Having read around for the last few days, or more accurately, since our recent debate over 3/5 at the back began, I’ve seen some say they’d like to see Terry come in.
I’ve also seen quite a few suggestions that since Terry left, our defence has been poor. That part is definitely true, but I think most would accept that it was more about Smith messing with the system, as much as he might try to deny it didn’t matter.
The inference is that because things have got worse, it must have been Terry who organised the defence in the first place.
I’ve even seen it written that John Terry was the one who sorted Jack Grealish out, with the inference being that it was he who made him into a player worth £100 million.
Where do these ideas come from? and where’s the slightest bit of evidence to back any of this up?
I’d go so far as to say Terry had nothing to do with anything, his was only a watching/learning brief and it was Richard O’Kelly who was the brains of the outfit and the one we’re really missing.
This thinking is so far off the mark for me, that I really do wonder if I’m the one who doesn’t have a grip on reality.
Surely if Terry was so good, the word would have got around and everybody would know about it, meaning he’s been flooded with offers and he’d be in a job now?
And please don’t try and tell me that he’s taking time off. I don’t think for one minute he’s that sort of person. If he was offered a job managing a club, I believe he’d jump at it.
And, given that I wrote this post earlier, this next part is an add-on;
I’ve just read a rumour that Terry was advising Grealish to leave, the hierarchy found out and asked him to leave immediately, which is why he left with no job to go to.
If that’s true, so much for the near hero-worship of him amongst some of us fans.
And then I’ve even seen it suggested that we should go for Frank Lampard. Seriously?
Yes, he brought the kids through at Chelsea and he might do the same for us, but wow, that strategy would be incredibly risky. Apart from that, I saw nothing to suggest he’d be a solution just yet. In the future, maybe. But not yet.
In fact, I don’t understand the rush to go for managers that have little or even no experience at all.
I might go for Gerrard if I had to pick this sort of young manager, as at least he’s had some decent experience and seems to be doing a pretty good job. But doing well in a two horse race isn’t any big deal, in my opinion.
I’m also tempted to say we’ve never done well with managers who have come from Scottish football either, but at least Gerrard is English.
And before I get accused of being racist in this woke world, I’m not at all. I don’t care where a manager comes from as long as he’s proven and demonstrated that he can handle the egos and expectation we currently have at the Villa.
No, the more I think about it, the more I want an experienced hand at the tiller.
Until we see that we have no option, that is.
That said, I would expect Purslow to be discreetly making enquiries and putting the feelers out as a minimum, ready to get someone straight in, if, as it seems inevitable, Smith gets the bullet.
Theres some truth in the saga of Terry leaving Badger, what happen does give food for thought as to why, things have gone wrong since both coaches left that’s for sure, now again Whomis this Pualo Fenseca? reports are he’s been approached said the Daily Mail . To have Terry back would be a no from me .
Why? Because some fans are really not that intelligent.
Just for the record (and to clarify my previous comments) I wouldn’t have Terry back nor would I see Lampard or Gerrard as a solution.
I do, however, see Eddie Howe as a potential and someone, I think, would be interested in the job. He was excellent at Bournemouth and was, arguably, unlucky to be relegated in place of Villa.
Whether it’s Fonseca, who I know nothing about, or not, I think the Mail story is interesting in that the media are, for the first time, questioning Smith’s position. That may, of course, be purely a cynical ‘click bait’ reaction to unrest at the club but even then it suggests that rumours of unrest at the club are growing, Expect more stories in the coming days.
If NSWE and Purslow are seriously looking at a change in management then I would expect them to have a replacement lined up. If Smith goes then I would expect Shakespeare to go as well. If we do need an interim manager I could see Delaney being asked to do the job.
All we need know is for Purslow to trot out ‘the owners have every confidence in the manager’ line and we’ll know he’s gone!
I’ve just been reading the Daily Mail story and I too found it interesting.
Either Craig Hope very much has his finger on the pulse of the fans or the story has been fed or at least hinted about to him.
Even if the story is a load of rubbish (which I suspect the Fonseca part is), it is indeed a sign that the media know Smith’s days are numbered.
I don’t expect Purslow to say anything at all, until Smith’s sacking is announced, but I hope he is at least sounding possible candidates out.
