Aston Villa sack Paul Lambert after two-and-a-half years in charge

By Matthew Smith, Reporter | 11 February 2015

Aston Villa sack manager Paul Lambert after two-and-a-half years after Villa's defeat to Hull City left them in the relegation zone.

Aston Villa have sacked Paul Lambert after two-and-a-half years in charge, the club has announced.

First-team coach Scott Marshall and goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall will prepare the team for their FA Cup tie with Leicester City at Villa Park on Sunday.

A statement said: "The club would also like to place on record its thanks to Paul and take this opportunity to wish him every success in the future."

Lambert, 45, took charge of 101 competitive Aston Villa fixtures after joining from Norwich City, who he took from League One to the Premier League, having previously also managed Livingston, Wycombe and Colchester.

Villa won only 25 and lost 50 of Lambert's games, scoring 98 goals. His final game was Tuesday night's 2-0 defeat at Hull City.

Aston Villa are currently 18th in the Premier League, having finished 15th in both full seasons under Lambert. They have gone 10 games without a win in the league, and their current total of 12 league goals this season is the lowest total after 25 games in Premier League history.

Lambert had signed a contract extension through until June 2018 last September, after Villa made a strong start in the league.

He was also supported by club chief executive Tom Fox, who told BBC Sport a fortnight ago that replacing Lambert would be like "flipping a coin".

However, Villa's form saw Lambert become under increasing pressure, with local newspaper the Birmingham Mail openly campaigning for Lambert's dismissal on the day he was relieved from his post.

LIVE: The case against Paul Lambert - stats + records speak for themselves #avfc http://t.co/c4NhelBrOh pic.twitter.com/PdXkJlStnH
— Birmingham Mail (@birminghammail) February 11, 2015