Dean Smith - LCFC Manager
- Thread starter Jeff
- Start date
Leicester City Football Club is pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Smith as the Club’s First Team Manager until the end of the 2022/23 season.
The former Norwich City, Aston Villa and Brentford manager will take charge of First Team training from Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Manchester City.
Smith brings a wealth of managerial experience and expertise to the role and, along with his coaching team, will be tasked with helping the Football Club retain its Premier League status as we head into the final eight games of the current season.
Dean’s appointment will see the return of Craig Shakespeare to the Leicester City dugout. An assistant under both Nigel Pearson and Claudio Ranieri in previous spells with the Foxes, Craig himself led the Club in 2017, successfully seeing off the threat of relegation and leading us to a UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final.
Dean’s coaching line-up will also include former England captain John Terry, who served under Dean’s management as a coach at Aston Villa, along with City’s current First Team Coaches Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell.
Dean Smith said: “I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season. The challenge in front of us is clear, but it’s one myself and my coaching team have experienced before and, with the quality in this squad and the number of games remaining, it’s very much achievable.
“Our first job is to rebuild confidence and instil belief in the team and I’m looking forward to getting to work with the players this week. Saturday will be a big test, but it’s the kind of occasion that reminds us all what it means to be a Premier League club, competing on the biggest stages against the best players in the world. I know we’ll be well supported by our travelling fans. We have to connect with that and give them a performance they can be proud of. We go there positive, looking for points.”
Leicester City Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “On behalf of everyone at Leicester City, I’d like to offer Dean a warm welcome to the Football Club. His leadership, coaching and motivational qualities will be vital assets for us in the coming eight games as we fight to secure our Premier League status.
“We’ve endured a challenging season, but I have no doubt that we have the quality in our squad to win this fight. Dean’s experience will be key to unlocking that potential, helping the team rediscover its confidence and channelling the support of our fans, who will be so important during these final eight games. Their support has been the foundation of everything we’ve achieved in these last 13 years and it will play a vital role once more in this crucial moment in our history. This is a fight we can win, together.
“I ask you to support the team, to fight with them for every goal, to inspire them to create a legacy again for this Club. Every fan, every player, all our staff, we need to be behind the team and our new management team. Together we can find success this season.”
Dean’s reputation as a progressive coach and man manager has been built over a 12-year managerial career in which he has taken charge of nearly 600 games across spells with Walsall, Brentford, Aston Villa and Norwich City. In the Premier League, having guided Villa to promotion during his first season at the club, he led a successful late charge for survival in 2020 in which Villa recovered from being four points from safety with three games to play.
Dean will meet the First Team squad and take training at Seagrave on Tuesday and will be introduced to the media later this week ahead of Saturday’s trip to Etihad Stadium.
The former Norwich City, Aston Villa and Brentford manager will take charge of First Team training from Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Manchester City.
Smith brings a wealth of managerial experience and expertise to the role and, along with his coaching team, will be tasked with helping the Football Club retain its Premier League status as we head into the final eight games of the current season.
Dean’s appointment will see the return of Craig Shakespeare to the Leicester City dugout. An assistant under both Nigel Pearson and Claudio Ranieri in previous spells with the Foxes, Craig himself led the Club in 2017, successfully seeing off the threat of relegation and leading us to a UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final.
Dean’s coaching line-up will also include former England captain John Terry, who served under Dean’s management as a coach at Aston Villa, along with City’s current First Team Coaches Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell.
Dean Smith said: “I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season. The challenge in front of us is clear, but it’s one myself and my coaching team have experienced before and, with the quality in this squad and the number of games remaining, it’s very much achievable.
“Our first job is to rebuild confidence and instil belief in the team and I’m looking forward to getting to work with the players this week. Saturday will be a big test, but it’s the kind of occasion that reminds us all what it means to be a Premier League club, competing on the biggest stages against the best players in the world. I know we’ll be well supported by our travelling fans. We have to connect with that and give them a performance they can be proud of. We go there positive, looking for points.”
Leicester City Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said: “On behalf of everyone at Leicester City, I’d like to offer Dean a warm welcome to the Football Club. His leadership, coaching and motivational qualities will be vital assets for us in the coming eight games as we fight to secure our Premier League status.
“We’ve endured a challenging season, but I have no doubt that we have the quality in our squad to win this fight. Dean’s experience will be key to unlocking that potential, helping the team rediscover its confidence and channelling the support of our fans, who will be so important during these final eight games. Their support has been the foundation of everything we’ve achieved in these last 13 years and it will play a vital role once more in this crucial moment in our history. This is a fight we can win, together.
“I ask you to support the team, to fight with them for every goal, to inspire them to create a legacy again for this Club. Every fan, every player, all our staff, we need to be behind the team and our new management team. Together we can find success this season.”
Dean’s reputation as a progressive coach and man manager has been built over a 12-year managerial career in which he has taken charge of nearly 600 games across spells with Walsall, Brentford, Aston Villa and Norwich City. In the Premier League, having guided Villa to promotion during his first season at the club, he led a successful late charge for survival in 2020 in which Villa recovered from being four points from safety with three games to play.
