• Aston Villa players want MacDonald to replace Martin O’Neill
• Former Liverpool man gets decisions spot on in first match

When Kevin MacDonald joined Liverpool in the 1980s, his constant moaning earned him the nickname Albert Tatlock after the grumpy old man played by Jack Howarth in Coronation Street. Something has obviously changed since he hung up his boots because his presence in the Aston Villa dugout on Saturday put smiles on faces and liberated a group of players who would like nothing better than to see him named as their new manager.

Stiliyan Petrov, the Villa captain, led the calls for MacDonald to be appointed Martin O’Neill’s successor after an exhilarating performance that had the chairman, Randy Lerner, on his feet and the supporters chanting the caretaker’s name. It was that sort of day at Villa Park and if the players get their way it will be the first of many under MacDonald. “We couldn’t have a better man to step in and take charge,” said Petrov, who scored Villa’s second goal with a superb header.

“I said to him before, you try and hold on to that job. He has been at the club a long time and has done a great job with the youth. He showed with how he prepared us, and the way he wants us to play, that he wants to hold on to the job. I hope we can help him to take it. We are behind him. He knows it’s hard for him; expectations are high and people want success and talk about big names. But he is really determined to stay there.”

Lerner is now treating him as a serious contender and it is easy to see why. MacDonald’s approach to the job has been impressive ever since he stepped up from reserve-team duties last Monday. He introduced changes to training by working closely with the side that would start against West Ham, rather than keeping everyone waiting until the day of the game to find out who was playing (as was the case under O’Neill) and he got his team selection spot on.

Pundits said it was impossible to play James Milner because of the distraction of his proposed transfer to Manchester City but MacDonald’s faith in the midfielder was vindicated and his decision to include a couple of academy graduates, Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton, brought instant reward. But perhaps the most impressive aspect of Saturday’s display was the tactical change that allowed Villa to play as if the shackles had come off.

“Every manager has a different style and Kev has a different vision on how we can play, and we showed we can be faster and play with more freedom,” Petrov said. “We are moving the ball quicker. We try to hurt teams, not just play on the counterattack, and we created a lot of chances. It could have been a different result, not just 3-0. He gives us a new way to play, more freedom, and when you know exactly what you need to do, it makes it easier to perform.”

Nobody performed better than Albrighton. A regular under MacDonald in the reserves, the 20-year-old winger was outstanding on his full Premier League debut as he tormented West Ham with his sinuous runs and dexterous footwork on both flanks. He set up the first goal for Stewart Downing and brilliantly created the third for Milner, who left the field to a standing ovation with five minutes to goand with his name reverberating around the stadium.

“I really enjoyed every minute of it,” said Albrighton, who grew up supporting Villa and lives only a few miles from the training ground. “Kevin said go out there and enjoy it, and play the way I have the last few years. I have done it for one game of the season and have to keep my feet on the ground. As soon as I came off the pitch, James Milner said: ‘You have set a standard there, you have to keep that going for 37 games.’ He is bang on.”

West Ham will be relegated if they show the same form over the remainder of the season. Julien Faubert should have pulled a goal back after the restart but that was a rare West Ham attack on an afternoon when only John Carew’s profligacy and the woodwork spared Avram Grant’s side a hammering. “If we are not fighting against relegation, which I believe will be the case, we can develop our game and improve our football,” the West Ham manager said rather unconvincingly.

Man of the match Marc Albrighton (Aston Villa) Little wonder he stayed in to watch Match of the Day on Saturday night.

Premier LeagueAston VillaWest Ham UnitedStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk

• Milner ‘a revelation’, Young ‘better than ever’
• ‘They have chance to play week-in, week-out here’

Martin O’Neill anticipates interest in James Milner and Ashley Young this summer, but the Aston Villa manager has warned his most talented players that the leading clubs at home and abroad will be unable to guarantee regular first-team football.

Milner is being monitored by Manchester United following a remarkable season that led him to be short-listed for the PFA young player of the year award while Young has also been the subject of transfer speculation in recent weeks. Villa’s chances of keeping both players would have been strengthened by a top-four finish but, with these hopes fading fast, interest among Champions League clubs is expected to start to gather momentum.

O’Neill believes Milner and Young could grace the very best sides in Europe but he is also hopeful that when the duo think about their future in the summer, they will take into consideration just how frustrating it would be to play for a club where opportunities are restricted because of competition for places and rotation.

“I wouldn’t be surprised that James Milner and Ashley Young would have attracted interest from the best football clubs in the land and possibly one or two in European football as well. I don’t think that would surprise anybody,” said O’Neill.

“Their games have improved immensely. James Milner has been a revelation. He’s just a different player. He’s got the energy, the determination and, more importantly than anything, he’s got the ability. He looks as if he has played [in central midfield] since he was 16. And I know sometimes [the press] think Ashley Young is maybe not the same as last season but that’s not my view. I think he is even better than ever.

“They have served the club brilliantly. I think the club has served them brilliantly as well too. They have had a chance here to play week-in, week-out in the side to get their confidence going, to get their ability going. But they might be in a more rotational business and, just at this minute, that would be something that is a consideration because most players want to play every single week.

“I noticed when I went up to watch Wigan play Manchester United earlier this season and just in front of me were the unstripped players of Manchester United sitting the game out. And it really was eye-opening to see the players sitting perfectly fit to play who would have graced any team, and they’re sitting in the stand, about five of them together, not even on the substitutes’ bench. That would be the thing.

“[Milner and Young] have done brilliantly and it’s not to say that they wouldn’t be first choices – I am sure they would be brilliant for any side. But my own view is that I would obviously prefer them to stay here and see if we could finally break [into the top four].”

Aston VillaPremier LeagueStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk