Preston NE 1-1 Aston Villa Post Match Thread

[olaftab]

"We" decide from day one that players aren't good enough and attack them. Nyland, Birkir, Amavi, veretout etc. They do read social media! They will get hurt,  no matter what they earn.  We should fucking stop this

If they spent more time training instead of reading H&V they probably wouldn't be so shit.

 

This justifies giving them shit

Yes because Nyland was on page 14 of Match thread when they scored.

[brian green]

I too dislike the "get rid" culture but modern football especially in the intensity of the Championship with international calls and cup games creates the need for players to perform consistently.  There is no time to allow players to play themselves into form.  That is not good but it is the way it is.  The same applies to managers.  I think Smith is very much the right man for the job but he is bound to be put under pressure and correctly criticized when time slips away and games do not yield the points they should.

[dorsetvillian]

Amazed DS didn't rotate from the off. Very poor general performance and we got lucky with a point. Our back 5 were all over the place from the 1st to the last minute. Hopefully a new keeper will help settle things down at the back.  We are an ordinary team without Jack and unless he comes back quickly it is the playoffs at best.

[walsall villain]

Amazed DS didn't rotate from the off. Very poor general performance and we got lucky with a point. Our back 5 were all over the place from the 1st to the last minute. Hopefully a new keeper will help settle things down at the back.  We are an ordinary team without Jack and unless he comes back quickly it is the playoffs at best.

[VWBelgian]

Did only see the highlights. BB's chance was a sitter but also with Tammy at his back maybe more difficult? I prefer to start BB off Whelan though. Or get a look in too the youth. Elmo at RB is dreadfull, he is all over but nowhere. Lucky with a draw but if you win those matches we go up.

[walsall villain]

Whoops, what I meant to say was automatic promotion is extremely unlikely. We would need 50+ points from remaining 21 games. Could only drop about 10 points. This unbalanced squad can’t do it this time around.

[The Edge]

I don't see how posting honestly about a under par performance that you have just watched
pointing out what you see are the strengths and weakness of the side and how you think we should move forward is always seen as being negative

while I'm on the negative theme,
if there is not one single player in the youth/academy/outer squad who isn't good enough to replace just one of the following Whelan, BB, Hourahane, Taylor, Elmo, Hutton, Hogan,Lansbury Nyland when they play poorly or are tired

we might as well close the entire youth academy down, because although they seem to get  good results and we rave about them from time to time, it just isn't working

or Smith isn't brave enough, take your pick

I agree and don’t get the “he can only work with what Bruce left him” argument.

You don't get that he can only work with what Bruce left him? What's not to get about that?
Anyways the situation is about to be changed in January.

[Steve67]

It would be great to rotate the squad, but I think some people are missing the point that we have no defenders, due to injury and loans.  We also really only had BB to bring in, again due to Lansbury, Jedinak and Grealish (a whole midfield) being out, or just coming back from injury.  Our options at the current time as so very limited.  Coupled with the fact that our keeper and defence are very poor, midfield energy is being sapped and our forwards are really inconsistent.  Smith has a lot of work to do but at least a) has players coming back and b) the transfer window opens in two days.  He needs time but it would be a miracle of biblical proportions for us to go up this season, given the crap he's been left with.

Build the side around Kalinic, Grealish, Chester, McGinn going forward, when fit and available. 

[The Edge]

Whoops, what I meant to say was automatic promotion is extremely unlikely. We would need 50+ points from remaining 21 games. Could only drop about 10 points. This unbalanced squad can’t do it this time around.

This makes sense. Play offs are the the most likely scenario for promotion but even if we did that what next? The squad rebuild needs to be massive once the loanees go back. Could it be done in time for the start of the season in May? It's a monumental ask of Dean & co. I think the club hierarchy are aware of this hence Christian Purslow playing down our promotion prospects this time round. If we do manage to get promoted the club will deal with it. If we don't Deano gets a proper go at it next season. All we the fans can do is support them through thick and thin and wait to see how things unfold.

[auntiesledd]

I completely understand why some folk where fuming after yesterday's result: and after watching the short highlights I felt similarly. With the advantage of hindsight (and not having travelled to Deepdale & spent a small fortune to witness the match), I'm pretty sure I'd have felt rather differently had BB not fluffed that absolute sitter at the death! I think that the vast majority of us realise that there's gonna be a further number of very poor performances to come before Deano has properly addressed the problems that Bruce & others have left him with, so I sincerely hope that he's afforded the time necessary to mount a sustained challenge for promotion. Whether we get into the play offs this season or not, my gut-feeling is that we now have the right Manager to get the job done.

Keep the faith everyone & UTV.

[Legion]

[olaftab]

I don't see how posting honestly about a under par performance that you have just watched
pointing out what you see are the strengths and weakness of the side and how you think we should move forward is always seen as being negative

while I'm on the negative theme,
if there is not one single player in the youth/academy/outer squad who isn't good enough to replace just one of the following Whelan, BB, Hourahane, Taylor, Elmo, Hutton, Hogan,Lansbury Nyland when they play poorly or are tired

we might as well close the entire youth academy down, because although they seem to get  good results and we rave about them from time to time, it just isn't working

or Smith isn't brave enough, take your pick

I agree and don’t get the “he can only work with what Bruce left him” argument.

You don't get that he can only work with what Bruce left him? What's not to get about that?
Anyways the situation is about to be changed in January.

I don’t get that you didn’t read the post above from John that I was responding to. What about trying the youngsters? Smith is here to start a new era and not rely on “tried and not trusted” methods.

[Axl Rose]

I don't see how posting honestly about a under par performance that you have just watched
pointing out what you see are the strengths and weakness of the side and how you think we should move forward is always seen as being negative

while I'm on the negative theme,
if there is not one single player in the youth/academy/outer squad who isn't good enough to replace just one of the following Whelan, BB, Hourahane, Taylor, Elmo, Hutton, Hogan,Lansbury Nyland when they play poorly or are tired

we might as well close the entire youth academy down, because although they seem to get  good results and we rave about them from time to time, it just isn't working

or Smith isn't brave enough, take your pick

I agree and don’t get the “he can only work with what Bruce left him” argument.

You don't get that he can only work with what Bruce left him? What's not to get about that?
Anyways the situation is about to be changed in January.

I don’t get that you didn’t read the post above from John that I was responding to. What about trying the youngsters? Smith is here to start a new era and not rely on “tried and not trusted” methods.

Spot on mate.

[footyskillz]

Yes it's an unbalanced squad but it's hardly a weak squad.
Also a head coach should be able to get this lot going which Smith and coaching team did,  after a few games, and now it's slipping

Jack Grealish is a big miss but it's the whole squad that should be performing better

Some said there was a less reliance on Grealish but him being out has caused issues in keeping the ball

The midfield again yesterday didn't dominate or impose themeselves

Hourihane was like this under Bruce and he still like that under Smith.

[footyskillz]

It was a mistake to play the first eleven and Smith should also give youngsters a game .

Preston did it, Leeds did it.

Norwich are doing it .
Derby too