Dean will meet the First Team squad and take training at Seagrave on Tuesday and will be introduced to the media later this week ahead of Saturday’s trip to Etihad Stadium.
Blue Maniac
Alzheimers sufferer
Sorry, doing what?
Graz
Well-Known Member
Good luck to him.
Now he's here, we have to back him. I'm glad we've at least got it done at the start of the week so they have time to come in, have a look and work on a game plan for how the **** we try and not be embarrassed by Man City at the weekend.
It's better than Marsch, or keeping Stowell and Sadler in charge.
Let's see if Shakey can help reawaken Vardy!
Now he's here, we have to back him. I'm glad we've at least got it done at the start of the week so they have time to come in, have a look and work on a game plan for how the **** we try and not be embarrassed by Man City at the weekend.
It's better than Marsch, or keeping Stowell and Sadler in charge.
Let's see if Shakey can help reawaken Vardy!
Fox Fan
Well-Known Member
Wowzer, who would have thought we would have to sink this low, even a few weeks ago. But that's where piss poor management of the club gets you and we may not have yet hit the bottom.
That said, we needed someone in quickly. The team literally didn't have a clue what to do on Saturday and we've got Man City away in 4 and a half days time, so I'm pleased we now have a manager that may try and win a football match and a coach that is proven to be one of the best the club has ever had.
That said, we needed someone in quickly. The team literally didn't have a clue what to do on Saturday and we've got Man City away in 4 and a half days time, so I'm pleased we now have a manager that may try and win a football match and a coach that is proven to be one of the best the club has ever had.
Blue Maniac
Alzheimers sufferer
Villa fans seem to think we’ll stay up with Smith. Let’s ****in goooo!
SilverFox
Well-Known Member
After this coming weekend perhaps.
Miles Away
Well-Known Member
Ok. 8 matches, 4 wins. Let’s see it.
Come on you city slickers!!
Come on you city slickers!!
londonfox
Well-Known Member
Wouldn’t have been my choice but you make a good point.
ThaiSweetChilli
Well-Known Member
This is genius or horrible. I don't care. He's in, we gotta back the ugly bastard.
ThaiSweetChilli
Well-Known Member
Also I hope Johny Terry ruffles some feathers. No passion about. Bring some ****ing passion and let's survive.
popillius
Well-Known Member
Yeah like I said in a different thread, most Villa fans think he did a great job for them. They really like him.
Brown Nose
Well-Known Member
I really don't know what to say.
After backing ourselves into a corner through utter incompetence, we're left either committing stupidly to someone who may be the wrong choice or taking a failure on who has nothing to lose by agreeing to a short term deal.
We've taken the failure option. Smith has proved he's not a PL manager. All we can hope is that somehow he gets a tune out of the players in most of the remaining games.
It's batshit crazy. A few weeks ago, none of us could have conceived of such a total **** up.
We've got no choice now but to pretend to ourselves that any of it makes sense. Smith might blah blah. Good ol' Shaky blah blah. Terry will get at 'em blah blah. It's bollocks though isn't it?
After backing ourselves into a corner through utter incompetence, we're left either committing stupidly to someone who may be the wrong choice or taking a failure on who has nothing to lose by agreeing to a short term deal.
We've taken the failure option. Smith has proved he's not a PL manager. All we can hope is that somehow he gets a tune out of the players in most of the remaining games.
It's batshit crazy. A few weeks ago, none of us could have conceived of such a total **** up.
We've got no choice now but to pretend to ourselves that any of it makes sense. Smith might blah blah. Good ol' Shaky blah blah. Terry will get at 'em blah blah. It's bollocks though isn't it?
fitz
Well-Known Member
It could be that being shouted at by a racist is what the team has missed, or something. Grim but also slightly amusing that it's come to this...
Championship
| P | Pld | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester | 46 | 97 |
| 2 | Ipswich | 46 | 96 |
| 3 | Leeds Utd | 46 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 87 |
| 5 | West Brom | 46 | 75 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 73 |
| 7 | Hull City | 46 | 70 |
| 8 | Middlesbro | 46 | 69 |
| 9 | Coventry City | 46 | 64 |
| 10 | Preston | 46 | 63 |
| 11 | Bristol City | 46 | 62 |
| 12 | Cardiff City | 46 | 62 |
| 13 | Millwall | 46 | 59 |
| 14 | Swansea City | 46 | 57 |
| 15 | Watford | 46 | 56 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 46 | 56 |
| 17 | Stoke City | 46 | 56 |
| 18 | QPR | 46 | 56 |
| 19 | Blackburn | 46 | 53 |
| 20 | Sheffield W | 46 | 53 |
| 21 | Plymouth | 46 | 51 |
| 22 | Birmingham | 46 | 50 |
| 23 | Huddersfield | 46 | 45 |
| 24 | Rotherham Utd | 46 | 27 |
