Not sure if this has been posted before, from the Birmingham Post...
Villa only have themselves to blame for fans backlashAston Villa are embarking on their boldest and bravest managerial appointment ever in Alex McLeish.
The club have ignored a fierce backlash from thousands of unhappy supporters and were set to install the former Blues manager as their next boss just days after he walked out their bitter rivals.
Fans forums and social networking sites have been flooded with messages begging Villa not to appoint the Scot while anti-McLeish grafitti was scrawled outside Bodymoor Heath.
A protest outside the stadium highlighted how bad the situation has got as fans turned out in force to vent their anger at the imminent appointment.
It has turned into a complete shambles – and Villa have only themselves to blame.
Two months ago they knew Gerard Houllier was unlikely to recover from his heart problems yet they made no moves to find a replacement.
The lack of preparation has had a dramatic knock-on effect and now the people who dip into their pockets every week to follow the club across the country are turning against them.
Having no Plan B has left them in a pickle ever since Roberto Martinez turned down the job to stay at Premier League minnows Wigan. The Spaniard was the number one choice for the role and many expected him to jump at the chance to further his blossoming managerial career.
Had he taken on the job he would have had the backing of the fans, even if many thought he lacked the necessary experience. But he showed a remarkable amount of loyalty to stay at the DW Stadium and rejected a move to the Midlands.
It was a blow to Villa owner Randy Lerner and something he was not expecting or there would surely have been something else in the pipeline.
But no, there wasn’t. Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez were already out of the running and David Moyes has no reason to leave Everton for a club of equal size.
Mark Hughes’ exit from Fulham didn’t sit pretty with the Villa heirachy and new Nottingham Forest manager Steve McClaren didn’t even make it to the interview stage.
With so few options available to them, Villa convinced themselves McLeish is the best option.
They believe he ticks all the boxes despite his spell in charge at St Andrew’s, which included two relegation campaigns.
“We are determined, still, not to allow that three-and-a-half year post to disqualify him (McLeish) should he be the best candidate for the role of Aston Villa manager,” read a Villa statement.
But no matter what Villa say or do, there is just no pleasing the fans on this appointment.
They simply cannot warm to the idea of the 52-year-old leading their club.
Yet the owners have made it clear they are focussed on finding the best man for the job, which in their eyes is now McLeish.
If, as seems almost certain, McLeish is appointed the only way forward for Villa is for the fans to give the club their full backing as the team has no chance of success with unrest on the terraces.
As unpopular as McLeish is, his record as a player and a manager is impressive. He’s a winner and is hungry to succeed.
He guided Blues to their first trophy in 48 years when they lifted the Carling Cup earlier this year and he also won two SPL titles, two Scottish Cups and three League Cups during his time at Rangers.
And you have to admire his courage for taking on the Villa job despite the ferocious backlash from Villa fans.
It at least shows he has nerves of steel and the appetite for a challenge.
Because make no bones about it, getting Villa fans on his side will be the biggest challenge of his career.
Blues, meanwhile, are still seething at the manner of his exit, accusing Villa of “tapping up” their manager.
They were planning to lodge a formal complaint as they believe Villa broke Premier League and FA rules by announcing on Tuesday they planned to interview McLeish.
Acting chairman Peter Pannu is livid about the whole situation and remains intent on sorting out the issue despite the fact pre-season training resumes in three weeks.
And the fact that Blues are managerless seems to have been pushed into the background as the McLeish saga rumbles on.
They have at least six names in the frame to replace McLeish with Gianfranco Zola, Chris Hughton and Roberto Di Matteo understood to be high in their thoughts.
For their sake, and for Villa’s sake, this sordid Second City football dispute needs to be sorted out quickly or both teams could suffer.
http://www.birminghampost.net/midlands-birmingham-sport/west-midlands-sports/aston-villa-fc/2011/06/16/villa-only-have-themselves-to-blame-for-fans-backlash-65233-28886414/
