According to a report from James Nursey in The Mirror, Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa were suspended from their positions at Aston Villa not due to poor performance, but rather due to the fact that they had been bullying members of the club's staff. The two assistants will undergo a disciplinary hearing, and if they are found guilty will likely be sacked without further compensation.
If the report is true, it would certainly be a compelling explanation for the sudden actions that occurred this morning. Harassment of fellow employees absolutely should not be tolerated, and the allegations supposedly came from numerous sources around the club, from physios to kitchen workers.
Culverhouse and Karsa joined the Aston Villa back room staff with Paul Lambert, and have in fact been with him since before he was at Norwich City. The shift from that pair to Gordon Cowans and Shay Given will certainly mandate a shift in the way that Lambert handles the club, and that same Mirror report has it that the manager will now be taking a more direct role in training. Numerous sources were reporting that there was a happier mood in training today, and if this is what it takes for Aston Villa to start winning again, I'm all for it.