I'm waiting for the League Managers' Association to issue a statement on behalf of Martin O'Neill apologising for his part in Aston Villa's demise.

A manager could burn a stadium down, sell all the players and trouser the proceeds and still get the full backing of the LMA so I won't expect any acknowledgement of failure any time soon.

The organisation's statement when O'Neill left Villa days before the start of the season in 2010 said it was 'disappointed.'

Unsurprisingly it made no mention of the fact that O'Neil spent more than £30million on the likes of Curtis Davies, Steve Sidwell, Luke Young, Marlon Harewood, Zat Knight and Nigel Reo-Coker.

Martin O'Neill should shoulder some of the blame for Aston Villa's current sorry state of affairs

O'Neill was in charge at Villa Park between 2006 and 2010, spending millions on inadequate players

Nigel Reo-Coker was one of many expensive signings brought in by O'Neill who failed to perform

Plus the likes of Nicky Shorey and Habib Beye were on massive wages under O'Neill, and some of these players weren't even getting on the pitch.

O'Neill started the rot by signing that rotten lot, and then spat his dummy out and stomped off when James Milner was sold and Randy Lerner decided he'd seen O'Neill waste too much money already, and opted to not hand over bundles of cash to his manager.

When asked to do his job without wasting millions, O'Neill left Villa in the lurch.

A series of bad appointments and decisions since then – seriously, who thought Remi Garde would be the saviour? – have left Villa all but relegated.

This season the players have been a disgrace, and off the field it's been a total disaster.

Marlon Harewood was another brought in by O'Neill who failed to meet expectations

Remi Garde came and went but was never likely to turn Aston Villa's miserable season around

Villa's relegation is likely to be confirmed this weekend with the club 15 points from safety

Randy Lerner has had the enthusiasm beaten out of him, so he stays away. The fans have banners and even scarves saying 'Lerner Out.' But if there is no buyer, who does he sell to?

Lerner has played his part in Villa's demise of course, it is happening on his watch and he hasn't taken good enough care of the club. But also on his watch, the shoots of recovery can now be seen.

The line has been drawn, they've known about relegation for some time, and it's time for everyone – including fans – to move on and focus on next season.

Lerner hasn't sold the club, but he has made decisions to start the process of rebuilding for the future – David Bernstein's considerable experience has been brought onto the board, Brian Little's vast Villa knowledge is now part of the process, and Adrian Bevington's PR expertise can only be a positive.

Angry Villa supporters make their feeling known with a banner at Saturday's match with Bournemouth

Villa supporters have been protesting for most of the season at how their club is being run

Club owner Randy Lerner has not been seen at Villa Park for months and is desperate for a sale

Ex-players are being asked for their input – Stan Collymore and Andy Townsend already invited for an audience with Little – so the fans now need to get on board.

Forget the walkout on 74 minutes, leave the 'Lerner Out' banners at home, the sooner a positive future is embraced by all at Villa, the quicker the club can recover.