Dean Smith - reflection & appreciation

[dave shelley]

Of all the managers we've had over recent years Deano was the one I had the most faith in.  I'm sad it's ended this way but given the results lately it was inevitable.  I will be forever grateful to him for giving us back that bit of hope as well as our pride.

One thing he now has in his favour after managing us is that he now has experience of managing in the top flight which will stand him in good stead.  We haven't heard the last of Dean Smith.

Thanks Deano, you will never be forgotten for what you did for us, not by me anyway.  I wish him all the best in the future.

[Nev]

The timing is right, I wasn't looking forward to the next game. As it is he leaves with no bitterness or animosity and will be welcomed back at Villa Park.
I've made it clear where I think the problem is but that's academic now but it really is a fucking shame that he tenure has ended.

Thanks Deano.

[Small Rodent]

He is part of the positive Villa history.

Got us promoted and kept us up when things looked dodgy.

I will follow his career with interest rather than forgetting him like other ex-managers.

Wistful rather than sad.

[Eckybloke]

Sad it didn’t end in a Villa fan dream scenario but I suppose it’s good there wasn’t a resentment building towards him.

Thanks Dean for bringing our Villa back.

[PaulTheVillan]

CEO Christian Purslow said: "When Dean joined us in October 2018 our team was really struggling in The Championship. He immediately transformed the atmosphere and performances and achieved the ultimate success of leading Villa back to the Premier League within the same season - a rare feat.
"He then secured our place in the Premier League after a tough campaign and took us to a Cup Final at Wembley.
"However, after a good start to last season, this year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for. For this reason we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact."

[Percy McCarthy]

Dean was this era’s Vic Crowe. Now to find the Ron Saunders.

[oldtimernow]

Thanks Dean for all the success you  bought us.

Good luck with the future wherever it takes you.

I will always remember your loyalty.

[rob_bridge]

Overall fine job but we had hit buffers and needs a fresh face.

 Reminded me of Little in many ways.

Thanks especially for taking us back to the top flight.

All the best Dean.

[TopDeck113]

Dean was this era’s Vic Crowe. Now to find the Ron Saunders.

That would be the silver lining to today's black cloud.

[Clampy]

I'm gutted, it's a sad day but for the best I think in case it got nasty and he didn't deserve that. Bearing in mind he only managed Walsall and Brentford before us, he did a terrific job in helping get this club back on its feet. The main thing is, he'll be remembered for the right reasons and that he does deserve. Thanks Dean.

[olaftab]

Dean thank you for everything. 10 game winning run in the Championship. The play off final win. Staying up first season. League cup final. Liverpool at home. Thank you and see you at Villa Park again soon.

[Ad@m]

This really does feel like the end of an era.

After years of absolute tripe in the dugout, having a Villa fan, who wanted to play the right style of football, and seemed a genuinely nice bloke was such a breath of fresh air. Even if at first I was worried the job would be too big for him.

He proved me completely wrong on that last point. It absolutely wasn't too big for him and he grew and learned in our time with us.

Unfortunately it feels like he's taken us as far as he can. Southampton smacked of desperation. He ran out of ideas and that was his "Bradford moment".

I hope we see him again in some capacity. He's the best coach we've had in years and so many players have developed under his guidance, not least the £100m man. The issue is his game management, which turned out to be his Achilles heel.

I hope he gets the opportunity somewhere else soon and can continue his development without the pressure that comes with being the Aston Villa manager under gazillionaire ownership.

[tomd2103]

Sad news, as I really wanted him to be the person to put us firmly back into the higher reaches of the top flight.  Hopefully we will get there and Dean Smith's role in getting us back into the top flight and keeping us there during that troubled first season will be rightly remembered for the achievement it was.  Would have been extra special if we had been had able to overcome Manchester City at Wembley and he could have had some silverware during his time with us.

He is a good, decent bloke and of course went through some tough personal times during that first season.  I felt he handled himself impeccably during his time with us and was a great representative of the club.  Hope he gets some good time away now and then gets back into the game soon and has further success in his career. 

[andyh]

A lovely tribute to him on the Official site.
How many managers leave their club where there is genuine affection and respect for him ?

Rightfully, it is time to move on but massive appreciation for Dean and good luck to him.

[Legion]

Even if you were in the camp that this had to end, it’s also possible to have immense appreciation for what he achieved and simply a great affection for the man. He came to the club at precisely the right time and saw us climb out of the potential abyss of what could have been years in the Championship. Had we not got up that year, we’d have lost Jack for sure, and very likely a few others. But instead getting up, saved us millions and made us millions. So for however it ended, I will always be appreciative of what he did for us.

Cheers Dean. Always one of us.

Well said.