Manager Remi Garde has left Aston Villa by mutual consent after four months in charge.
With the club currently 12 points from safety at the bottom of the Premier League table, the Frenchman becomes the second Villa boss to lose his job this season, after replacing Tim Sherwood in late October.
However, Garde has been unable to turn around their fortunes winning just two league games since taking charge on November 3.
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| Aston Villa are bottom of the Premier League with seven games left to play |
A statement on the Villa website read: "Manager Remi Garde has today left Aston Villa Football Club by mutual consent.
"The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Remi for all his efforts during a difficult period and wish him well in the future.
"Eric Black will take over as acting manager until the club appoints a new manager. There will be no further comment from the club at this stage."
Garde had originally signed a three-and-a-half year contract but leaves Villa Park following a run of six straight defeats. Villa have won just three of 31 league matches all season, with seven left to play.
Speaking on Sky Sports News HQ, former England under-21 manager Peter Taylor said: "The timing is strange. I think the players have underachieved.
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| Villa fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with owner Randy Lerner throughout the season |
"You look at their team sheet and they should be doing a lot better than what they are doing. In that respect the players have not done themselves credit.
"Unfortunately, when that happens it's the manager who has to go. It hasn't looked to me as though he has enjoyed it, nobody enjoys getting beaten every week.
"I feel for him in that respect. They are so far down now I really can't understand the timing of the change."
And ex-Crystal Palace forward Clinton Morrison added: "It's probably the wrong time to sack him. I don't think he should have been appointed in the first place.
"They were in a relegation fight and he's not got a lot of experience with that. I think they should have got a manager with a bit more experience.
"It was always only going to be a matter of time before he left the club and I think they should have waited until the end of the season."
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