Next Aston Villa Manager

[chrisw1]

They've also had a goal scorer return that's key to them.

It's been said to death, but a young player in Wesley, a younger one in Davis and a Championship player in Kodjia wasn't enough.

All 3 are out, along with our midfield heartbeat in McGinn.

Smith needs the recruitment team to pull a forward out the bag by Brighton.

Exactly, as have Southampton who have had a revival without sacking their manager.

[Ketzster]

They've also had a goal scorer return that's key to them.

It's been said to death, but a young player in Wesley, a younger one in Davis and a Championship player in Kodjia wasn't enough.

All 3 are out, along with our midfield heartbeat in McGinn.

Smith needs the recruitment team to pull a forward out the bag by Brighton.

Exactly, as have Southampton who have had a revival without sacking their manager.

The difference is though that everybody says Hassenhutel is a top manager, and if Southampton sacked him he’d go and get a top job. There is no evidence to suggest Smith is a top manager, and I don’t hear anybody saying Smith will go on and get a top job somewhere. He’s totally out of his depth. He struggled last season with a different set of players before Grealish came back. All of the evidence is there that he’s a poor manager, whether it be in the Championship before Grealish came back, or this season. If the poor run hadn’t happened last season, it would be possible to defend him. But it’s all been there to see for over a year that he’s not very good. He doesn’t know how to change things

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They've also had a goal scorer return that's key to them.

It's been said to death, but a young player in Wesley, a younger one in Davis and a Championship player in Kodjia wasn't enough.

All 3 are out, along with our midfield heartbeat in McGinn.

Smith needs the recruitment team to pull a forward out the bag by Brighton.

Exactly, as have Southampton who have had a revival without sacking their manager.

I don't actually think the slump has been that bad. Up to the Leicester game on the 8th December, there were problems for sure, but not to the extent as are being made out.

We went through a poor patch, the striker issue exacerbating it, but less than 3 weeks after our poor run started, it ended at home to Norwich. In the 5 first team games since then we've won 2, drawn credibly at Leicester and had two disasters. About par really.

I feel with better recruitment in the summer we would be a few points better off and I feel with some good recruitment now, we can survive.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Oddly, Smith has been "rewarded" by the owners for taking us back towards whence we came …. what kind of "business plan" is that ?

[chrisw1]

They've also had a goal scorer return that's key to them.

It's been said to death, but a young player in Wesley, a younger one in Davis and a Championship player in Kodjia wasn't enough.

All 3 are out, along with our midfield heartbeat in McGinn.

Smith needs the recruitment team to pull a forward out the bag by Brighton.

Exactly, as have Southampton who have had a revival without sacking their manager.

I don't actually think the slump has been that bad. Up to the Leicester game on the 8th December, there were problems for sure, but not to the extent as are being made out.

We went through a poor patch, the striker issue exacerbating it, but less than 3 weeks after our poor run started, it ended at home to Norwich. In the 5 first team games since then we've won 2, drawn credibly at Leicester and had two disasters. About par really.

I feel with better recruitment in the summer we would be a few points better off and I feel with some good recruitment now, we can survive.

Again I think we're agreed. 

[Drummond]

Oddly, Smith has been "rewarded" by the owners for taking us back towards whence we came …. what kind of "business plan" is that ?

Or he's been rewarded for getting us promoted absolutely against the odds and keeping us in a competitive situation after having to recruit a dozen players in the summer.

[Risso]

Oddly, Smith has been "rewarded" by the owners for taking us back towards whence we came …. what kind of "business plan" is that ?

Or he's been rewarded for getting us promoted absolutely against the odds and keeping us in a competitive situation after having to recruit a dozen players in the summer.

Purslow said very strongly at the start of the season that just staying up wasn't the intention at all.

[gpbarr]

Oddly, Smith has been "rewarded" by the owners for taking us back towards whence we came …. what kind of "business plan" is that ?

Bizarre comment. He can get blame for recent events however 18 months ago we were not in great shape in the championship and he helped get us to the PL. that’s why he was rewarded.

[Rudy65]

Pity the board didn't act earlier and got Pearson in. He's turned Watford's season around in 5 or so games - 4 wins and a draw.

Not only are they winning, they are winning comfortably, beating some good sides and playing really well. It isn’t kick and rush route one stuff either. Amazing how a team can be galvanised by a change of manager

[Drummond]

Oddly, Smith has been "rewarded" by the owners for taking us back towards whence we came …. what kind of "business plan" is that ?

Or he's been rewarded for getting us promoted absolutely against the odds and keeping us in a competitive situation after having to recruit a dozen players in the summer.

Purslow said very strongly at the start of the season that just staying up wasn't the intention at all.

Of course, we started off trying to win the league, surely?

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Pity the board didn't act earlier and got Pearson in. He's turned Watford's season around in 5 or so games - 4 wins and a draw.

Not only are they winning, they are winning comfortably, beating some good sides and playing really well. It isn’t kick and rush route one stuff either. Amazing how a team can be galvanised by a change of manager

They're not playing really well, I think that's overstating things.

What they are, is a mid-table side, with some good players. They've finally got in a manager who can organise and simplify. They didn't do anything spectacular to beat Bournemouth, but they knew what to do; await that attack to dry up, bypass their midfield and you've cracked them open.

[N'ZMAV]

Next Aston Villa Manager? how about a bloke called Steve Bruce... seems to be able to organise a side at this level...

I'm playing devils advocate here, I can't stand the bloke.

[RamboandBruno]

Pity the board didn't act earlier and got Pearson in. He's turned Watford's season around in 5 or so games - 4 wins and a draw.

Not only are they winning, they are winning comfortably, beating some good sides and playing really well. It isn’t kick and rush route one stuff either. Amazing how a team can be galvanised by a change of manager

They're not playing really well, I think that's overstating things.

What they are, is a mid-table side, with some good players. They've finally got in a manager who can organise and simplify. They didn't do anything spectacular to beat Bournemouth, but they knew what to do; await that attack to dry up, bypass their midfield and you've cracked them open.

Agree with this. Watford we’re under achieving pre Pearson, compared to the last 2 or 3 years, possibly partly a reaction to getting thumped for 6 by Man City...ahem!!

In any case just because their getting results now, doesn’t mean their definitely staying up. The test will be if they lose a couple in a row, hopefully one of them being against us in a week or so. Swansea looked like they turned it around with a new manager a couple of years back, but their run came too early & they got dragged back in. Time will tell I suppose.

On Smith, I constantly sound like a Smith evangelist on here, but I honestly think with some people he can’t win, like for some all our problems now are his fault, but are promotion run was purely down to jacks return. I tend to think things are more complicated.

I’ve said before, in the summer I’d have taken 17th at end of this season and I think a lot of supporters would, but hoped for more. The cold reality of the situation is, potentially finishing 17th is fairly grim watching some weeks.

For the Smith Outers, I have read one sensible or realistic suggestion about who would take over. Someone on a different thread last night was saying we need to get a Poch from 10 years ago....helpful that!! Having watched us for too long I’d rather the rest of this season was about the football rather than managerial gossip. 5 wins, 4 draws, 7 defeats to get to 40 points, not easy at all, but plain as day.

[TonyD]

Barry Fry.

[nigel]

Pity the board didn't act earlier and got Pearson in. He's turned Watford's season around in 5 or so games - 4 wins and a draw.

Not only are they winning, they are winning comfortably, beating some good sides and playing really well. It isn’t kick and rush route one stuff either. Amazing how a team can be galvanised by a change of manager

This Watford team finished 11th last season. They are a good team so shouldn't be too much of a surprise they've turned it round