Aston Villa appoint former Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish as manager

EPL ; Alex McLeish – Gerard Houllier, Birmingham City v Aston Villa(Getty Images)

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Aston Villa have appointed Alex McLeish as their new manager following the departure of Gerard Houllier.

The Scotsman had only resigned from his post as Birmingham City manager on Sunday, but has moved quickly to fill the managerial vacancy at Villa Park.

McLeish’s final season in charge of Birmingham had been one of mixed fortunes, with February’s League Cup victory bringing the club their first trophy in 48 years, only for his side to be relegated to the Championship three months later.

A number of individuals have been linked with the Aston Villa hotseat, with club owner Randy Lerner opting for McLeish despite continued speculation linking Mark Hughes with the job, and protests from the club’s fans over the Scot’s prospective appointment.

In an official club statement, McLeish said: “I am honoured to have this opportunity to manage a club with such a fantastic history as Aston Villa’s.

“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.

“Since first becoming a manager at Motherwell, my desire to succeed and my energy and drive have never waned. My objective is to impart that drive and will to win to the players and fans of Aston Villa.

“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.”

Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Aston Villa, added: “We believe we have appointed the right man for the job.

“Unquestionably, Alex meets the criteria we set out at the beginning of our search which was based on proven Premier League experience, leadership, a hard-working ethic and, most importantly, a shared vision for Aston Villa.

“Alex is someone with whom we will work close and work well together.

“With our strong squad combining the necessary virtues of experience and the exciting potential of our young players, our objective is to compete as strongly as we possibly can.

“Alex’s vast experience and proven abilities demonstrate clearly that he is a strong leader and an ambitious man and we are looking forward very much to the exciting new season about to start.”

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