Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner has challenged the club to "rise to the occasion", having dropped into the Premier League's relegation zone.
Tuesday's 2-0 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Hull City proved to be the final straw for Lerner, who sacked manager Paul Lambert with the club sitting 18th in the table and without a win in 10 league matches.
Villa have scored just 12 goals in their 25 outings this season - the fewest at this stage of any Premier League campaign - but Lerner is confident that his current group of players are good enough to avoid the drop.
"Adding players and investing in the squad over the last three years has strengthened Villa and it is our hope that, given the quality, leadership and team spirit at Bodymoor Heath, we can rise to the occasion for the remainder of the season," he told the club's official website.
"I want to thank Paul for his commitment to me personally, and to Villa, and wish him well personally and professionally in his future endeavours."
Villa will turn their attention to the FA Cup on Sunday as they host Leicester City in the fifth round.
Barney Corkhill
