Fair play to Villa, think its a cracking appointment.
I think it works well for both parties, they are at rock bottom so whoever came in after McLeish is going to be treated like a god, the only way is up for them so Lamberts point of view its win win.
Expectation is lower at Villa now and i think for Lambert its a good chance for him to prove his worth at a bigger club. I imagine Villa to be like a Sunderland / Everton, nothing spectacular but a decent steady team again and if they get up to that level again Randy may splash out again.