Aston Villa Must Sack Lambert Before They Sleepwalk to Premier League Relegation

Life hasn't got any better for Paul Lambert and Aston Villa. The day after Roy Keane left his post as Lambert's assistant manager, Villa laboured to a 1-1 draw against Burnley, perhaps the worst side in the Premier League, who in truth did not have to play particularly well to gain a point.

Villa have not won a game since their rather unlikely victory over Liverpool at Anfield in mid-September, losing six of the subsequent nine games, collecting just three points and scoring just three goals in that time.

It is not as if Villa are failing in some sort of flamboyant, noble and entertaining way, either. The football they play is usually tedious, functional and disjointed, the sort of style that would only be acceptable if it did the thing it was designed to do, namely produce results, but it quite clearly isn't.

All of this is complicated by the off-field uncertainty that surrounds Villa Park. Owner Randy Lerner is looking to sell the club, and has been for some time. He released a statement on the official Villa website in the summer outlining his position while reiterating that the progress of any potential sale will remain private.

He said:

"

Reverting to common practice, I do not intend to comment further on a potential sale or related rumours unless and until I have reached a definitive agreement to sell, at which time I will be prompt and clear.

"

The problem is that an ongoing sale—and the silence about it—creates uncertainty about the future of the club, both short and long term.

The most immediate issue is that the uncertainty over Villa's ownership situation means Lerner may well be reluctant to make any sort of managerial change, since it may well be more difficult to sell the club if there is an image of instability, brought about by a dismissed manager.

This must be one of the reasons that Lambert remains in his job, seemingly safe despite the club's poor run of form. And it's not just this run of form: In both of his seasons in charge, Villa have finished in 15th place, five points clear of relegation, all while playing that uninspiring brand of football. For a club of their size, such torpor is surely unacceptable.

And it could be worse this season. The Premier League is so unpredictable, with so many teams seemingly of similar quality—that is to say, poor—anyone could be dragged firmly into the relegation scrap, and that includes Villa.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Plenty needs to change at the club, from an overhaul of the squad to the management. However, with the ownership situation as it is, they will not spend big (if at all) on transfers in January, just as in the summer, which is understandable.

Therefore, the most obvious and realistic course of action is to change the manager, which doesn't necessarily represent the gamble that such a thing usually would.

If Lambert goes, a professional ship-steadier in Tony Pulis is available to shore up Villa and keep them out of trouble. Once safety is assured, they can consider their options from that point.

It is clear that the current situation cannot continue. As reported by the Birmingham Mail, the Villa supporters at the Burnley draw chanted "We want Lambert out," chants that have been growing in volume in recent weeks.

Lambert said of the chants:

"

You don’t like it and it’s not nice to hear, but it’s sport. And football is a game. ... Those guys pay their money. I know this football club is huge and expectancy levels are huge. We’re not matching those levels so it’s normal [to react like that].

"

The big problem is that this is not just a recent thing: Villa haven't matched those levels for quite some time.

By keeping Lambert in place, Lerner and Villa seem to be sleepwalking to relegation. If the owner is sensible, he will do the most obvious thing he can to change that.