Dean Smith - Confirmed

[SoccerHQ]

Isn't Olympics late July/early August? So he could possibly play in both which would mean next to no pre season for us and very little rest.

Guess we'll see more of Sanson start of next season so that's one and Ramsey will get more starts aswell.

[cdbearsfan]

I don't think they'll choose players to play in both. Clubs can refuse to release players for the Olympics and they'd probably feel justified in doing so if Brazil tried that.

The Copa America runs June 13th to July 11th. Olympics is from July 21st to August 8th. The Premier League starts on 14th August.

[PaulWinch again]

Dean really does need to get better at using his squad. Clearly part of that is having sufficient depth in the squad to be willing/prepared to use it. But he has made comments that in the past that suggest he doesn’t really believe in resting players. He needs to get over that.

[brontebilly]

Isn't Olympics late July/early August? So he could possibly play in both which would mean next to no pre season for us and very little rest.

Guess we'll see more of Sanson start of next season so that's one and Ramsey will get more starts aswell.

Ramsey generally disappoints when he starts and impresses when he comes on as a sub.

[Monty]

The meaninglessness of the end of the season means to me that it's time to experiment. Deano loves this system, but it's reliant on our least well performing (and most injured) players. A diamond 4-4-2 could help get the best out of McGinn once more, gives Keinan a chance and let's Ollie worry a little less about occupying whole defences by himself and focus a little more on scoring goals.

[brontebilly]

The meaninglessness of the end of the season means to me that it's time to experiment. Deano loves this system, but it's reliant on our least well performing (and most injured) players. A diamond 4-4-2 could help get the best out of McGinn once more, gives Keinan a chance and let's Ollie worry a little less about occupying whole defences by himself and focus a little more on scoring goals.

I'd like to see Watkins tried more on the wing. It's an option I'd like to see us use a bit more next season. Definitely worth trying until the season end in a few games. As much as we would all like to see McGinn further up the pitch, starting Nakamba again is a no go for me.

[TonyD]

We have completed our March and April fixtures
Played 8
Won 1
Drawn 3
Lost 4

Yikes - didn’t realise it was that bad. 

[passport1]

Yes I suspect the owners will be assessing  that come the end of the season

[john e]

I think Dean Smith has done a great job since he came

But my own personal view is he will not be good enough to build a team to take us into the top six
I know people will say he needs to be given the chance and that’s fine I can see why people think that
But for me he won’t do it he’s too old-fashioned in his ways too stubborn to inflexible he’s not learning on the job he’s making the same mistakes game after game
And obviously the biggest thing is he’s been reliant on Grealish to get him to where we are at the moment

That creates two big questions 1 when do we part ways with him
And 2 who replaces him
If the replacements are Sean Dyche, EddieHowe type people Then although there is absolutely nothing wrong with them they’re both fine managers but they’re not what we need to take us to the top six
If that’s where we are then I’d much rather just stick with Smith As he is plenty good enough to keep us mid table in the premiership

What we need is someone in Nagelsmann’s class (probably Bayern bound) which is going to be difficult but then we are the second richest club in the premiership and money does talk apparently
Leeds got the Bielsa and Everton got Ancelotti

Thinking big and going for it can be done
as for when to make the change I think that all depends on when the right man is available to replace him with

What I think will happen is we will stick with Dean and see if he can get us to the next level hopefully he proves me wrong
my fear is if he doesn’t we might find we are back to square one with player replacements and spending again
Sometimes it’s best to change when you have the manoeuvered yourself into a better position rather than when you have hit the bottom

[London Villan]

Dean will spend £100m in the summer and be expected to deliver... A run of form at the start of the season like we are experiencing now and he'll be under immense pressure. Start like we did this season and he'll be tipped as the next England manager.

[paul_e]

That creates two big questions 1 when do we part ways with him
And 2 who replaces him
If the replacements are Sean Dyche, EddieHowe type people Then although there is absolutely nothing wrong with them they’re both fine managers but they’re not what we need to take us to the top six
If that’s where we are then I’d much rather just stick with Smith As he is plenty good enough to keep us mid table in the premiership

Not going to quote the whole thing and I don't agree with lots of it but this bit is important.

You are absolutely correct that managers like those 2 are not what we want or need, there are plenty more names that could be added as well.

