Sunday 15 February 2015 12:06, UK
Alan Smith says Aston Villa's board needs to have "a hard think" about the future of Paul Lambert, following Tuesday's defeat to Hull.
The 2-0 loss at the KC Stadium was the manager's 50th defeat in 101 matches in charge of the club and saw them drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season.
Villa have the unwanted record of being the lowest scorers after 25 games in Premier League history - scoring 12 top-flight goals this season - with some away fans holding up a banner calling for Lambert to be sacked.
And Sky Sports expert Smith feels the club need a "spark from somewhere" to help them stay up.
"Whatever Paul Lambert is doing at the moment and in between matches, it's not working," Smith told Sky Sports Match Choice.
"Tom Fox [chief executive] and Randy Lerner [owner] are going to have a hard think about what the right decision will be.
"You see so often you get a change of manager, you get a bounce, you get a reaction. Paul Lambert - there is a good manager in there - but he's not able to show it at the moment.
"The fans are turning against him and when you get that kind of atmosphere, you get that kind with the players on matchday [too] and [it] creates pessimism and rebellion.
"The more and more banners that come out, the more pressure there is on the manager.”
Smith feels the club wouldn’t struggle to find a high-quality replacement for Lambert, but isn’t convinced owner Lerner, who announced last summer he was looking to sell the club, is actively looking for improvement.
"It's an attractive job and Aston Villa are an attractive football club to manage. Obviously, the present situation isn't too enticing, but there wouldn't be a shortage of offers I'm sure.
"The most frustrating thing for the fans is that they don't know what Randy Lerner is thinking.
"He's obviously an absent owner and you don't see him at Villa Park too often and that adds to the frustration. Does he actually know the situation? Is he aware of the frustration, the anger from Aston Villa fans at the moment because they're crying out for something to be done.
"I'm not just talking about Lambert being sacked, they're just looking for a little bit of urgency, a little bit of flair. Christian Benteke started on the bench again - he came on as a sub - but his confidence is on the floor.
“They've just got to find a spark from somewhere."
