da roleta： After picking up just one win from their first eleven Championship fixtures of the season, Aston Villa saw fit to part company with manager Roberto Di Matteo earlier this week.
da realsbet： Assistant manager Steve Clarke has been put in temporary charge and certainly boasts the credentials to hold down the role, having previously worked as the main man in the dugouts at West Bromwich Albion and Reading.
But unconvinced he’s the right man to get the Villans back to the top flight at the first time of asking (especially after giving the rest of the division an eleven-game head start), Football FanCast asked Aston Villa fans earlier this week for their preferred choices to succeed Di Matteo.
Well the results of our poll are now in and they certainly take interesting reading, with the aforementioned Clarke ranking a lowly 16th out of the 26 managers we suggested.
The top four picks, meanwhile, are equally intriguing. Read through to discover the four managers Villa fans want to replace Di Matteo.
4. Sam Allardyce
Shrouded in controversy after abruptly stepping down as England manager, Sam Allardyce unsurprising divided views amongst those who voted – with 104 thumbs-up but a whopping 83 thumbs-down.
Of course, if The Telegraph’s allegations hadn’t rocked the footballing world in late September, Villa fans would have been much more open to the idea of a Big Sam revolution at Villa Park.
After all, he’s achieved promotion from the Championship twice before and has made a career out of his ability to guarantee sturdy top-flight finishes.
3. Martin O’Neill
Aston Villa fans clearly have fond memories of Martin O’Neill, voting him third in our poll.
During his four-year stint as Villa boss, the Irishman produced a win-rate of 42% and finished in sixth place for three consecutive seasons in the Premier League.
However, the 64-year-old isn’t the most realistic of candidates, having recently extended his deal to manage the Ireland national team.
2. David Wagner
Currently top of the Championship with Huddersfield, David Wagner was always going to do well in our poll, receiving 168 thumps-up.
The German-born former American international arrived in England with a preceding reputation from his time as Borussia Dortmund’s reserves team coach (working in close tandem with Jurgen Klopp) and certainly hasn’t disappointed, winning 18 of his 44 games in charge – including eight in the Championship so far this season.
1. Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce, one of the front-runners for the Villa job, came out on top in our poll with 237 thumbs-up.
The 55-year-old’s rank certainly makes sense; he’s readily available after resigning as Hull City manager at the end of the summer and has gained promotion from the Championship on four occasions already – twice with Birmingham City and twice with the Tigers.
He knows what it takes to get out of the second tier and his record in the top flight, also working at Wigan and Sunderland, isn’t to be sniffed at either.
Click through to the next page to see our poll results in full!
Results