Villa blog: Lambert is going, going, gone

Paul Lambert has gone, but where do Villa go now? Blogger Matt Turvey looks at the future of the club, both short and longer term.

This week there was elation amongst many Aston Villa fans, as the club announced the sacking of Paul Lambert.

Whilst it would be wrong to take pleasure in another person losing their job, the performance against Hull City was ultimately poor - reflective of a team that had no direction.

This isn't to suggest that the decision to remove Lambert was one made overnight - the truth is that Villa have broken records for the past few years, and not in a good way.

What matters now are the next steps, and how Randy Lerner and Tom Fox will seek out the right candidate who can accomplish two tasks - keep the club up, and also make the required changes to get the club competing higher up the table.

Honestly, whoever takes the job on now will face a significant task. Yes, a new manager can be a galvanising influence on a team that has struggled under the last man, but this is a team without an identity and, perhaps more importantly, without goals.

The largest question will be who suits both of those two questions that will define the club's season. In reality, there may not be one person who fulfils both roles, instead requiring a short term appointment, followed by a man with a different set of tasks.

Why? Looking at the job as it stands, there's a lot of issues there, and relegation is a distinct possibility unless things change, and quick. With all that in mind, who wants to take a risk on a job that offers no transfer window before the summer (and thus no funds to change things around) and where relegation may well be the first "achievement" on the new manager's CV?

Of course, there's the possibility that whoever takes the job can keep the club up and, if things go well, that could happen. That said, staying up this season and progressing the club are likely achieved by different styles of play.

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For example, if Villa can stay up this season playing unstylish - but ultimately effective - football, then few would bat an eyelid, simply because survival is all that matters.

If the same style of football was being espoused next season, it would feel significantly different, and such an approach would largely be seen as disappointing.

The big question is who can the club go for? There have been a number of names linked, from Tim Sherwood (who seems to be linked to every job on the planet, my own included if I handed in my notice) to Jurgen Klinnsmann.

Some of the names, like Michael Laudrup, present a different view on how the club may be headed - a more continental approach versus the historically, largely British attitude Villa have adopted. However, Laudrup left Swansea under a cloud, with players citing dressing room disharmony - something Villa definitely need to avoid.

Perhaps the answer is to have a man like Neil Warnock in place for the next few months, with an option of extension based on survival. That suggestion won't have fans swooning, but the truth is that short term survival is all that needs to occur for such an appointment to work.

I mentioned a few months ago on Twitter that Tony Pulis would have been an ideal candidate for the post, given his gritty, no-nonsense style of football is ideally suited to a relegation scrap. Pulis may well get hammered by many for his lack of style, but his progress at Stoke, rapid turnaround of Crystal Palace, and likely saving West Bromwich Albion from the drop shows he can survive in this league.

Villa fans will have to be open to such an approach - a short term fix and a long term plan - if all the options are to be explored. It may not mean elation in the short term, but the reality for the club is that attacting a top class manager, under current circumstances, and with a chairman looking to exit may well prove to be a significant challenge that can't happen until the summer.

In the meantime, wouldn't we all love to be a fly on the wall regarding the choices on who the club are targeting? I know I would.

You can follow Matt Turvey's regular opinions at his own site, www.astonvillalife.com, via the site's Twitter account @astonvillalife, or via his own Twitter account @mturvey_star.