Premier League: Aston Villa sack McLeish

After the drama come the departures. In four of the last five seasons, at least one manager has left their club within 48 hours of the conclusion, the exception coming in 2007/08 when Chelsea waited until Champions League final defeat to axe Avram Grant.

The trend that the likes of Paul Jewell, Ricky Sbragia, Gianfranco Zola and Carlo Ancelotti have made fashionable has continued today, with Alex McLeish sacked by Aston Villa after they finished the season in 16th place with just 38 points.

Villa chairman Randy Lerner said: "We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years.

"Compelling play and results that instill a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.

"The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club's potential and embraces our collective expectations."

McLeish was a candidate for least popular Premier League manager, the last month of Villa's season having been played out to a soundtrack of "sack McLeish, my Lord".

Sunday's 2-0 loss to Norwich at Carrow Road added to the former Birmingham chief's discomfort, as the travelling fans sang "we're lucky b*******, we should have gone down" and serenaded the opposition coach with chants of "Paul Lambert's claret and blue army".

Lambert 3.929/10 refused to fuel speculation that he would quit the Canaries for Villa Park without dismissing it. He said: "I will get this season out of the road and then I will see what happens and think about what is going on and the achievements we have done and then we will see."

Roberto Martinez 3.814/5 will also be linked. The Wigan tactician was headhunted last summer but stayed loyal to Dave Whelan, and given that Villa are weaker now than then - and the Spaniard's stock higher - that switch seems unlikely.

Alan Curbishley 6.05/1 will as ever be in the frame, especially as a former employee, while a Villa supporter in the office has put Mick McCarthy 22.021/1 forward as the typical Lerner appointment: inexpensive, Premier League experienced and not hugely inspiring.

The problems surrounding the club haven't stopped a few optimists staking £92 them for the 2012/13 title on Betfair, where they currently trade at 1000.0999/1.