Opinion | Home and Away: It's not fans who got Paul Lambert sacked but business, as usual
Supporters and media may feel empowered but Aston Villa's owners were mostly stirred by the potential loss of their Premier League cash pool
Aston Villa fans might be patting themselves on the back for finally ousting hapless manager Paul Lambert.
Neutrals too have been applauding the claret and blue ranks for their persistence, which led to the wealthy American owners axing the man who brought about the longest goal drought in the club's 140-year history and oversaw a rapid descent into the relegation zone.
But to unashamedly copy the words of Villa's rather conceited and now humbled CEO Tom Fox, this story of fan power is a "false narrative".
Just three weeks ago Fox was adamant that acting on the fans' call to sack Lambert would be like "flipping a coin"
Fox is the front man for, and compatriot of, Villa's American and mainly silent owner, Randy Lerner.
Just three weeks ago Fox was adamant that acting on the fans' call to sack Lambert would be like "flipping a coin".
With the team in free fall, crowds declining and anger mounting on and off the terraces at the turgid, goalless football, Fox retorted: "When things aren't going well, fans bay for that type of blood.
"That's not the way that I or the owner are going to make a decision. It's a false narrative."
