkins is getting no service at the moment, so for gods sake change it around up top to help him. Even start with Davis alongside him, so that the ball sticks. If your solution is Barkley, you're asking the wrong question.

[SoccerHQ]

Given that we have one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, an England Central defender, another central defender who will surely be an England regular soon and who is desired by many of the top clubs. Add to this,  two decent full backs. Then we’ve got Mcginn who was once so good he was linked with Man U coupled with a Brazilian international. We are also lucky enough to have one of the best players in the Europe/world in Grealish and now a Centre forward who has just earned England recognition, is 10th -13th a fair reflection of where this team should sit?

10-13th is obviously a huge improvement on last year, but I’d argue that isn’t particularly impressive in itself as we’ve added Martinez, Traore, Cash and Watkins,  so one would expect a higher finish.

I suppose we, the fans, and more importantly certain players, who might be tempted to leave need to keep the faith. If we can add 2/3 quality players and then finish next season 5 places higher than this season, that’ll be progress. But if that looks unlikely to happen, Dean will be under pressure.

We’ve been bad for quite a while already, and if we have a poor end to the season, plus an underwhelming start to next season, that’ll be the equivalent of almost a season’s worth of playing well below par...hopefully, that scenario doesn’t unfold, and we turn it around next game.

Our defence has been posting top 5 stats pretty much all season. Our attack with Jack is comfortably top 10 although very much bottom 6 for last 5-6 games.

So even without taking into account whatever xG is saying today we've been a top half team all season in terms of output so 12/13th would be underachievement for what we've produced.

Mind you stats would also say Brighton should be 5th in the league so sometimes it's a little off reality as you can't measure stuff like mental toughness and resilience.

I assume we're 20th for points won when we're behind in games so loads of metrics out there to measure a season.

[ChicagoLion]

There was a point in the game yesterday where the camera cut away to our bench. Shakespeare was vociferously making a point with his fingers, where a player could move to to create an advantage; O'Kelly shrugged his shoulders; Smith brought on Barkley for Sanson.

I really want us to get to the next level with Dean at the helm. But he's got to be braver, more imaginative. Otherwise he's going to get called out for being another Bruce, making the same subs at the same time with the same predictable outcome.

Watkins is getting no service at the moment, so for gods sake change it around up top to help him. Even start with Davis alongside him, so that the ball sticks. If your solution is Barkley, you're asking the wrong question.

His inflexibility and doggedly doing the same things even when they don't work is a very worrying trait.