Sacked Aston Villa manager Dean Smith believes he would have ended their slump in form if he had been given more time.
The 50-year-old was axed on Sunday after three years in charge with Villa lying 16th in the Premier League.
He took Villa back to the top flight in 2019 and helped them beat the drop on the final day in 2020. They finished 11th last season but sold skipper Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100million.
Smith signed Emi Buendia, for a record deal worth £38m, from Norwich while also buying Leon Bailey and Danny Ings to replace Grealish in the summer.