Aston Villa 2-1 Excellent Ipswich Town Post Match Thread

[Nunkin1965]

I'm sorry but I'm not sure what planet you're on.

I distinctly heard cheering at the final whistle and then heard supporters applauding the players after a first home win since Blues.

Surely a time to enjoy?

The cult of Smith is rather desperate I might say.

[amfy]

We lost to Leeds because Elmo is a fucking baloon.

Put under enough pressure then eventually something will give.  Surely some protection is better than no protection the subs vs Leeds meant that Leeds could go at our defence with little to no resistance.

The Steve Bruce Kool Aid really has done a number on you Stuart. This failsafe policy of yours (and He Who Queues For Kebabs's), which would be performed every week when we held a lead, quite often resulted in an equaliser.

Give me an optimist over a scaredy cat every time.

i'd rather be competitive and quite frankly so far under Smith we are not.

Utterly mental.

Was you there yesterday,  when the final whistle sounded it was a strange atmosphere now loud celebrations no singing Don't look back in anger, just polite clapping seems fans might be a bit unconvinced.

yeah great start (if you ignore Norwich and QPR away)  but what about all these easy games we have had where we've managed a grand total of 2 wins and both of those have been unconvincing.

People are fed up with DLBIA now, and I would only expect loud celebrations at the final whistle after a big win or a derby win, not beating the team bottom of the league.

I’d also put a great deal of the flat atmosphere on the dreadful weather. Upper tiers might not have appreciated how dire it was for much of the match. The gusting rain in L7 was like intermittently having someone throw a bucket of water over you from your left.

[Villa75]

For me, at the moment, there isn't as much difference between Smith's Villa and Bruce's Villa as I hoped.

I'm grateful for small mercies though. All hail 3 points at home to the mighty Ipswich Town!

[adrenachrome]

For me, at the moment, there isn't as much difference between Smith's Villa and Bruce's Villa as I hoped.

I'm grateful for small mercies though. All hail 3 points at home to the mighty Ipswich Town!

Nobody has called for hailing, as far as I can see. In fact, as Amfy has pointed out, the north westerly gusting wind and accompanying horizontal precipitation was sufficient to dampen the spirits and indeed, bodies of those fans in exposed areas of the ground.

[Villa75]

I'm calling for hailing!

After the last few weeks I'll take anything.

[ChicagoLion]

There is quite a lot of difference between Smiths Villa with Tunzabe and Grealish and without.
And a shit load of difference between a Smiths Villa with those two and anything Bruce Put together.

[brian green]

The fundamental reason why performances under Smith are not massively different from those under Bruce is that Smith has at his disposal the dysfunctional squad assembled at great cost by Bruce.  Smith cannot be judged fairly until he has his own players playing the way he wants them to play.

[Brend'Watkins]

We press more under Smith. we stop pressing after 20 minutes in the first half. The team are reminded the need to press again at half time and it does for a period of 15 minutes. That’s 35 minutes more pressing than Bruce ever managed. We also create more, always look like we might score and if we go behind the game isn’t always over.

That in my book makes Smith’s Villa vastly different to Bruce’s and that’s with all of Bruce’s recruits.

To say there’s no difference between the two means you’re either on a wind up or, you don’t have a clue about what you’re watching.

[rougegorge]

The fundamental reason why performances under Smith are not massively different from those under Bruce is that Smith has at his disposal the dysfunctional squad assembled at great cost by Bruce.  Smith cannot be judged fairly until he has his own players playing the way he wants them to play.

I get the sentiment, as he needs time, but I think he can still be judged to a degree, as getting a tune out of a team is the mark of a good manager and a lot of people on here were saying that the players in the squad actually were good enough by the end of the first transfer window.

Leeds only added a couple of first team players in the summer and Bielsa has transformed what was a distinctly average team into a good team that will be promoted.

[paul_e]

The fundamental reason why performances under Smith are not massively different from those under Bruce is that Smith has at his disposal the dysfunctional squad assembled at great cost by Bruce.  Smith cannot be judged fairly until he has his own players playing the way he wants them to play.

There are, in my opinion, about 4-5 players in the squad that would be here if Smith had picked it and they're the players who can play the way he wants us to. 2 injuries shouldn't have a big impact but when it's 40-50% of the players who can do what the manager is asking for it's a much bigger thing than 2 players from a squad of 25-30 players. The only thing that's really disappointed me so far is that he's stuck with picking players who clearly can't do it instead of throwing in a few of the kids who might be able to. I understand why, and for their careers it might be the right decision, but I'd still rather see 1 of Whelan or Jedinak out of the 18 and replaced by Doyle-Hayes, Lyden or Clarke. I'd be happy to have a bench of 4-5 "kids" for the rest of the season.

[Ketzster]

The fundamental reason why performances under Smith are not massively different from those under Bruce is that Smith has at his disposal the dysfunctional squad assembled at great cost by Bruce.  Smith cannot be judged fairly until he has his own players playing the way he wants them to play.

I get the sentiment, as he needs time, but I think he can still be judged to a degree, as getting a tune out of a team is the mark of a good manager and a lot of people on here were saying that the players in the squad actually were good enough by the end of the first transfer window.

