morty
Moderator
Staff member
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
"Wasn't offered the job"
Shyster
Member
Lampard not being interested after initial talks is exactly what the Board wanted and it's now given them the perfect excuse to tempt Roy out of retirement 'til the end of the season -- Knutsen will take the reins from thereon in, regardless of which Division we're in -- Obviously it'll be a huge bonus if Roy can keep us up and his CV tells us he's more than capable of doing so.
Gaffer
Active Member
Dean Smith is now the bookies' favourite. But imagine this was just after the Brentford game and neither Farke nor Smith has been sacked. Farke's won one and drawn two while Smith has lost all five of his last five games. Someone from Villa comes along and says 'let's swap managers'. We would all have laughed in his face. Yet now we're supposed to consider this Villa reject a serious proposition? I hope there's no truth in it.
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
I'd be very happy with Woy, we'd be unlikely to get relegated.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Neil Adams caretaker, Knutsen to take over in January 
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
Hope not!Neil Adams caretaker, Knutsen to take over in January
G
gerryinromania
Well-Known Member
I like your idea Shyster
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
Dean Smith now being reported as ready to sign contract.
Oh dear........
Oh dear........
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Ignore the start to the season, he actually did a decent job at Brentford and Villa. My guess with their new found riches they were looking for an excuse to get shot and get a higher profile name in, just exactly the same way Eddie Howe will get the chop in a year or two once the toon start increasing their ambition, similar to the way Man City dumped Mark Hughes when they got rich.
A steady, functional appointment, and a manager with a better Premier league record than Farke, so actually an upgrade.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Dean Smith - underwhelming or underrated?
For all the razzmatazz surrounding Frank Lampard and mystery presented by Kjetil Knutsen, Dean Smith has quietly gone under the radar in Norwich…
Din
Well-Known Member
I have to say I'm finding it quite hard to be inspired by Dean Smith. Is he an upgrade on Farke? Probably. Will he make us more competitive and difficult to beat? Almost certainly. But I think in the position we're in we need someone who could inject a real spark and sense of impetus into the club, and I'm not really sure Smith does that. Don't get me wrong I don't think Lampard is as good a manager as Smith is, but I think his reputation and sheer standing in the game means that when he comes in players immediately raise their performance levels because they all want to impress Frank Lampard, one of the best players in the history of the Premier League. In terms of the longer-term, planning for the next 2/3 years Smith is undoubtedly the more sensible option, but really the main thing that matters is the short-term and staying up this season. I'm not saying I want us to abandon our principles and appoint an Allardyce or Bruce type, far from it, but I'm just not convinced of Smith's ability to immediate improve us enough so that we can put a run of wins together and drag ourselves out the bottom 3.
That all said, it genuinely wouldn't surprise me if he's not even in contention. I have to say the Pinkun's coverage of this whole thing has just been shocking, they don't seem to have a clue what's going. I like the 3 main journalists they have but they did a whole podcast yesterday talking about Lampard's imminent appointment, when it turns out that clearly he was never really that in the running.
I'm still holding out for Knutsen, and it does kind of sound like he was our main target but just one we couldn't get over the line.
That all said, it genuinely wouldn't surprise me if he's not even in contention. I have to say the Pinkun's coverage of this whole thing has just been shocking, they don't seem to have a clue what's going. I like the 3 main journalists they have but they did a whole podcast yesterday talking about Lampard's imminent appointment, when it turns out that clearly he was never really that in the running.
I'm still holding out for Knutsen, and it does kind of sound like he was our main target but just one we couldn't get over the line.
Din
Well-Known Member
I have to say though one of my good friend's who's a Villa fan can't believe that I'm underwhelmed by the prospect of Smith. He thinks he'd be a brilliant appointment and only has glowing things to say about him as a manager and says that although it probably was the right decision for Villa to sack him, that Villa's poor run of form that led to him being sacked wasn't all down to Smith by any means.
Gaffer
Active Member
So your friend is saying he's not good enough for Villa but he's good enough for us?
Supposedly he impressed them in the interview with his in-depth knowledge of the squad, club ethos and his vision for the future. But didn't Farke have exactly the same qualities? I haven't heard even a single person explain how Smith who has lost five on the trot is an upgrade on Farke who won one and drawn two. In fact, if you look at the squad at his disposal and the number of winnable games, throughout this season so far Smith has done worse than Farke.
If this appointment goes ahead then Webber is an absolute disgrace.
Din
Well-Known Member
OldRobert
Well-Known Member
I'll support that. Glad it's not Lampard. Now let's look forward. OTBC.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Stolen from another forum, a Villa fan's appraisal of Smith. A very good read :-
Villa fan in peace- I honestly think Deano is getting a bad rap on here and people not actually realising what a good job he has done throughout his career. So stick with me- I'll try and settle your minds a bit on it.
Smith had his coaching education as assistant to Martin Ling at Leyton Orient before moving to Walsall as a Youth Coach. He took over as Caretaker Manager at Walsall before being given the Head Coach job. Remember this is Walsall, a club who sell their best players, never re-invest any money and solely rely on loans and free transfers. Under Smith, they were regularly challenging at the top of League 1, vying for promotion to the Championship. They were 2nd when he left for Brentford and they lost out in the play-offs to Barnsley in the end. Walsall have nosedived since and are just keeping their heads afloat in League 2.