When Smith goes then there are 2 ways to replace him that should be on the table.
1. Someone with a pedigree of bringing through youth players. This would be the choice if we decide to really double down on making our own stars via the academy and want someone to come in and give them game time.
2. A big name who will make teams and players sit up and take notice, someone that people think should be out of our reach (for me it'd be seeing what it would take to get Simeone to leave Atletico).

[Risso]

That creates two big questions 1 when do we part ways with him
And 2 who replaces him
If the replacements are Sean Dyche, EddieHowe type people Then although there is absolutely nothing wrong with them they’re both fine managers but they’re not what we need to take us to the top six
If that’s where we are then I’d much rather just stick with Smith As he is plenty good enough to keep us mid table in the premiership

Not going to quote the whole thing and I don't agree with lots of it but this bit is important.

You are absolutely correct that managers like those 2 are not what we want or need, there are plenty more names that could be added as well.

When Smith goes then there are 2 ways to replace him that should be on the table.
1. Someone with a pedigree of bringing through youth players. This would be the choice if we decide to really double down on making our own stars via the academy and want someone to come in and give them game time.
2. A big name who will make teams and players sit up and take notice, someone that people think should be out of our reach (for me it'd be seeing what it would take to get Simeone to leave Atletico).

I've been critical of Smith. but I'd rather keep him than go for somebody like Howe or Dyche. I want the owners to start acting like the other gazillionaire owners and start thinking as big. Simeone would be brilliant, but if that's a bit unrealistic somebody like Schmidt at PSV would be a good fit.

[Monty]

I think Simeone is doomed to fail if he leaves the universe he's created in his image over there, and especially if he comes to England, as many people have remarked that his charisma is highly dependent on how he expresses himself in Spanish.

[LeeB]

I think Simeone is doomed to fail if he leaves the universe he's created in his image over there, and especially if he comes to England, as many people have remarked that his charisma is highly dependent on how he expresses himself in Spanish.

Yeah, but he's fucking cool and menacing. It's enough for me.

[boozey182]

I think Dean bought himself another 12 months with our form up until New Year. It's easy to forget now, but we were really good up until that point. Obviously, that was largely down to Jack's form, but I can't remember too many matches at all in which we were outplayed up until that point. Leeds at home is the only one that jumps out.

It's frustrating to see it all fizzle out, and there are a few worrying signs - not least the very basic errors that we continue to make. But the biggest worry is the fact he seems hell-bent on the same formation *no matter what*.

I think his greatest achievement as Villa manager so far is keeping us up after the Covid break. He went away and did something that most managers seem incapable of doing - he went against is natural instincts and changed the way we set up. Making us harder to beat is what got us those points in the last four matches, and it was all down to him. He made that happen. by learning from his mistakes.

That's what makes the last couple of months so frustrating. Keinan has made a difference on a few occasions now (let's not forget the penalty he could have had in the last seconds against Man U, which never got looked at), but Dean still seems reluctant to change the system to incorporate him, often opting for Barkley instead. Ramsey, I understand, but Barkley? Is he just being stubborn? I can't work out the logic.

The only thing that matters at this point is next season, in my opinion. I want to see Dean building for that. Whether that means trying out a few kids to give them experience, or trying out a few new systems - I want evidence that we are planning for something different. I want to know that Dean can adapt again, for when Jack gets injured again (and he will), or for when Plan A isn't working - players like Wes and Davis are perfect for that, because they offer something different to Ollie. The last few games this season are such a rare opportunity to build for next year - I really hope we don't waste it.

I do think that it is a good thing that we've had Barkley this season, because the couple of times that he's made an impact (I'm struggling to think of any genuinely good performances, but he has made an impact on a few games) it's highlighted how good we can be with someone doing that job. Just imagine if we had someone doing that week in, week out. That has to be a priority for the summer, alongside upgrading the wingers.

I'm very optimistic about next season, with Dean in charge. He'll get backed again in the summer, and he always performs better after a long break - but in the summer, we need as much work as we needed last year, and then we need an even bigger improvement. If we're not challenging for the European spots by Christmas, i think we might need to look elsewhere, but by improving year on year, Dean has more than earned the right to have go to take us to the next level - he hasn't failed yet.