Dean Smith New Interim Manager - Official

[Beachyboy]

36 minutes ago, shailen said:

No I totally get what you're saying. He has no option but to be bold. 

 

My point is that I've never understood what identity his Villa team played with. He gets his teams fighting and is very competitive but there is no doubt he's also struggled too with gaining consistency and rhythm in his football.

 

It might be different here with the better players we have here (footballing wise) but I'd be highly sceptical of appointing him full time if we do stay up!! 

I just looked at our 4-0 win against Smiths Villa. Some interesting quotes from both managers "individual mistakes have cost us teams capitalise on our own errors" Smith. Rogers "Early on you can see our confidence wasn't quite there, the only way you get that back is by hard work" fast forward 3 years and here we are. I think both managers have skill sets the other doesn't possibly Smith couldn't get us playing that type of possession football and get us that high up in the league but Rogers isn't the guy for a relegation scrap like Smith has shown to be in the past.

[LCFCJohn]

36 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

...I doubt his ability to take us anywhere near where we wish to be!!!

As a manager and figurehead, he is just the grounded person we would wish to have in place, but I feel he lacks the footballing tactical nous that we will need if we wish to get back to pushing for Europe. We have come up against them (Villa) a few times recently and he has been outwitted by Rodgers. They spent a fortune when they came up, as we stared enviously at the conveyor belt of players going through their turnstiles. They should not have ended up struggling to stay in the league.

Bit of a mixed bag actually. The season they came up with Smith, we had that great 4-1 win at VP just at the end of our really great run. They then tactically outdid us over two legs in the cup just after the new year and then we had that 4-0 at the KP just before the lockdown.

 

Season after, both were away wins, 1-0 Villa at the KP and 2-1 us at VP.

 

The next time we faced them, Smith had left Villa.

 

So he definitely matched Rodgers in terms of tactical battles. 

[RumbleFox]

So IF he keeps us up who would want him permanently? 

[Chrysalis]

On 28/04/2023 at 06:32, LCFCJohn said:

Would literally rather have Smith for the job that will be needed for us.

 

These guys are flashy names with little substance behind them imo.

 

Both at the right clubs with the right set ups where they are the figure heads (referring to Potter’s time at Brighton here). We won’t need flashy, we will need someone who can get their hands dirty and be part of a rebuild. As the post below yours pointed out, Smith was who put that in place at Brentford so if we narrowly stay up, if JT stays as well, this ‘team’ we have will be the best option to stabilise the club again.

 

People like Potter and Frank are the type you bring in when the club is stable. They’d both absolutely crash and burn with us next year if they joined in the summer.

Seems a few people just look at the CV and think that means everything.

 

I think Smith will improve the character of the squad.  He also likes to play direct, which are two great traits.

 

As you said its about having the right guys at the right time.

Edited 30 April 2023 by Chrysalis

[Chrysalis]

On 28/04/2023 at 14:18, Phenom said:

I would like to keep him if we drop but think we can do better if we stay up. Seems like a bottom half manager. Better than what we had but not quite up to the standard we were at.

We are a bottom half club.

[Chrysalis]

13 hours ago, shailen said:

He's the perfect manager for the bounce but I don't think he has enough tactically to see us higher than battling for the drop next season, if we do stay up. We can't be throwing three strikers in each game if we're going to be serious. 

 

I'm sure people won't want to hear this but under Rodgers it was clear how we wanted to play, but he self destructed claiming the squad wasn't good enough and is to blame for our season has subsequently gone. Potter has a similar clear identity so think he'd be our best option if we stay up!! 

Whats wrong with playing more strikers?

 

Most efficient way of playing the game is minimising the time the ball is in midfield, win the ball, and get it to the forwards as quick as possible, if there is more forwards its easier to find one.

 

I have never agreed with the idea of packing the midfield, it may seem fancy but it doesnt mean its tactically sound.  As proven by our failed Brendan ball.

[Matt]

Shakey-inspired.

[Sharpe's Fox]

5 minutes ago, Matt said:

Shakey-inspired.

Cheers Ward's crying. Nice one

 

[Ginger_Filbert]

13 hours ago, RumbleFox said:

So IF he keeps us up who would want him permanently? 

Yeah, I want him permanently anyway just for how he carries himself. Got a bit of a Pearson feel about him. 