At Brentford he went in and took Brentford from a bottom half club to vying for the play-offs each and every season. Together with the smart recruitment strategy at Brentford, he developed so many players. Ollie Watkins was brought in from Exeter for pennies, sold for 30m. Benrahma another one. There are so many examples. He left Brentford for one reason and it was the Villa job, but he left them in a really healthy place for Thomas Frank, his assistant to continue the work done and fight for promotion, which eventually happened.
He came into Villa which was an absolute sorry state at the time. Hours away from liquidation until our new owners came in and saved the day. Bruce with his backwards recruitment left us with one fit centre half and another playing with an injury which eventually cost him his Villa career (James Chester). Smith came in and instantly galvanised the place- yes you could say we had the likes of Grealish, Abraham and McGinn- top players at that level but Grealish was nothing like the Jack Grealish you think of today. He took him under his wing and took him on that journey to the player he is today. Without Smith, Grealish was nothing. We had a good run when he first came in, dipped a bit in the new year when Grealish was injured. Smith went about correcting the unbalanced side Bruce had left by loaning Mings & Hause in the January. Then from sitting in 13th, took us on a club record 10 game winning run which culminated in the play-off final at Wembley in the May, beating Frank Lampard's Derby. When he came in, the owners wanted promotion within a couple of seasons- Dean did it within 7 months.
Whilst promotion was great, it left us some big problems. We lost 15 members of our playing staff due to contracts expiring or loans returning to their parent clubs. People will talk about how Villa spent £120m that summer but it was on 11 players at a average of 9m per player. And we had to do that as we literally had no squad- we had to somehow build a squad ready for whatever league we were playing in. Yes we were fortunate we had the backing of the very wealthy and ambitious owners, but even so, it was never going to be an easy task. We were okay until Christmas, keeping our heads above water. We struggled in the New Year, despite making it to the League Cup Final after beating Leicester over 2 legs in the Semi-Final. We were on a bad run which coincided with losing Heaton, McGinn and Wesley to long term injuries and COVID struck and probably saved our season and Dean's job. He was able to take stock over lockdown, came back and we had a much improved defence and ended the season with 4 matches unbeaten to stay up. Some will say hawk-eye kept us up, but worth remembering there were 9 and a half fixtures left following that incident- so much football still to play.
And then that summer we replaced the Sporting Director, brought in some smart signings such as Watkins, Cash and Martinez, and tied Grealish down to a new deal. Had a strong first half of the season and everyone through Europe was on the cards. We stuttered somewhat, again coincided with injuries to Grealish, Barkley & Traore and finished 11th. The summer is where it kind of unraveled, Richard O'Kelly and John Terry both left for different reasons, leaving Smith a bit vulnerable. A couple of new coaches came in on the advice of the Sporting Director/Owners and it never seemed to click. Losing Grealish was massive, yes we took 100m but he was our talisman, he was Aston Villa and replacing him was going to be difficult. Again injuries have been rife- we still are yet to see Danny Ings, Buendia & Leon Bailey on the same pitch for more than 15 minutes together. We have had some flashes of brilliance this season, winning at Old Trafford and hammering Everton at Villa Park but overall it has not been great- but as I say there are various reasons for that happening. I was still convinced Smith would have turned it around, because he always does.
Most of all, he is such a good man, a good footballing man. He is adaptable, understands he makes mistakes and works to put them right. He is a brilliant man manager who builds strong relationships with his players. The players were gutted when he left Villa last week. Predominantly plays a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 and will certainly get Gilmour & Cantwell in the team if he joins you guys. When it really works for Smith, it really works and the football can be a joy to watch. It's important he gets his right backroom team in. If he could bring O'Kelly and Shakespeare alongside him, you guys would be fine.
He's not a sexy name but for where you guys are I genuinely think he is a perfect fit. He has experience of a relegation battle and if worst comes to the worst and you go down, he has extensive knowledge and experience of the Championship and you'd back him to get you straight back up. I hope he takes the job as the guy deserves it.
Villa fans are so grateful to him, came in when we were floundering for a 3rd season in the Championship in 15th place- he leaves us as a regular fixture again in the Premier League, albeit going through a bad patch but with the tools to improve once again.
Good luck for the rest of the season.
Villa fan in peace- I honestly think Deano is getting a bad rap on here and people not actually realising what a good job he has done throughout his career. So stick with me- I'll try and settle your minds a bit on it.
Smith had his coaching education as assistant to Martin Ling at Leyton Orient before moving to Walsall as a Youth Coach. He took over as Caretaker Manager at Walsall before being given the Head Coach job. Remember this is Walsall, a club who sell their best players, never re-invest any money and solely rely on loans and free transfers. Under Smith, they were regularly challenging at the top of League 1, vying for promotion to the Championship. They were 2nd when he left for Brentford and they lost out in the play-offs to Barnsley in the end. Walsall have nosedived since and are just keeping their heads afloat in League 2.
