Aston Villa and Birmingham City will face each other in the Championship this weekend.
Former Arsenal attacker Paul Merson has revealed in The Daily Star what Aston Villa fans have been ringing him about regarding Harry Redknapp’s appointment at Birmingham City.
Redknapp was appointed as the Birmingham manager earlier this week following the departure of Gianfranco Zola.
Zola resigned from his position following a run of poor results which have put the Blues’ Championship status in danger.
There is a distinct possibility that Birmingham could get relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.
Former Villa attacker Merson has backed Redknapp to make sure that the Blues do not go down to League One at the end of the 2016-17 season.
The Sky Sports pundit has also revealed what Villa fans have been telling him about Redknapp.
“He will get them up for games and give them confidence,” Merson wrote about Redknapp in The Daily Star. “I’ve already had Aston Villa fans ringing me up saying it’s a nightmare Harry’s gone there right before the derby.
“Boro should have gone for him. What have they done since? They drew 0-0 with Burnley. That’s not going to keep them up.
“I tell you one thing: Harry doesn’t do 0-0 draws. He hates them. He takes risks and gets his players playing with freedom. That’s what Boro need.
“They missed out but fair play to Birmingham. It’s a hard job turning things around there but I think he’ll do it. He’ll stop the rot.”
Interestingly, Villa and Birmingham will face each other at Villa Park in the Championship on Sunday afternoon.
The Villans are out of the running for the playoffs, but Steve Bruce’s side will certainly want to pile up pressure on the Blues by picking up all three points from the encounter.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