[Dahnsouff]

13 hours ago, RumbleFox said:

So IF he keeps us up who would want him permanently? 

If he has a plan, or feels he can help rebuild our direction, then sure as a no-nonsense guy running the show for a few years might be just what we need

[HighPeakFox]

14 hours ago, RumbleFox said:

So IF he keeps us up who would want him permanently? 

I would. 

[majaco]

18 hours ago, shailen said:

He's the perfect manager for the bounce but I don't think he has enough tactically to see us higher than battling for the drop next season, if we do stay up. We can't be throwing three strikers in each game if we're going to be serious. 

 

I'm sure people won't want to hear this but under Rodgers it was clear how we wanted to play, but he self destructed claiming the squad wasn't good enough and is to blame for our season has subsequently gone. Potter has a similar clear identity so think he'd be our best option if we stay up!! 

 

17 hours ago, Beachyboy said:

You can't compare Rogers when he had plenty of points to play for with Smiths firefighter mission, he probably wouldn't play 3 strikers In the first game of a season. He has to be bold and has been at times due to the mess he has inherited.

 

4 hours ago, Chrysalis said:

Whats wrong with playing more strikers?

 

Most efficient way of playing the game is minimising the time the ball is in midfield, win the ball, and get it to the forwards as quick as possible, if there is more forwards its easier to find one.

 

I have never agreed with the idea of packing the midfield, it may seem fancy but it doesnt mean its tactically sound.  As proven by our failed Brendan ball.

I don't think Smith wants to play with three strikers at all.  He is limited by our squad.  Our only wide players are Tete and Barnes; Tete is still getting up to speed and Barnes has been injured.  Against Leeds, when Barnes came on, Iheanacho dropped deeper.  So Smith has adapted.   

 

The issue is with the imbalance of our squad. Six centre backs: two of whom are not premier league quality; one who gets a new injury when he approaches the treatment room.  Six full backs;  one of whom is Bertrand.  Seven midfielders.  Three strikers.  Two wide players.  Three goalkeepers.  At the same time as lacking wide players, the decision was made there wasn't room for  Justin in the squad.  Rodgers didn't see use Wanya and nor has Smith.

 

If we survive and if Smith stays, hopefully the squad would be more balanced.  Clearly, with the contract situation, there is a lot of work to be done.   Recently, imo, Smith has playerd three strikers because he is working with what he has got.

[Chelmofox]

39 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

If he has a plan, or feels he can help rebuild our direction, then sure as a no-nonsense guy running the show for a few years might be just what we need

The job to keep us up and the summer rebuild are two completely different asks of Dean. Once our fate is known, the club and Deans team should talk about the strategy and we should only keep him if we are all aligned. Right now, i suggest that nobody is really thinking about it.

[Blanchflower78]

Didn't he play 4-3-3 with Villa? 

[StanSP]

What was his transfer record like at Villa?

 

So much of our short-term future of the club depends on this summer and probably Jan/summer 2024. The rebuild and recruitment is huge. 

 

Was Smith even involved with transfers at Villa? I have faith that we have a decent head of recruitment now with Martyn Glover there. I wonder who the club are looking at if the plan is there to not give Smith the job. 

 

As has been mentioned before (not sure if this thread or not), but we seem to do well with managers that have something to prove and love the challenge of managing a club like us that could challenge top 6/7 and upset the 'big six' dominance. Be great if we absolutely nail the next appointment and have a successful summer in recruiting.

[Number 6]

I think there are probably lots of managers out there who could come in and really help us recover next season, should we scrape survival this. And probably a fair few who have a much higher ceiling than Dean Smith. I have no confidence in our higher ups knowing who they would be though and so there's a decent case for Dean and co to to continue.

[moore_94]

2 minutes ago, StanSP said:

What was his transfer record like at Villa?

 

So much of our short-term future of the club depends on this summer and probably Jan/summer 2024. The rebuild and recruitment is huge. 

 

Was Smith even involved with transfers at Villa? I have faith that we have a decent head of recruitment now with Martyn Glover there. I wonder who the club are looking at if the plan is there to not give Smith the job. 

 

As has been mentioned before (not sure if this thread or not), but we seem to do well with managers that have something to prove and love the challenge of managing a club like us that could challenge top 6/7 and upset the 'big six' dominance. Be great if we absolutely nail the next appointment and have a successful summer in recruiting.

