Aston Villa the last straw for Brian McDermott

Well this is a first for Aston Villa this season: a manager has been fired after a loss to the Villa. That's right, Reading have sacked Brian McDermott, apparently due to the fact that oh my god no one who can lose to Aston Villa has any right to be managing in the Premier League.

It's a bit of a ridiculous move on Reading's part. McDermott has been in charge of the Royals since Brendan Rodgers left in late 2009. He lead them to the top of the Championship last year and has done a decent job of making them not look totally incompetent in the top division. Sure, they're tied with Queens Park Rangers for dead last and will almost certainly be relegated, but they've also managed to hold their own against sides like Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

While sometimes a managerial change can be exactly what is needed to secure another season in the Premier League -- look at QPR last season -- it's difficult to imagine Reading will find anyone that can do the job more competently than McDermott. This isn't a case of mismanagement, it's a case of a smaller club with weaker players doing their best to cling on.

Then again, I hear Alex McLeish is available.