I find it hard work using a phone to browse the internet and even harder to write with, probably because of my ageing eyesight.
I really wish I’d brought my laptop on holiday now.
Never mind, the important thing is that we’ve got our new managerial team in, in Dean Smith as the manager and John Terry as his assistant.
We’ve also hired a new director of football in Jesus Garcia Pitarch, who I know nothing about, yet seems to have a good CV.
At the same time, some interesting things have come out, like the reported £1 million pounds a year contract that Terry is supposed to be on. That’s a big drop and I still wonder why he hasn’t come in as a player too. given our dire defensive situation?
Still, it’s a good sign that he really wants to be at the Villa I guess.
The word is that we’ve paid Brentford £350,000 in compensation.
What I’ve found most interesting though are the club’s comments about Smith, particularly the part that says he has ” a clear and successful coaching philosophy”.
If that’s not a dig at the previous regime, I don’t know what is.
And then there’s Hogan’s comments that he wanted out in the transfer window and Bruce just fed him a line, promising game time that didn’t come.
It would seem from that, that our suspicions were correct and a few players just felt that whatever happened, it was always only the favoured few that were going to play. Hopefully that will change and players get chosen on merit.
John Gregory’s come straight out and said how delighted he is that we’ve got it right this time, in choosing one of our own.
I’m fully behind this appointment, especially as we’ve got Terry in too, who should surely be able to help Smith with the expectation that he’s now going to face.
But typical me these days, I do have concerns that we’ve hired the right bloke at just the wrong time.
I worry about how our defence is going to cost us points until we get more troops in.
Will we generally manage to stay patient if results are poor in the short term?
I think I will and hopefully we all will, after Bruce has left us in such a poor place defensively.
And depending on how quickly we can change our footballing approach, it might not matter so much anyway, if we can start battering teams like we think we ought to.
Which is where my other worries lie.
A lot now comes down to the players starting to look the part. That shouldn’t be a problem though, as I’d expect many of them to be invigorated.
Either way, the pressure’s on already.
Hopefully Dean, you’ll be up to the job and I welcome you with open arms.
Here’s looking forward to some proper footy again.
Phew, the post worked. Bloody phones.
Hmm it seems Smith’s assistant Richard O’Kelly is coming. Where does that leave Terry?
The off the cuff answer, to borrow from NFL is as Defensive Co-ordinator, and boy is that a difficult and crucial task with what we have left.
However the longer term answer is where does it leave O’Kelly? Have you ever heard of him? No. So is he suddenly going to row a bigger personality than JT? No. I think he is going to be off watching the next opponents most matchdays.
He had two assistant coaches at Brentford, O’Kelly was one and Frank was the other. No reason why O’Kelly and Terry can’t be his two here. Most interesting thing for me is his title, he was announced as our new Head Coach rather than our manager. Times are changing?
UTV.
I suspect JT was Purslow’s appointment which Smith had to accept – so no surprise in a compromise on bringing one former coach with him and leaving the other as temporarily in charge of Brentford.
Also reported that JT will be number 2
Well they’ve appointed the new “Sporting Director” as well, so I guess that points to us following the ‘continental’ way – or maybe that is just the ’21st Century way’ of doing things.
Certainly the days of ‘managers’ having much say in anything off the field or outside the training ground seem to have gone.
Interesting piece in the Birmingham Mail earlier today about O’Kelly; the gist of which was summed-up by an apparent quote from Dean Smith [half-joking perhaps?] in which he referred to O’Kelly as his “Axe-man” when it came to telling players that they were being dropped, etc.
Ardent – also interesting was Smith’s comments in the Mirror which suggests that he works closely with O’Kelly on the strategic side of the game and in particular how they teamed up with European coaches to develop a wider understanding of differing styles.
Smith / Terry are going to need time to develop a playing style and also to manage the defensive deficiencies they have inherited. I just hope the fans get behind them and give them the time they need
R.I.P. Doug Ellis . Has died, may he be long remembered.
Agreed Bill.
I ‘ve often thought over the years that some Villa fans didn’t appreciate Ellis’ contribution to the club for so long; perhaps now that we’ve seen how other owners run things [and that’s not just at Villa Park] he’ll receive a little more respect.
RIP. He’ll be fleecing God out of a few quid if he gets upstairs! A long and prosperous life at 94!
The passing of an era. When owners of a Premier League club could be English and in good standing with HMRC. There aren’t many left.
I did not know him well, but I knew him to talk to and one of his turns of phrase was that certain things would only happen ” over my dead body”. The re-naming of Villa Park was one.
Smith & Terry…
For once I’m optimistic that the club have made a pretty bold choice which might just prove to be brilliant – although as usual there’ll be people expecting an instant miracle.
I hope they’re given time to sort things out, which in the short term means that we stop leaking stupid goals in every game.
Could be the start of a real footballing revolution at the club!
Oll, Smith was a defender, as was Terry. He’ll probably concentrate on the coaching side imo.
Yes, RIP and the utmost respect to Doug. I’ll never be convinced that he did his best for us, but don’t doubt that he had us at heart eventually.