Leeds only added a couple of first team players in the summer and Bielsa has transformed what was a distinctly average team into a good team that will be promoted.

I agree Rougegorge. With the restrictions increasing further next season and loans such as Tuanzebe and Abraham going back, this is most likely the best squad DS will have. The last 10 games have been unbelievably poor, and the ‘DS needs his own players’ thing is misleading. If he can’t do it with these players I have serious doubts about whether he can do anything next season

[LukeJames]

That Smith needs his own players isn't misleading in any way, shape or form. He's clearly about a high pressing game, only a few from the dis-jointed squad that Bruce left him are capable of doing this for a sustained amount of time, unforunately we lost 2 of those to long term injuries and this has coincided with our down turn in form. Should he then of adapted to a style that suited the players we had left? Maybe, but that is easier said than done and exactly the same problem that one of the most highly rated young managers in the World is now struggling with at Spurs.

[paul_e]

The fundamental reason why performances under Smith are not massively different from those under Bruce is that Smith has at his disposal the dysfunctional squad assembled at great cost by Bruce.  Smith cannot be judged fairly until he has his own players playing the way he wants them to play.

I get the sentiment, as he needs time, but I think he can still be judged to a degree, as getting a tune out of a team is the mark of a good manager and a lot of people on here were saying that the players in the squad actually were good enough by the end of the first transfer window.

Leeds only added a couple of first team players in the summer and Bielsa has transformed what was a distinctly average team into a good team that will be promoted.

I agree Rougegorge. With the restrictions increasing further next season and loans such as Tuanzebe and Abraham going back, this is most likely the best squad DS will have. The last 10 games have been unbelievably poor, and the ‘DS needs his own players’ thing is misleading. If he can’t do it with these players I have serious doubts about whether he can do anything next season

In some ways it might be the best squad on paper but there are a huge number of problems with getting them to play how Brentford were playing under Smith because there really aren't many players who would be signed into a squad that was being setup to play that way.


With lots of players out in the summer I think, if he doesn't turn things around and get us into the playoffs, next season will see a squad that looks weaker but is much more tailored for what we want to do.

[Ketzster]

The fundamental reason why performances under Smith are not massively different from those under Bruce is that Smith has at his disposal the dysfunctional squad assembled at great cost by Bruce.  Smith cannot be judged fairly until he has his own players playing the way he wants them to play.

I get the sentiment, as he needs time, but I think he can still be judged to a degree, as getting a tune out of a team is the mark of a good manager and a lot of people on here were saying that the players in the squad actually were good enough by the end of the first transfer window.

Leeds only added a couple of first team players in the summer and Bielsa has transformed what was a distinctly average team into a good team that will be promoted.

I agree Rougegorge. With the restrictions increasing further next season and loans such as Tuanzebe and Abraham going back, this is most likely the best squad DS will have. The last 10 games have been unbelievably poor, and the ‘DS needs his own players’ thing is misleading. If he can’t do it with these players I have serious doubts about whether he can do anything next season

In some ways it might be the best squad on paper but there are a huge number of problems with getting them to play how Brentford were playing under Smith because there really aren't many players who would be signed into a squad that was being setup to play that way.


With lots of players out in the summer I think, if he doesn't turn things around and get us into the playoffs, next season will see a squad that looks weaker but is much more tailored for what we want to do.

When Smith was appointed, was the remit to sort the club out in the Summer, or was it to get the club promoted this season? Because when he was appointed I seem to remember people thinking the latter. It’s only since everything has started going so badly that people have started revising their expectations. It is only worth giving a manger time if you have the right person, and I don’t think we have that

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

The fundamental reason why performances under Smith are not massively different from those under Bruce is that Smith has at his disposal the dysfunctional squad assembled at great cost by Bruce.  Smith cannot be judged fairly until he has his own players playing the way he wants them to play.

I get the sentiment, as he needs time, but I think he can still be judged to a degree, as getting a tune out of a team is the mark of a good manager and a lot of people on here were saying that the players in the squad actually were good enough by the end of the first transfer window.

Leeds only added a couple of first team players in the summer and Bielsa has transformed what was a distinctly average team into a good team that will be promoted.

I agree Rougegorge. With the restrictions increasing further next season and loans such as Tuanzebe and Abraham going back, this is most likely the best squad DS will have. The last 10 games have been unbelievably poor, and the ‘DS needs his own players’ thing is misleading. If he can’t do it with these players I have serious doubts about whether he can do anything next season

In some ways it might be the best squad on paper but there are a huge number of problems with getting them to play how Brentford were playing under Smith because there really aren't many players who would be signed into a squad that was being setup to play that way.


With lots of players out in the summer I think, if he doesn't turn things around and get us into the playoffs, next season will see a squad that looks weaker but is much more tailored for what we want to do.

When Smith was appointed, was the remit to sort the club out in the Summer, or was it to get the club promoted this season? Because when he was appointed I seem to remember people thinking the latter. It’s only since everything has started going so badly that people have started revising their expectations. It is only worth giving a manger time if you have the right person, and I don’t think we have that

Well of course! Similarly it was only when the Titanic hit an iceberg that people started wondering if it was really as indestructible as it was cracked up to be. People are revising their opinions based on the current situation, I don't see what's remotely baffling about that.