Next Manager Speculation/Hopes

[Risso]

I think Grealish is a once in a generation talent who needed very little coaching. Smith was just lucky to get him when he was able to start adding better players around him. Before that Grealish was playing with the likes of Bjarnason and Grabban. Grealish played less than 10 games after Smith took over before being injured for 3 months. When he came back in March, Smith had one win in 10, and we were sinking down the table. Grealish came back, tore Derby a new one, and the rest is history.

[Baldy]

Five of our top eight earners (Coutinho, Bailey, Watkins, Ings, Buendia) are our 'expected' goal scorers or assist makers. We are getting no value for money. Steven G has knocked the confidence out of them, given them no licence to take a risk and our creativity has disappeared. If anything, he has made their defensive duties and possession a priority!!

Apart from the 'big six', we have probably the most expensive forward line in the Premier League but also the least effective. I saw their wages today online (nearly half a million a week in total) and it is being wasted.

Most goals are created through one act of brilliance, be it in the build up or finish. Since Jack left, this one act of brilliance has left.

Yet, we have the players who are capable of a quick turn, defence splitting pass, back heel, dribble etc. Steven G needs to give them the licence to be creative and not be under the threat of being substituted if they lose possession to often. Jack was given that licence, lost possession at times, but we knew he would ultimately deliver. Let our attackers play with more freedom and be less robotic.

If Steven G can't turn things around, I propose we check out the three manager assistants that Man City have. One of them might fancy the challenge. Bit of an Arteta job. Who knows, we might even get a couple of Man City cast offs (see Jesus and Zinchenko) through the connection!! Just a thought.

[villadelph]

According to the Telegraph, Tuchel has turned down approaches from two Premier League clubs. I'd be interested to find out who they were.

[Sexual Ealing]

According to the Telegraph, Tuchel has turned down approaches from two Premier League clubs. I'd be interested to find out who they were.

Wolves and either us or Leicester I'd guess.

[chrisw1]

11th on a very decent 55 points, which on the basis of the last 10 years average would have had us more 8th/9th. So my argument has  always been that either Smith over achieved with largely the same crop of players or the current manager is not getting the most out of them. I think we’ll only know the reality of how good the players are under the next manager but one thing for sure is that Smith improved a vast majority of the players we had and Gerrard is not getting the same from them. I’d take 50 points even accounting for the injuries Gerrard has had (which is only 5 more points then last season). But he’s not going to reach either tally with the current performances and tactical set up. In fact, i’d say we’re actually heading into a relegation battle at present. We’ve thrown away opportunities against weaker teams and it’s going to come back to bite us this season.

Smith overachieved or Grealish overachieved?

Smith did a great job with the resources he had, we owe him a huge debt.  But the truth is he never got Villa playing well when Jack wasn't in the team.

I'm not defending Gerrard, I think he's shite.  But when comparing him with Smith and praising Smith for doing better with the same players, it needs to be considered in that context.

Or he got the most out of Grealish, a player who has never performed at the same level for any other manager. His mistake was relying on an injury prone player. Gerrard has better and more options than Smith had so should be able to deliver more. In the game today more so than ever before, one player alone cannot solely make the difference without supporting team mates. Coutinho reached a higher level than Grealish in his career to date, but just sticking him on the pitch isn’t leading to much.

Gerrard never had Grealish, so the comparision just doesn't work.  I entirely disagree with you that one player alone cannot solely make the difference.  Grealish proved it with us over 4 seasons.  That's not to say every player around him was rubbish, but simply that the team virtually always failed to function when he was not available.  Smiths success was built almost solely around Jack, his record without him was shocking.

[Risso]

Gerrard never had Grealish, so the comparision just doesn't work.  I entirely disagree with you that one player alone cannot solely make the difference.  Grealish proved it with us over 4 seasons.  That's not to say every player around him was rubbish, but simply that the team virtually always failed to function when he was not available.  Smiths success was built almost solely around Jack, his record without him was shocking.

Yes, as I say look at our prmotion season. Grealish was injured, and the moment he comes back he turned one win in 12 into 11 wins on the spin. He was absolutely magnificent in that spell, and you can't really argue that it was Smith changing him, as he'd been injured for most of the time since Smith took over.

[LeeB]

According to the Telegraph, Tuchel has turned down approaches from two Premier League clubs. I'd be interested to find out who they were.

Wolves and either us or Leicester I'd guess.

He wouldn't come here, not after the ice cream-gate scandal.

[eamonn]

Is Roberto Martínez one of those "destined to manage the Villa one day" chaps? He still hasn't managed to win anything with Belgium's golden-gen, I'm surprised he's held on there.

[LeonW]

11th on a very decent 55 points, which on the basis of the last 10 years average would have had us more 8th/9th. So my argument has  always been that either Smith over achieved with largely the same crop of players or the current manager is not getting the most out of them. I think we’ll only know the reality of how good the players are under the next manager but one thing for sure is that Smith improved a vast majority of the players we had and Gerrard is not getting the same from them. I’d take 50 points even accounting for the injuries Gerrard has had (which is only 5 more points then last season). But he’s not going to reach either tally with the current performances and tactical set up. In fact, i’d say we’re actually heading into a relegation battle at present. We’ve thrown away opportunities against weaker teams and it’s going to come back to bite us this season.

Smith overachieved or Grealish overachieved?

Smith did a great job with the resources he had, we owe him a huge debt.  But the truth is he never got Villa playing well when Jack wasn't in the team.

I'm not defending Gerrard, I think he's shite.  But when comparing him with Smith and praising Smith for doing better with the same players, it needs to be considered in that context.

