Late on Wednesday evening, Aston Villa announced the appointment of their new manager to replace Steve Bruce.

Dean Smith left Brentford to take up the vacant position at their Championship rivals to succeed Bruce who was sacked just over a week ago.

The new Villa manager has a job on his hands to get the fans back on side and get the club to move up the league and compete for what the hierarchy at the feel should be promotion to the Premier League.

To do so, Smith will need to call upon all his experience to help the club he supports rise from mid-table fodder of the second-tier and improve the club’s recent fortunes.

If the new man has any chance, then he will need to avoid repeating some mistakes from the past if he stands any chances of being successful during his tenure at his new club.

With that said, here are three mistakes Smith cannot afford to repeat at Aston Villa.

When John Terry left, a defensive replacement was not forthcoming, and that has hampered the club since with them having to play players out of position in order to fill gaps and sure up the back.

Aston Villa have conceded 20 goals in 12 matches - the joint second worst in the division.

If they are to improve going forward, then Dean Smith needs to avoid a repeat of their transfer naively that plagued them during the summer.

Towards the end of Steve Bruce’s reign in charge of Aston Villa, the football was excruciating for the club’s supporters to watch.

That had a hand in the sacking of Bruce, and that is a mistake that Dean Smith must avoid if there is any chance of success at his new club.

Smith likes to employ a brand of free-flowing football, and that will stand him in good stead if he is able to hit the ground running once his tenure takes off.

This season has seen players played out of position due to the mistakes made in the transfer window.

Alan Hutton who is a left-back has played at centre-half with midfielder Mile Jedinak also deployed as a defender to accommodate for the shortcoming in the summer window with the lack of defensive cover added.

This is something Dean Smith is going to need to avoid and not make the same mistake.

Players need to be played in their correct positions if they have any hope of progressing.