Monday 26 October 2015 11:30, UK
Former Aston Villa striker Dwight Yorke believes he has the credentials to succeed Tim Sherwood and drag the club out of a relegation battle.
Villa sacked Sherwood on Sunday after just eight months in charge of the club following a wretched run of form which has left them bottom of the Premier League.
Andre Ayew's late winner for Swansea on Saturday condemned Villa, who had taken the lead, to their sixth consecutive loss and eighth in 10 league games.
Yorke, who scored 97 goals in 292 appearances for Villa between 1989 and 1998, has not ventured into management or coaching since ending his playing career in 2010.
But the 43-year-old is confident he can revive Villa's fortunes, if given the opportunity by club owner Randy Lerner.
"People are going to say I'm crazy for putting my name in the hat," he told talkSPORT. "But I've been involved in football for a very long time and, having played for Aston Villa for ten years, I've looked at the club and seen the direction they're heading in - it's a dire situation.
"Yes, Tim was sacked yesterday and that's very sad, but it's a situation that's been ongoing for around five years now.
"You look at the way Villa have spent their time in the Premier league, avoiding relegation just by the skin of their teeth. They're bottom of the league now and it's a very worrying time for the club.
"You look at their squad and think they should be doing much better than they did under Tim, but the most worrying thing is that their main rivals in the table, the likes of Leicester, West Brom and Stoke, they all have better squads and for me that is absolutely crazy.
"Aston Villa are supposed to be the biggest club in the Midlands, but they're nowhere near. They think they are a big club but the reality is that Villa, certainly in the last five or six years, have been deteriorating rapidly and that's why they're at the bottom of the table.
"People will say I don't have any experience, but we've seen people with experience go in there and struggle to do a job. I know that club inside out and I've looked at the squad, there's enough in there to get them out in this position and there's enough time as well.
"It's whether the owners are prepared to give an aspiring young manager an opportunity."
David Moyes, Brendan Rodgers and Nigel Pearson are also potential contenders to take over, though it is also understood that the club are not in a rush to appoint a successor to Sherwood.
Coach Kevin MacDonald will take charge for Wednesday's Capital One Cup tie with Southampton and possibly against Tottenham in the Premier League next Monday.
Yorke, however, feels his relationship with the club and the Villa supporters can be the tonic to inspire them out of their current predicament.
"There are young people ready to break into management and I don't see any reason why I shouldn't put my name in the hat," he added.
"Villa need something to really spark them up right now. I spent ten years there, I had a fantastic relationship with the fans there and I just feel when I look around at the managers up for grabs at the moment that they need something a bit more exciting to come in and really lift the place."
