Villa Exclusive: Ex-England star reacts to Dean Smith sacking speculation
Paul Robinson has urged Aston Villa not to sack Dean Smith before the end of the season and claimed there would be no benefit to doing so.
The former Spurs and Leeds United shot-stopper, speaking exclusively to Football Insider correspondent Dylan Childs, expressed real concern for the Villans with some tough fixtures upcoming.
A 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday piled more pressure on Smith to stretch their winless run in the Premier League to nine games.
The board have considered axing Smith and handing the reins to his number two John Terry, who is now a candidate for the vacant Bristol City job.
When asked by Football Insider if the Englishman's dismissal could help the Claret and Blue in the fight for survival, Robinson said:
"I don't think there would be any benefit in sacking him this close to the end of the season.
"He has done OK there but they are 10 without a win in all competitions now and it is a worrying time for them.
"They have got some really tough fixtures coming up. The Palace game this Sunday is a must-win game because I cannot see Villa getting anything out of Manchester United.
"It is really looking tough for them."
Villa face the Red Devils on Thursday who have been in devastating form since the restart and scored 13 goals in their last four games.
However, not even a win would take Dean Smith's side out of the relegation zone after Watford recovered from a goal down to beat Norwich.
In other Aston Villa news, Paul Robinson heaps praise on barely-seen player but slaughters his teammate.
PLUS: Subscribe for free to our brilliant new YouTube channel for daily videos, interviews with our top pundits and special guests, and all the latest insight into the club you love.