Former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith was in attendance for our 4-1 win over West Ham Utd on Sunday, and there were some wonderful moments and comments in interviews with various figures.
The 52-year-old was working for Sky Sports and was on the sidelines prior, during and after the game, and there were wholesome reunions with John McGinn and Ollie Watkins, as seen in the videos below.
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Both players paid tribute to Smith for the influence and impact that he had on their respective careers, and while things may have soured for some towards the end of his tenure, there is no doubt that he did a brilliant job to get us back into the Premier League and solidify our place there.
Ultimately, it was time to move on and while the wrong decision was made on his successor, Emery has built on that foundation and taken us to a new level, but with a number of the players that were either brought to the club under Smith or initially flourished under him.
Looking back on his time in charge of Villa, our former boss was as classy as ever given his obvious ties to the club having been a supporter long before he was at the helm, and it was a nice touch to also see him speak with Emery too while also praising McGinn and Watkins for where they’ve got to since he departed.
“It was a privilege [to manage Villa],” he told Sky Sports. “As I said when I left here, we’re all just part of a journey and my job was to come and leave it in a better place. I felt I did that and I fondly remember it. All of my family & friends are all Villa fans as well so it was great.”
The Spaniard could be heard thanking Smith for everything prior to his pre-match interview, while he spoke about his predecessor further in his post-match press conference as he evidently knows our history and what Smith did and means to many supporters.
“I respect him a lot,” Emery told the media. “I know he is from here. He was the coach when they were promoted to the Premier League again. I played Aston Villa when he was a coach and I respect him a lot. He is an Aston Villa supporter as well.”
It was great to see Smith back at Villa Park and enjoying our win as well as speaking at length with insight and passion about the direction in which we’re heading now under this ownership and with Emery, and it’s hoped that we can continue to build on that foundation he helped set while continuing to go through the levels to compete at the very top.
Dean Smith interviewing Unai Emery is brilliant to see ☺️ pic.twitter.com/z58dWUUFUf
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 22, 2023
"He's a favourite in the dressing room." 💜
Dean Smith with high praise for "leader" John McGinn 👏 pic.twitter.com/BWCeszt7Xb
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 22, 2023
"I owe it to him'' 🤝
Wholesome interview with Ollie Watkins and his former manager Dean Smith 😊 pic.twitter.com/zIkSLyNaWQ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 22, 2023
