Can fans’ anger stop Aston Villa appointing Alex McLeish?

Aston Villa are expected to make an announcement about their new manager very soon. And it is expected to be the former manager of their bitter rivals Birmingham City.

The appointment of Alex McLeish – if it happens – is not just highly controversial but likely to lead to some protracted divisions in Britain’s second city.

McLeish, who had been at Birmingham City since 2007, guided his team not only to a Carling Cup win but also a shocking last-minute relegation from the Premier League last season.

His resignation last Sunday came apparently by email and was followed by leaks, rumours and revelations about his pay, his ambition and – from the Birmingham City fans’ perspective – his character. To join his former club’s fiercest rivals after overseeing the humiliation of relegation from the Premier League is, for many, a bitter pill to swallow.

On Wednesday night over 500 fans gathered outside Villa Park to protest against the possible appointment. Earlier Villa’s training complex at Bodymoor Heath had graffiti sprayed across its walls, none it it supportive of the Scot. There is also now a Facebook page with some 16,000 fans registered to it with the specific message “We don’t want Alex McLeish”.

McLeish was reported to have met with the Villa chairman Randy Lerner in London yesterday, having flown back from his holiday in Corsica to do so. Birmingham City’s Chairman Peter Pannu has been vociferous and apparently incandescent with the situation. He is accused Villa of “tapping up” his former employee but it is unlikely that he will pursue this avenue with the Football authorities. Instead he is set to contest McLeish’s claim for “constructive dismissal” from Birmingham City.