Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert will keep his job at the end of the season even if his side get relegated from the English Premier League, according to the Daily Mail.

With the Claret and Blue club sitting third-bottom, their next two games against Reading and Queens Park Rangers – who are the only two sides below them – will have a massive say on whether Villa go down.

But whatever the outcome, Lambert may breathe a sigh of relief as he has been reassured that his position is safe, according to the newspaper – not exactly the pressure the Scot should be feeling at this pivotal point in Villa’s campaign.

Villa supporters have had a torrid time in recent years as for the third season running, they are watching their side battle it out in the bottom-quarter of the table.

Humiliating

They did have something to shout about when their team knocked champions Manchester City out of the Capital One Cup in the early rounds, but their humiliating defeat to League Two’s Bradford City over two legs in the semi-final brought them back down to earth.

And being knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship outfit Millwall rubbed further salt in the wounds for the fans who have only seen three wins in 14 at Villa Park all season.

Despite their atrocious form, Villa owner Randy Lerner has put his trust in the hands of Lambert for the remainder of the season, and the next – wherever that may be, according to the newspaper.

Financially

Of course, relegation to the second-tier of English football would hit the club hard in the reputation department, but also financially as recent reports suggest Villa have suffered significant losses.

Last week’s published accounts showed that the club lost £17.7million – a sum which would have been much larger had they not sold Ashley Young and Stewart Downing for a collective £26million.

With that, the club have been forced to cut back on wages and Lerner hopes that Lambert will adhere to the plan that is to use lower-league players to drive Villa forward to success, the newspaper claims.