Micah Richards admits Aston Villa's next boss must have an instant impact to save them.
The skipper also believes Tim Sherwood was not given enough time before he was fired on Sunday.
Ex-Lyon boss Remi Garde has been heavily linked with the Barclays Premier's bottom side, with Villa searching for their third manager in just eight months.
They are four points from the safety line ahead of Monday's trip to Tottenham and Richards knows the severity of their plight.
"The manager who comes in needs to be able to get us going straight away," he said. "We haven't got any time to settle in or blend in. We need to get going from the start. Whoever it is, whether it is Garde, lets hope they can do that.
"If they speak French obviously it is going to be easier for them (players who arrived from France in the summer) to understand how they want to play. Let's hope he speaks just as good English as French because we're in England. When I went to Fiorentina I had to learn Italian and I had to try to adapt."
Richards was hit with an improper conduct charge by the Football Association after a tunnel incident following Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Swansea which spelled the end for Sherwood.
But the former Manchester City defender, who joined on a free transfer in the summer, feels his ex-manager was sacked too early after only replacing Paul Lambert in February.
"I wish he had a little bit more time because I think he was on to a really good thing," he told Sky Sports News.
"Everyone believes we know everything before it comes out but we don't. It's obviously a decision the board have taken and it's one which you have to get on with. Tim Sherwood was unbelievable to me, he got me playing back to my best."
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