Dean Smith has declared his delight at winning the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award for December.
Aston Villa’s five-game unbeaten run produced 11 points and saw the club end 2020 in fifth place in the table.
The head coach was adamant that credit for the accolade must be shared between the players and staff.
“Getting this award is acknowledgment that the team are achieving something at the moment,” he said.
“You don’t get this award unless you’re getting results, you don’t get results unless your performance levels are good and you don’t get good performances unless the players are working hard.
“This isn’t just my award, this is testament to all the players and staff who’ve been working hard, especially during the month of December.”
The month contained many great moments for players, staff and fans as the team secured away-day victories against local rivals Wolves and West Bromwich Albion and earning draws versus Burnley and Chelsea.
But for Smith, the most satisfying result during December was a resounding win against Crystal Palace that was secured despite playing most of the match with 10 men.
He said: “The standout for me was certainly the Crystal Palace game. We had Tyrone Mings sent off when we were 1-0 up, but we never wanted to take a step backwards.
“It was testament to the mentality of the players that we scored another couple of goals to win the game 3-0, and we could have scored more.”
The award puts Smith in an exclusive club of Villa managers who have won the Premier League’s Manager of the Month.
It’s been over a decade since Martin O’Neill won the accolade, with Brian Little and John Gregory the only other managers to achieve the feat during their tenures in B6.
“It puts a smile on my face to be mentioned alongside those elite managers at Aston Villa,” Smith said.
“It’s been far too long – 11 years since a Villa manager was awarded one of these.
“I’ve still got a way to go as Martin won four of these, so hopefully we can continue the progression we’re making.”
You can watch Part One of an in-depth three-part interview with Dean below...
