Dean Smith - Confirmed

[Ian.]

Nope, Graham, Brighton's gentle but brainy guru in charge. A Villa man too....allegedly.

Oh, Brighton’s Potter, yes let’s get him in, he is a Villa man. So what happens if we have another unsettled summer, maybe if we don’t start the season too well because of one disruption or another we’ll ditch him after four games and employ the real Potter.

Good one mrunderhill.

[WarszaVillan]

I thought Smith got everything pretty much spot on against Chelsea. Just individual errors and not getting the rub of the green cost us.

[algy]

Every player in our squad has improved and increased in value under Smith. As have the club's results in terms of end of season league position.

Yeah, this sums it up for me.

I like Potter, and I'd not be against him becoming Villa manager in the future - but I also think that Dean is a really, really good coach.  I don't know what his 'limit' is, but I'm confident that he hasn't reached it yet.

[dave.woodhall]

I was talking to a friend of equal vintage last week. He agreed with me that with today's supporter expectations Ron Saunders would have been lucky to survive beyond the end of 1978-79 and would almost certainly have been sacked a few weeks into the following season. After all, eighth, eighth and seventh would indicate that he'd found his level.

[Drummond]

I was talking to a friend of equal vintage last week. He agreed with me that with today's supporter expectations Ron Saunders would have been lucky to survive beyond the end of 1978-79 and would almost certainly have been sacked a few weeks into the following season. After all, eighth, eighth and seventh would indicate that he'd found his level.

And that's it, we're in a results business now more than ever before, mostly media driven of course and we're all a product of that. I do wonder as well whether it's about a winning mentality though, instead of it being 'the taking part that counts'.

[Bobby Boy]

I was talking to a friend of equal vintage last week. He agreed with me that with today's supporter expectations Ron Saunders would have been lucky to survive beyond the end of 1978-79 and would almost certainly have been sacked a few weeks into the following season. After all, eighth, eighth and seventh would indicate that he'd found his level.

I'm sure that you are right and it indicates more than anything the upped levels of scrutiny and therefore expectations that there are now. In the late 70's there weren't TV and radio channels pumping out wall-to-wall football with all the hours to fill and focus on individual results that inevitably increase pressure.

Saunders would have gone, Ferguson would definitely have gone.

Perhaps also there's a greater impatience amongst fans. We live in a have-it-now society so maybe that plays a part?

[dave.woodhall]

I was talking to a friend of equal vintage last week. He agreed with me that with today's supporter expectations Ron Saunders would have been lucky to survive beyond the end of 1978-79 and would almost certainly have been sacked a few weeks into the following season. After all, eighth, eighth and seventh would indicate that he'd found his level.

I'm sure that you are right and it indicates more than anything the upped levels of scrutiny and therefore expectations that there are now. In the late 70's there weren't TV and radio channels pumping out wall-to-wall football with all the hours to fill and focus on individual results that inevitably increase pressure.

Saunders would have gone, Ferguson would definitely have gone.

Perhaps also there's a greater impatience amongst fans. We live in a have-it-now society so maybe that plays a part?

Absolutely. Plus, some people are now full-time football supporters. They know everything about every player in the country, and soon find out about any one that's mentioned in the news.

[sickbeggar]

I was talking to a friend of equal vintage last week. He agreed with me that with today's supporter expectations Ron Saunders would have been lucky to survive beyond the end of 1978-79 and would almost certainly have been sacked a few weeks into the following season. After all, eighth, eighth and seventh would indicate that he'd found his level.

I'm sure that you are right and it indicates more than anything the upped levels of scrutiny and therefore expectations that there are now. In the late 70's there weren't TV and radio channels pumping out wall-to-wall football with all the hours to fill and focus on individual results that inevitably increase pressure.

Saunders would have gone, Ferguson would definitely have gone.

Perhaps also there's a greater impatience amongst fans. We live in a have-it-now society so maybe that plays a part?

Was going to write the same but you put it better.

Got me wondering when was the first concerted campaign by Villa fans to remove a manager that got reported in the media for just being a bit...….crap. Rather than being bottom of the league.

[Monty]

Here's our average position map from the first half against Chelsea (courtesy of The Athletic):



Look how high the wide centre backs are, pushed right into midfield. With the exception of Axel providing an outball backwards in possession, there's like 30 yards between front and back. This was the strategy, overloading the midfield, squeezing the space and winning the ball off them in dangerous positions. It was a great plan, and it worked really well - the mistake we made, as the Graun had it, was not having Lukaku.

[Rigadon]

Here's our average position map from the first half against Chelsea (courtesy of The Athletic):



Look how high the wide centre backs are, pushed right into midfield. With the exception of Axel providing an outball backwards in possession, there's like 30 yards between front and back. This was the strategy, overloading the midfield, squeezing the space and winning the ball off them in dangerous positions. It was a great plan, and it worked really well - the mistake we made, as the Graun had it, was not having Lukaku.

That's interesting, thanks for sharing it. 

And yes, sigh...  Another sharp reminder as to why it's better to have £100m players in your team.

[john e]

Here's our average position map from the first half against Chelsea (courtesy of The Athletic):



Look how high the wide centre backs are, pushed right into midfield. With the exception of Axel providing an outball backwards in possession, there's like 30 yards between front and back. This was the strategy, overloading the midfield, squeezing the space and winning the ball off them in dangerous positions. It was a great plan, and it worked really well - the mistake we made, as the Graun had it, was not having Lukaku.

Everton havent got Lakaku and are more our level of squad at the moment
so it's an ideal opportunity to see how it goes against them as it was so successful on Saturday

[LeeB]

If there is a right way to lose a game 3-0, that was it.

We need to be patient but I think we will look like a strong team come the end of the season, with some of the younger players firmly established as serious talents.

[Monty]

I'd be willing to bet money that we'll go back to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-2-2 against Everton. The 3-5-2 was a specific plan for Chelsea, and from Dean's comments he seems to be especially happy about the variety of tactical options we have.

[Risso]

I was talking to a friend of equal vintage last week. He agreed with me that with today's supporter expectations Ron Saunders would have been lucky to survive beyond the end of 1978-79 and would almost certainly have been sacked a few weeks into the following season. After all, eighth, eighth and seventh would indicate that he'd found his level.

I'm sure that you are right and it indicates more than anything the upped levels of scrutiny and therefore expectations that there are now. In the late 70's there weren't TV and radio channels pumping out wall-to-wall football with all the hours to fill and focus on individual results that inevitably increase pressure.

Saunders would have gone, Ferguson would definitely have gone.

Perhaps also there's a greater impatience amongst fans. We live in a have-it-now society so maybe that plays a part?

People always bring up Ferguson in these discussions, it's usually conveniently forgotten that he finished 2nd in his second season.

And I don't think history backs up the general assertion either. On average, since Tony Barton, our managers have lasted for 98 games. O'Neill, Lambert, Bruce and Smith have all exceeded that. Turner, McNeill, Taylor v2, Sherwood and Matteo all much less. Generally, the better a manager does, the longer he lasts in the job. There doesn't seem to be much difference between then and now in that regard.

[john e]

I'd be willing to bet money that we'll go back to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-2-2 against Everton. The 3-5-2 was a specific plan for Chelsea, and from Dean's comments he seems to be especially happy about the variety of tactical options we have.

we might have a variety but when something works as well as your saying it did on Saturday,
you know all your heat maps and stuff proving it was an attacking imaginative formation only failing because they had Lakaku,
 then why on earth would you change it unless of coarse you've just talked a load of bollocks over the last two days