Or he got the most out of Grealish, a player who has never performed at the same level for any other manager. His mistake was relying on an injury prone player. Gerrard has better and more options than Smith had so should be able to deliver more. In the game today more so than ever before, one player alone cannot solely make the difference without supporting team mates. Coutinho reached a higher level than Grealish in his career to date, but just sticking him on the pitch isn’t leading to much.

Gerrard never had Grealish, so the comparision just doesn't work.  I entirely disagree with you that one player alone cannot solely make the difference.  Grealish proved it with us over 4 seasons.  That's not to say every player around him was rubbish, but simply that the team virtually always failed to function when he was not available.  Smiths success was built almost solely around Jack, his record without him was shocking.

One player can make a difference, but it’s the environment that player is operating in that can dictate that. The players and set up around them,tactics, patterns of play, etc. To those that think that Smith just put Grealish on the pitch and that’s it, is just absolutely ludicrous. Don’t forget it was Smith that moved Grealish from playing centre mid to wide left when we were back in the premier league when it wasn’t working. No other manager has got out of Grealish what Smith did. That is clear. The comparison with Coutinho is valid in that here we have a talented player and a manager who has demonstrated little to no idea how to get the most out of that talent. He seemingly just puts him on the pitch and excepts ‘a moment of magic’ with no thought as to how to create the opportunity for the player to deliver that based upon his attributes and what the team is doing around him. That’s the difference.

[villadelph]

According to the Telegraph, Tuchel has turned down approaches from two Premier League clubs. I'd be interested to find out who they were.

Wolves and either us or Leicester I'd guess.

He wouldn't come here, not after the ice cream-gate scandal.

I had totally forgotten about that! The club should put ice cream in their dressing room.

[Risso]

No other manager has got out of Grealish what Smith did.

Who are you comparing him with? He did well for Bruce, but didn't have the quality of players around him that Smith subsequently had. Southgate is a moron who can't get the best out of anybody, and Man City didn't need him but wanted him for his marketing opportunities and to stop him going elsewhere.

[Toronto Villa]

Is Roberto Martínez one of those "destined to manage the Villa one day" chaps? He still hasn't managed to win anything with Belgium's golden-gen, I'm surprised he's held on there.

He's the Carlton Palmer of the managerial world.

[paul_e]

Gerrard never had Grealish, so the comparision just doesn't work.  I entirely disagree with you that one player alone cannot solely make the difference.  Grealish proved it with us over 4 seasons.  That's not to say every player around him was rubbish, but simply that the team virtually always failed to function when he was not available.  Smiths success was built almost solely around Jack, his record without him was shocking.

Yes, as I say look at our prmotion season. Grealish was injured, and the moment he comes back he turned one win in 12 into 11 wins on the spin. He was absolutely magnificent in that spell, and you can't really argue that it was Smith changing him, as he'd been injured for most of the time since Smith took over.

Not changing but making him captain and challenging him more on end product was definitely part of it, Grealish and Smith have both said as much in interviews. I'd say that, a little later than you're talking about, he also had him work a bit more on his athleticism because 20/21 season he had pretty clearly added half a yard of extra pace which made him a lot more dangerous.

[RamboandBruno]

No other manager has got out of Grealish what Smith did.

Who are you comparing him with? He did well for Bruce, but didn't have the quality of players around him that Smith subsequently had. Southgate is a moron who can't get the best out of anybody, and Man City didn't need him but wanted him for his marketing opportunities and to stop him going elsewhere.

He’s comparing him with every other manager Grealish has played. Tactics Tim, he was only a kid, great cup semi final, Garde, Di Matteo, Bruce, you can argue he was playing with inferior players but he was also playing against inferior players and looked bang average. Pep, you can say Pep didnt buy him for the right reasons, he plays a different system etc, but you cant have it both ways, he’s now playing with superior players, but the fact is, he was much better for Villa only under Smith.
Yes our form in the 10 game run coincided with his return but i think that was just as much Smith knowing how he ticked. Making him captain on his return was a managerial masterstroke.

Smith was lost without him and i agree his record without Jack was poor, but its two sides of the same coin for player and manager. The real tragedy is for Villa, as it felt for a few months the world was our oyster with both Grealish and Smith steering the ship

What we have now, is a manager who has talented players, no tactical nous and on the face of it the double whammy of no man management skills.

When we lost at Southampton to seal DeanO’s fate, some of the players looked visibly upset. I get the feeling looking at the body language on the pitch, there will be relief when this fella bites the dust. All assumption on my part.

[Beard82]

Gerrard never had Grealish, so the comparision just doesn't work.  I entirely disagree with you that one player alone cannot solely make the difference.  Grealish proved it with us over 4 seasons.  That's not to say every player around him was rubbish, but simply that the team virtually always failed to function when he was not available.  Smiths success was built almost solely around Jack, his record without him was shocking.

Yes, as I say look at our prmotion season. Grealish was injured, and the moment he comes back he turned one win in 12 into 11 wins on the spin. He was absolutely magnificent in that spell, and you can't really argue that it was Smith changing him, as he'd been injured for most of the time since Smith took over.

Not changing but making him captain and challenging him more on end product was definitely part of it, Grealish and Smith have both said as much in interviews. I'd say that, a little later than you're talking about, he also had him work a bit more on his athleticism because 20/21 season he had pretty clearly added half a yard of extra pace which made him a lot more dangerous.

And playing him out on the left where he is hugely effective rather then as an 8 like Grealish thought was his best position