HARLEE’S REVVED UP TO STUN DEAN
IT´S a measure of the respect Birmingham defender Harlee Dean has for Aston Villa manager Dean Smith that he genuinely wants him to do well – but not this afternoon.
The two worked together at Brentford when Smith took the reins at Griffin Park in November 2015 and established a strong bond.
Dean left for Birmingham in August last year and was followed to the Second City by boyhood Villa fan Smith last month after a sticky start to the season cost Steve Bruce his job.
Villa have won three of their first five under former Walsall boss Smith, including an impressive 3-0 victory at Frank Lampard’s Derby in their last outing.
The signs are encouraging for Villa, but Blues centre-back Dean will be desperate to put one over his old gaffer in their noon showdown.
“I can’t really say a bad word about him,” the 27-year-old told The FLP. “He’s a great manager. It’s his man-management that stands out. He’s a nice fella and you don’t want to upset him.
“He has got a side to him that if you ain’t doing well, he will tell you, but he’s fair and honest, and that’s all you can ask for.
“He made me captain and I got on really well with him – it was a pleasure to be part of his team. He did a good job at Walsall and Brentford and is now at the team he supported as a boy. I hope he has every success there – just not on Sunday.”
Although only goal difference separates the mid-table duo, Villa will be favourites today with their expensively assembled squad and home advantage. The last time the Blues triumphed at Villa Park was 14 years ago in the Premier League.
Triumph
But rugged centre-half Dean isn’t bothered by the names on the shirts or recent history. He played in a 2-0 defeat at Villa in February and would love to turn the tables this time around.
“It’s a huge game, electric, hostile – and they have got a Premier League squad,” he said. “We know what they can do, but we’re focused on ourselves.
“We will concentrate on putting a performance in, stick to our identity. If we can do that, it will give us a platform. It’s more about the desire, work-rate and fight this year – not many teams can match us for those things.
“It’s also about who keeps their emotions in check on the day, who keeps their cool – that team will come out on top.”
One Blue who could make the difference is Jota, who also played under Villa boss Smith at
Brentford. The 27-year-old Spanish winger provides a hard-grafting Birmingham side with that extra bit of creativity and guile that can unlock a defence.
“We are a counter-attacking team and Jota is massive for us,” said Dean. “For me, he’s one of the best in the division.
“He probably wants to score a few more, but he’s having a good season and he’s doing a great job for the team. The effort he puts in is tremendous.”
As for the other major threats Birmingham could pose to their arch-rivals, you only have to look at strikers Lukas Jutkiewicz and Che Adams. ‘The Duke’, 29, has hit a rich vein of form, scoring eight times in his last eight games, while Adams, 22, has notched eight goals this term, including a hattrick in the 3-3 draw against Hull before the international break.
“Dukey is the most important player in our team,” said Dean. “His work-rate is tremendous and he’s constantly helping out. He puts himself about for 90 minutes and I’m happy he’s scoring so many goals – he deserves them.
Similar
“I played with Andre Gray at Brentford and Che is so similar to him. He’s scoring goals and he’s realising what needs to be done week in, week out to make the best of himself in this team.” The Blues struggled for goals in the early part of the season, but didn’t concede many. It led to a succession of draws – pre-weekend they had a division high tally of nine along with Nottingham Forest. Now the goals have started to flow, but they’ve leaked a few more at the back, conceding three against Derby (a 3-1 loss) and Hull (3-3) in their last two outings. “Derby was difficult, they were just better on the day,” admitted Dean. “Against Hull, we probably let ourselves down.
“I enjoy being part of a team that’s solid defensively and it’s about getting the balance right. We’ve said inhouse that we want to be better than last year (the Blues finished 19th) and avoid a relegation battle. I’m sure we will.
“We need to go on another run, like the 11-game one we had recently. You can go flying up the table and you never know where it can take you.”
And Dean, who reached the Championship play-offs with Brentford in 2014-15, believes they have the perfect man at the helm in former Swansea, Leeds and Middlesbrough boss Garry Monk, who took charge in March, to guide them on their journey.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him – he’s the best manager I’ve played under,” he added. “He’s a nice fella, he’s honest and you know what you are going to get.
“He’s changed the whole club from inside to out – the relationship with the fans, everyone on the training ground, the mood, the atmosphere. Us players have had a part to play, but it’s mostly down to him.”