Dean Smith - Confirmed

[paul_e]

A defeat against Olbiyon and Smith might be facing a few difficult questions from the owners.

We spent a lot of money and have blown a fantastic start to the season. it's as if the players and coaches decided to hit the beach once e got to 30 odd points.

Or it's as if we had to close the training ground for 2 weeks in the middle of the season because of a virus outbreak in the squad and it completely derailed our season.

[Rudy65]

A defeat against Olbiyon and Smith might be facing a few difficult questions from the owners.

We spent a lot of money and have blown a fantastic start to the season. it's as if the players and coaches decided to hit the beach once e got to 30 odd points.

Or it's as if we had to close the training ground for 2 weeks in the middle of the season because of a virus outbreak in the squad and it completely derailed our season.

Straws and clutching

[Risso]

Terrible. Same insipid line ups, tactics and substitutions. Oh look, here comes El Ghazi for Traore. Let's bring on Ross for a mild jog about and to practice giving the ball away.

[olaftab]

No Dean we are not seeing any improvement in your team. Disregarding from freak results at the start of the season we are as awful as we were last season.

[Smirker]

Second half of the season isn't Smith's fault.

Grealish injury and the Covid break did it.

[Risso]

Second half of the season isn't Smith's fault.

Grealish injury and the Covid break did it.

Bloody hell, so we can't cope with a two week break? Other teams seem to manage it when there are international games on.

[paul_e]

A defeat against Olbiyon and Smith might be facing a few difficult questions from the owners.

We spent a lot of money and have blown a fantastic start to the season. it's as if the players and coaches decided to hit the beach once e got to 30 odd points.

Or it's as if we had to close the training ground for 2 weeks in the middle of the season because of a virus outbreak in the squad and it completely derailed our season.

Straws and clutching

Or facts backed by stats, you decide.

[Villan82]

Yes, the Covid outbreak was highly disruptive and we are hardly the only team affected? Besides, we know more about how Covid affected other clubs than how it affected us because everything is top secret at villa.

The results have been absolutely abysmal since Burnley away when we contrived to lose that game we dominated (post Covid btw).

[Steve67]

Same shit, different match. Roll on next season. This ones done. FFS don’t lose to the Albion!

[Smirker]

Second half of the season isn't Smith's fault.

Grealish injury and the Covid break did it.

Bloody hell, so we can't cope with a two week break? Other teams seem to manage it when there are international games on.

It wasn't a two week rest, it was a health issue. Our players who tested positive may still be recovering.

[Rudy65]

A defeat against Olbiyon and Smith might be facing a few difficult questions from the owners.

We spent a lot of money and have blown a fantastic start to the season. it's as if the players and coaches decided to hit the beach once e got to 30 odd points.

Or it's as if we had to close the training ground for 2 weeks in the middle of the season because of a virus outbreak in the squad and it completely derailed our season.

Straws and clutching

Or facts backed by stats, you decide.

They are professional athletes who have all recovered from COVID. None of them have been missing from the squad since the two week break. They would be monitored relentlessly for their health and bloods etc. They wouldn’t be playing if they were still ‘ill’. Poor excuse in my view

[eamonn]

Our game plan has been found out/Grealish missing is surely more likely than Covid-related effects?

[Steve67]

Too many excuses for not being good enough. COVID, Grealish is out etc. None of it should stop us from competing, putting in the hard yards, passing to another claret shirt, working your nuts off.

[Risso]

It wasn't a two week rest, it was a health issue. Our players who tested positive may still be recovering.

All of the first team were straight back into games after the two weeks, which slightly kills that theory dead.

[paul_e]

They are professional athletes who have all recovered from COVID. None of them have been missing from the squad since the two week break. They would be monitored relentlessly for their health and bloods etc. They wouldn’t be playing if they were still ‘ill’. Poor excuse in my view

And yet:

Pre-covid: played 15, 8 wins, 29 goals, 26 points
Post-covid: played 16, 5 wins, 15 goals, 18 points

I'm not making an excuse, I'm pointing out the very clear split in the season. Even without stats every genuinely good performance from us was in those first 15, since then we've looked a shadow of that team. Grealish being out has been part of it but even before his injury we looked a lot less fluid and were struggling to make the vast amount of chances that we'd been seeing every game earlier in the season.

I don't know why the break affected us so badly but arguing that it didn't or that it's an excuse is ignoring what is right in front of you.