Dean Smith speaks..

[Ken Hairy 3,771]

2 hours ago, hogesar said:

He is far from a moron and we've not gone backwards since he's arrived whatsoever, we've had 10 senior players out injured and some fans don't seem to think that's a big deal. It would severely hinder a top 4 team let alone an already weak squad like us.

That would be the 10 senior players involved in pretty much every other thrashing we've had this season would it? 

[Surfer 1,547]

7 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

That would be the 10 senior players involved in pretty much every other thrashing we've had this season would it? 

So your position is that the 11 players on the pitch today represents a better starting 11 than the one Dean Smith couldn't play?

So glad that you are not the manager. 

[Branston Pickle 3,654]

9 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

That would be the 10 senior players involved in pretty much every other thrashing we've had this season would it? 

And also the wins/draws - we had a near entire first XI missing.  You do understand the idea of continuity helping teams play better together, rather than keeping on having a number of enforced changes each game?  
 We had started to play a lot better when the side (particularly defence) was settled, also with the likes of Rashica showing improved form. Sadly the football gods decided to stuff us a bit…

Edited December 28, 2021 by Branston Pickle

[Ken Hairy 3,771]

Just now, Surfer said:

So your position is that the 11 players on the pitch today represents a better starting 11 than the one Dean Smith couldn't play?

So glad that you are not the manager. 

How on earth did you get that from what I said???? What a bizzare comment 🤔

[Surfer 1,547]

You have the floor ... what exactly did you mean to say then?

[Ken Hairy 3,771]

3 minutes ago, Branston Pickle said:

And also the wins/draws - we had a near entire first XI missing.  You do understand the idea of continuity helping teams play better together, rather than keeping on having a number of enforced changes each game?  
 We had started to play a lot better when the side (particularly defence) was settled, also with the likes of Rashica showing improved form. Sadly the football gods decided to stuff us a bit…

You and Hogstar talk of these 10 players missing as if they're world class superstars and not 10 dross who have been turd for 90% of the season. 

Do you honestly think we'd have got a result with them available? Smith would still have played Gibson, still played Gilmour, still played McLean. 

[Inch High aka Inchy.. 405]

Smith should never been hired to start with. A below average manager at best.

[Ken Hairy 3,771]

2 minutes ago, Surfer said:

You have the floor ... what exactly did you mean to say then?

Was that not obvious? Whilst the missing players were slightly less **** than the available ones, they're still **** and responsible for this shambles of a season, we've been **** all season with them, why would we not have been today?? 

Oh and that's not what I MEANT to say, that's what I DID say. 

 

[Jersey Canary 143]

3 hours ago, Ian said:

I have no problem with Smith, but I still don't really understand why we replaced Farke with him in what is looking like an increasingly knee-jerk move.

 

It was Webber protecting Webber. 

[Branston Pickle 3,654]

13 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

You and Hogstar talk of these 10 players missing as if they're world class superstars and not 10 dross who have been turd for 90% of the season. 

Do you honestly think we'd have got a result with them available? Smith would still have played Gibson, still played Gilmour, still played McLean. 

No, but for us, missing all of Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Kabak, Omob, Rashica, Normann, Pukki Rupp and Cantwell from any given game is going to impact us. For the life of me, I really can’t understand any supporter who could disagree with that. It’s actually decidedly odd that it needs spelling out.  

Clearly Palace also had a couple of guys out, too - and they may well have still won had those guys been fit, but it would have likely been a lot closer/competitive.  They effectively beat our ‘cup XI’ with their first XI minus a couple.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Branston Pickle

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

20 minutes ago, Branston Pickle said:

No, but for us, missing all of Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Kabak, Omob, Rashica, Normann, Pukki Rupp and Cantwell from any given game is going to impact us. For the life of me, I really can’t understand any supporter who could disagree with that. It’s actually decidedly odd that it needs spelling out.  

Clearly Palace also had a couple of guys out, too - and they may well have still won had those guys been fit, but it would have likely been a lot closer/competitive.  They effectively beat our ‘cup XI’ with their first XI minus a couple.

Aarons, Kabak and Pukki played in our last game versus Arsenal and we were much worse in that game than we were today...

Edited December 28, 2021 by Hank shoots Skyler

[daly 501]

43 minutes ago, Inch High aka Inchy.. said:

Smith should never been hired to start with. A below average manager at best.

If we were Watford he’d be gone

[Ken Hairy 3,771]

8 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

No, but for us, missing all of Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Kabak, Omob, Rashica, Normann, Pukki Rupp and Cantwell from any given game is going to impact us. For the life of me, I really can’t understand any supporter who could disagree with that. It’s actually decidedly odd that it needs spelling out.  

Clearly Palace also had a couple of guys out, too - and they may well have still won had those guys been fit, but it would have likely been a lot closer/competitive.  They effectively beat our ‘cup XI’ with their first XI minus a couple.

