Monday 2 November 2015 22:25, UK
Aston Villa have confirmed Remi Garde as their new manager.
The Frenchman has signed a deal until the summer of 2019 and replaces Tim Sherwood, who was sacked last month on the back of six straight Premier League defeats.
Garde is a former Arsenal midfielder who made his name as a manager during three years at Lyon, where he won the 2012 Coupe de France.
The 49-year-old was at White Hart Lane for Villa's Monday Night Football game at Tottenham but had a watching brief, with caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald on the touchline.
Macdonald revealed before kick-off that he had spoken to Garde and that the new boss had sent a text saying 'have a good game tonight'.
Garde told the Villa website: "It is an unbelievable honour to be the manager of such an illustrious football club.
"I've had extremely positive meetings with both the owner, Randy Lerner, and Chief Executive Tom Fox. They have ambitious plans for the Club and I'm excited that they have turned to me to help them realise them.
"Obviously we have a difficult task in front of us but I'm looking forward to the challenge with the support of everyone who loves Aston Villa."
Villa went into the Spurs game bottom of the table and without a league win since the opening day of the season, and Lerner said: "Nobody at Villa can deny that we are way behind.
"We recruited aggressively this past summer and it is our responsibility to now harvest this talent rather than buckle under pressure and criticism - we are better than that. On behalf of the Board we wish Remi every success.
"Remi came with ideas, honesty, humour and a steely sense of what it will take for Aston Villa to be what it is meant to be - hard working, tireless, creative and unwilling to concede."
Fox said: "For the past year we have been working purposefully to transform the club in order to build a successful organisation that can compete and succeed in the Premier League.
"Finding a manager who shares and believes in our vision and has the ability to bring it to life through performances on the pitch is essential. We are confident that Remi is the manager who can deliver the best from the current squad and help set the club up for future success."
