Villa fans say "thank you" to Dean Smith as club looks for replacement

Aston Villa supporters have thanked Dean Smith "for the memories" after he was sacked after a run of five straight defeats in the Premier League.

He leaves the club after three years in charge, with the side two points above the relegation places.

Smith guided the club back to the top flight through the Championship play-offs in his first season in charge, before taking them to the League Cup in 2020.

In a statement, Aston Villa CEO, Christian Purslow, paid tribute to his 'excellent achievements' but that 'after a good start to the last season, this year we have not seen the continuous improvements in results...'

"Some of those memories will sit with me for the rest of my life"

For many fans, Villa's match against Southampton on the 5th November (2021) was seen as a "turning point" when the team lost 1-nil, but Dean Smith said he was hopeful he could turn it around.

Speaking to us, Villa fan Matt Rees says; "On Friday I did think it was time for a change. With the sacking of Dean Smith we can all see that it is a big, bold move from the owners, but I think it was something we were expecting.

You look back on the memories he brought to this football club, some of those memories will sit with me for the rest of my life...he's brought the culture and the identity back to this football club."

Talk is now turning to who will be the next Aston Villa boss.

Matt tells us; My ideal replacement would be maybe Graham Potter or Steven Gerard, he's doing very well in the League and the Europa League last season with Rangers.

Bookies are naming the following as potentials to be named as Aston Villa's next manager;

• Rangers boss Steven Gerard
• Former Villa player John Terry
• Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand
• Ex-Roma boss Paulo Fonseca
• Brighton’s Graham Potter
• Former Wolves and Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo
• Bournemouth boss Scott Parker
• Thierry Henry