McLeish says sorry to Villa as Solksjaer tipped for job

Alex McLeish last night expressed his regret at letting down Aston Villa fans following his season of failure with the club, while Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was the subject of a nationwide gamble to take over.

The Norwegian’s price crashed from 20-1 to 6-4 favourite with William Hill in just over an hour, although Paul Lambert remains a strong 2-1 second favourite, while Roberto Martinez is 5-1.

McLeish was sacked on Monday by owner Randy Lerner after 11 months in charge, overseeing a dismal campaign in which Villa came within two points of relegation from the Barclays Premier League.

Villa managed a club record low of four home wins, with their points tally of 38 their lowest for 42 years and their 16th-place finish their worst in six seasons.

In being appointed manager after taking cross-city rivals Birmingham down into the Championship last season, McLeish never won over the supporters.

The Scot’s poor record only added fuel to the fire, with his sacking seemingly inevitable, albeit with McLeish expressing his disappointment he did not do more.

McLeish said: “When I accepted the role as manager of Aston Villa Football Club I was acutely aware of the responsibility I had to find the best way to serve the great traditions of one of the finest clubs in professional football.

“I was truly honoured to have been given the opportunity to manage the club, which plays such an important part in the fabric of the local community and to its worldwide fan base.

“I relished the challenge and, together with my loyal and very capable staff, dedicated all of my efforts into moulding a successful team.

“My only regret in leaving now is we weren’t able to achieve more for the supporters and their high expectations.

“Finally, I want to take this moment to say that I have nothing but the highest respect for the club and sincerely wish it and the fans great success in the future.”

It leaves Lerner, along with chief executive Paul Faulkner, searching for his third manager in under two years, the American flying in yesterday to begin the quest in earnest.

Lerner spelt out earlier in the week that under McLeish Villa lacked “compelling play and results”, with his desire now to appoint a man “who sees the club’s potential and embraces our collective expectations”.

However, his plans are likely to have been thrown off kilter by Liverpool’s sacking yesterday of Kenny Dalglish.

Candidates on Villa’s radar, such as Martinez, Brendan Rodgers at Swansea and Lambert, are almost certain to figure highly on Liverpool’s list of prospective candidates, and the money for Solksjaer could be shrewd.