The speculation will now turn to his successor with Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill installed as the early favorite, with other names such as former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Italy's Fabio Capello also being touted for the job.

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Randy Lerner, whose family recently sold the Cleveland Browns, acquired Aston Villa in 2006 and endeared himself to supporters by renovating one of their favorite pubs.

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Big Luciano, the king of the high seas and Modena's favorite son, was then laid to rest at the Montale Rangone cemetery near his villa outside of town, close to where his parents are buried.

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Petrov, who has been capped 105 times by Bulgaria, joined Aston Villa in 2006 after spending seven years with Scottish giants Celtic where he was a big crowd favorite and helped them to four championship titles.

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