Aston Villa relegated: What next for crisis club after drop down into the Championship?

With the club up for sale and facing the Sky Bet Championship next season, we look at what they must change to progress

Aston Villa players trudge off the Old Trafford pitch after relegation (Getty)

Aston Villa have dropped out of the Barclays Premier League, their first relegation from the top flight since 1987.

With the club up for sale and facing the Sky Bet Championship next season, here we look at what they must change to progress.

Open up

There has been a culture of silence at Villa for too long with their cloak and dagger style only serving to frustrate and trigger conspiracy theories.

Attempts are being made to be more approachable and that must continue with chairman Steve Hollis impressing and the appointment of board advisor Brian Little key. Fans, who have protested to voice their anger in recent weeks, need to be able to trust the club after losing faith in the establishment.

Clear the decks

There is a poisonous atmosphere at Villa Park and the dressing room failures have only contributed to that. Too many players have been sitting on big contracts with Charles N'Zogbia, whose deal expires in June, rejecting a move to Greece in January to train with the Villa kids. Gabby Agbonlahor has been symptomatic of Villa's decline while expensive foreign imports have flopped - but who will take them?

Aston Villa fans protest against the club's owner Randy Lerner (Getty)

Sell the club

Only when Randy Lerner finds a buyer for the club will Villa be able to start their road to recovery. There has been interest but some investors are waiting for when the club bottoms out to make their move. If there are no buyers over the next few months it is difficult to see how Villa can move forward under the wantaway Lerner. Fans anger, which has manifested into protests, needs to be appease and it cannot happen with Lerner in charge.

Win promotion

The bottom line in dropping into the Sky Bet Championship is ensuring Villa bounce straight back. Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Bolton and Fulham and have all proved how difficult that is with the second tier a graveyard of former top flight clubs. They are in for a culture shock and must brace themselves for a rude awakening.


 Nigel Pearson is available for Villa (2015 Getty Images)
 (Getty)

Find the right manager

Remi Garde may have been the right man but he came at the wrong time. A classy man and no doubt a good manager but Villa needed a battle-hardened boss who knew the league. Now, in the Championship, they cannot afford to make the wrong call with experience of English football crucial. David Moyes, Garry Monk and Nigel Pearson are all in the frame and Villa could do a lot worse.

PA.