Paul Lambert Leaves Norwich City: Hiring as Aston Villa Manager Seems Imminent

Norwich City manager Paul Lambert has walked out on the team that he brought from the first division in 2009-10 to the Premier League this season. According to the Guardian, it seems all-but-assured that the former leader of the Canaries will be the new manager at Aston Villa. If that is indeed what happens, it will be a welcome (to many) end to a managerial saga that was showing signs of dragging on forever.

Lambert certainly represents a break from the tactics and transfer style of Alex McLeish,and he should be a breath of fresh air for Villa supporters looking to forget last season as quickly as possible. Lambert has shown that he can make the most of a club on a shoestring budget. When he arrived at Norwich, they were the 66th team in the English football ladder and in dire financial straits. At the end of this season -- after fewer than three years at Carrow Road -- Lambert had the squad up to 12th in England.

His transfer strategy does seem to be based exclusively on scouting in the English leagues, as Aaron noted on twitter yesterday, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The results he got with that strategy were unimpeachable, and for all we know it may have been the result of a limited budget. I can't imagine Villa fans would be too upset to see that continue here, since that's what we're all used to. International scouting would be great, but if the results come, it doesn't really matter where the players came from.

We'll definitely have more in-depth analysis of Lambert once the move becomes official. For now, however, this seems to be a good sign for Aston Villa. Lambert may not have been everyone's number one choice, but I can't imagine too many people will hate the decision.