Birmingham City and Aston Villa turn nasty over 'traitor' Alex McLeish An ugly Midlands battle raged on Monday as Birmingham City and Aston Villa slugged it out over the future of Alex McLeish.
But as Villa closed in on appointing the man who quit their neighbours on Sunday, angry fans rejected the 52-year-old Scot's likely appointment.
One banner tied to the fence at Villa Park read: 'McLeish not welcome'.
Birmingham are threatening to take out an injunction to prevent McLeish working for their bitter rivals until compensation of £5.4million is paid.
Blues' acting chairman Peter Pannu said: 'I don't want Alex McLeish back. If he is going to go, I want the money.'
His club are also planning to report Villa to the Premier League following McLeish's shock walk-out with two years left on his St Andrew's contract.
Birmingham are convinced they have lost the services of their manager in dubious circumstances. Pannu spent the day locked in meetings with senior management to discuss the relegated club's next move.
When McLeish agreed a three-year contract last season, there was a sliding scale for compensation included, starting at £5.4m.
On July 1 this would have dropped to £3m - the minimum Birmingham will accept. The ex-Rangers boss was given a salary of £1.6million a year, which was instantly halved following the club's relegation to the npower Championship.
Discovering that Villa now regard McLeish as a legitimate and available candidate to become Gerard Houllier's successor has sparked an even stronger reaction.
Pannu said: 'I just got an email from Aston Villa. As expected their legal department said, "Now that Alex McLeish is a free agent, having resigned, we are free to speak to him".
'This confirms all suspicions. The second-year compensation starts on July 1 and the urgency of this email coming from Aston Villa shows they can't even wait 15 days.
'So this is the urgency of the matter. I think it shows the whole world what this is all about. They can't wait, wouldn't wait.
'But I can put one and one together now. He thinks he can walk away because the £5.4m compensation is too much for Villa and he cannot let this opportunity pass.
'He is not willing to fork out £5.4m himself, even though if he goes to Villa he is likely to be on £2m a year.
'I will be getting an injunction preventing Villa from hiring him. Either Villa pick up his tab or I will be reporting it now to the Premier League.
'Alex McLeish goes on a trip to Corsica and Randy Lerner has got a jet, how do I - unless I've got a satellite device - know that they have not met?
'If he came to me and said, "Pete, we had a great relationship but Villa want me" I would say I would grant you permission if you give me £5.4m by the end of this month, or Villa do. I don't care who pays me. If he says, "Peter, I want to go for free", of course I wouldn't grant it. I'd say, "You have taken me down with the relegation, now take me back up". He knew that permission through the proper channels would not be forthcoming
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2003210/Birmingham-City-Aston-Villa-turn-nasty-traitor-Alex-McLeish.html#ixzz1PCQTIo39
