Many members of the media and fans would have you believe that Aston Villa's managerial search is in chaos.  Every day this week a new favorite, or several new favorites emerge.   All the while the club has been decidedly silent.  Sadly this is a result of the club conducting business the right way and above board.

That the club has been silent has created a vacuum that has been filled by rumors and innuendo.  Many would have you believe that this guy turned them down, they turned this guy down, etc.  In reality the process couldn't have been more orderly.  It appears early on they identified who they thought was the best candidate, in Carlo Ancelotti.  When he wasn't interested, electing to take some time away from the game.  They then established what they were looking for in a manager, reviewed other candidates, and if media reports are to be believed decided that Roberto Martinez was the best fit.  This job search was conducted in a logical and measured way more akin to the real world than the crazy world of professional football.

The easy thing for Randy Lerner, Paul Faulkner, and the board to do would have been to start tapping up prospective managers as soon as Gerard Houllier became ill and there was an inclination he would be unable to return.  It would have been easy to have a manager-in-waiting virtually appointed.  If the club had done that not only would they have been seen as pushing Houllier out the door, the new manager would have betrayed his former club.  We don't our next manager to be successful at Villa only to turn his back on the club in a similar fashion. This is especially true after Martin O'Neil didn't bathe himself in glory on his way out the door.

Maybe this was handled in too American of a fashion.  Several candidates are considered and interviewed before a final decision is made like how an NFL or Major League Baseball club would fill a vacancy.  In Europe it often feels like these moves come out of nowhere.  I remember when Tottenham hired Harry Redknapp away from Portsmouth. He was hired the morning of a match and drove up to London to take charge immediately.  If not out of nowhere these moves are often made months ahead of time.  We all knew Jose Mourhino was going to Real Madrid well before it happened.   In the end pundits are drawing conclusions on rumors and hearsay.  Impatient fans are instigated by these false conclusions.  At least Dave Whelan acknowledged the way our club has conducted itself.