Dean Smith

[DCJonah]

5 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

‪Can’t shake the sadness over this…‬
‪We’ll never have this connection again.‬
‪Dean clearly cares deeply about this club.‬
‪‬

I can't remember a time when we had a manager, squad and owners that were so easy to all get behind. 

[villalad21]

Had Jack Grealish stayed Smith would still be in a job.

I wonder if Jack is feeling a little bit guilty.

[Danishlad]

sold Grealish and bought two right wingers and a striker, a left back and a central defender. It was an accident waiting to happen

[holteend1982]

My favourite manager of my lifetime, overall he's done a great job for us but felt the time is right for a change. I wish him well for the future and thank him for some fantastic memories! 

[chappy]

I think the measure of his success here can be taken from the outpouring of warmth toward him today on here. How often can that happen after a manager has been sacked?!

He made it fun to support us again and brought pride back. My favourite manager in my lifetime. He’s responsible for some of my favourite moments - Wednesday & Rotherham away in the 10 game run, play off final, 7-2 etc.

Can’t wish him anything other than the absolute best for whatever he goes on to do and hope we see him back at VP to support the team in the future!

[Only2McInallys]

47 minutes ago, mykeyb said:

For me he is in a small group of managers, Saunders, Atkinson, Little, Gregory and Smith, all of whom I was gutted when they left. In most instances it was the right decision.

Thank you Dean, top man.

You have picked in my view the best 5 managers in that time.

Would disagree about it being the right decision in Saunders and Little cases.And maybe even Smith.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

On 06/11/2021 at 12:17, tomav84 said:

 

Can't remove this quote from the box for some reason.

Anyway a thought.

Does anyone reckon that some senior players might have been consulted behind the scenes, by Purslow and co, and it wasn't good?

[Jimmyg]

I got married on 25th of sept 3pm. I feel that it was the kiss of death for Deano. Sorry everyone. 

[Farlz]

Quote

It was about half nine-ish on a Tuesday night when an unrecognised number flashed up on my phone.

Normally, I don't answer those calls in case it's a cold caller trying to flog me something.

For some reason, this time I did and I'm glad I did as it was actually a really warm caller selling me a dream.

"Hi, is that Mat? It's Dean Smith."

"Oh, erm, hi Dean..." I mumbled before regaining a bit of composure and striking up a conversation with the soon-to-be Villa gaffer.

That evening back in October 2018 was my first ever interaction with Smith but it very much set the tone for his pride-restoring three years at Villa Park.

He'd seen an opinion piece I'd written for Birmingham Live urging the Villa board to strongly consider him, the then Brentford boss, to replace newly-departed Steve Bruce in the infamous B6 manager-mangling machine.

We don't need fancy names like Thierry Henry, I'd written - or something like that - when the answer is staring us in the face and goes by the name of Dean Smith...

"I just wanted to thank you for that piece," was the gist of Smith's call to me that night. "It's not quite a done deal yet, but it looks like it's going to happen and I appreciate the support you've given me by writing that."

The chat only lasted about 10 minutes but during that time I had to ask a question that was nagging away in my head.

"I wish you all the luck in the world, but why do you want a job that's renowned for finishing managerial careers?! Nobody goes on to anything better after leaving the Villa."

Quick as a flash he replied: "That's because there's nothing better than managing Aston Villa!"

He continued: "Mat, how could I turn down a chance like this? I know this has been a tough gig for years, but someone's got to turn it around and why can't that someone be me?"

We chatted some more about what he wanted to bring to Villa and how his time at Walsall and Brentford had made him absolutely ready for the challenge of leading his boyhood club before he signed off with a promise to meet me for a coffee once he'd got his feet under the table.

Since then my working circumstances have changed and although I did enjoy a coffee (and biscuits) at the Belfry with Smith a couple of months into his reign, I've followed Dean Smith's Aston Villa like most of you reading this - from the stands of Villa Park (or my armchair when football went behind closed doors).

And through every single up and down of this claret and blue rollercoaster I've remembered that first call and in particular that 'why can't it be?' statement.

It could and it was.

For all the frustration of the five-game losing run that has ultimately cost him his dream job, when the dust has settled history will judge Dean Smith as one of the most pivotal protagonists in the story of Aston Villa.

Graham Taylor is rightly lauded for the rescue act he pulled off in bringing our club back to the big time just over three decades ago and Deano is the modern-day equivalent.

Villa were ambling around the middle of the Championship - nowhere or nowhereabouts to paraphrase Bruce - and set for a Leeds United-like era of misery outside of the top flight before Smith got to grips with the club.

We not only dared to dream again but those dreams actually became a reality.

Make no mistake the reason Smith got the Villa job was not because he is a Villa fan.

Up until a brutal month, concluding with today's brutal news, the reason Smith delivered year-on-year progress was not because he is a Villa fan.

