Former Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish was never going to be the popular choice for the managerial hotseat at Villa Park. It seems the backlash is only just beginning.
The following is a statement e-mailed to us from a group of Aston Villa fans- announcing their intention to protest against manager Alex McLeish this weekend.
“Fed up of the poor results and awful football? So are we! Time for Villa fans to unite and make a stand and show the club we will not accept this.
“Before we get abused and told we are not “real fans” for doing this, how can you call yourself a fan if you are prepared to do nothing and watch our great club fail.
“We have played 24 games this season, we have won six! Is this good enough? No. This is relegation form.
“Alex McLeish is not the man to lead Aston Villa. He had a full pre-season, was given £20m (approx) to spend and has players of the calibre of Darren Bent, Gabby Agbonlahor and Stephen Ireland to work with (also the most promising batch of home-grown players produced in years). Despite all this we find ourselves 13th in the table and without a home win since Bonfire Night.
“Now after the débâcle of Sunday with the players now seeming to be in open revolt, the future is looking very bleak indeed.
“We need to act now before it is too late and the unthinkable happens.
“If you support this, please join us 3pm on Sunday, Trinity Road Stand by the McGregor Statue. If you don`t then please ignore this.”
Our analysis: Aston Villa are currently in 13th place, eight points clear of the relegation zone, and 14 points off a Europa League spot. You would imagine that 28 points in February would be more than enough to point towards survival and the ‘magic 40 point mark’, but a poor run of form can quickly see the chasing pack catch up, as McLeish will know from his experience at Birmingham last season.
You cannot argue with the poor record of six points in 24 games, its not good enough for a club of Villa’s stature and supporters are right to be frustrated. Whether or not the protests will help or hinder the club is unclear, but fans are entitled to have their say.
Even if Villa do beat relegation, is this good enough? An envious glance up the table will point them to Sunderland, and their old boss Martin O’Neill. It was only a few seasons ago he was leading them in the chase for Champions League football. We can fully understand the fans wanting to protest, but if they were to sack McLeish tomorrow, who would they bring in to replace him?
Are the fans right to protest against McLeish?
.image: © andyreid1
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
