Scottish managers in the Premier League: Lambert exit is end of era

Sir Alex Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles with Manchester United

Aston Villa's sacking of manager Paul Lambert on Wednesday marked the end of an era.

Since its inception in 1992, the Premier League has always had at least one Scottish manager in its ranks. As recently as 2011, there were seven in the top flight at the same time. Now there are none.

It's a sad state of affairs for a nation that has produced such managerial luminaries as Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein and Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Magnificent Seven?

Steve Kean lost 32 of his 59 Premier League matches with Blackburn

In August 2011, there were seven Scots managing in the top flight: Sir Alex Ferguson (Man Utd), Paul Lambert (Norwich City), Alex McLeish (Aston Villa), David Moyes (Everton), Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool) and Steve Kean (Blackburn Rovers) - plus Owen Coyle (Bolton Wanderers), Scottish-born, though of Irish parents, and capped by the Republic.

Arise, Sir Alex

Pre-eminent in the Premier League era is Ferguson, who won 528 of his 810 Premier League in charge of Manchester United, his sides averaging 2.01 goals per game as they accumulated 13 league titles under his stewardship.

Look North

Five clubs have three times had Scots as managers - including in a caretaker role - in the Premier League: Aston Villa (Alex McLeish, Kevin MacDonald and Paul Lambert); Blackburn Rovers (Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Steve Kean); Newcastle United (Kenny Dalglish, Steve Clarke and Graeme Souness); Southampton (Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan and Paul Sturrock); and West Bromwich Albion (Frank Burrows, Steve Clarke and Alan Irvine).

Super Souness?

Souness had a win percentage of 28.57 after 56 games at Newcastle

If there are several English clubs with an established taste for Scottish managers, there is one Scottish manager who clearly reciprocates. Edinburgh-born 61-year-old Souness has managed four Premier League clubs: Liverpool, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. He never managed a league title with them, though he did win the FA Cup with Liverpool in 1992 (the last season before the Premier League began) and a League Cup with Blackburn 10 years later.

A one-off, twice

Four Scottish managers have taken charge of a club for just one Premier League game - and one of them did it twice. Step forward Eric Black, who was a stand-in manager at both Birmingham City and Sunderland - each time following the departure of Steve Bruce. Sadly for Black, he lost both games.

Statistics supplied by Opta.