Norwich issue hands-off threat over Lambert as Villa decide 11 months of McLeish is enough
NORWICH chiefs have warned bigger clubs off attempting to poach manager Paul Lambert, one of the favourites to replace Alex McLeish, who was sacked by Aston Villa yesterday after just 11 months in the job.
Villa’s American owner Randy Lerner axed McLeish hours after the conclusion of a disappointing season, in which the club finished just two points above the relegation zone following a run of one win in 17 games.
Lambert, who has taken Norwich from the third tier to Premier League and kept them there on a shoestring budget, and Wigan’s fellow rising star Roberto Martinez were swiftly installed as the bookmakers’ favourites.
But the Canaries are prepared to fight to keep the former Scotland midfielder in charge at Carrow Road, following their 12th-place finish, according to chief executive David McNally.
“We would not welcome any enquiry for our manager or any of the club’s players,” said McNally, who tied the 42-year-old to a new deal last summer. “We will fight this as hard as we’ve ever fought.”
Lerner issued a withering assessment of McLeish’s brief reign, which upset some supporters from the beginning as he was lured from bitter rivals Birmingham, who had just been relegated.
He said: “Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.”