The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Dean Smith left Aston Villa on ‘amicable terms’ despite feeling that he ‘could have turned’ things around.
After a run of five consecutive league losses, the manager was sacked from his role at Villa. In a club statement, CEO Christian Purslow explained that the Villans were no longer maintaining a ‘continuous improvement in results’.
Discussing the moments leading up to and immediately following Smith’s dismissal, Evans has explained exactly what happened when a ‘gutted’ Smith found out the news.
While talking on the 1874 podcast, he explained: “That did take place, that review on Saturday. Wes Edens, Nassef Sawiris and Christian Purslow got together and spoke about the future, about what they felt was right for the club.
“And they decided that it would be to get rid of Dean Smith, and Dean was delivered the news on Sunday morning.
“He didn’t play his usual round of golf that he plays on a Sunday morning. I presume that was largely down to the fact that he didn’t know what was happening in his job, whether he was safe or not, because of what had happened in the previous five or six weeks.
“And he met up with Christian Purslow at Bodymoor Heath and was delivered the news. I’m told that it was a meeting that was left on amicable terms, almost.
“Dean Smith was obviously very gutted about it, he felt that if he had been given a little bit more time and had the players back fit, that he desperately needed and wanted, he could have turned this around.
“But there were no real hard feelings in the end. Christian Purslow gets on really well with Dean Smith. They’ve spoken to each other two or three times a day for three years. They have a really good working relationship – or did. So there’ll be no sort of real hard feelings, there.”
TIF Thoughts on Dean Smith and Aston Villa…
Having taken Villa back into the Premier League, survived their first season, and then improved on that with an impressive 11th-place finish, Smith may well have felt he had earned himself some more time to turn things around this campaign.
Evidently, however, the club’s hierarchy believed the team were no longer going in the right direction and thus made their decision.
With his achievements at the club, Smith would have done his reputation no harm and may well find himself in a new job before long.
Did Dean Smith deserve more time at Villa?
Yes
No
Villa, on the other hand, must now seek out an adequate replacement, with Steven Gerrard one name linked strongly in recent times.
In other news: ‘Strange’ – Simon Jordan baffled by potential big Sawiris and Edens decision at AVFC