Dean Smith has shared that Aston Villa’s aim is to secure a ‘top half’ finish in the Premier League this season, as pressure mounts on Steven Gerrard in the dugout, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
Even though Villa are four games unbeaten, they are hovering above the Premier League’s relegation zone after their 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on Monday night.
Heading into that all-Midlands encounter, Forest boss Steve Cooper, who had watched his side lose five games on the bounce, signed a new contract at the club.
That seemingly provided a boost to the team and the players because they defended well to secure a much-needed point and move off the bottom of the Premier League table.
Nonetheless, it has been nearly a year since Villa sacked Smith and replaced the now-Norwich City boss with Gerrard.
It’s fair to say that things aren’t going well for the legendary midfielder, as Smith made these comments about Villa this season in comparison to Forest.
“Expectations are different (at Villa compared to Forest this season),” Smith. “Villa’s will be to finish in the top half of the table and Nottingham Forest will be to stay up.”
GERRARD NOT ON PAR WITH SMITH
When you sack a manager, you bring in the other guy because you feel and expect him to be better than the man he has replaced.
Well, never mind Gerrard being better than Smith, at this moment in time, he is proving that he’s not even on par with the boyhood Villa fan.
The team and club have gone backwards since his arrival, and the decisions Gerrard is making are being questioned, from leaving key players on the bench, to his fall-asleep style of play.
Heading into Sunday’s game against Chelsea, it’s going to be very interesting to see how fans react if things start to go wrong for the team.
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