Fiery Zac

No. Farke ripped up all Farkes work before Smith came in, by either orchestrating or agreeing the change over last summer. Just because hes gone, so many seem to want to deify him. Smith can be blamed for a lot, though still deserves time for now, but can certain posters please stop pretending Farke was the second coming. The foundation to last seasons failures are on Farke's head. He ripped up his own philosophy, contributed (presumably) to some awful recruitment and deserves to be called out for it. (But I still love him and will be forever grateful for him being in charge for the most entertaining season I've ever witnessed as a City fan...so far)

This is a really poor comment from someone supposedly held in such high regard on this board. The insinuation it's significantly inferior to men's football it can't be compared? 'Sufficient'? Sorry, but **** off. Anyway, enough. I'm off to enjoy the post match.

Yes actually I am when i can't watch or read about a women's football match without some mention of how it compares to the men's game. Russo has scored 2 goals in this tournament alone that all professional men's players would be proud of (and plenty can only dream of scoring.) There are plenty of awful GKs in the men's game who have made worse mistakes than those tonight. Don't use 'we' to in anyway group me in with you. Yes I'm more used to watching men's football but that doesn't mean I watch women's constantly thinking about how it compares. I enjoy it for what it is, a highly skilled, exciting, fast paced entertaining sport. Its actually more free flowing than men's football as there's less cheating and histrionics. Its been a pleasant change - why not talk about that in your comparisons if you must.

Why does the women's game need to continually be compared with men's (if that is what you're inferring, as you don't actually say so). As you say, its entertaining, so just give it a rest (EVERYONE) and enjoy. And did you not see Almunia and Gomes play?

Well if you say I must... Smith took over in the PL, and took over one of the worst PL squads ever. What philosophy did you expect? And do you seriously expect the philosophy to be the same in the PL as this season in the championship?? We'll rightly be one of the favourites for promotion so won't play the same way we played last season. Pland change, I'm sure you've noticed the difference in quality between the championship and PL. Getting a tune out of the squad last season was beyond virtually all managers but Smith did what was sensible. Bypass the non existent midfield to where we had any semblance of talent in Pukki, Rashica and (for the time he was fit) Idah. Any time we tried to play our way through a team we looked hopeless. The lack of midfield was down to Webber and Farke. And to address your second point, you could see what Farke was trying to do from the outset....you must explain what he was trying to do last season then as all I saw was a bunch of headless chickens playing a new formation and often a completely different philosophy to what he spent 4 years setting up. We were an embarrassment (more so than the rest of the season which is saying something) and heading for a record low points total. It's tiring that Smith has been a scapegoat before he even started and that fans can't give him the benefit of some patience. His first season was in the PL and making do. Its a write off. Farkes first season was in the championship where he had the season to set out the direction the club and philosophy would go and what he would continue playing. Smith will be different this season and deserves time to show it. Farke got 3 transfer windows before any real progress was made. Smith has had 2. I'm playing the post, not the poster so don't know what your 'CV' is, but I know plenty of ST holders that have been for decades that are woefully impatient and pathetic in their support.

So was Farke, and then even more so after a season in the CHAMPIONSHIP. Just shows there's an awful lot of inpatient, glory hunting fans that don't actually look at the whole picture.

Is the insinuation that Smith plays 'rubbish' football? Are there still people who don't realise that what he tried to do last season with one of the worst squads the PL has ever seen, was simply because we had one of the worst squads the PL has ever seen?! We had NO midfield. With no midfield, the only sensible plan was to bypass it as often as possible and get the attacking players into the game. I assume some have done some very very simple research into what he brought to his past clubs? It certainly wasn't 'rubbish' football at any of them. (If this wasn't the insinuation, apologies. Though weird OP is so)

Cantwell looked decent but so he should. Gunn had little to do but what he did have to deal with wasn't convincing at all. Rowe was impressive in spells. A few nice passages of play with some quick passing. Some youngsters looking to impress and did a decent job of it. Very good movement off the ball, Dereham very off the pace but obviously to be expected with the difference in fitness and levels of quality. Nothing to read into. A decent run out but doubt many will be starting too often (apart from The Mayor obviously 😉)

1-0 Hugill

Yes nothing at all, except we've signed a DM, the biggest positional miss of last season.

Getting a team promoted from the championship means whoever it is, they're more than 'OK'. The way he did it that season shows he's more than 'OK'. Look further than Wikipedia stats to get an insight into the style and philosophy that Smith has brought to clubs. The lasting opinion fans have and the legacies he's left. It may not work here. Last season may be too much to come back from. But from his past experience, he has all the credentials needed to succeed and there isn't a manager in the championship I'd swap him with.

Playing horrible football under Bruce. He changed the philosophy of the club in less than a season and got them promoted. Farke had a whole mid table season to change ours before getting us up the next. Villa also lost Grealish for 3 months. We'll never know, but I imagine losing Emi for 3 months would've had some sort of impact. It's your opinion, it's fine. I think he's proven he's a very good manager at this level and plays good football.

I mostly agree, it just depends on what we add, what we lose and how much he wants to change our style of play with the new squad he assembles. Yes it's a relegated PL team he's got, but it's one of the worst PL squads of all time and the job of rebuilding this squad shouldn't be underestimated.

