Aston Villa: Kevin MacDonald still favourite for Villa job ahead of interview process next week
Aug 24 2010 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
KEVIN MacDonald is still the leading candidate to fill Villa’s managerial vacancy on a permanent basis – despite Sunday’s 6-0 shocker at St James’ Park.
MacDonald will be in charge of Thursday’s Europa League qualifier second leg against Rapid Vienna and Sunday’s Premier League clash with Everton.
And the claret and blue hierarchy will not begin to formally speak to his rival contenders until next week when the forthcoming home games are out of the way.
Bookies’ favourites Bob Bradley, Jurgen Klinsmann and Ronald Koeman have all but been ruled out of the running to succeed Martin O’Neill in the Villa Park hotseat.
Far from being put off by MacDonald’s credentials after Sunday’s embarrassing defeat to Newcastle, Villa’s power-brokers were impressed with the caretaker’s response.
The temporarily-promoted reserve team boss bravely took the rap for the heavy losing margin and admitted he might have been a bit ‘naive’ with his team selection.
But MacDonald spoke to chairman Randy Lerner at Bodymoor Heath yesterday and he and chief executive Paul Faulkner hope Sunday’s scoreline was a freak result
Villa’s board are ready to resist any clamours for a ‘razzmatazz’ big name and prefer to continue with a safer option, like MacDonald who knows the English game.
It is thought they wish to employ a manager who can continue their steady progress rather than risk undoing four years’ good work with a knee-jerk populist ‘A-List’ appointment.
There have been plenty of preliminary discussions with agents acting on behalf of applicants, but the next stage of the recruitment process will start in earnest next week.
Villa are still reeling from the shock timing of O’Neill’s resignation five days before the start of the season and have made trying to negotiate the busy fixture list their priority.
But after the Everton game at Villa Park on Sunday there is a fortnight’s gap before the next match at Stoke on Monday, September 13, because of the international break.
The claret and blue top brass hope to use that time to appoint O’Neill’s permanent replacement so that they can start to plan for the season ahead with a degree of certainty.
With transfer deadline day now only a week away, Lerner and Faulkner will meet with MacDonald today to discuss the prospect of any arrivals or departures.
There is unlikely to be much business through the Villa Park entrance or exit doors with the managerial situation up in the air, but deals have not been completely ruled out.
One player unlikely to be leaving Villa any time soon is Luke Young with reports that West Ham have bid for the right-back believed to be wide of the mark.
Birmingham Mail - Clicky 
