After a mixed start, things seem to be falling into place for Dean Smith at Aston Villa following a 2-0 win against Bolton Wanderers in their last outing.

But the new Villa boss knows time is not on his side, with an immediate change in fortunes needed if his side are to keep pace with the division's leading clubs.

How Smith manages his star players is of particular importance, with Jack Grealish a priority, But if Villa's latest outing is anything to go by, then Smith's work with Grealish on the training ground is certainly bearing fruit as the youngster got his first goal of the season.

So is Dean Smith's influence on Grealish paying off?

We discuss.....

Jay Taylor

It's certainly working.

Dean Smith wants Jack Grealish to stay further up the pitch and not drop back to win the ball.

That paid dividends on the weekend when he was running off the shoulder of the last man and got in behind to score his first goal of the season.

You can tell Smith is taking time to work with the attacker to get him back to his best and make him a better player.

Gary Hutchinson

Grealish is clearly thriving under the new manager, but it might be due to them actually having a tactical plan now, rather than a load of motivational speeches and a bit of hope.

Smith seems to be more of a man manager, an ‘arm around the shoulder’ guy who treats players with respect, but gives clear instructions too.

Young players need that, not long speeches.

George Harbey

100%.

A manager like Smith will get the best out of a flair player like Grealish, and you can tell his influence is working.

You could tell against Bolton he had a real eye for goal and his end product looked much better.