OPINION
When Dean Smith took over at Aston Villa, it felt as if the club had turned a corner.
A Villa fan promising to play attractive, attacking football, everything about the appointment seemed to post towards it being a success.
Things haven’t been terrible at Villa Park ever since, but nor have they been particularly great.
Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to West Brom compounded a miserable run of form for the Villans, who have won just once since the start of the year, and find themselves languishing in 10th, nine points off the play-offs with sixth-placed Bristol City holding two games in hand.
Chances of promotion are looking slim to minimal, and while Smith cannot be blamed entirely for that situation, it’s getting to a point where you can’t help but wonder about his future at the club.
Villa have been plagued by injuries, admittedly, but they have still look startlingly far from a team capable of challenging for a spot in the Premier League, and Smith has had more than enough time to rectify some of the fundamental issues that beset the latter days of the Steve Bruce era.
This isn’t a matter of recruitment or anything like that, this is about getting the best out of a group of players who by rights should be up there pushing for an automatic spot.
So bad is the malaise in the Midlands that you can’t help but feel that Saturday’s clash with Stoke City could have massive implications for Smith.
Losing it wouldn’t necessarily lead to his dismissal, but it could mark his card in the eyes of the board.