After a stunning first term in the Barclays Premier League, Paul Lambert's move from Norwich City to Aston Villa confirms what a hot ticket he currently is.

When it became clear he was going to sever his ties with the Carrow Road club which he dragged up from the npower Championship to the top flight, the first name the Canaries' board put on their wanted list as his replacement was Neil Lennon.

However, it quickly became clear the man who sceptics once erroneously claimed could never play with Lambert in the Celtic midfield could not be enticed south from Parkhead, and Norwich have now turned their attention elsewhere.

For Lennon, it confirmed that, like Lambert, his accomplishments last season had been noted. And mentor to both men, Martin O'Neill, will be taking particular pleasure in watching his proteges make their mark.

Former Celtic team-mate and captain of the pair – who themselves went on to skipper the Hoops – Tom Boyd, is not in the slightest bit surprised the reputation for the duo are soaring.

He always believed when they were mere lieutenants in O'Neill's green-and-white army that they were officer material.

Boyd explained: "You could see in the latter stages of their careers that Paul and Neil were leaders and very interested in making a career in manage- ment.

"They were always talking about the game, how it was played, but not just here but elsewhere, and you could see they understood it.

"Paul was more of a listener, but the fact he was prepared to go back to Germany, where he had played, to do his coaching badges showed everyone how serious he was about moving into this side of the game.

"The language problems associated must have made it even harder for Paul, but it's clear the time he spent playing for Dortmund had a massive influence on him, so he was prepared to work to overcome that.

"People tried to make a big thing about the fact he was still a Celtic player at the time, and questioned why he was allowed to be away from here during the season. But, he was there with the full approval of Martin and the club."

Lambert's first attempts at coaching did not prove successful as he cut his teeth at Livingston. The former Motherwell man resigned after just eight months in the job.

Boyd recalls: "Paul had some setbacks early on. But I believe this can be helpful, so long as you learn from your mistakes. It's clear Paul did learn, and he is now making his way up the ladder.

"Villa is a slightly bigger club than Norwich, and it will be a massive test for him to transform them after what has been a disappointing time.

"There was a negative feeling among their fans when Alex McLeish was appointed last summer because he was coming from Birmingham City.

"But, I'm sure they will welcome Paul because the style of football he had Norwich playing impressed fans of many clubs.

"Like Roberto Martinez at Wigan and Brendan Rodgers at Swansea, Paul had one of the lowest budgets in he Premiership.

"But, they all worked round this and shared the same philosophy of getting the ball down and playing football."

That's another thing which Boyd believes links Lennon and Lambert. They want to win, but they want to entertain in the process.

It has brought Lennon his first championship at Celtic as a manager, and Boyd was not surprised to see him become linked with a move away from Parkhead.

However, as far as the former Hoops defender is concerned, the only possible attraction in a switch from Celtic to Norwich would be the change of status of the two divisions.

"There are still so many challenges here for Neil," said Boyd, who has never hankered to become a manager, but enjoys coaching kids at Celtic.

"He has set a standard for his team in terms of winning and how they play, and will want to maintain that.

"Neil has a title under his belt, but knows he is still learning, and the prospect of having the chance to lead the team into the Champions League is massive.

"He showed last year in the Europa League that he can adjust and that they learned from the disappointment of the results against Braga and Utrecht in his first season.

"The timing of the qualifiers increases the challenge of getting into the Champions League. But being seeded and in the champions side of the qualifying process will help.

"I'm sure he's relishing the prospect, and that Martin O'Neill will be happy watching the progress both are making."