Who's said it didn't impact us?? What part of we've still been crap with those 10 players, a few of whom wouldn't have been selected anyway is that hard to understand?? 🙄🤷‍♂️

[hogesar 9,657]

25 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Who's said it didn't impact us?? What part of we've still been crap with those 10 players, a few of whom wouldn't have been selected anyway is that hard to understand?? 🙄🤷‍♂️

But with ALL those players available, under Smith,  weve generally looked competitive in every game and looked like we could take points from every one of them. Without them players, weve not looked close to being able to take points.

[hepphep 175]

12 hours ago, City 2nd said:

WTF. Pukki a best player. Championship yes. Premiership no. Our goals for column proves the point!

In my opinion Pukki is the best player we have by quite a margin and would be starting striker in over half of EPL teams. If you blame him for our lack of goals, you likely have not been watching the games. He has scored over half of the goals for the team this season, with minimal service. Problem is that there is no support for him, either when we have ball or when we are pressing.

[Nora's Ghost 157]

Amazing... Farke let this happen on his watch and now the man brought in to try to put it right is to blame for it all?

 

Look higher for why the club is in such a humiliating mess but don't let Farke off the hook who at the very least stood by while it all happened.

[mannings bandy legs 385]

11 hours ago, Branston Pickle said:

No, but for us, missing all of Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Kabak, Omob, Rashica, Normann, Pukki Rupp and Cantwell from any given game is going to impact us. For the life of me, I really can’t understand any supporter who could disagree with that. It’s actually decidedly odd that it needs spelling out.  

Clearly Palace also had a couple of guys out, too - and they may well have still won had those guys been fit, but it would have likely been a lot closer/competitive.  They effectively beat our ‘cup XI’ with their first XI minus a couple.

Thoes "couple"were Zaha and Gallagher. And you think they MAY still have won!

[Danke bitte 965]

3 minutes ago, Nora's Ghost said:

Amazing... Farke let this happen on his watch and now the man brought in to try to put it right is to blame for it all?

 

Look higher for why the club is in such a humiliating mess but don't let Farke off the hook who at the very least stood by while it all happened.

I think it stretches back to last season where we were overly reliant on Buendia and Skipp. Farke also didn’t play Placheta, Idah or Sorenson enough. We never got to see what they were capable of. Now they have to show what they’re about in the harsh waters of the Premier League 🤦🏻‍♂️

[Indy 3,297]

2 hours ago, hogesar said:

But with ALL those players available, under Smith,  weve generally looked competitive in every game and looked like we could take points from every one of them. Without them players, weve not looked close to being able to take points.

Hogs with them we couldn’t beat ten man Newcastle and looked second best majority of that game too.

The idea we’ve been competitive is admirable, we got the same number of points under Farke as we have Smith, Smith has no identity, our chances we do create are mainly from set pieces and our open play has been abysmal since the change in coach.

We have no leaders anywhere in this club, it’s a ship without a captain and it’s sinking fast.

[Mason 47 1,376]

I understand the arguments that 'everyone has players out' etc but you need to look at it in relative terms.

The game yesterday was basically the equivalent of us last year playing without Buendia and McLean v Wycombe with 8-9 usual starters out, at Carrow Road.

Most would say we already had the least valuable squad in the league, and it's currently playing at half strength (at best). It's much like when the rules changed so teams could make 5 subs; established teams are massively benefitted whilst for us it means Placheta might get on.

[Commonsense 620]

16 hours ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

Aarons, Kabak and Pukki played in our last game versus Arsenal and we were much worse in that game than we were today...

They did. However they were clearly unwell when they did so. I wouldn’t personally include Kabak in my list of important players but the other 2 have also played in the wins and one of them has scored the majority of our goals, so yes they and the other regular first trainers were an important miss.

[SNP Alan 5]

Hope she’s as entertaining as she was here 

[sgncfc 1,227]

It's way too early to judge Smith; he hasn't even had one window to try to bring in different players to play the way he wants to play.

As for missing players, Krul might have saved a couple of the Palace goals and would definitely have saved at least two of the Arsenal ones. Gunn simply isn't good enough - shots across him usually go in. (Funnily enough, Robert Green had the same issue.)

It's not a popular view for many supporters but the performance yesterday wasn't that bad in some ways. We played more proper football than in most games and we created chances. I'd agree that it wasn't a 3-0 game. It wasn't a penalty to start with, and without that (thanks again to that shocking ref) we stay level for longer and confidence grows a bit.

The disappointing bit about yesterday is that it took until half time to get the space around Hughes shut down by Gilmour. I don't understand why that message wasn't out there after 10 minutes because it was pretty obvious by then who was running the show.

[Cowboy 197]

8 hours ago, hogesar said:

But with ALL those players available, under Smith,  weve generally looked competitive in every game and looked like we could take points from every one of them. Without them players, weve not looked close to being able to take points.

You really think this thing?

[Newtopia 517]

Dean Smith got a reaction when he joined.  Our leaders on the pitch are all missing, put Krul, Hanley, Normann, Rashica, and Pukki back into the side that played yesterday and we would be better, whether we are good enough to win is another matter. 

A manager can only be assessed about the choices he makes, I guess the only thing I wondered about yesterday was playing Gilmour at CDM, screening a make shift defence.