Going back to the post, I don’t think if Smith does actually get sacked, the job is one for a rookie.
There’s far too much going on at the club.
i would not have john terry back as in the season when we were nearly relegated (until are magical turn around) our defence was awful and he was here then, and i do believe he was telling grealish to go.
And i think Dean Smith should go (even though he’s a villa fan and a nice bloke) but in the hard cold world of the premiership, i believe he has taken as far as he can, and we probably wouldnt survive if he stayed till the end of the season.
Given the one point per game this year
that he never seems to have a plan b, c, or d like the top coaches do
And he never tells us what the hell is going on with all the injuries and other stuff from behind the scenes, which we all find so frustrating.
and i think JG kept him in the job this long
personally if i was in charge,
considering how much we pay for players 30 million plus etc
i would find a top manager (even if he is still employed) and throw huge money at him to come to villa
now i know we would not tempt klopp, tuchell, guardiola etc, but there are some top managers still in the game with proven records.
my first pick would be Roberto Mancini
and i am sure you could all come up with some other names to
and if we were to go for an up and coming manager again, i would be very disappointed, as if you are still thinking that’s the way to go you might as well keep DS
Totally agree. Big money is put down for players. Now it looks like it’s a ‘next level’ coach that the club needs to kick on. So why not ‘sign’ a manager as you would a player? Pay the fat compo fee and, assuming the coach in question wants to come, get it done. The question is who are these ‘top’ managers we could approach. Fonseca has CL experience, yes, but could be a disaster of Remi Gards proportions. I like the Mancini idea, although seeing him at the Euros, his spa bill would be even bigger than Conte’s. Rogers would be an interesting one, and would create a Brian Little level shitstorm over at the King Power. Would have to say he’d be an upgrade on Deano. I’d prefer Gerrard over Lampard and definitely wouldn’t entertain Howe. I’m not sure why; he just doesn’t fit, in my opinion. I think we do need a ‘marquee’ manager and we have been saying that for many years now. For all Ellis’ faults, he did manage to get the likes of Big Ron and MON when they were highly sought after managers.
All I know is that if Smith doesn’t make it, the board must NOT gamble on an unproven foreign manager, like a Patrick Vieira, for example; there is instability at the club by the looks of it and it will need a strong, experienced coach who commands respect and has an aura about him and one who will cope with PL and not need time to settle. The question is, who is that? Time for Purslow and co’ to really show how good they are at their jobs, IF a change is to be made.
Eddie Howe.
If Howe rather than Smith had been in charge of recruitment, the Villa side would look very different. Bournemouth operated in the “we’ll score more than you style.” They needed to with their poor goalkeepers and mistake prone Mings and Ake. However they backed that up with having outfield players who all got on the score sheet during the season. They had high tempo passing and a flexible formation. The attacking players, of which there were usually 3, were hard working and passed frequently to each other.
So If Eddie was sitting in the Villa manager’s office today he would have his head in his hands – wondering where to start. The current Villa team could not be more different from an Eddie Howe Bournemouth.
Not for you then OLL 🙂
On the contrary.
Bournemouth were the most entertaining team in the premiership while they were there. So it depends what you want for your money. For me, I want to be entertained now ( I went to Rotterdam, held the European Cup aloft at Elmdon) so been there got the T shirt. Eddie would be an improvement on Smith in several ways and might get us into the top half of the table. He would make Watkins pass the ball to Ings or any other Villan who could shoot straight when his own route to goal is blocked – or drop him until he stopped being selfish.
Bear in mind Bournemouth exist on a shoestring so did not have so many players in the pecking order. However, every youngster got a shot at the first team and a chance to stay in it if they did well. Hoof ball from the back up to a lone striker would be binned. I never saw Howe looking baffled, which seems to be the standard Smith pose.
Having said that – Eddie would need expert help if he ever got a team into Europe.
“I never saw Howe looking baffled, which seems to be the standard Smith pose.”
Spot on, it drives me nuts, him looking like he doesn’t have a clue what to do.
I’ve often thought it and now he’s proved he can’t switch tactics anywhere near quick enough, it’s even more concerning.
