Fans' Survey: Randy Lerner to blame for Aston Villa relegation

That is the verdict of supporters who took part in the Express & Star end-of-season survey, who laid the majority of the blame for the club's relegation squarely at the feet of the club's soon-to-be-former owner.

In our survey, conducted before news of Dr Tony Xia's proposed takeover broke last week, almost half of the hundreds of supporters (43 per cent) who took part believe Lerner was chiefly responsible for one of the worst campaigns in the club's 140-year history.

Almost a third (31 per cent), meanwhile, felt the players should shoulder most of the blame, with almost a fifth (17 per cent) pointing the finger at former sporting director Hendrik Almstadt and the club's recruitment team, after Villa spent more than £50million on new signings who largely failed to deliver last summer.

Meanwhile, only 21 per cent of fans are confident the club can make an immediate return to the top flight following their first relegation since 1987.

The vast majority (63 per cent) believe it will take between two and four seasons for Villa to find their way back to the Premier League, with 11 per cent thinking they could spend a decade or more in the football wilderness.

Villa won just three league fixtures during a campaign which was historically bad and despite several close shaves in preceding seasons, the scale of their failings undoubtedly came as a huge shock to supporters. Just 13 per cent say they thought the club would be relegated at the start of the season, with most predicting a mid-table to bottom-half finish.

The club parted company with both Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde during the course of the campaign, though most fans who entered our survey believe the two managers were relatively blameless.

Just over a third believe another manager would have stood any chance of survival with the squad at their disposal, while only 11 per cent believe Villa would be capable of mounting a promotion challenge in the, admittedly unlikely, scenario they don't make any additions over the summer.

More than nine in 10 supporters believe the club need to make at least four or more new signings in the summer, with 45 per cent of those who entered believing more than seven fresh faces will be required.

Joleon Lescott was, meanwhile, deemed the most disappointing signing of last summer's spending splurge. The defender polled 48 per cent of the vote. His defensive partner Micah Richards, the club's on-field captain, was second with 32 per cent.

Villa's current board responded to the desperate season by dropping season ticket prices for next year but three-quarters of supporters who responded to the survey believe the reduction is not enough, with 58 per cent claiming the price of season ticket at Villa Park is too high.

Just over half of the fans who took part, meanwhile, admitted the club's fall into the Championship will make them less likely to attend games this season.

The emergence of some talented youngsters has provided some comfort, with 19-year-old defender Kevin Toner set to be offered a new deal.

In our survey, a resounding 87 per cent of fans claimed seeing academy players emerging into the first-team was important to them.