Sheffield United v Aston Villa Post Match Thread

[postal]

Oh what a horrible game, a shambles from start to finish. But for a bit of luck the pen would have given hope. But we seem to rely on Jack and that, regardless of results, just isn't sustainable.
It can only get better?

[Nunkin1965]

Disappointing day.
Did bringing Kodja on make any difference?

No but in mitigation on his performance we hardly had the ball the last 20 mins and they could of easily have doubled the score , the pen miss knock stuffing out of us and in general we were all over the place the last 15 mins

Thanks
Absolutely huge 4 games for Smith now.
I just can’t see the owners hanging around if we come out of this spell of games with further poor performances.
The big man upfront isn’t working so it’s got to be a formation change to give him support or leave him out altogether.

[curiousorange]

Being a Premier League manager should bring pressure. Being a first time Premier League manager even more so. Shame nobody's mentioned that to Chris Wilder.

Smith's stubbornness will probably cost him his job, ultimately. No team ever saved themselves from trouble by trying not to lose.

[brian green]

PWS you know very well I am not saying that.  If we are in Div 3 I shall still be dragging my weary bones to Villa games.  What I am pleading for is that we see what we see and judge accordingly.  To be honest in our appraisals of Villa games and Villa players.  No more.  No less.

[PeterWithesShin]

I am not suggesting he should be getting binned, but he absolutely should be feeling the pressure about now.

That's where I am. With the run of games we have coming up for me it's at the stage where he shows he can deal with it and look like he can continue taking us forward or it will be time to seriously start thinking about making a change.

[Legion]

We'll be fine. I think. I hope.

[kippaxvilla2]

Dean Smith is a great coach and manger but this is his first tilt at the top level

That's virgin on the ridiculous.

Smith, O’Kelly and Terry don’t look like wise men to me.

[PeterWithesShin]

PWS you know very well I am not saying that.  If we are in Div 3 I shall still be dragging my weary bones to Villa games.  What I am pleading for is that we see what we see and judge accordingly.  To be honest in our appraisals of Villa games and Villa players.  No more.  No less.

I never mentioned support or going to games so that has nothing to do with it, you said it looks like a bad move appointing him, i'm disagreeing as it's obvious it wasn't as we were promoted.

[Sexual Ealing]

Around this time last year I posted something along the lines of 'we ought to cash in on Grealish and work out a proper system of play that doesn't require him'. I was obviously talking bollocks then, but I'm starting to think the same thing again.

It's mad, and counter-productive, to be so reliant on one player.

[garyshawsknee]

I still trust DS, he's having his worst run. If we are winless after the Christmas period then he has to be judged just like anyone else. My real concern is if the season continues in its current form, that's the last we'll see of Jack in Claret and blue.

[eamonn]

I think SHQ said in the match-thread but it looked like we came for a 0-0. I imagine Smith has worked on Engels and Hause all week in training and our general shape which, in fairness for 50 minutes, was pretty solid. Problem is that t'Blades were always going to have a spell of pressure and we collapsed at the second whiff of it (McGoldrick should have scored a minute or two before).

We finally shake into life but of course we're exposed on the counter and we just have too many players who are either too lazy/naive/stupid to track fairly standard attacking movement and we pay the price accordingly.

[PeterWithesShin]

I still trust DS, he's having his worst run. If we are winless after the Christmas period then he has to be judged just like anyone else. My real concern is if the season continues in its current form, that's the last we'll see of Jack in Claret and blue.

If we don't take a good haul from Saints and Norwich at home and Watford away then we're in deep deep shit.

[Nunkin1965]

I’m a big Smith fan but results are what all managers live and die by and he needs results.
The current table says it all and being in the bottom three is there for us all to see.

[phantom limb]

I’m a big Smith fan but results are what all managers live and die by and he needs results.
The current table says it all and being in the bottom three is there for us all to see.

Same here, keep losing games and you’re gone - doesn’t matter who you are.

[Risso]

Around this time last year I posted something along the lines of 'we ought to cash in on Grealish and work out a proper system of play that doesn't require him'. I was obviously talking bollocks then, but I'm starting to think the same thing again.

It's mad, and counter-productive, to be so reliant on one player.

I'd rather keep him and buy players that are closer to his standard. He's also being played out of position by a manager who increasingly looks like he's lost the plot.