Life after Lambert: No need to look far for a good replacement

Tim Sherwood is the obvious front-runner to replace Paul Lambert as the manager of Aston Villa. And while I don't think he'd be a terrible choice (despite what many Tottenham fans say), I think there may be a few other good options out there. The one that keeps coming to the front of my mind, though, is a name that doesn't seem to be getting a lot of traction: Roy Keane. After bellyaching about him as an assistant over the summer, he won me over in the season's early months, and I think he could bring exactly what Aston Villa need to bring to the table right now.

Keane would obviously be a hard get. He left his job as Villa's assistant to focus on being Ireland's assistant. But I think the lure of being a full-time manager in the Premier League would be enough to get him to move. The question becomes: what does he do that Villa need? And right now, I think the answer is motivation. It seemed pretty clear during the early going this year that the players liked playing for Keane and actually liked him. He brought a passion to the dugout that Paul Lambert just never had. If you're looking for someone to give the club a backbone for the remaining Premier League schedule, Keane seems a natural choice.

But there are some problems. I have no idea how Keane would fare in the summer window or as a full-time manager. If he were given control, would personnel issues like those he has had at other clubs appear? For a few months, Keane makes a load of sense, but long-term I am less convinced

And that could be the rub. Convincing Keane to leave Ireland for a thirteen-match span would probably be impossible, but keeping him around for longer could be a bad idea. Nevertheless, I think it's something Villa should be trying for. Get Keane in until the end of the season, let him save us, thank him, and find a better solution in June. What do you think? Does trying to nab Keane as a caretaker make any sense right now?