Fuel on the Fire

The legendary rivalry between Birmingham and Aston Villa doesn't require incendiaries to keep it burning, so people are questioning not only Villa owner Randy Lerner's motivation but his sanity by hiring the Nemesis' manager Alex McLeish. The obvious answer is that he knows something no-one else does.

McLeish first caused ripples when he resigned via email with two years still on his contract. Birmingham acting chairman Peter Pannu received the email while in Amsterdam securing the fourth player requested by McLeish. He's furious and seeking legal action.

Despite protests McLeish insists that given the opportunity he'll win the fans over, although starting off by bringing a few players over from his previous team is most certainly going to put him on the back foot. He has had public support from players he has managed and Ron Saunders, the only man to have ever managed both teams. Saunders' move from the one club to the other was arguably the beginning of the end for him. Five years after taking the post he left football for good. Will the same happen to Big Eck?

The Blues have reportedly narrowed their replacement list down to two: Chris Hughton and Roberto Di Matteo.