As OLL said above – “When owners of a Premier League club could be English and in good standing with HMRC” – even when we’d descended from the heights of the early 1980’s Villa were always seen as a pretty ‘solid’, solvent and well-run outfit, although it often meant fans moaning about Deadly Doug being too tight to spend big.
Personally I think it might have have been better for English football if more owners like Doug [and the Edwards at ManU] were still around, rather than the billionaires with no local connections who now control almost all of the big clubs .
But maybe that’s just my rose-tinted nostalgia…!
And us now Ardent…..
H60 – yes, and we were one of the early ones to go that way; Lerner taking over in 2006 seems a long time ago now.
Must admit, I hope the ‘fans choice’ works out better than last time. Remember how bad Lambert was!
sad news about Doug Ellis 🙁 R/I/P)
great news we finally got a new manager, Smith who was the most populat choice, i hold my hands up i didnt think he would come to villa, considering the mess we are in and how well Brentford are doing. he is a guy that will coach the team and that will take time, also compo was really low i didnt expect that 300k i think i heard thats a steal.
hopefully Smith will bring the best out of the good players we have, espically in the midfield and forward areas. his style also protects the defence as his game is based on possession, this season i have been amazed how often we misplaced passes and simple passes at that. cant wait for the first game under smith and many more after it.
RIP Doug Ellis. I remember how happy I was when he finally relinquished control to Lerner, and thinking finally we can move forward. Sometimes the grass isn’t greener I guess. One thing I would never argue against was his passion for our club, proven when he was sat watching the game from the stands while Lerner was in the good old USA. I think we will have to accept that owners now will never love the club like Doug. Shame he never got to see a Villa fan trying to get the club back to the premier league.
RIP Doug who did many good things for our club for which I honestly thank him but I still find it difficult to accept his inability to recognise those that delivered our greatest success as European Champions.
I apologise if this offends but to say otherwise would be dishonest.
True H60, but a man’s pride will make him do strange and stupid things. Despite that, Doug Ellis deserves total respect for how he looked after the club. He gave all his managers money to spend, and plenty of it. But the greedy among us always wanted more. Our transfer record was broken regularly in the 90s. As a teenager growing up loving football and Villa, I remember those days with great fondness and nostalgia. Bizarrely, it was Big Ron’s reluctance to spend which cost him his job, with Ellis apparently, and rightly, encouraging him to make a signing to freshen up an ageing squad. Maybe it was the managers who weren’t quite up to it, although many times we were close.
Doug was generally portrayed as a villain in the media and, as with eveything, people bought into that characature. But he loved the club and left it fit and healthy. Look at what’s happened since. That’s all we need to know. That’s before we even start on Villa Park…
Even with Dr Jo, you could argue he was ahead of his time making that foreign appointment. He could’ve been a Wenger type ‘thinker’ and innovator in the C21st.
A truly sad loss and I was appalled to read of the abuse and intimidation he endured. Absolutely disgraceful. Maybe it’s the same guy who launched the cabbage. These things embarrass our great club and portray it in a very negative light.
RIP Doug, and, minor faults aside, thank you for the Aston Villa I grew up with: a competitive force in the Premier League. How times have changed.
Big Fat Ron , working at the club and speaking to him over issues in the ground I found him to be pleasent and polite, he was highly respected in Palma a place he went to regularly. Yes he watched the money when spending but it was always value for Money. He brought corporate boxes and dinning to the club where other at Villa tried to stop, He got his way by funding it with his money and made the Villa sit up and take note.I’ve many stories of things that went on under his time at Villa all amusing and pleasent. A man that will be remembered in our lifetime. R.I.P Doug and learn how to use a tv remote in heaven.
Congratulations to our owners for appointing Dean Smith. One of our own. Someone who gets it. The more the club is made up of individuals who have an affinity with the club, the stronger we will become.
I like the fact Dean Smith has a good record of discovering young talented players with the right attitude. With FFP about to really hit home, the idea of developing both our U23 players or spotting talent in a lower league and polishing into a diamond appeals to me. Please end our recent history of journeyman players on contracts paying for their pensions.
Welcome back to John Terry. I really do believe he has something about him that will lead to him being a success in management. Believe me when I say I’ve been on a journey to now want John associated with our club.
Finally, sad news about Doug Ellis. I really believed he wanted the best for Villa. But I cannot be a hypocrite. I have struggled with how he allowed the break up of our European Cup team. However, I will give him credit. As a teenager I wrote to him asking how could he have allowed Withe / Shaw to be replaced by Simon Stainrod. Doug did write back to me. I doubt Chairman would now bother to such a thing. RIP
I’ve just read the interview with Steve Stride who worked with Deadly for 30 years – it’s well worth the read. It’s clear that behind that ego he was a caring and generous person. Stride acknowledges that Doug never really got over not being part of the European Cup success and didn’t give it the attention it deserved.
He will be missed at Villa Park – of that there is no doubt.
