Smith’s Brentford beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Boxing Day.
Aston Villa’s Boxing Day defeat at Brentford appears to have seen several Villans supporters reach the end of their patience regarding manager Steve Bruce.
The 2-1 reverse extended Villa’s winless run to five matches and saw them drop out of the play-off places, to eighth, for the first time in more than two months.
Decreasing parachute payments make promotion this season almost imperative for the side which dropped out of the Premier League the campaign before last, and sacking Bruce is seen by some as a possible last throw of the dice.
But who could replace the experienced boss at Villa Park? One man’s name seems to be cropping up more than most…
As several those above have pointed out, Smith grew up an Aston Villa fan in West Bromwich and continues to work wonders with a Brentford side tipped by many to struggle this season, after losing a number of key players throughout the past 12 months.
Smith’s side, who have beaten Villa twice in four meetings since the start of last season – avoiding defeat on the other two occasions, are currently 12th in the Championship, four places and as many points behind the Villans.
Should Brentford’s Dean Smith be Aston Villa’s next manager?
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