Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has said that he is excited by the availability of John McGinn following his long-term absence because of an ankle fracture. The Scotland international was an influential figure for the west Midlands outfit on their top-flight return and he bagged three goals and two assists from the centre of the park before being sidelined with the injury in late December.
Dean Smith says that if the football season was to resume, it would feel like a new campaign with Aston Villa. The manager was speaking for the first time since the league was suspended. It is not clear if the campaign would resume and this would leave Aston Villa in a deep disappointment considering that the club find themselves in the bottom three. After just winning promotion on the back of a huge spending spree, Villa have had a disappointing season under Dean Smith. In the last match that the club played, Leicester City were able to get a 4-0 win and this was the fourth consecutive loss.
Former Premier League star Darren Bent believes Aston Villa should stick with manager Dean Smith and back him with fundsfor the January transfer window. The west Midlands outfit have slumped to seven defeats from the past nine league games and this had dropped them into the relegation places.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith believes his team have been unlucky on their return to the Premier League. The west Midlands outfit have already impressed this season with leads against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal but they have unfortunately not been able to hold onto a result towards the end of the game.
John Terry has expressed his delight after extending his contract with Aston Villa for the next couple of seasons. Terry’s assistant position with the Villains had come under question with his contract expiring at the end of the month but he has now decided to commit his future by penning a two-year deal with the west Midlands side.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the former Chelsea captain said that he is thankful to the club’s board and manager Dean Smith after being handed the chance to work with them. He added that the Villains are now heading for a testing challenge and they must prepare for the same as they seek to beat the Premier League drop at the first coming.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has indicated that Jack Grealish won’t come on the cheap for his suitors irrespective of whether the Villains get promoted or not. The Villains skipper penned a fresh five-year deal with the club in September and he has since played an influential role in the club’s progress to the Championship play-off final for the second-straight season.
Speaking in a press conference, Smith highlighted that the midfielder committed to the club on a new long-term deal at the beginning of the season and that has put them in a strong position to command a significant sum for a future sale, he said: “He’s signed a brand-new contract at the start of the season, committing himself to the football club. He loves Aston Villa and he’ll want nothing more than to get promoted with Aston Villa. If we don’t go up he’ll cost someone a hell of a lot of money if they want to buy him. He is committed to Aston Villa and we’ve not even spoken about it otherwise.”
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has hailed the performance of goalkeeper Jed Steer as the Villains progressed to their second-straight Championship play-off final. The Villains faced off against arch-rivals West Bromwich Albion during the playoff semi-final where they progressed on penalties after the scores were level (2-2) after both legs.
Speaking after the game, Smith praised the impact of Steer, who had spent time on loan with Charlton Athletic during the first half of the season, he said: “It’s amazing what can happen and how opportunities arise. Orjan was doing well but snapped his Achilles and the phone call went in to get Jed back and he’s been brilliant for us.
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has said that the club will seek to get Scott Hogan back to scoring ways after returning from a long-term injury. The 26-year-old made his first start of the campaign during the disappointing 3-0 defeat to Swansea City in the FA Cup third round but there were nonetheless positives with the striker handed two scoring chances at the beginning.
Speaking after the game, Smith highlighted that things could have been different for the marksman, had he had better luck during the Cup meeting versus the Swans. He added that the club are depending on Hogan to start finding the scoresheet regularly, given they are primed to lose Tammy Abraham, who appears set to join Wolverhampton Wanderers this month.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith claims that the team has to adapt to several challenges that may come their way. Just after the international break, Aston Villa head back into the domestic competitions to take on a local rival in the form of Birmingham City. It is a game of great magnitude for Smith, who has just replaced Steve Bruce as the new Villa boss. After having picked up a crucial 3-0 success over Derby County in one of the best performances of the season, Smith will have reasons to be confident that his team can do well in this first Midlands derby experience for him as a manager at Villa.
Smith does not expect the free-flowing football seen at Pride Park to be repeated in this game because local derbies are always extremely difficult. Furthermore, Birmingham have also been in a good frame of mind over the last few months and this has enabled them to make up several places in the league table. Aston Villa, though, last suffered a loss against Birmingham back in 2005 and they have since been unbeaten in 12 matches against their local rivals. The difference between the two clubs in the Championship this season’s only goal difference. Smith does not have a lot of injury problems but the club’s preparation has been affected by internationals.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has said that he is expecting an improvement from the team when they face Bolton Wanderers in their home patch this weekend. The west Midlands outfit began with a victory under the guidance of new manager Smith but they have since succumbed to successive defeats at the hands of Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers.
Speaking to reporters, Smith confirmed that there had been a team meeting held on how to arrest the concern and he is optimistic the ideas can be put into play when the Trotters make the trip to Villa Park, he said: “We did a debrief on Monday and spoke about some things we can do better but we also spoke about the positives. The players are really receptive, get involved in discussion. I've said before I want them to take responsibility and become responsible and some of the points they brought forward were really good and will help us as a group moving forward. On the training ground it has been very good. They are a good group who want to get better."
