Dean Smith New Interim Manager - Official

[sm1]

I was quite optimistic when he came in and then picked Cags and our performances picked up alittle. But his midfield selections and gameplan in the last few games, have been horrific. If he goes for Ndidi and Youri in midfield again, that's it for me, he should get booted out with Shakey, Sadler and Stowell.

[shailen]

The issue hasn't been his selection. The players have given up after conceding first in the last two games, but they fought in the previous games under Smith.

 

Tactically we could have been more pragmatic but it wouldn't have made much difference as individual mistakes are costing us again and again. Nothing any manager can do!! 

[Dan]

Really am a bit disappointed in him. Looks like we got the Norwich Smith and not the Villa Smith. I don't put much of this on him and I think if he could turn back time he'd steer the fvck clear from this mess, but I really thought he'd have a bit more about him. While he came in and tried to lift spirits he's been found badly wanting in the last three games in particular, he seems to have no answer to any of our issues, hasn't really addressed anything tactically. He's just become a part of the problem rather than the solution.

 

I wish him the best (unlike Rodgers and 90% of our squad) but no interest in this going beyond next Sunday for me. A shame really.

 

We need a really tough manager next. A ruthless operator but one who uses that to the clubs advantage and not his own egos.

Edited 18 May 2023 by Dan LCFC

[Tom12345]

On 16/05/2023 at 04:43, Weller Wing said:

Difficult appointment as we didn't want to give someone 3 years and have to pay them off if it didn't work.

He hasn't improved us and its turned out to be the wrong call

The exclusion of Mendy during his tenure has been baffling 

Exclusion of Mendy is not good. But I blame this more on Sadler and Stowell for using Ndidi instead of Mendy when they were in charge. An incoming manager has a tendency of going with the first team that played before he comes in, and then only those who are flashy in training may get noticed. Mendy is not a flashy kind of player, but is hugely effective in getting into positions, helping teammates and getting the ball up.

 

I can’t fault Dean too much, but his biggest mistake so far is not playing Mendy. He starred in the only two games we won this year (apart from Wolves which gave Dean a false sense of hope on the other players).

[JimmyC74]

Smith seems a nice bloke and taking the job was a bit of a hospital pass but, I haven’t seen enough positive change in playing performance and results under him to demonstrate he can oversee the turnover of players and build a team to gain promotion.

 

it’s a no from me.

Edited 18 May 2023 by JimmyC74

[gerblod]

6 hours ago, shailen said:

The issue hasn't been his selection. The players have given up after conceding first in the last two games, but they fought in the previous games under Smith.

 

Tactically we could have been more pragmatic but it wouldn't have made much difference as individual mistakes are costing us again and again. Nothing any manager can do!! 

New manager effect, and then, when they realised that no new thinking was going on, it was back to SNAFU.

 

I just had the thought that, while reading the Mendy thread, that Smith & Co. are coasting this - by picking Rodgers type teams, thus showing no radical thinking in answer to this crisis. I'd hoped that Rodgers' removal and an incoming manager might spark a revival, but this crew is showing no fresh thinking.

That Evans is obviously fit again makes me wonder if he's been resisting reintroduction. It would have made more sense, dependent on formation, to get him and Cags or those two plus  Faes/Souttar on at the same time.

Smith has missed an opportunity to heal the team by opting to tweak rather than to select the most combative players.

 

KDH is one of those players. Mendy, Vardy, Castagne, Ricardo, Thomas and Madders appear as if they're willing to try, at least. Iversen will follow the goalie's code whatever. Evans and Souttar might work, but central defence is a conundrum for any manager. That's the basis of a 'Rorke's Drift' team. Iheanacho should be on there too.

Soumare and Tielemans are now only fit to be late subs, if that. Neither are battlers.

[Claudio Fannieri]

I think he massively underestimated the task in front of him and also just how many of the current playing squad had already checked out. 
 

Needed a win from either the Leeds or Everton games and the last 2 games he has looked like he has lost the belief he can prevent us going down. 
 

The energy and enthusiasm when he walked through the door with Shakey and JT seems to have evaporated and his impact has been limited. 
 

Needs fresh ideas and fresh start in the summer. 

[smudger63]

10 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

I think he massively underestimated the task in front of him and also just how many of the current playing squad had already checked out. 
 

Needed a win from either the Leeds or Everton games and the last 2 games he has looked like he has lost the belief he can prevent us going down. 
 

The energy and enthusiasm when he walked through the door with Shakey and JT seems to have evaporated and his impact has been limited. 
 

Needs fresh ideas and fresh start in the summer. 

I think the Fulham performance shocked him, and he's now at the point that he's checked out himself, because he doesn't believe he can save us, and is highly unlikely to be kept on beyond this season.  As someone in earlier post said, i think hes just coasting now, waiting for his pay off at the end of the season. So basically another at the club, who really ain't that bothered!

