In the 37 years that Sir Doug Ellis was on the Aston Villa board, he hired and subsequently fired 13 of the 24 managers in the club's long history.

It was a fact that earned the businessman the 'Deadly Doug' tag, mainly because managers knew that when they filled the Villa Park hotseat, they would be skating on thin ice almost immediately.

However, one boss that seemed to be an exception to that rule was John Gregory, who was appointed by Ellis in February 1998 as a replacement to Brian Little.

Yet, with his side seventh in the Premier League and still in with a shout of contesting for a place in next season's Champions League, 13 years ago today Gregory stepped down just short of his fourth anniversary in charge of the club.

"John's resignation is sad, was most unexpected but has been amicable. I can understand how John feels regarding his need for a break and this is a reflection on the pressures that managers endure in modern day Premier League football," Ellis said in statement.

"I personally wish John and his family well in all they do in the future and he will always be welcome at Villa Park. We will not rush into a replacement appointment."

Despite Ellis's insistence that Gregory was in need of a "break" from the game, rumours started to circulate that the former England international's relationship with his chairman had reached breaking point.

Speculation had claimed that Ellis had signed David Ginola in the year 2000 against Gregory's wishes, while the manager was said to have not been provided with the funds to sign his major targets, which included Andy Cole and Muzzy Isset.

In the December before his departure, Gregory had hinted at his unhappiness when he said: "A month ago we went to the top of the Premiership, and I felt we should have invested there and then. We didn't and we I still haven't got over that."

"It was a massive surprise to me that we didn't react at the time. I did ask for an addition to the squad but the answer was 'no'.

"You will never understand how massively frustrating it is, to want to kick on from there, when we went top of the table, and really make a concerted challenge and stay there for the remainder of the season."

Gregory returned to management with Derby County, for whom he had played in the 1980s, but despite a bright start, he was unable to keep the Rams in the Premier League.