Dean Smith

Smith was offered schoolboy terms at Newcastle United at the age of 15 but was released when the club decided to focus on local players. He went on to work at a powder paint company.

Walsall

Smith started his professional career at Walsall, as the club suffered relegation from the Third Division in 1989–90 under John Barnwell's stewardship. They then struggled to adapt to life in the Fourth Division under new manager Kenny Hibbitt, finishing 16th in 1990–91 and 15th in 1991–92. The Saddlers qualified for the play-offs with a fifth-place finish in 1992–93, but were badly beaten by Crewe Alexandra at the semi-final stage. Walsall finished tenth in 1993–94, and Smith left the club, having played a total of 166 games for the Saddlers, scoring two goals.

Hereford United

In summer 1994, Smith was sold to Hereford United for £80,000, a club record fee for the "Bulls". They finished 16th in the Third Division in 1994–95 under John Layton. Smith was Graham Turner's captain at Edgar Street during the club's rise to the Third Division play-offs in 1995–96, where they were beaten by 4–2 Darlington at the semi-final stage, despite Smith opening the scoring just two minutes into the first leg. Hereford were relegated from the English Football League after finishing in last place in 1996–97; they had been level on points with Brighton & Hove and with a superior goal difference, however, goals scored was the decider. Brighton scored three more than Hereford throughout…

After working as a youth coach at Leyton Orient from January 2005, Smith was promoted to assistant manager toward the end of the 2004–05 season. He attained his UEFA Pro Licence in 2008, alongside classmates such as Roy Keane, Brendan Rodgers, and Ian McParland. After a poor run of form, Smith left Orient in January 2009, along with long-serving manager Martin Ling.

Walsall

In July 2009, Smith returned to his first club, Walsall, as Head of Youth.

Smith was appointed caretaker manager of Walsall on 4 January 2011, following the dismissal of Chris Hutchings. 17 days later, he was announced as the club's permanent manager until the end of the season. Taking over managerial duties with his side nine points adrift at the foot of League One, Smith managed to steer Walsall out of the drop zone before the season's end. On 29 January, the "Saddlers" recorded their best league result since 1986 by beating Bristol Rovers 6–1, in what was Smith's first win in charge; the three points also took Walsall off the foot of the table, though they were still seven points short of safety. His team made up the difference over February, and a 1–0 win over promotion-chasing Southampton on 1 March saw Walsall climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since October. They ended the season one point clear of Dagenham & Redbridge in the drop zone. He let 14 players go in the summer of 2011, including Darren Byfield, Jonny Brain, Clayton McDonald, Paul Marshall, Matt Richards, Steve…

Playing statistics

Managerial statistics

As of match played 9 September 2026

Dean Smith's father, Ron, was an Aston Villa supporter and a steward at Villa Park. Towards the end of his life, Ron Smith suffered from dementia and was not aware that his son had become Aston Villa's manager. On the eve of the 2019 play-off final, Dean Smith visited his father and told him "The next time I see you, I'll be a Premier League manager." Ron Smith died on 27 May 2020. When Villa won the 1982 European Cup final, eleven-year-old Dean was a neighbour to Villa player Pat Heard. Smith was not allowed to go to the final, but Heard ensured the young boy was on the team bus as it paraded the trophy through Birmingham. When appointed manager, Smith picked out Heard as an inspiration. Smith is married, and has two children – a son, Jamie, and a daughter. Speaking in December 2019, he said that his family, coupled with his experiencing playing and managing in the lower leagues, have helped him to stay grounded and deal with the perceived pressure of managing a Premier League team. He is a keen chess player and was a West Midlands school chess champion as a child.