Aston Villa's move to appoint Dean Smith and John Terry has been met with delight by former player Paul McGrath, although he has had to apologise to the manager for his over-enthusiasm around the assistant manager role.

McGrath played 253 games for Villa in a seven-year spell at the beginning of the nineties, and he was quick to use social media as a way of congratulating the new management duo.

He started out by wishing them both the best, but suggested that John Terry coming back was 'more important' than the appointment of Smith.

"Delighted for Aston Villa that Dean Smith as a Villa fan has been given the opportunity to ply his trade at the club he loves. More importantly, sorry Dean, JT is back, some players need a reality check!"

He soon realised the error of his ways, tweeting a second time to apologise to the new manager for the perceived slight, suggesting he was merely getting carried away with events at Villa Park.

"Apologies to Dean Smith, for my tweet, it’s just my Chelsea hat, slipped over my eyes, for a second, I wish you both success and enjoyment on your new venture."

Smith and Terry take over from Steve Bruce, who oversaw one win in ten matches after failing to win promotion last season.

The Verdict

As a Villa admirer, McGrath is simply angry at what he sees as a squad that has been coasting, suggesting that John Terry is the man to instil some discipline into the side.

He's partially right, the squad should have been playing better for Bruce and Terry will help drive them on. He's also right to apologise to Smith, his free-flowing football is the way forward for Villa and should accentuate the talents of a very able squad.

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