Aston Villa recently sacked Gerrard as manager and the former Rangers boss departed with the club in and around the same situation they found themselves in under Smith when he was shown the door.
Gerrard was backed in the transfer market but suffered a bitter blow when key summer arrival Diego Carlos picked up an injury, while Philippe Coutinho has been unable to rekindle the form he showed at Liverpool in the Premier League.
Allardyce is not putting all of the blame for Aston Villa struggling on Smith and Gerrard as he feels the club selling Grealish to Manchester City did a huge amount of damage to just how well the Lions could do.
“I have to say this. We’re only as good as the players we can manage and there is one major factor that Dean Smith suffered and now Steven Gerrard – and that’s no Jack Grealish”, Allardyce said on the Keys and Gray podcast.
“If you look at the major difference in results to Aston Villa, when Jack Grealish was sold for £100m, and Dean Smith struggled, and Steven has struggled eventually over the period he was there.
“That one iconic player makes so much more difference to a club like Aston Villa.”
Aston Villa have already been linked with a host of managers as they bid to fill the vacant post at Villa Park, but top target Mauricio Pochettino is claimed to be holding out for a bigger job.