Edited 18 May 2023 by smudger63

[Noahfence]

He definitely didn’t realise how broken these players are mixed in with the general lack of urgency to turn things round. I just hope we go with someone different next season 

[l444ry]

Glad we finally got someone in after the embarrassing situation Rodgers/Stowell/Sadler left us in. Smith seemed a reasonable if not exciting selection. However, despite not knowing the players strengths and weaknesses, he just hasn't made the big calls right in my opinion. Central midfield and persisting with Rodgers 4-3-3 spring to mind.

[sacreblueits442]

53 minutes ago, l444ry said:

Glad we finally got someone in after the embarrassing situation Rodgers/Stowell/Sadler left us in. Smith seemed a reasonable if not exciting selection. However, despite not knowing the players strengths and weaknesses, he just hasn't made the big calls right in my opinion. Central midfield and persisting with Rodgers 4-3-3 spring to mind.

...Smith has not persisted with a 4-3-3 formation!!!

 The only game he has used this with was against Everton, he seems to prefer a 4-2-3-1 setup.

  He appears to be blinkered by this formation and should revert back to 4-3-3 as our default setup. However for Newcastle it needs to be a 5-4-1, we have got to hope the ones who want to keep us up, go out on the pitch.

 Smith has nothing to lose, if he chose to drop some of the bigger names in the squad, it will show he has a backbone and is prepared to make big decisions, something this club hasn't done for some time.

Edited 18 May 2023 by sacreblueits442
Spelling error.

[Vazman]

He has had limited time, but think he has deselected himself from a perm role, by not really changing anything, it's like its been a seamless transition from Rodgers, to the 2 clowns S&S, to now Smith, not helped by hideous individual and team performance. 

 

We are in a right old state throughout, and desperately need inspiration to late this season.

[teblin]

Some strange selections but it was a very very tough job. It seems rotten and that’s very difficult to turn around.

 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

His persistence with the Ntielemare midfield has been his, and our, undoing.

[UniFox21]

Grasping at straws here, we were chasing shadows all evening. 

 

[Claudio Fannieri]

Just goes to show the problems behind the scenes, it kind of feels like Smith is almost on his knees begging for some of the players to give a decent shift for the next couple of games because he is protecting them in the media. 
 

let’s be honest a good proportion have downed tools or going through the motions, he has very little in way of power or motivation to get a performance out of them by rollocking them. 
 

what a sad and sorry state of affairs. 

[ithuriel]

Apparently went and gave the ref some verbal in the refs changing room after the Liverpool match, well, at least he cares I guess.

[ClaphamFox]

3 minutes ago, ithuriel said:

Apparently went and gave the ref some verbal in the refs changing room after the Liverpool match, well, at least he cares I guess.

Where did you hear this?!

[ian__marshall]

8 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Grasping at straws here, we were chasing shadows all evening. 

 

It's quotes like that which concern me. When he first stepped through the door he was like a breath of fresh air; logical, honest, and understanding of the situation. 

 

Now he seems to be coming out with lines that Brendan would be proud of. Seems really odd how he's suddenly changed tact. I don't care what the stats show, having been at the game I saw with my own eyes that there was no intensity, we were second to every ball, and for large spells it simply looked like a training session for Liverpool as we were chasing shadows.

 

I appreciate there's little point in calling out the team for that awful performance given their brittle confidence, but there's no need to come out with this BS either. 

[Death by Football]

 

Çağlar Söyüncü meanwhile is "back jogging but very slowly."

We should play him in midfield - he'd fit right in.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Has been about as good as we all expected when his name was first mentioned. I think we all tried to delude ourselves when it was looking likely and then when it was confirmed.

[ithuriel]

1 minute ago, ClaphamFox said:

Where did you hear this?!

From someone who was there abouts, not going to say more

[AKCJ]

Got nothing bad to say about him because I think he's a genuine bloke that has meant well. I don't think he's come here to pull the wool over people's eyes and claim a big wedge.

 

But ultimately the situation is that he and his team haven't been good enough and they've climbed aboard a ship with a 20 foot hole in it's hull. 

[jammie82uk]

27 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

we were chasing shadows all evening. 

We have been all season, the players have nearly always been reactive not proactive, there is no anticipation whatsoever, we hardly win second or third balls because of that 

[MattFox]

27 minutes ago, ian__marshall said:

It's quotes like that which concern me. When he first stepped through the door he was like a breath of fresh air; logical, honest, and understanding of the situation. 

 

Now he seems to be coming out with lines that Brendan would be proud of. Seems really odd how he's suddenly changed tact. I don't care what the stats show, having been at the game I saw with my own eyes that there was no intensity, we were second to every ball, and for large spells it simply looked like a training session for Liverpool as we were chasing shadows.

 

I appreciate there's little point in calling out the team for that awful performance given their brittle confidence, but there's no need to come out with this BS either. 

He knows we’re gone so he’s gone into self preservation mode