Smith is up on his hind legs at table

ASTON VILLA boss Dean Smith is a firm believer that a dog is for life and not just for Christmas.

That’s great news for his beloved pooch Charlie who pounds the pathways acting as a sounding board for his master’s Villa problems.

Life’s not been so much fun for Charlie lately as Smith wrestles with four successive Premier League defeats.

They find themselves in the bottom three after the 3-1 home defeat to Southampton and today they tackle fellow strugglers Norwich before going into battle against Watford in two days time. It’s a potentially pivotal festive double for Smith who admits his prize pooch probably didn’t enjoy yesterday’s walk quite as much as usual.

Smith said: “In training Christmas Day morning. Take the dog for a walk around 3pm. His tail’s not wagging quite as much lately!”

If Charlie can sense that all is not quite as Smith would like it then the Villa boss says he doesn’t need to explain to his players that they’re in a scrap.

He added: “If I have to do that then I’ve got a problem. They are not stupid. They can see the league table. They know we have to turn things around. I don’t have to tell them that – it’s there for all to see.”

Smith has done the hard yards on his way to the promised land of the Premier League and that’s why he is remaining calm.

“I know how quickly football can change. We believe in what we are doing. It requires tweaks rather than radical changes,” he said.

“We have a great belief in what we are doing and how we are working.

“We need to be a bit braver if the opposition score first – have more belief in ourselves.”