At Brentford he went in and took Brentford from a bottom half club to vying for the play-offs each and every season. Together with the smart recruitment strategy at Brentford, he developed so many players. Ollie Watkins was brought in from Exeter for pennies, sold for 30m. Benrahma another one. There are so many examples. He left Brentford for one reason and it was the Villa job, but he left them in a really healthy place for Thomas Frank, his assistant to continue the work done and fight for promotion, which eventually happened.
He came into Villa which was an absolute sorry state at the time. Hours away from liquidation until our new owners came in and saved the day. Bruce with his backwards recruitment left us with one fit centre half and another playing with an injury which eventually cost him his Villa career (James Chester). Smith came in and instantly galvanised the place- yes you could say we had the likes of Grealish, Abraham and McGinn- top players at that level but Grealish was nothing like the Jack Grealish you think of today. He took him under his wing and took him on that journey to the player he is today. Without Smith, Grealish was nothing. We had a good run when he first came in, dipped a bit in the new year when Grealish was injured. Smith went about correcting the unbalanced side Bruce had left by loaning Mings & Hause in the January. Then from sitting in 13th, took us on a club record 10 game winning run which culminated in the play-off final at Wembley in the May, beating Frank Lampard's Derby. When he came in, the owners wanted promotion within a couple of seasons- Dean did it within 7 months.
Whilst promotion was great, it left us some big problems. We lost 15 members of our playing staff due to contracts expiring or loans returning to their parent clubs. People will talk about how Villa spent £120m that summer but it was on 11 players at a average of 9m per player. And we had to do that as we literally had no squad- we had to somehow build a squad ready for whatever league we were playing in. Yes we were fortunate we had the backing of the very wealthy and ambitious owners, but even so, it was never going to be an easy task. We were okay until Christmas, keeping our heads above water. We struggled in the New Year, despite making it to the League Cup Final after beating Leicester over 2 legs in the Semi-Final. We were on a bad run which coincided with losing Heaton, McGinn and Wesley to long term injuries and COVID struck and probably saved our season and Dean's job. He was able to take stock over lockdown, came back and we had a much improved defence and ended the season with 4 matches unbeaten to stay up. Some will say hawk-eye kept us up, but worth remembering there were 9 and a half fixtures left following that incident- so much football still to play.
And then that summer we replaced the Sporting Director, brought in some smart signings such as Watkins, Cash and Martinez, and tied Grealish down to a new deal. Had a strong first half of the season and everyone through Europe was on the cards. We stuttered somewhat, again coincided with injuries to Grealish, Barkley & Traore and finished 11th. The summer is where it kind of unraveled, Richard O'Kelly and John Terry both left for different reasons, leaving Smith a bit vulnerable. A couple of new coaches came in on the advice of the Sporting Director/Owners and it never seemed to click. Losing Grealish was massive, yes we took 100m but he was our talisman, he was Aston Villa and replacing him was going to be difficult. Again injuries have been rife- we still are yet to see Danny Ings, Buendia & Leon Bailey on the same pitch for more than 15 minutes together. We have had some flashes of brilliance this season, winning at Old Trafford and hammering Everton at Villa Park but overall it has not been great- but as I say there are various reasons for that happening. I was still convinced Smith would have turned it around, because he always does.
Most of all, he is such a good man, a good footballing man. He is adaptable, understands he makes mistakes and works to put them right. He is a brilliant man manager who builds strong relationships with his players. The players were gutted when he left Villa last week. Predominantly plays a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 and will certainly get Gilmour & Cantwell in the team if he joins you guys. When it really works for Smith, it really works and the football can be a joy to watch. It's important he gets his right backroom team in. If he could bring O'Kelly and Shakespeare alongside him, you guys would be fine.
He's not a sexy name but for where you guys are I genuinely think he is a perfect fit. He has experience of a relegation battle and if worst comes to the worst and you go down, he has extensive knowledge and experience of the Championship and you'd back him to get you straight back up. I hope he takes the job as the guy deserves it.
Villa fans are so grateful to him, came in when we were floundering for a 3rd season in the Championship in 15th place- he leaves us as a regular fixture again in the Premier League, albeit going through a bad patch but with the tools to improve once again.
Good luck for the rest of the season.
OldRobert
Well-Known Member
Thanks Morty that's a good read, probably too long for those on another forum to stay awake. I now know a good bit about our new coach, certainly more than I knew about DF when he first arrived.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
I think he could well be the right man, reading that. Knutsen could well have been a direct replacement for Farke, but with zero Premier league experience, maybe not the best choice to keep us up? Lampard may have added a bit of razamatazz perhaps, but I still do not rate his record, and I don't feel he was ever really a "fit" for us.
Let's hope he says yes...
Gaffer
Active Member
The trouble is at this stage of the season and in the position we're in, we do need a manager with some kind of either momentum or razzmatazz. Smith has none right now. How can the players respect him? Here's your new gaffer: just been sacked from a relegation rival after a terrible start to the season and has lost all of his past five games. Hardly inspires confidence does it? You're doing research into the distant past but we need momentum right now and he just hasn't got it.
Let's hope he says no...