Villa had a massive rebuild in the their first summer in the Prem because of how many players they let go and loans that ended from their promotion season

 

Bought 12 players in the summer, then bought 1, loaned 2, and 1 free in the Jan window

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/16/dean-smith-aston-villa-challenging-in-europe-has-to-be-the-aim-jack-grealish

 

“Whatever was speculated before, I was in full agreement with the players brought in with Suso and I will be with Johan as well,” he says. “I felt for Suso last season because it was such a big turnover and I thought we did a fantastic job doing what we did. You’ll never hear a bad word about Suso from me. I really enjoyed working with him. The club decided to go in a different direction.

 

“My role [in recruitment] is pretty much the same. As soon as Johan came into the club we sat down and profiled the positions we needed and then it’s a case of me adding some names I liked in those positions. Then it’s down to the recruitment department, headed by Rob and with Johan’s input, to come up with players that a) fit the profile, b) fit the personality profile and c) are actionable. They come up with a list and I sit down with the coaches and decide the best ones.”

[winteriscoming]

If and it’s a massive if we stop up I want us to look abroad. But we won’t. I see similarities happening with when Shakespeare had it and starting the following season poorly. 

[CosbehFox]

15 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

Bit of a mixed bag actually. The season they came up with Smith, we had that great 4-1 win at VP just at the end of our really great run. They then tactically outdid us over two legs in the cup just after the new year and then we had that 4-0 at the KP just before the lockdown.

 

Season after, both were away wins, 1-0 Villa at the KP and 2-1 us at VP.

 

The next time we faced them, Smith had left Villa.

 

So he definitely matched Rodgers in terms of tactical battles. 

He didn’t tactically out do us in those cup games. That second leg at Villa park could have been played out 10 times and 9 times we’d have won 

[Guest]

15 hours ago, RumbleFox said:

So IF he keeps us up who would want him permanently? 

Not sure. Weirdly I think I might be more inclined to keep him if we went down. Yes he'd have failed to do what we appointed him to do, but the bulk of the damage was done long before he arrived. Presumably we'd be looking for a manager with at least some Championship experience, ideally experience of getting promoted from it - here he is.

 

I do broadly like what I've seen and heard from him, though three games and a handful of press conferences isn't much of a sample size. If we stay up, end the season strongly and the players are obviously continuing to buy in to what he's trying to do then maybe it's a good idea to give him another year to keep the ship steady-ish while we try to sort ourselves out.

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

1 hour ago, Ginger_Filbert said:

Yeah, I want him permanently anyway just for how he carries himself. Got a bit of a Pearson feel about him. 

I do think this management team is what we need right now. And possibly next season too. I think Smith and Shakey would want it (not sure about whether JT would want it), but given we will need a massive rebuild is there anyone who has successfully done that sort of job? Maybe even Smith and Shakey are the pair for a rebuild as well? Not sure.

[Hamilton Fox]

22 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

He didn’t tactically out do us in those cup games. That second leg at Villa park could have been played out 10 times and 9 times we’d have won 

Well he beat us over 2 legs with a much worse team at the time which is all that counts 

[CosbehFox]

50 minutes ago, Hamilton Fox said:

Well he beat us over 2 legs with a much worse team at the time which is all that counts 

But it wasn't a tactical masterclass which was the point I was replying to - Villa's keeper had an amazing game. 

 

Ironically I don't think we need some tactical masterpiece over the next 12 to 18 months - someone who is a man motivator to sort this squad out 

[Blanchflower78]

Even if we stay up whos actually convinced the club are in a position to fund the much needed overhaul of the team?

 

Selling Madders may generate 50m as a start but its highly dubious we are any more financially ambitious than we were at the start of last season.

 

Smith if keeping us up would happily work within that structure, I'm not convinced Potter and Co would?

[Gamble92]

3 minutes ago, Blanchflower78 said:

Even if we stay up whos actually convinced the club are in a position to fund the much needed overhaul of the team?

 

Selling Madders may generate 50m as a start but its highly dubious we are any more financially ambitious than we were at the start of last season.

 

Smith if keeping us up would happily work within that structure, I'm not convinced Potter and Co would?

We will sell Maddison, have wages like Soyuncu and Tielemans gone. There is a hell of a lot of room to bring in players. 

 

If there isn't then Top needs to sell up. Simple as that.