Aston Villa sack McLeish

Updated May 15, 2012 06:26:32

Alex McLeish was sacked as manager of Aston Villa on Monday, fewer than 24 hours after the end of his first season in charge.

In a statement, the Premier League club said McLeish's contract had been "terminated with immediate effect".

The Scot was an unpopular appointment with many Villa fans after he oversaw city rivals Birmingham's relegation from the Premier League last term.

And he only narrowly avoided a similar fate with Villa this season, the club finishing just two points above the bottom three to stay in English football's top flight.

"The club has been disappointed with this season's results, performances and the general message these have sent to our fans," the Villa statement added.

"The board wishes to assure supporters that we are conscious in every sense that Villa expects and deserves more and we will strive to deliver this."

Villa ended the campaign with a run of nine winless matches and for the club's US-based owner Randy Lerner, never mind fans capable of recalling the Midlands side's 1982 European Cup triumph, that was not good enough.

Its home form was especially dire, with just four wins at Villa Park representing a record low return in front of its owns fans in a single season.

Lerner, in a message on the club's website, said: "We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years.

"Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.

"The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club's potential and embraces our collective expectations."

Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner added: "We'd like to thank Alex for his hard work and efforts throughout this tough season.

"We are mindful of the club's need to prepare thoroughly for the new campaign and for the new manager to be able to begin working with the board so that he is quickly immersed in these preparations and also in the long-term objectives of the club.

"Our focus now will be driven by these imperatives and we will update when appropriate."

McLeish had to cope with reducing what he said was an "astronomical" wage bill and he was also deprived of several key players through injury or illness such as record signing Darren Bent and club captain Stiliyan Petrov.

Even so, it was still something of a surprise that Villa only made sure of their Premier League status on Sunday's final day of the season.

AFP

Tags: sport, soccer, english-premier, england, united-kingdom

First posted May 15, 2012 06:26:32

View the original article here

McLeish appointed Villa manager

Posted June 17, 2011 19:00:00

Aston Villa has confirmed the appointment of Alex McLeish as its new manager with immediate effect.

The 52-year-old makes the move across Birmingham just five days after resigning from his post at Birmingham City, whom he could not save from relegation from the English Premier League last season.

Villa pressed ahead with the appointment despite protests from supporters and a row with the Blues.

"I am honoured to have this opportunity to manage a club with such a fantastic history as Aston Villa's," McLeish said.

"The heritage, the history of success and the tradition of Aston Villa are compelling and irresistible. The challenge for me is to try to add my own chapter."

Villa has not yet confirmed the length of McLeish's contract but the club has said the Scot will commence duties immediately.

The Blues were angered when it became apparent McLeish was a contender for the Villa vacancy and accused their rivals of tapping up the former Rangers and Scotland boss.

They also demanded 5.4 million pounds ($8.2m) in compensation to cover the remaining two years of McLeish's contract but threats to report Villa to the Premier League or take out an injunction to block the move were not carried out.

McLeish becomes Villa's third full-time manager in nine months.

Martin O'Neill resigned just five days before the 2010-11 campaign began and his successor Gerard Houllier stepped down at the end of the season for health reasons.

McLeish added: "I know that some of our fans have voiced concerns and I can understand why.

"It will be up to me to convince you that I am the right man to drive the club forward and I intend to give absolutely everything to prove that I can be a success at the club."

- AFP

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, united-kingdom, england

View the original article here

Birmingham boss McLeish resigns by email

Updated June 13, 2011 08:31:00

Alex McLeish resigned as manager of Birmingham City on Sunday to round off a notable season where the club won their first trophy for 48 years but were then relegated from the Premier League.

"Acting chairman Peter Pannu received an e-mail resignation from McLeish earlier today while away on business in Amsterdam," the club said in a statement on their website.

McLeish, a former central defender who served Aberdeen and Scotland for many years, established his managerial reputation at Motherwell, Hibernian and Rangers before taking over as Scotland manager in January 2007.

It proved a short-lived appointment as he moved south to replace Steve Bruce at Birmingham in November of that year.

Birmingham were relegated at the end of his first season but he brought them immediately back up for the 2009/10 Premier League campaign where they finished ninth, their highest position for more than half a century.

This year they shocked Arsenal in the League Cup final but the success was followed by dramatic decline in their league form that ended with their relegation after a last-day defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

British media had earlier linked McLeish with a potentially controversial move across the city to take over the vacant Aston Villa manager's job following the resignation of Gerard Houllier through ill health and local bookmakers immediately made McLeish an odds-on favourite for that role following Birmingham's announcement.

McLeish was not the only managerial casualty on Sunday as Nottingham Forest, who missed out on promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs for the second successive season, sacked manager Billy Davies after two-and-a-half years in the job.

- Reuters

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, england

First posted June 13, 2011 08:07:00

View the original article here