Dean Smith’s promotion claim on Norwich City sacking
Dean Smith thinks that if he had stayed at Carrow Road, he would have been promoted to Norwich City.
With the team in fourth place in the Championship but experiencing a decline in performance and outcomes, the former Aston Villa and Brentford manager was fired by the Canaries in December 2022.
Smith’s demeanor and style of play did not appeal to City fans, who criticized his tactical style near the conclusion of his career.
He was then replaced by David Wagner, who failed to turn around a promotion attempt as Norwich finished 13th in the Championship in their first season following their 2022–2023 Premier League relegation.
Days after being fired at Aston Villa, Smith took Daniel Farke’s place as City’s favorite in November 2021. The 54-year-old, who is currently in charge of Charlotte FC, an MLS team, is optimistic about leaving Norwich.
“I was obviously raised as an Aston Villa supporter and had my ideal job at Villa. I left Brentford to move to Villa after getting the job.
We spend two and a half years in the Premier League after getting promoted in the first season, and I had a great experience there.
I probably left on good terms, and although though I’m one of the rare managers fired, I still communicate with the owners, many players, and the supporters.
“After that, I received another offer to work for Norwich in the Premier League. “They’ve never been in a higher position than fourth when I left, but it obviously didn’t go as well as we would have all liked,” Smith said on the Reports from Arbroath podcast.
“I think we would have been promoted that season, so I was unhappy that it didn’t work out. Sadly, though, things didn’t quite work out.
City, who are looking at a fourth consecutive season in the second division, went through a period of Championship huffing and puffing after Smith’s departure.
Smith, who recently inked a new three-year contract and led Charlotte FC to seventh place in the Eastern Conference, is finding life in America to be rewarding.
Despite his initial hesitancy to relocate to the United States, he has achieved success.
“I’d had a couple of interviews, a couple of chats with teams in the Championship that didn’t quite fit with what my ambitions were in terms of trying to get promoted,” Smith explained.
“Then there was the Charlotte job. At first, I responded, “No, I’m fine.” I didn’t plan on joining the MLS, so I’ll just wait.
“Sporting director Zoran (Krneta) refused to let go. “Listen, come meet me at the training center,” he said. What you observe will startle you. I arrived at the training center.
Additionally, the training facilities is on par with certain Premier League teams where I have previously worked.”
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