I’ve seen Preece say that he can use the international break to sort it out, but I don’t understand why you should need that after 3 years in charge?
Badger, I think we’re being a tad unfair on Smith. Looking baffled as opposed to what? Writing notes in a little pad like the ‘thinker’ managers (which are probably doodles of tits and knobs), or gesticulating like John Travolta on speed on the touch line as if giving instructions like the ‘passionate’ managers? Hammering Smith for his facial expression is not where it’s at. If he’s inept tactically, fine, but let’s not scrape the barrel.
As for Howe, the only expression I can picture him with is furrowed brow with his hand on his chin. Thinking, no doubt.
As for needing time to sort things, put yourself in his shoes. He’s lost his only world class player and captain. This has a massive psychological knock-on effect on the whole squad, whether we like it or not. Add then several new faces and chuck in a shit load of injuries and your new skipper determined to do his best kamikaze routine every week, and yes, you have things to sort. Oh, and losing two coaches, one of which has been his right hand man for years. The team are not playing well, but let’s be fair. Smith has a tough job and it’s nowhere near as stable as this time last year, and that’s not because of the poor results; the results are the result OF the instability, which is not Smith’s fault.
Me neither. If Dean goes we need a step up, not sideways.
The trouble is, whoever I think we might have a chance of getting is only a sideways move.
The likes of Pep, Clippety, whoever, just wouldn’t come to us.
So the only viable sort of option I can see is we go for a foreigner that none of us know about.
Fonseca has had 11 clubs in 15 years, I think. I don’t think he’d be the solution either.
But then, who exactly would be looking for our new manager?
I hope it’s not Lange, else whoever gets chosen won’t start firing for about six months at least, if our summer signings are anything to go by.
Which is why I’m not calling for Smith’s head quite yet.
Then again, I’m not paid stupid money to know who to bring in.
Conte has signed an 18 month contract for Spurs and that is probably as long as he will stay. Unless the players were trying to force Nuno out (which is disgraceful) I can’t see them improving too much. Most foreign coaches are journeymen looking for their next big pay packet first and foremost. They will have no sense of loyalty. A lot of fans talked about Benitez who isn’t exactly setting the world alight at Everton.
Garry Thompson believes Smith deserves more time and his comment was after getting us promoted and surviving relegation, before finishing mid table last season, surely he has enough credit in the bank to get a few more games to turn things round.
The sceptical side of me thinks Grealish was more influential for the progression made over the last few years and the points per game without him suggests we will be flirting with relegation. I would like to see Smith getting the opportunity to select a team with the likes of Bailey, Buendia, Ings, Sanson and Traore all being fully fit. Whether he gets the opportunity, only time will tell.
I watched the ‘The holy trinity show’ on YouTube and the guy talks sense and I urge you to watch his latest post.
I questioned whether I had become ‘fickle’ which is something Villa fans have been credited with before. After Lerner and Dr Xia and relegation and the bomb squad, have I lost all sense of perspective and patience. A few weeks ago DS was doing a great job beating Man Ure at OT. 4 defeats later with an unfair amount of injuries which aren’t really his fault and players underperforming, he is now a Championship manager / low premier league manager at best.
I’m not convinced that there is someone out there who would DEFINITELY come in and improve us. I do think Purslow will have irons in the fire because that’s his job but I don’t think the guys running the show are trigger happy like at Watford and Spurs.
Have watched it Holte and he does talk a lot of common sense but how much of football is based on that criteria? He got it completely wrong with Grealish.
Holte, I perhaps should have added that I agreed with much of what he said and he did ‘fess up to getting this views on the Grealish scenario wrong,
If Villa lose again on Friday night then surely Purslow will come under immense pressure with the risk of a toxic atmosphere at the next home game which is another difficult game agains Brighton,
After Friday we go into yet another International break but it does give the club 15 days within which to make managerial changes if that’s their approach.
I don’t have much hope for us in the next game given our (yet another) appalling record in Friday night games where, I believe, we have failed to win in something like the last 11 games!
Frankly I don’t see where our next win is coming from.
Hmm, I’ll save my thoughts on the S’ton game til I write a post. I don’t want to pre-empt that 🙂
I see Unai Emery has knocked Newcastle back. It seems noone wants the gig and it’s frankly embarrassing.
