Roberto Martinez's snub to Aston Villa has left owner Randy
Lerner and his board desperately searching for options to be their
new manager.
And Villa now face the embarrassment of chasing a manager who
was clearly not their first choice.
Everton and Bolton are bracing themselves for approaches over
David Moyes and Owen Coyle respectively but, understandably,
neither of those will have taken kindly to not being Villa's No 1
pick.
Having ruled out Steve McClaren, Mark Hughes and Rafa Benitez -
plus a friendly 'no thanks' from Carlo Ancelotti - Martinez was
sought out to replace the departed Gerard Houllier.
Both Moyes and Coyle fit what Lerner is looking for - but both
have secure jobs and Villa are clearly not the attraction they once
were.
Being rejected by a 37-year-old manager who just avoided
relegation with Wigan last term is just another kick in the teeth
for Villa.
A Villa source told SunSport: "The club are now furiously moving
on to their next target. They had made some plans in case this
happened but there will not be an appointment as soon as they would
have liked. It's a case of going back to the list now."
The prospect of crawling back to Hughes or McClaren is getting
increasingly likely.
After Martinez decided to stay loyal to current chairman Dave
Whelan, Villa claimed they had not discussed the managerial role
with him.
Although they may not have got down to the nitty-gritty of
contracts, they had certainly made contact with the Martinez camp.
It is a significant snub to Villa with Martinez choosing to stay
and sign a new three-year deal at a club which has little or no
money to spend.
Bolton chairman Phil Gartside also knows he has a special
manager.
Any phone call from Lerner over the next few days would not be
welcomed by the Trotters board.
Gartside said: "They all make comparisons between him and Alex
Ferguson. Owen's 44 and I'm not sure he will work until he's 70.
But he's got that ability to be an all-round manager, he's not just
a coach.
"Man-management wise he's got all the abilities and
coaching-wise he's got all the tactical knowledge."