No I wasn't. I do, however, respect the fact Smith tried to change things rather than continuing to pursue with the same failings and expecting different long term results... I agree, this season has obviously been a massive failure. My main critisism is at our recruitment. Again I largely agree. However the first two of those changes were from Webber and Farke, and the third will never be proven either way but I disagree. Without changing manager, we were heading for a record breakingly low points total. Yes at lot of the critisism is down to annoyance and emotion. Yes it's not a particularly attractive style of football but, again, I respect Smith for trying to get the best out of an incredibly poor PL squad. It undoubtedly showed signs of working, first before Xmas and injuries hit, and then after Xmas briefly, before Idah got injured. It probably still wouldn't have been enough, but it was showing signs of life within the squad. So he doesn't deserve the same as Farke? And I never actually said he deserves a full season, just that he deserves more than 10 games at the start of the season. The year on year thing doesn't account for the unquestionable failings in recruitment which even Webber can't deny, so an amount of time for that to be readjusted is surely reasonable? I get the frustration and anger. I'm angry too. But everyone needs to realise its not time to panic and just sack the manager for failing where every other manager would also have done. I know patience is a rare commodity in the world of football but we've proven it can produce success in the very recent past!

Farke got a whole season in the championship after a summer of recruiting his players. That's vastly different to Smith's season in the PL, trying to keep the squad Smith inherited in the PL, and/or try and implement his own philosophy whilst in this league, 'the best in the world'. I'm not saying Smith is untouchable but it's nonsense to insinuate he will soon have had the same chance Farke had. Farke (quite rightly) was given time to build his squad and philosophy. Does no one think Smith deserves the same? Be honest everyone, how many wanted Farke gone after his first season? Look what we'd have missed out on had you got your way. That's why I don't want managers sacked too soon and a Watford style conveyer belt brought in, hasn't done them much good. What's laughable is the insinuation Farke was on a roll after the Brentford game and could've kept us up (as has been talked about on other threads). Its a cheap, cowardly argument because it can never be proved and is an excuse to bash the club when all the evidence, statistically and simply watching us in the PL under Farke, points to an even worse season than we ended up having (yes, record breakingly bad). Smith recognised the embarrassment of the way we were trying to play with the incredibly poor squad at Farkes disposal and did all he could to sort it out. It wasn't pretty but it showed signs of life. It bypassed the non existent midfield and just played to Pukki and an effective Idah in the short time he played. None of this means it's the way Smith wants us to play or the way he wants and will have us playing next season, it just smacked of trying to make the best of an awful situation. Smith may very well not be the answer. He may not change from the style he tried to make us play this season which to me simply looked like trying to get the best out of a very very limited PL squad. He may not improve the squad with his purchases. He may not rectify Webber/Farkes catastrophic decisions to not sign a DM and Emi replacement. And he simply will never be Daniel Farke, abysmal PL record and all, which apparently is what some fans want back and feel should never have gone (there's a parallel universe in which we've just broken Derby's record low points total). But he deserves a decent chance (like Farke got) to prove you all right, or maybe completely wrong 😱 before being tossed away like so many managers before.

Bidding a fond farewell to my seat of the past 10 years or so, so many happy memories 😢....and a good f***ing riddance to this season, VAR and the PL. Obviously not in a bitter way at all.

Volume 5 - The pursuit of Quagliarella

It was the fans goading him behind the away dugout, shouting "That's James Maddison, remember him??" To which he replied "I signed him", which was quickly followed by "why didn't you play him then" He took it well though, was said with smiles all round

A lot of players on that occasion, and after promotion games under Lambert, sprinted off the pitch so as to not get caught up in any possible pitch invasion. Players are human too and, justifiably, many aren't comfortable with hundreds of pumped up, possibly drunk, strangers charging towards them. That's not even mentioning the opposition and how're they're feeling at that moment and what may happen. I was there too and don't feel anything extra was added to my sense of joy by ignoring the plea by the club to remain in the stands, and run at players, some/many/most of who were nervous and just wanted to get off the pitch. I'd love to speak to as many of the players as possible but, watch back at various pitch invasions, most aren't interested in talking to fans and are trying to get away. They want to celebrate with us, but in a safe, controlled way. Of course the vast majority of fans are peaceful people who simply want to embrace the 'i was there' moment but unfortunately there are a few too many idiots in the world of football who spoil it for others and tarnish the prospect of a special moment by making players/staff and other fans nervous of what may happen.

Yes, well done Sam. Has given all the Eurovision fanatics hope for the future. Any other year and he would've won....actually no, we'll have pis sed off Europe again by next year.

Unfortunately it rarely is actually a music contest

Mane is such a cheat. Whether happened to bookings for simulation?? The game, and particularly the PL, needs sorting out. Its a beautiful game at times but is being spoilt by cheats and inept refereeing.

Like who... Stoke, Burnley, Bournemouth?.... how many teams can confidently say their first aim is anything other than to make sure they simply stay up? So whilst there have been massive mistakes, I don't believe we will ever move 'beyond it', not without selling our soul to some billionaire... oh yeh that's what we all want now isn't it.

Farke was given a season to implement his philosopy in the championship. Smith deserves time as he's walked into one of the worst PL squads there's ever been and tried to make do with the severe limitations that came with it. People need to stop dismissing our style this season as Smith's style. Absolutely nothing says that's what we'll play next season and a very quick glance at his management styles previously points to the opposite being what he'll get us playing. He simply tried to play to the very few strengths we had and limit the weaknesses (the non existent midfield). Farke and Webber threw away our identity, not Smith. They continued to make us an embarrassment in the top league. Why are fans so quick to bash the current setup with no analysis of the context behind it? Such fickle, inpatient, ill informed views (in my opinion of course). Smith couldn't perform a miracle and get this incredibly weak squad to stay up (however he did show promise until injuries hit, so the change was working), surprise surprise. Next season with his squad and his style is when he will be judged. It's stupidity to throw away an experienced and successful manager so quickly. Incredibly stupid.

Yeh fu£k big club loans, we don't need players like Skipp helping us get promoted. We'd have done it with any youth player thrown in there even though it was ONLY because of Skipp and Buendia we went up.