The Scottish manager was given his marching orders by the Villans on Wednesday, less than five months into a new four-year contract
Former Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has released a statement following his sacking by the Midlands club, declaring his time at Villa Park as "the toughest challenge of my working life".
Lambert was sacked as Villa boss on Wednesday evening, following a 2-0 defeat at Hull City on Tuesday and a run of five straight league defeats.
That had been enough to see his goal-shy side, who have failed to find the back of the net in 15 of their 25 Premier League outings this term, fall into the relegation zone for the first time during his tenure.
Yet despite his struggles, which culminated in supporters brandishing a "Lambert out" banner at the KC Stadium, Lambert says he remains "extremely proud" of his two-and-a-half years with the Villans.
"I am extremely proud to have managed Aston Villa, a founder member of the Football League, and this sentiment will always remain with me" declared Lambert, in a statement released by the League Managers' Association.
"When I came on board the club's owner, Randy Lerner, warned me that I was embarking on the toughest challenge of my working life and he was not wrong."
Lambert joined Villa in 2012, after a successful three years at Norwich City, who he led to successive promotions from League One to the Premier League, before keeping them in the top-flight.
Upon his arrival in the Midlands, expectation among supporters were that Lambert would have the club challenging for European places.
Instead, Villa finished in 15th during both of Lambert's full seasons, with Lambert winning just 24.8 percent of his Premier League encounters.
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