collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Posts

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1522142 times)

Online paul_e

  • Member
  • Posts: 33280
  • Age: 44
  • GM : July, 2013
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12705 on: May 11, 2021, 10:30:18 AM »
I've seen a statistic that Fulham are the 17th team to be relegated after winning the Play Offs, a failure rate of 59%.

Yep, add in the state of our squad that summer and Smith did very well to keep us up.

Offline Risso

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 84824
  • Location: Leics
  • GM : 04.03.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12706 on: May 11, 2021, 01:52:33 PM »
Based on how we started, the season is petering out to a disappointing end.
But if we had been given this position at the beginning of the season we would  have said mission achieved.
On that it has to be a B
I hope that the squad and the starting 11 are sufficiently strengthened in the summer, which I am sure they will be.

B+ for the start to the season, D for the second half, not good enough.

Offline Brend'Watkins

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 21324
  • Location: North Birmingham Clique teritory
  • GM : 20.03.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12707 on: May 11, 2021, 03:11:08 PM »
A- for the first half, C for the 2nd. 

Offline ChicagoLion

  • Member
  • Posts: 22104
  • Location: Chicago
  • Literally
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12708 on: May 11, 2021, 03:49:50 PM »
A- for the first half, C for the 2nd.
I wish you had been my teacher ,

Offline chrisw1

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9147
  • GM : 20.08.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12709 on: May 11, 2021, 03:55:40 PM »
A for the first half season - beyond expectation.
D for the second - well below expectation.

Offline Rudy Can't Fail

  • Member
  • Posts: 38934
  • Location: In the Shade
    • http://www.heroespredictions.co.uk/pl/
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12710 on: May 11, 2021, 06:02:17 PM »
A- for the first half, C for the 2nd. 

Agree on the A- for the first half, some wonderful football and results to match. Leeds was the only real poor display but they would have beaten anybody that day.

I'd prefer to wait until the end of the season to judge the second half but today I'd give a C-. We've managed to win a few games despite a massive drop in the quality of our play that started when Jack was still in the team. The Everton result and performance was huge as is reflected in my score.

Offline SoccerHQ

  • Member
  • Posts: 42391
  • Location: Down, down, deeper and Down.
  • GM : 19.06.2021
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12711 on: May 11, 2021, 09:51:43 PM »
What's weird for the first half of the season is we weren't actually that much higher in the league than we are now.

This was the table after we lost to West Ham late November/start of December:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55039201

Was our 4th defeat from 5 and we were one place higher than we are now although of course table was far more condensed with only 9 or 10 games played, two Manchester clubs either side of us showed that.

Beating Palace 3-0 on Boxing day got us up to 6th so really this season was excellent four opening games then a really good xmas period and pretty much middling form for majority of other games.

What killed any european bid was 1 point from Newcastle and Sheffield United in early March.

Offline jwarry

  • Member
  • Posts: 5911
  • Location: Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12712 on: May 12, 2021, 08:42:58 AM »
To be fair the drop off in form coincided with some of the squad contracting COVID, after which some players were not playing at the same level, eg Jack, Doug, McGinn, Ross

Offline tomd2103

  • Member
  • Posts: 14178
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12713 on: May 12, 2021, 09:05:36 AM »
A for the first half season - beyond expectation.
D for the second - well below expectation.

Put together, we're probably slightly above where I would have expected us to be at this point.  A top ten finish would be good, especially given the lengthy absence of Jack Grealish and Barkley not really working out.

Offline Risso

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 84824
  • Location: Leics
  • GM : 04.03.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12714 on: May 12, 2021, 09:18:09 AM »
To be fair the drop off in form coincided with some of the squad contracting COVID, after which some players were not playing at the same level, eg Jack, Doug, McGinn, Ross

Smith specifically said that wasn't a factor, other than the general disruption.

Offline ChicagoLion

  • Member
  • Posts: 22104
  • Location: Chicago
  • Literally
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12715 on: May 12, 2021, 09:23:08 AM »
To be fair the drop off in form coincided with some of the squad contracting COVID, after which some players were not playing at the same level, eg Jack, Doug, McGinn, Ross

Smith specifically said that wasn't a factor, other than the general disruption.
It’s been trotted out a while now, there is long covid and fucking long covid.

Offline Allan C

  • Member
  • Posts: 1280
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12716 on: May 12, 2021, 11:20:48 AM »
To be fair the drop off in form coincided with some of the squad contracting COVID, after which some players were not playing at the same level, eg Jack, Doug, McGinn, Ross

Smith specifically said that wasn't a factor, other than the general disruption.
It’s been trotted out a while now, there is long covid and fucking long covid.
I think Covid in the squad must have played a part but also fatigue in the “first team” and a lack of quality in the deeper squad when injury or fatigue occurred. Yet we are still in a position where we can achieve 9th. That’s a good return in my book

Offline brontebilly

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9283
  • GM : 09.06.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12717 on: May 12, 2021, 11:55:57 AM »
To be fair the drop off in form coincided with some of the squad contracting COVID, after which some players were not playing at the same level, eg Jack, Doug, McGinn, Ross

Smith specifically said that wasn't a factor, other than the general disruption.
It’s been trotted out a while now, there is long covid and fucking long covid.
I think Covid in the squad must have played a part but also fatigue in the “first team” and a lack of quality in the deeper squad when injury or fatigue occurred. Yet we are still in a position where we can achieve 9th. That’s a good return in my book

Fatigue in the squad was a consequence of Smith failing to rotate the squad in the first half of the season, see JG and MON also. Often he didn't even use his subs properly in games we were coasting to wins. Post covid break, the 6 games in 18 days schedule didn't help obviously but Deano infamously stated at the time that he didn't believe in player fatigue. I'm hoping some important lessons were learned for next season.

In some ways we have been somewhat fortunate with injuries this season. Cash, Barkley and Grealish are the only regulars to have picked up significant injuries. Arguably with Grealish moving into Barkley's spot we didn't miss him all that much anyway. No changes required at GK, CB, LB, CM, FW all season really.

Offline OCD

  • Member
  • Posts: 32543
  • Location: Stuck in the middle with you
    • http://www.rightconsultant.com
  • GM : May, 2012
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12718 on: May 12, 2021, 12:00:04 PM »
Every club except probably City and United had a big drop off in form in the middle of the season.

Offline chrisw1

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9147
  • GM : 20.08.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #12719 on: May 12, 2021, 12:05:07 PM »
A for the first half season - beyond expectation.
D for the second - well below expectation.

Put together, we're probably slightly above where I would have expected us to be at this point.  A top ten finish would be good, especially given the lengthy absence of Jack Grealish and Barkley not really working out.
Yes but unfortuantely it also means we have been awful for a long time and as it stands have zero momentum going into next season.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal