Aston Villa assistant manager Craig Shakespeare has also left the club following Dean Smith’s sacking on Sunday; and as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the news on social media.
Villa officially parted ways with Smith on Sunday days after a fifth consecutive defeat in the Premier League. There was no mention of Shakespeare in the club’s statement on Smith, but The Telegraph claim that the 58-year-old, who moved to Villa Park in August 2020, has also departed.
Coach Aaron Danks and set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee are still at the club, with Villa’s search for a new manager underway.
The likes of Steven Gerrard and Ralph Hasenhuttl are thought to be under consideration by the Villa hierarchy, whereas initial contact was made with Paulo Fonseca last week, with an appointment aiming to be finalised before the international break is over.
Shakespeare is no stranger to abrupt departures from Premier League clubs, having also been dismissed by Everton and Watford under the reigns of Sam Allardyce and Nigel Pearson respectively. His time in charge of Leicester in 2017 was brief and unsuccessful, lasting for just eight months as he left them in the top-flight relegation zone.
Villa fans react
The Telegraph’s Matt Law shared the news regarding Shakespeare on Sunday, which led to these Villa supporters giving their thoughts to the news on social media. Many were quite pleased to see him go, believing that he didn't cover himself in glory during his time working under Smith.
“Oh yes, thank god”
“Every cloud and so on....”
“Ruthless. I like it”
“There's a bit more good news. Since JT left defence fell apart”
“Good news keeps coming”
“This makes lots of sense. Let's see.”
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