Many names have been connected to the Red Bulls head coaching position over the past several weeks. Both Gary McAllister and Paulo Sousa were among the most concrete of the bunch, but in the end, failed or refused to join the club.

Now, various reports are linking current Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert and Atlanta Silverbacks Technical Director Eric Wynalda to the post.

EoS has learned that neither is in the running. In fact, they were never in serious contention to begin with.

Calling the claims of a possible Red Bull swoop for the current Villa manager “pure rubbish,” a source with direct knowledge of the situation immediately dismissed the Scottish manager’s connection to the club. A separate source supported the claim.

Lambert has been under fire at Villa. The club currently sits one point from the relegation zone and this week’s Capital One Cup semi-final loss to League Two side Bradford only served to feed the anger of supporters. The loss sparked a row of rumors surrounding Lambert’s potential ouster from the Birmingham based club. In response, the club came out publicly, fully backing their head coach and claiming he will not lose his post even “if the club goes down.”

A separate source commented on the validity of Eric Wynalda’s candidacy. “He was never really in contention for the job,” the league source said. “The most he had was a few meetings with Jerome de Bontin who is not involved with the hiring of a new coach.” EoS had previously reported Wynalda met with Gerard Houllier but as it turns out, the meeting may not have centered around the head coaching position.

Wynalda has publicly stated his interest in the post, but the Red Bull organization has a different vision for the club. For those hoping to see an American at the team’s helm, it remains highly unlikely. Both Roxburgh and de Bontin have publicly supported the idea of amassing an American core to the technical staff. However, the search for a boss continues to be Euro-centric.

Football Mercato have also linked former Vancouver Whitecaps coach Teitur Thordarson to the post; a report EoS can neither confirm nor deny at this point.