After just 124 days in charge, Roberto Di Matteo’s reign has ended at Villa Park and according to Dr. Xia his appointment was hardly desired.
Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia has admitted on his official Twitter page that he appointed Roberto Di Matteo as manager due to a lack of alternative options.
Villa have endured a dismal start to their first season in the second tier since 1987-88, winning just one of their eleven Championship games despite spending heavily in the off-season on proven, lower league quality such as Jonathan Kodjia (below), Ross McCormack and Mile Jedinak.
Consequently, rather optimistic talk of an immediate return to the Premier League has been replaced with palpable fears of successive relegations with the 1982 European Cup winner just four points of the bottom.
And Dr Xia, who completed a £76 million takeover from former owner Randy Lerner in June according to the BBC, has admitted that the appointment of the former Chelsea coach was the consequence of a lack of options.
Sacked after just 124 days in charge, Di Matteo (below) always appeared a strange choice for a club desperately in need of experience and a calming influence.
Despite guiding Midlands rivals West Brom to promotion to the Premier League in 2010, the Italian’s minimal managerial experience meant succeeding at a club embroiled in turmoil and undergoing a traumatic transition was always likely to end in disaster.
However, Xia says the latest in a long line of setbacks for Aston Villa has not impacted his commitment to the club.
The outspoken owner said in July that he wanted to guide Villa to Champions League glory within ten years, according to Sky Sports.
Based on the first few months of his reign at Villa Park, he may want to revise those expectations.
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