You can’t blame anyone not wanting to take it on, because they have a very good chance of going down if a new manager can’t make it work quickly.
No decent manager is going to risk that happening, so they’re going to have to look elsewhere.
I’d guess Howe will get that, with the aim of stabilising them and then they look for a top tier manager.
I suspect if we were to sack Smith and we’re in a similar low league position, we might find ourselves with exactly the same problem.
I suppose we might have a slight edge, in that we have had some recent decent momentum, but it’s exactly why we ought to be making enquiries beforehand if we are going to bullet Smith.
Maybe also the negative publicity around Newcastle’s buyers / financiers is affecting their attempt to recruit high profile individuals?
I can’t recall which manager it was that distanced himself from the job (was it Fonseca) saying that’s he didn’t ‘like their strategy’ – or words to that effect. Their could be any number of hidden meanings in that comment.
It could be and probably is the reason.
I’d forgotten about that, as would most people after a while.
Man City still get abuse, but it doesn’t stop them, does it?
OK, “Howe comes in to stabilise the club, while people forget about the scumbags who actually own them.”
There you go, I’ve corrected it 🙂
Great news if Smith goes that Sherwood, McLeish, Lambert, Garde and more recently Bruce are all available 😏
Oh! I forgot DiMatteo, also available 🤔
Interesting stat I just seen that Bruce had a higher win percentage than Smith! Admittedly all his games played in the championship!
Other than when at Palace (which was only 16 games) the highest win % of his managerial career was at Villa – Bruce that is, not Di Matteo 🙂
That’s the worry, isn’t it?
That we get someone who turns out to be similar.
It’s probably why I’m never in a rush to get a new manager in.
“Didn’t like their strategy “? Maybe it’s an issue with kidnapping journalists and murdering them in your own embassy that’s the issue. Appalling takeover decision by the EPL.
No, it’s OK Bum Bum the EPL have received ‘assurances’ that the Saudi Government aren’t involved. Yeah pull the other one.
Southgates squad announced and Tyrone Ming is included but no place for Ollie Watkins. I think Southgate has it right and Smith should take note. I’ll prepare myself for the axe
Gerry, I totally agree that Ollie hasn’t been picked. He’s way off form.
But if I was Southgate, I’d be picking Konsa over Mings, who has been awful on the pitch recently.
I honestly believe he gets picked more for his mouth.
If you needed a defender to rely on out of the two, where’s your money going to be?
If you say Mings, fair enough. I guess we all see things differently 🙂
The last time Villa won away on a Friday night was in April 1950 – a run of thirteen games – make that 14.
The reality is we’re displaying relegation form, suffering with too many absentees from the squad which looks unbalanced. It’s going to be a long, hard and not very enjoyable season.
I’m not even sure I can be bothered to watch tonight.
The big worry is the team picks itself tonight. Despite the huge amount of money spent, we still don’t have enough players feeling their place will be under pressure if they don’t perform. Obviously injuries and Covid (again) leave Smith with bare bones to choose from. Realistically we will do well to get a draw tonight.
With the international break upon us (again) we will probably end up with more injuries and player fatigue through long haul flights.
Everything seems to be conspiring against Smith from the cancellation of pre season friendlies to JT and ROK’s departure to losing our irreplaceable star man who the club built the team around to the endless injuries / sickness and those really annoying international breaks!
We need a slice of good luck whether it’s VAR or a goal going in off someone’s backside.
You can see why I thought a mid table finish would be acceptable this season. Its a huge change from last season losing Jack, no player can replace what he was and did for us. We were always going to have a season of transition and stabilisation because of this whilst Smith reworks the personnel, tactics etc. There will be ups and downs but talk of Europe was laughable in my opinion when you think of the reality of losing Jack. We need to create a whole new identity as we were a 1 man team. That takes time. Stabilise this season and progress next. That’s how I looked at it anyway. I think we will be OK but the players need a serious reality check and a foot up the arse to get there.
On BBC Midland news Smih is asked his view on being 3 points off the religation, his reply was ? If your asking me do I sleep at night play golf and eat well the answer ,wait for it , I’m alright !! If that was me I’d be doing my nut. Does he care what we think ? No….