Steve Bruce appears to be living on borrowed time at Aston Villa.

A 1-1 draw at Blackburn wasn't the worst result he'll get, but he was one kick away from suffering a defeat that would have left his side below their hosts.

As it finished, Villa are still ahead of Blackburn, just. They are equal distance from the top spot and the relegation places though, which won't please the new owners. After a tough summer the manager has had money to spend on big loan players, but his transfer policy has left a lot to be desired.

They're desperately short in defence and, despite having some fine attacking players, don't appear to offer a serious threat going forward. It was left to substitute Conor Hourihane to grab the 90th minute equaliser, their third last-minute goal in seven Championship games.

It took a Jonathan Kodjia goal to secure a draw against Brentford and a Birkir Bjarnson strike in the final minute again Wigan to get all three points.

Cries of 'Bruce Out' could be heard at Villa park this weekend, but if he does go, who could replace him? FLW looks at two managers who would be perfect to replace Steve Bruce.

If he could be tempted away from Brentford then Dean Smith would be perfect.

He's got the Bees playing some wonderful football, attacking and free-flowing with a hint of flair too. It is exactly the sort of approach a side like Villa should have, especially with the wonderful players they have.

Smith is on a collision course with the Premier League and he could easily achieve that with Aston Villa.

This would be a hugely ambitious capture, but Mowbray is surely itching to continue his reputation rebuilding.

He's done a great job at Blackburn, getting them promoted and securing a mid table position early on, but Venkys are still in charge and they were the architects of  Rovers' downfall in the first place.

Would the former Celtic man be willing to ditch Ewood Park for a shot at taking Villa back to the top flight? He'd certainly be a wise appointment.