Paul Faulkner seeks 'vibrant' new Aston Villa manager

The Aston Villa chief executive, Paul Faulkner, is targeting an appointment to refresh the club after admitting the "disaster" of relegation came too close under Alex McLeish.

Villa are searching for a fourth manager since August 2010 after McLeish was sacked on Monday.

Faulkner already has a clear idea of what Villa are looking for. "We want to find someone to reinvigorate the club," he said. "We want someone to bring some vibrancy back to Villa. That's what we need and that's what we're going to get. A disaster would have been getting relegated but this was too close for comfort."

Villa endured a disappointing campaign that saw them finish 16th in the Premier League, just two points above the relegation zone.

Faulkner accepts Villa went for the wrong man after Gérard Houllier left last year. He added: "It's using hindsight. If we were happy with mediocrity or a season like this, then we wouldn't be making changes."