After the Gerard Houllier and Alex McLeish debacles, it appears Villa have finally got the right man.
It originally seemed that tempting Paul Lambert away from Carrow Road would be tricky, but in the end it proved to be far easier than Villa fans could have hoped for.
While fellow promoted manager Brendan Rodgers hogged the headlines with his Liverpool move, Lambert’s switch to Aston Villa could prove every bit as successful.
Lambert is viewed as one of the game’s most promising up and coming managers, an astute tactician with a proven track record of success to date.
His job at Villa is seemingly a surefire winner. After the club’s disastrous 2011/12 season, it is hard to imagine them faring any worse next season.
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There has been a fair bit of debate already about transfer funds available to him, with figures as ‘low’ as £15 million suggested, yet still that is likely to be more than would have been available at Norwich City this summer.
He also has the possibility to raise cash, with Agbonlahor linked with Sunderland, a switch which would not please all fans, but bringing in Grant Holt for £4 million as a replacement could make it a clever piece of business.
His challenges ahead include getting the best out of the talented Charles N’Zogbia, and persuading Jean Makoun to stay part of the Villa fold. The Cameroon international was loaned out by McLeish after a handful of games since signing. He went to Olympiakos for the season and became a league champion.
Lambert will also seek to re-invent the back line. James Collins and Richard Dunne have come in for stick over the past 18 months, and he will look to sign a new centre-back to mix things up, especially with Carlos Cuellar going.
As proved with Norwich, Lambert is a master of getting the best out of players regardless of their ability, and Villa’s young guns- from Gary Gardner to Ciaran Clark – should look forward to working with him.
In making the switch to Villa, playing for a club who have a larger fan base than Norwich, he has shown he is ambitious and not afraid to take big decisions.
It has been a difficult time for Villa over the past two years since Martin O’Neill left, but fans can now finally feel enthusiastic about the club’s future.
Lambert is 42 and has his best years in management ahead of him. Aston Villa will be thankful they are his chosen club. One day he may move onto bigger and better things, but in the meantime, the future looks bright for the club.
And that was something fans could not have envisaged six weeks ago.
What can Lambert achieve with Villa
image: © ell brown
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