Tim Sherwood sacked with Aston Villa bottom of the league

Tim Sherwood has been sacked as manager of Aston Villa after a run of six successive Premier League defeats left the club bottom of the table.

His departure was confirmed on 25 October, the day after a 2-1 home defeat to Swansea City, Villa's eighth loss in their first ten league games of the season.

From saviour to sacked

Sherwood arrived at Villa Park in February with the club in the relegation zone and struggling badly for goals. He kept Villa in the Premier League and took them to the FA Cup final for the first time since 2000, where they lost 4-0 to Arsenal in May.

But the summer brought upheaval. Captain Fabian Delph joined Manchester City and top scorer Christian Benteke was sold to Liverpool. The club spent heavily on new players, many of them from abroad, but the new-look side struggled to gel, and the team won only once in the opening weeks of the season.

Temporary charge

Sherwood's assistant, Kevin MacDonald, will take charge of the team for now. MacDonald was in temporary charge of Villa once before, for seven matches in 2010, and becomes the first person since Graham Taylor to have two spells in charge of the club.

Looking for a new manager

The club's board, led by chairman and owner Randy Lerner, will now look for a new manager. Lerner has had the club up for sale since May 2014 and has been reluctant to spend for much of recent seasons, although he funded a big summer of recruitment this year.

Whoever takes over will inherit a team that has struggled for several seasons. Villa have finished in the bottom half in each of the last four seasons, and have narrowly avoided relegation several times.

Never relegated

Villa are one of only seven clubs never to have been relegated from the Premier League since it began in 1992. With 28 games left, there is still time to change that, but the club are already several points from safety.

Supporters have made clear their frustration with the way the club has been run, and many will hope that a new manager brings not just a change of fortune on the pitch but a clear direction for the club as a whole.

A proud past

Villa are one of the most successful clubs in English football, having been champions seven times and won the European Cup in 1982. They have been in the top flight since 1988, and played in the first season of the Premier League, when they finished second.

The next few weeks will be crucial in deciding whether that proud record survives the season.