Mark Bosnich urges Aston Villa board to stick by manager Dean Smith

Follow us on Google Discover

Aston Villa suffered another damaging defeat in the Championship on Saturday.

Mark Bosnich has urged the Aston Villa board to give manager Dean Smith ‘every opportunity’ to turn the club’s fortunes around following their 2-0 defeat against West Brom on Saturday.

Villa, who are now facing a fourth season outside of the Premier League, are currently nine points outside of the top-six, with a number of teams ahead of them having a game in hand or two.

The defeat at the weekend just signified the problems at the club, with Smith’s side producing another lacklustre display as they have won only one match since the turn of the year.

Nonetheless, former Villa keeper Bosnich has passionately advised the club to stick by Smith because he will need time to implement his thoughts on the team.

“They have a bit [the wheels have come off],” Bosnich told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show on 18/02/2019. “It is really unfortunate. I have said this before that every year you are out of the Premier League, it gets harder and harder to get back into it.

“They have got to steadfast in terms of sticking by him [Dean Smith]. They made a call with Steve Bruce, they made a call to go this direction, so they have to give him every opportunity. There is no use starting now to change managers left, right and centre because it does take a little bit more than a season. Put it that way.”

In October, Villa made the decision to part ways with the now-Sheffield Wednesday boss Steve Bruce following their run to the play-off final last May.

At that time, they had only one clean sheet to their name and were sitting outside of the top-six after a 3-3 home draw against Preston North End.

Initially, Villa did start to show what they were about under their new manager, winning emphatically at Middlesbrough, Derby and also seeing off rivals Birmingham on home soil.

But since the absence of star man Jack Grealish in the middle of the park, the club’s form has curtailed in the wrong direction as they have picked up only two wins.