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[Football] Dean Smith to Villa



Grizz

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
1,244
I guess he's ambitious, but like Hughton at Brighton, Smith has it made at Brentford. They get their new ground in 18 months, thought he'd have seen that through in a stable club environment, rather than the mess Villa are in on and off the field.
 

Sussex Nomad

Well-known member
Aug 26, 2010
18,185
EP
I guess he's ambitious, but like Hughton at Brighton, Smith has it made at Brentford. They get their new ground in 18 months, thought he'd have seen that through in a stable club environment, rather than the mess Villa are in on and off the field.

Something somewhere has to give and the good times start rolling up the hill, all be it slowly, I find this an ambitious and very good move by Villa, if they give him time.
 

Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo

Waxing chumps like candles since ‘75
Oct 4, 2003
10,840
I guess he's ambitious, but like Hughton at Brighton, Smith has it made at Brentford. They get their new ground in 18 months, thought he'd have seen that through in a stable club environment, rather than the mess Villa are in on and off the field.

Villa are still a huge name, despite being an absolute basket case over the last few seasons. When you are from the area and a life long Villa fan it’s going to be hard to say no to them when they offer you the managers job.
 

spence

British and Proud
Oct 15, 2014
9,809
Crawley
I have a sneaky feeling this job is to big for Smith.

This was screaming out for someone like Roberto Martínez. Delighted they didn't appoint him though. Great manager.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 11, 2003
73,270
West west west Sussex
Shame, would have been an ideal job for Benitez.
 

Iggle Piggle

Well-known member
Sep 3, 2010
5,259
Brentford is probably the best run team in the Championship. They are shrewd recruiters - which Smith has little to do with - a new ground on the way and will no doubt have a plan for when Smith goes. It could be argued Smith is no better than par all things considered.

Given this is seen as a shit or bust season for Villa due to FFP, he doesn't seem like a shit or bust appointment. In my crystal ball

- Smith won't fare well at Villa because they don't seem to know what they are doing. He will get slack because he is a fan in the short term and because he never managed Birmingham
- His replacement at Brentford will get the team to the play offs and he will barely be missed.
 


el punal

Well-known member
Something somewhere has to give and the good times start rolling up the hill, all be it slowly, I find this an ambitious and very good move by Villa, if they give him time.

Indeed it is, but will they give him the time? I’ve lost track as to who or what owns Villa at the moment but if if they’re anything like previous regimes I wouldn’t be too optimistic.
 

Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,529
Back in Sussex
That's a big if though. I see he's the 9th manager since the 2010/11 season - they're a bit trigger happy/

Without checking back, it's the first time they've not gone for "a name" though isn't it? If so, it's a different kind of appointment, so maybe they'll allow him the time he may well need.

Look out for the Brentford -> Villa player exodus in January though!
 

Gritt23

New member
Jul 7, 2003
14,902
Meopham, Kent.
Look out for the Brentford -> Villa player exodus in January though!

If the plan is to capitalise on the Brentford recruitments via Smith, and if JT has connections at Chelsea that would bring through the best Chelsea youngsters either on loan, or picked up as they are released or give up on ever breaking through, then this could actually be a very good recipe for success.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,320
Uffern
Without checking back, it's the first time they've not gone for "a name" though isn't it? If so, it's a different kind of appointment, so maybe they'll allow him the time he may well need.

Look out for the Brentford -> Villa player exodus in January though!

Yeah, Remi Garde wasn't that big a name (although better known than Smith) but pretty much every other time they've gone for a well-known name.

As for January, it depends on the situation. If Brentford are sitting pretty in the play-offs and Villa are in mid-table, would there be a massive exodus? Most players would surely opt for a possibility of PL as opposed to guaranteed Championship.
 

Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,529
Back in Sussex
As for January, it depends on the situation. If Brentford are sitting pretty in the play-offs and Villa are in mid-table, would there be a massive exodus? Most players would surely opt for a possibility of PL as opposed to guaranteed Championship.

Nah, Villa will ofter a lot more cash, they are Villa (not little old Brentford) and they'll be joining up with their beloved old boss.

Brentford will play serious hardball on transfer fees though.
 

Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,647
Location Location
Brentford have a system of recruitment in place where they identify and find value in the market, bring players in and then sell them on at a profit. Smith has been a part of that system along with a couple of co-Directors of Football and a Technical Director, and they've been very successful at it because they take a long-term view.

The model at Villa is totally different, as are the expectations. He'll be given money to spend by the owners, and success will be demanded pretty much straight away. It'll be a completely different way of working than what he was doing at Brentford, so in that respect, I don't really see why Villa have made this appointment, unless they are looking to adopt the more frugal Brentford methods from the top down. Which I doubt they are.

I'd guess if he doesn't make top 6 (and this'll be with someone elses team), he'll be out. Looks like a duff approach to me.
 


Is it PotG?

Thrifty non-licker
Feb 20, 2017
22,955
Sussex by the Sea
Looking at the table, I would be very surprised if Villa manage to get promoted this term.

These new zillionaire Egyptians will need to show patience.

Not convinced JT would be a good #1, a bit 'Roy Keane' in my eyes.
 

pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,151
West, West, West Sussex
Can't really see JT in an assistant role. I can see him doing his best to promote JT at every stage.

Should be interesting.

I already feel sorry for Smith. His appointment is already being overshadowed by Terry being appointed number 2. SSN last night were leading with "Terry appointed number 2 to new Villa manager Smith", almost as if that were more important than Smiths appointment.

Unless Smith makes an immediate improvement and gets Villa flying, I'll give it 6 months until he's ousted and Terry takes over.
 

WATFORD zero

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 10, 2003
25,549
I already feel sorry for Smith. His appointment is already being overshadowed by Terry being appointed number 2. SSN last night were leading with "Terry appointed number 2 to new Villa manager Smith", almost as if that were more important than Smiths appointment.

Unless Smith makes an immediate improvement and gets Villa flying, I'll give it 6 months until he's ousted and Terry takes over.

This.

Announcing the Terry appointment at the same time makes it obvious he had no say whatsoever in who his number 2 is and undermines him before he's even started. It also and gives an idea of the regime he will have to work under. At least if they left it a month or two, it would give the appearance that he had some level of control or influence over playing matters :shrug:
 


Mackenzie

Old Brightonian
Nov 7, 2003
33,498
East Wales
Dean Smith is a good manager, his team play attractive football, he was a good footballer too.


Did he play in the Hereford game? It seems he was a Hereford player at the time but I can’t remember if he played that game. DeBont, Norton, Adrian Foster, the flying postman, Tony Agana are the only ones I remember.

Edit: no he didn’t

Hereford: Debont, Norton, Brough, Matthewson, Sandeman, Hargreaves, McGorry, Warner, A. Foster, Agana, Williams. Subs not used: Turner, Pitman, Wood.
 
Last edited:

Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,093
Surrey
I'm not sure I'd take a role where John Terry had to be my assistant as part of the deal. Terry will just throw Smith under the bus the minute there is any whiff of it all going wrong, just as he allegedly did as a player at Chelsea with managers he didn't like. He's a tosser.
 

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