Villa headed to Sheffield United on Saturday just one place above the bottom three after a run of five defeats in seven Premier League matches but the unflappable boss is not panicked.
Dean Smith claims the everyday demands of family life helps put the pressure of managing Villa into perspective.Smith, a father-of-two, also believes his background in the lower leagues helps him remain calm when the going gets tough.
He said: “I think having two kids keeps me grounded – two kids and a dog. think that keeps me grounded enough. We all have lives outside of football. Sometimes it (football) can be the be-all and end-all to people. But we still go home and have families we have to make decisions about, where we send them to college and stuff like that. There is never a sense of panic. You can always look at it and take things out of it that you need to improve on. If you improve on those small bits then you get change.”