Aston Villa 2-1 Excellent Ipswich Town Post Match Thread

[mr underhill]

Might this be addressed directly by the owners come Thursday night? If money is forthcoming, or not?

[Clampy]

Might this be addressed directly by the owners come Thursday night? If money is forthcoming, or not?

Well, we've paid £7m for a keeper already so I suggest it is. I'd presume we're trying to get certain players rather than just sign anyone for the sake of it if we can help it.

[mr underhill]

yes and my point, as I suspect you knew, was that there might not be any more money in this window.

[darren woolley]

The most important thing was getting three points which we did now we can hopefully go on a run and start to climb the table.

[stuart445]

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

I agree the whole this isn't Smiths players is a bullshit excuse. Just look down the road Gary Monk is a bang average manager who has taken over a squad that isn't his own and has been surviving relegation season after season and look where he's managed to get them. The squad we have compared to theirs is massively better but yet we find ourselves on pretty much equal terms with them.

[stuart445]

And where was the it isn't his squad when we had that brief spell of playing well and winning games? It was all see this is what a real manager can do with this squad. All of a sudden its all gone badly wrong and its now because it isn't his squad and it's unbalanced and not good enough.

[Brend'Watkins]

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

I agree the whole this isn't Smiths players is a bullshit excuse. Just look down the road Gary Monk is a bang average manager who has taken over a squad that isn't his own and has been surviving relegation season after season and look where he's managed to get them. The squad we have compared to theirs is massively better but yet we find ourselves on pretty much equal terms with them.

It isn't bullshit.  Monk has been at the Blues for 11 months, kept them from relegation and had the summer to work with what he's got. He's done a remarkable job in that respect results wise. Blues don't play entertaining football or possession football.  They let the opposition have the ball for the majority of the game and try and hit on the break. Maybe that's as good as his squad of players can be but that wouldn't wash at Villa as the brief is to play good football and entertain our way back to the premiership.  Birmingham's ambition is to not get relegated and sneak into the play offs if possible. 

[Damo70]

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 with Brian's quote and you cannot compare Smith, who was appointed in between the summer and the mid season transfer window with Bielsa who had a pre season to buy, sell and coach his players at Leeds.

[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.

I agree with Brian's quote and you cannot compare Smith, who was appointed in between the summer and the mid season transfer window with Bielsa who had a pre season to buy, sell and coach his players at Leeds.

No, I acknowledged that time is needed and I agree that a pre-season would have been beneficial.

I just think that Dean can be evaluated, even with the current players at his disposal, as that is what many managers have to contend with.

He got a big tune out of a 'dysfunctional' squad for a 5 week spell in the late autumn; so it's even more frustrating that we have been so off-key in the 5 weeks since Christmas, admittedly without our best player. 

I would have expected the trend to have gone from a continuation of being 'out of tune' to being more 'in tune'. 

[Chris Smith]

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 with Brian's quote and you cannot compare Smith, who was appointed in between the summer and the mid season transfer window with Bielsa who had a pre season to buy, sell and coach his players at Leeds.

No, I acknowledged that time is needed and I agree that a pre-season would have been beneficial.

I just think that Dean can be evaluated, even with the current players at his disposal, as that is what many managers have to contend with.

He got a big tune out of a 'dysfunctional' squad for a 5 week spell in the late autumn; so it's even more frustrating that we have been so off-key in the 5 weeks since Christmas, admittedly without our best player. 

I would have expected the trend to have gone from a continuation of being 'out of tune' to being more 'in tune'. 

Without our best player and our best defender plus a previously well performing centre half playing through an injury. Add to that having only one left back on the books who has missed games with injury and is in any case playing poorly and our iffy form of recent weeks is no surprise.

[Villa75]

I don't agree that Jack is our best player. If I was asked which players I would most like to keep, Tammy and McGinn would be ahead of Jack.

[Clampy]

yes and my point, as I suspect you knew, was that there might not be any more money in this window.

You may well be right but it might not necessarily be the reason if no-else comes in. Sonetimes clubs don't do anything if they can't get the player they want. Tottenham didn't sign anyone in the summer when they couldn't sign Grealish.

[Ian.]

I don't agree that Jack is our best player. If I was asked which players I would most like to keep, Tammy and McGinn would be ahead of Jack.

Now I know you're on a wind up.

[Chris Smith]

I don't agree that Jack is our best player. If I was asked which players I would most like to keep, Tammy and McGinn would be ahead of Jack.

You are entitled to your opinion but that’s all it is.

[Toronto Villa]

I don't agree that Jack is our best player. If I was asked which players I would most like to keep, Tammy and McGinn would be ahead of Jack.

You are entitled to your opinion but that’s all it is.

It’s a crap opinion. Actually it’s fucking nonsense. That’s my opinion.