Aston Villa sack coach Lambert

Aston Villa Paul Lambert has been fired after the team dropped into the relegation zone of the English Premier League.

Villa slipped to the 18th in the 20-team league following five straight defeats, reports Xinhua.

Lambert, a Champions League winner as a player with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, took over at Villa in June 2012. He was sacked Wednesday.

After Lambert's departure, first-team coach Scott Marshall and goalkeeping coach Andy Marshall will prepare the squad for Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round match against Leicester.