Aston Villa - end of David O'Leary's reign

Following three years in charge, David O'Leary's tenure as Aston Villa boss has been brought to an abrupt end in what is reported to be a mutual decision following an inquiry into player unrest. There is seemingly no obvious replacement waiting in the wings. The fortune of O'Leary and Villa have been on the descent since the Irishman took over the reigns - in his three seasons in charge Villa's finishing positions in the Premiership have been sixth, tenth and sixteenth respectively. However, while this record is hardly conducive to a pay-rise, many think that the real problem lies with the chairman, Doug Ellis. The 82-year-old has rebuffed calls for him to step down from the fans. Virtually every manager that has been at the helm at Villa Park has found it extremely difficult to function under Ellis. It has been reported that the first-team squad issued a statement of sorts, in which they were critical of the way Ellis had been running the club. Indeed, everyone associated with Villa - fans, managers, players, etc. - have long bemoaned the lack of investment in the club, and Ellis's ambition has been called into question.