I think it's too easy to just say "we're rubbish"

His challenge (as was Farke's) was to take the raw materials in the squad and form them into a unit, and polish some of them up towards their potential.

Looking at the squad there are definitely players there who I could see make it at lower prem level.

Problem for me, is that apart from a few games early on in which the team worked harder (and from a statsy PoV were more effective) we've looked directionless and, very rapidly, demotivated.

I find it hard to point to any aspect of what Dean Smith has done which has improved us, in any way.

Which leads to the suspicion (for me) that the players were straining to impress early on, but as time has gone on have lost their mojo.

Which player (apart from Idah, briefly) has actually nailed himself into the team under Smith?

Team selection looks incoherent.

He's had a big chunk of the year and the team looks more bereft of ideas than at any point since the late noughties.

I don't think Smith is a bad manager, but I don't think he's got a cogent plan for our current squad, and that worries me. Feels very like we could do a massive overhaul in the summer only to throw out players who could do a job in the champs, find it hard to gel the new players together and end up sacking Smith mid table with a real hodge podge of new and old players.

Which is why I think having someone like Knutsen come in, assess the squad with clear eyes and form a plan for the new year makes more sense.

Posted By: Cardiff Canary, May 10, 08:22:02