The Athletic’s Holly Percival has claimed that Dean Smith could have got the sack before he managed to turn Aston Villa’s form around following Project Restart.
Having led Villa back into the Premier League during the 2018/19 season, Smith just about saw his team survive their first season back in the Premier League since 2016.
Indeed, the Villans finished 17th, just one point above south coast side Bournemouth who got relegated down to the Championship.
However, this was the season where the pandemic caused football to take an enforced break between March and June.
Villa had actually lost their previous four league games going into that break and Percival has now stated that ‘there was a really good chance’ Smith would be sacked at the time.
Speaking on the 1874 podcast, she explained (22:09): “If it wasn’t for Project Restart, I think there was a really good chance Dean Smith was going to get sacked.
“And Villa, you know, would not have finished nearly as well as they had by the end of the restart of the season.
“So I think there just needs to be more time [this season].”
TIF thoughts on Dean Smith and Aston Villa…
When the football resumed last year, Smith managed to save the club’s season. A huge home win against Arsenal stands out as a key moment in their campaign.
Though, possibly the crucial game came when a technical error saw Sheffield United not awarded with what seemed a valid goal when playing at Villa Park.
Is Dean Smith's job under pressure right now?
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Had that effort been correctly given, it could have changed the outcome of Villa’s season dramatically.
The following season, Villa went from strength to strength and claimed a much more comfortable 11th-placed finished. One can only imagine what would have happened had Smith got the sack.
In other news: ‘There was a little bit of shouting’ – Gregg Evans reveals Aston Villa dressing room drama