Smith did not get Villa Park packed to the rafters and once again believing we were a match for England's elite because he is a Villa fan.

He did those things because he is a very shrewd, very capable, very classy manager of people and football teams.

But blimey, the fact that this fella, this ambassador, this everyman who bleeds claret and blue is 'one of our own' certainly made our hearts beneath the famous club crest of our replica shirts burst with pride, didn't it?

Over the next few days my colleagues at Birmingham Live will pore over the details of Deano's demise and get stuck into who fills the Smith-sized gap in the dugout and in our hearts.

So you don't need me to bang on about tactics, signings, team selections, decisions - all the things that ultimately cost even the very best bosses in football their jobs when the sack race gets going.

But having convinced my 13-year-old son and a new generation of Villa fans that the types of glories myself and many of us other old farts celebrated in the past should never be out of reach for this club I wanted, no needed, to place on record my appreciation, respect and admiration for the man who gave us our Villa back.

Thanks for the memories, Dean - and good luck for the future. Up the Villa.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/dean-smith-sacked-aston-villa-22095352

A great piece by Mat Kendrick. Never been this gutted over seeing a Villa manager sacked ever, can't even get myself a little excited over the potential new manager because I frankly care about none of them. 

[Wurzel]

Just gutted . To have a Villa fan manage my club was special. To have him get us promoted get to a cup final, and keep us in the Prem was fantastic. Thank you Dean for all your hard work.

[villalad21]

4 minutes ago, holteend1982 said:

My favourite manager of my lifetime, overall he's done a great job for us but felt the time is right for a change. I wish him well for the future and thank him for some fantastic memories! 

MON was my favorite manager of my lifetime.

Saw us challenging for top 4 something I'm not sure I will ever be able to see again.

Smith comfortably the best manager of the last decade though.

[Follyfoot]

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

First time he's been sacked.

Let's see what he does post Villa.

Managers who leaves Villa tend to turn to shit.

McLeish, Sherwood, Garde, Di Matteo, O Neill. None of them done anything significant after Villa.

Leave it out please 

[Follyfoot]

25 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

‪Can’t shake the sadness over this…‬
‪We’ll never have this connection again.‬
‪Dean clearly cares deeply about this club.‬
‪‬

About his club 

[Jas10]

Just now, Follyfoot said:

About his club 

[Jas10]

3 hours ago, a m ole said:

He’s been absolutely **** from all angles, club needed to make a call and I’m not mad at them but he’s a victim of circumstance here.

Not sure we’ll ever know whose decision the new coaches were, but I hope Shakespeare, Danks and probably McPhee go because we don’t need continuity here.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Jas10

[Keener window-cleaner]

Thanks for all Dean, you are a true Villa hero and will be remembered purly with appreciation - something not many Villa managers over the last years can say.

As I said in a post earlier today - in one way I think it's good that he goes now, before the atmosphere becomes toxic, now he can leave with his head high. What he has done for this club the last three years is incredible. 

[Jas10]

3 hours ago, Louis said:

Forever a Villain will always be a Villian.

Was going to like this but the spelling is atrocious, on both counts

[Woody1000]

I’ve tried to write a post about 5 times over the last couple of hours, but just can’t really say what I really want to say.

I can’t speak for any of you reading this, or any other Villa fans, but Dean has played a big part in bringing my pride in the club back, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that.

I’m gutted that he won’t get the chance to turn things around, while it looked extremely unlikely Dean has proved myself and others wrong in the past and may have done so again given the chance, but the numbers don’t lie unfortunately and the results over the last 10 months or so were always going to put him under pressure with ambitious owners like we have with NSWE.

Dean, you are a fantastic guy and I genuinely hope you have success in your next appointment, and believe me whoever your next club is are lucky to have you.

This might be the ‘right’ decision, but it feels so sad in this moment. I’ve never felt anything close to this with any Villa manager leaving before.

All the best Deano!! 

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Woody1000

[Keener window-cleaner]

Perhaps it was inevitable that this was needed. We need a new start post Championship-era, post relegation battle, post-Jack. To now take the next step and compete for European places we probably need to reboot. We also need to upgrade the squad and replace the ones connected with the Championship and bring in players who aspire to be a top PL team, not to go up to the PL and stay there. 

[JoshVilla]

Absolutely loved the bloke during his time here. For the first time in a long time, it felt like the board, manager, coaches, players and fans were all singing from the same hymn sheet. He brought the feel good factor back to the club and gave us some fantastic memories.

However, I do think that it was the right decision from the board. It seemed that something wasn't quite right, and the spark had gone. Some of the decisions regarding selections/formations reflected those of a manager who is panicking and losing control. It's going go be a gamble, sure, but someone has to make these big decisions, and the last thing we'd want to do is wait until it's too late.