Hitch, he was a caring owner, when he came to Villa we all attended a stewards get to gether at Christmas time and had asked him to attend. We had a prize set aside for best steward in that season, Doug stepped up and gave the steward a holiday for two in Spain, that’s the man he was, he entertained players on his boat, his close friend was Garry Newbon alway by his side. Happy memories of him and many heated discussions, but fair in all asked from him. I have many photographs of him and me only because he loved to get his face on it.RIP.Doug.
This is what we have bought into……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1394&v=9kWx_g6N88M
Thanks AID3 – I enjoyed listening; it does sound that we are in for an exciting ride but we do have to be patient. I think one of the most exciting prospects is seeing Hogan playing to his full potential.
This is a good article in the Telegraph which does explain the thinking behind Villa’s decision to get Smith / Terry on board; all makes a lot of sense and seems to suggest a long term strategic approach and a move to a more continental style organisation for the club
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/10/13/john-terryhappy-learn-ropes-new-aston-villa-manager-dean-smith/
Hmm, sounds like Smith is a really nice bloke. But listening to that gives me some concerns, that I’ve also read about elsewhere.
Basically that he was just part of a massive team, albeit ultimately calling the shots.
The good news though, is that he was the head coach, which is mostly what we need.
Maybe I just worry too much 😀
In other news, the Villa have opened the top of the Trinity for the Swansea game.
Big crowd expected and it’s already at 35,000.
Badger, you’re supposed to be chilled with a large G&T in hand sitting on a beach!
The the guy also said how much Smith had improved players and was open to playing youngsters if they are good enough.
Dean Smith / JT combination pulling in the crowds – just hope they don’t expect too much too soon. UTV
The missus does G&T’s Hitch. I’m more a beer bloke.
I’m definitely chilled, but always thinking about the Villa.
I think my major worry is that Smith won’t be able to handle the pressure/expectation of a big club.
I suspect Terry might be called upon to do a lot of the media stuff.
As for crowds, yes, it seems Smith’s appointment has really got the fans interested again.
A few of my family want to go to the Swansea game, but it looks like we’ll have settle for Bolton.
Massive expectation already.
Badger, don’t underestimate Dean Smith. There was an excellent article in The Daily Mail recently about club captains being a dying breed. A section of said article was Smith explaining his stance of the matter. He demands leadership from all his players, giving them turns to be captain, and pushes them to reach their potential. I know next to nothing about him as a manager or man, but reading that made me realise that he is focussed and demands high standards. The fact that he actually coaches players and helps them improve is the key to success that he holds. Many managers don’t coach; they just buy players for what they are and expect them to perform. There is so much potential in the Villa squad, it’s ridiculous. The only thing he might struggle with is where to start with the talent he has at his disposal. And who’s to say he won’t plug the CB hole by transforming one of the youngsters into a bonafide first teamer?
I agree we need to give him time, but I’m sure he will handle the media and spotlight in his own way. And yes, of course, Terry’s experience of ‘the big time’ will be invaluable…
Listening to a very interesting podcast last night where they made the observation that Smith has never finished higher than 9th with either Walsall in L1 or Brentford. Their point being that we haven’t appointed a proven winner and whether this the right decision for a club like Villa. They mused whether the fact that Smith is a ‘Villa man’ swung the vote.
The point being made by Badger is one they also picked up on – the winner in the dressing room and around the club is JT and he has a very big role to play.
However successful (or otherwise) Smith / Terry are I am looking forward to watching a better style ( or should I say a recognisable) style of football.
Interesting times lie ahead. UTV
Fair point Hitch but it’s totally subjective. Would anyone have finished higher than 9th with Walsall and Brentford? Maybe he would’ve got higher than 9th this season.
The objective point which they failed to make in the podcast is that of ‘expectation.’ What was expected of him at Walsall? What was expected of him at Brentford? Did he meet or exceed those expectations? Only he and his paymasters will know, but I’d guess that the answer to the latter is ‘yes.’
The expectation at Villa is clear and absolute: get Villa back into the Premier League. With his apparent skills set, and with Terry on board, there is a strong chance he will meet that expectation. We have to wait and see. Enjoy the ride and, for God’s sake, support the team and the new management with a positive and partisan atmosphere!
P.s. Bruce was ‘a proven winner.’
Always support the team full on whatever happens BFR.
What is rarely said is that Bruce never won the Championship – i think he got all of his promotions through the play offs. Anyway that’s history.
Onwards and upwards.
I believe he got two automatics and two play off promotions. Your point still stands. In any case, he is history now. I have the same concerns over Smith as you do, but BFR is right, Walsall and Brentford are tough places to achieve anything of note. Certainly, at Brentford, the repeated loss of his best players will have been difficult to overcome.
Despite FFP he will probably find the position very different at Villa. It will allow him to spend more on a single player than he could have done at previous clubs. Sometimes that might not be a good thing, and in some ways the tighter purse strings may have helped make some decisions, and lessened the cost of getting it wrong. Can he handle the added pressure of spending maybe £10M on a player? It’s very visible if it doesn’t work out, where a player for £1M or less isn’t.
At least we will have a clear playing style, and the football will be easier on the eye. I’m really looking forward to that. I do feel we will be a realistic promotion challenger this season, despite the defensive shortcomings and the time it will take to bed in the new style. The players are good enough.