Well, it's true, once one of your own fans throws a cabbage at you before a game, your time as manager of a football club is up.

Aston Villa announced this afternoon that they had terminated the contract of their manager Steve Bruce, after a run of poor performances and results, culminating in a home draw with bottom of the league Preston.

In a club statement on the official website, the board said:

“We would like to place on record our gratitude to Steve and his team for their hard work and commitment. We wish them well for the future.

The club also announced that U-23 manager Kevin MacDonald would be in charge for the team's trip to Millwall on Saturday.

MacDonald has done the job as caretaker boss before, so it is unlikely the board will be looking to make him permanent.

We take a look at the bookies' favourites for the job.

Michael Appleton 28/1

Appleton has been without a job since he was Claude Puel's assistant in 2017.

There's a reason why he is being tipped at 28/1.

Mikel Arteta 25/1

Arteta has been Pep Guardiola's assistant since 2016 and is surely wanting to take the full reins of a team at some point.

However, he seems to have a good relationship at Guardiola and the timing of this appointment may put him off.

Claudio Ranieri 25/1

Ranieri recently ended his short spell at Nantes in Ligue 1.

The former Leicester City boss has been linked with other managerial positions in recent weeks, including the Roma job.

Mick McCarthy 22/1

If the Aston Villa owners are looking to appoint a manager with Championship experience, they should look no further than Mick McCarthy.

The former Wolves boss ended his term at Ipswich in April this year after deciding not to renew his contract.

Slaven Bilic 20/1

Currently the manager of Saudi-Arabian club Al-Ittihad, Bilic managed West Ham for a brief spell between 2015-17.

The Croatian has always expressed his desire to manage again in the Premier League, however, considering he was only named Al-Ittihad boss on 28th September 2018, it is unlikely he will be making the trip to Birmingham.

Olof Mellberg 20/1

The Swedish defender played 260 games for the club and was a fan favourite during his seven years at Villa Park.

Having gone into management with Swedish Division three side IF Brommapojkarna, the former Villa captain won two successive promotions but decided not to renew his contract in October 2017.

Martin O'Neill 20/1

This is a very unlikely one, considering he is the current Republic of Ireland manager, but the appointment of Martin O'Neill would be well received in Birmingham.

O'Neill had an enjoyable four year spell at the club between 2006-10, and to be honest, they've gone downhill since then.

David Moyes 20/1

This appointment would suit David Moyes perfectly and would give him a real opportunity to try and prove the doubters wrong after a dreadful few years in management.

He's available and will be desperate to get back managing in the Premier League.

Alan Pardew 20/1

Pardew seemed out of his depth when trying to keep West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League last season, so like Moyes will surely be looking to get into management again.

Will the fact he managed West Brom last put off the Villa owners? Probably, but he has won promotion to the Premier League, with West Ham in 2005.

Quique Sanchez Flores 18/1

The Spaniard is a former casualty of the managerial merry-go round that is Watford FC.

He was most recently appointed manager of Espanyol, but was subsequently sacked in January 2018, two years into his tenure after a poor run of results.

Nigel Pearson 18/1

Pearson is the current manager of Belgian Division B side Oud-Heverlee Leuven after being appointed there in 2017.

Would he relish the opportunity of managing back in England again? He has experience in the Championship, having won promotion to the Premier League in 2014.

Abel Ferreira 18/1

Ferreira is an exciting young Portuguese manager who is currently in charge of SC Braga.

It is thought that the Villa owners will be wanting to appoint a foreign manager, at 18/1 he's worth a shout.

Sami Hyypia 14/1

Former Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia has had spells at Bayer Leverkusen and a year at Brighton on his managerial CV.

His last job in management at FC Zurich ended abruptly in 2015 after losing a vote of no confidence.

Carlos Carvalhal 14/1

Carvalhal couldn't prevent Swansea City from Premier League relegation last season and has been without a club since his resignation in May this year.

He is a trusted Championship manager who is available, meaning he is currently priced at 14/1.

Brendan Rodgers 12/1

It is fair to say that the relationship between Brendan Rodgers and Celtic has become frayed in recent months.

Currently sat in 5th place in the Scottish Premiership, could he be tempted by an offer from the Villa board?

Sam Allardyce 9/1

Imagine.

Aston Villa are a club that need to get back in the Premier League as soon as possible, and with Sam Allardyce you can almost guarantee they will be in contention come the end of the season.

But the style of football would certainly not be to the majority of the Villa fanbase's liking.

Do they just 'use' Allardyce to get them back to the big time?

Thierry Henry 5/1

The Frenchman was highly linked with the Villa job before the start of the season, but it was believed that Bruce convinced the new owners.

As soon as the news was announced of Bruce's sacking, Henry became immediate favourite, until this former Villa man was linked.... 

John Terry 4/1

Although not officially retired from play, John Terry is currently a free agent and has always expressed an interest in management.

Terry was a fan favourite last year as he helped lead Villa to the Championship play-off final.

The former Chelsea man is the second favourite behind this current Championship manager.

Paulo Fonseca 11/4

Not a name that many English football fans will recognise, but the current Shakhtar Donetsk boss was linked with a move to Everton before Marco Silva took charge.

Having links withe Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes have lead to him being considered for the role at Villa Park.

Dean Smith 11/8

Former Walsall manager Dean Smith is the current bookmakers' favourite, despite being the main man at fellow Championship side Brentford.

Could the man born in West Bromwich be Villa's next boss?