Next Aston Villa Manager

[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 ?

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.

So reward him straight after Wembley with the caveat that there would be more to come if he keeps us in the league ...it's all very well the owners being loyal to Smith however with the stakes being so high I would have thought astute businessmen and sporting specialists would have brought in a more experienced manager than someone who was ok with Brentford and Walsall - all managers need to start somewhere however I really think our owners have been naive - but hey ho it's their money at stake - part of me believes they were not expecting us to get promotion and we were ill prepared from the off - we flashed the cash but failed to build a side ready for the battle to stay up - promising fancy Dan's from Suso`s little black book aren't paying off

[Luke8]

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

Also, I’m not sure how much of a relevant example it is to use any more than saying we should definitely stick with Smith because Southampton backed their manager and he turned their precarious position around.

[Des Little]

If we had even approached Pearson, there would have been pant pissing on here, the extent of which would have been an all time high. Let’s not even pretend otherwise.

[AsTallAsLions]

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

Also, I’m not sure how much of a relevant example it is to use any more than saying we should definitely stick with Smith because Southampton backed their manager and he turned their precarious position around.

Key difference there - Hasenhuttl didn't leave them in the position of having no strikers at this point of the season. Southampton have forwards to beat the band, it's why they've been a bit of alright lately.

Smith has diddly fucking squat. Changing manager doesn't fix that, of course. But it's still as much his fault as anyone's.

[Sexual Ealing]

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

Also, I’m not sure how much of a relevant example it is to use any more than saying we should definitely stick with Smith because Southampton backed their manager and he turned their precarious position around.

Key difference there - Hasenhuttl didn't leave them in the position of having no strikers at this point of the season.

Neither has Smith.

[SheffieldVillain]

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

Also, I’m not sure how much of a relevant example it is to use any more than saying we should definitely stick with Smith because Southampton backed their manager and he turned their precarious position around.

Key difference there - Hasenhuttl didn't leave them in the position of having no strikers at this point of the season. Southampton have forwards to beat the band, it's why they've been a bit of alright lately.

Smith has diddly fucking squat. Changing manager doesn't fix that, of course. But it's still as much his fault as anyone's.

Southampton have three out and out senior strikers - Long, Ings and Adams, the same as us and one kid who is their fourth choice. The difference being that none of theirs got injured, and all of ours did. That's nothing to do with either manager.

[Davkaus]

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

Also, I’m not sure how much of a relevant example it is to use any more than saying we should definitely stick with Smith because Southampton backed their manager and he turned their precarious position around.

Key difference there - Hasenhuttl didn't leave them in the position of having no strikers at this point of the season. Southampton have forwards to beat the band, it's why they've been a bit of alright lately.

Smith has diddly fucking squat. Changing manager doesn't fix that, of course. But it's still as much his fault as anyone's.

Southampton have three out and out senior strikers - Long, Ings and Adams, the same as us and one kid who is their fourth choice. The difference being that none of theirs got injured, and all of ours did. That's nothing to do with either manager.

Who's our 3rd senior striker meant to be? The bloke with 3 career goals?

We put every goalscoring egg in to the Wesley basket, the two other options were options in the same way that playing with 10 men is an option.

[ChicagoLion]

Barry Fry.

There’s a circus in the town.

[SheffieldVillain]

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

Also, I’m not sure how much of a relevant example it is to use any more than saying we should definitely stick with Smith because Southampton backed their manager and he turned their precarious position around.

Key difference there - Hasenhuttl didn't leave them in the position of having no strikers at this point of the season. Southampton have forwards to beat the band, it's why they've been a bit of alright lately.

Smith has diddly fucking squat. Changing manager doesn't fix that, of course. But it's still as much his fault as anyone's.

Southampton have three out and out senior strikers - Long, Ings and Adams, the same as us and one kid who is their fourth choice. The difference being that none of theirs got injured, and all of ours did. That's nothing to do with either manager.

Who's our 3rd senior striker meant to be? The bloke with 3 career goals?

We put every goalscoring egg in to the Wesley basket, the two other options were options in the same way that playing with 10 men is an option.

Davis. As well you know. Not getting into your last point. A Southampton fan may argue the same about Che Adams and his 0 goals for them.

My point was simply that the view that the difference between the two was that Southampton manager didn't leave his squad without strikers whereas Smith did isn't true. They both chanced it with three strikers. Ours all got injured. Theirs didn't.

[AsTallAsLions]

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

Also, I’m not sure how much of a relevant example it is to use any more than saying we should definitely stick with Smith because Southampton backed their manager and he turned their precarious position around.

Key difference there - Hasenhuttl didn't leave them in the position of having no strikers at this point of the season. Southampton have forwards to beat the band, it's why they've been a bit of alright lately.

Smith has diddly fucking squat. Changing manager doesn't fix that, of course. But it's still as much his fault as anyone's.

Southampton have three out and out senior strikers - Long, Ings and Adams, the same as us and one kid who is their fourth choice. The difference being that none of theirs got injured, and all of ours did. That's nothing to do with either manager.

Hm. Confess I'd forgotten that Austin had gone.

[ASHTONVILLA]

We put every goalscoring egg in to the Wesley basket, the two other options were options in the same way that playing with 10 men is an option.

To be fair, Wesley is also like playing with 10 men most of time, so at least our three options are consistent! Davis is the best of them if only he could stay fit as he is very good at holding the ball up, meaning we can get further up the pitch.

[Demitri_C]

Why are we not trying to get RHM back ffs?

[mr underhill]

because he would reduce us to playing with nine men instead of ten.

[Dante Lavelli]

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

The Expected Goals (“XG” to the hipsters) for Watford has always been pretty decent, even in their poor run.  Arguably Pearson hasn’t improved them that much, they’re just taking their chances better.

[N'ZMAV]

how is this expected goals worked out? I assume our expected goals was wank with Emile Wesley up front