Paul Lambert continues to feel the pressure at Aston Villa, especially in the midst of the awful run that they are on. No win in eight Premier League games – and no goals in their last six – leaves Villa in 16th, just three points off the drop.
Scott Sinclair and Carles Gil were brought in over January but it’s going to take something fairly special to stop the rot at Villa Park.
Lambert has been in charge since 2012 and has failed to finish above 15th, with a win ratio of under 30 per cent. Surely these dismal figures mean Lambert is nearing the end of his poor reign at Villa Park.
So, with that in mind, here are FOUR readymade managerial replacements for the under-fire Scot…
Alan Curbishley
The 57-year-old might not have had a managerial role since 2008, but has the experience of managing in the Premier League that Villa could definitely do with. His last job was at West Ham but before that he spent nearly 20 years at Charlton.
Curbishley turned them around from a mid-table Championship team to an established Premier League outfit. After a tremendous job at Charlton, he did absolutely superbly to keep West Ham in the Premier League in 2007, with seven wins from the last nine matches saving the Hammers from certain relegation. Even in charge for a temporary fix, Alan Curbishley isn’t a bad shout to take over from Lambert.
Tim Sherwood
Tim Sherwood is a name that has been linked with all sorts of jobs since leaving Spurs at the end of last season and is the bookmakers favourite to replace Paul Lambert. Although he doesn’t have a lot of experience as a manager, he has shown that he has excellent coaching abilities and did a good job at Tottenham in difficult circumstances.
Sherwood was only given half a season at Spurs, and despite finishing in sixth place, this wasn’t enough for him to keep his job at White Hart Lane. A young manager with plenty of talent, he wouldn’t be a bad option to replace Lambert and attempt to re-establish Villa at the right end of the table for the first time in quite a few years.
Jürgen Klinsmann
Another manager the bookies fancy as the next Aston Villa manager, is USA boss Klinsmann. The former Germany legend has been in charge of the US since 2011 and guided them to a respectable last-16 finish at the 2014 World Cup.
He was Germany manager from 2004-06, finishing third in the home World Cup in 2006, before joining Bayern Munich. Despite Klinsmann failing to last the season at Munich, the German has plenty of managerial experience and knowhow at the highest level. An extremely passionate and loyal man, Aston Villa would be getting a fantastic manager and one that is very capable of turning things around for the Villians.
Michael Laudrup
The 50-year-old Dane is currently managing Lekhwiya SC after being harshly sacked by Swansea in February 2014. Just a year earlier, he had helped Swansea to win the League Cup after beating Bradford 5-0 in the final. This was the first major trophy in Swansea’s history and he guided them to ninth in the Premier League that season.
A man who won pretty much all there is to win as a player, and who has already had great success as a manager, would be a perfect choice for Aston Villa. A born winner, Laudrup has the pedigree to succeed as a manager once again in England. It’s about time Villa went with a big name as their manager and Laudrup is that man.