Source: Daily_Mail
Birmingham City tell Alex McLeish they will put him in limbo after Aston Villa gambit
ShareBirmingham City have gone on the attack against Alex McLeish, threatening to put the manager on gardening leave to stop him joining Aston Villa and accusing their rivals of tapping him up. [LNB]A source close to City owner Carson Yeung said: 'The owner will not accept these dirty tricks. We have done everything by the book and will not back down.[LNB] 'The behaviour of Alex McLeish and Aston Villa is disgraceful. If Aston Villa wanted Alex, they should have approached the board of Birmingham and asked for permission to speak to him. We have supported him by bringing his transfer targets to the club, despite the relegation. [LNB] Under fire: McLeish has been lambasted by Birmingham City[LNB]'We are not prepared to allow him to move. We would rather he goes on gardening leave than allow him to go to Aston Villa. Our fans deserve more than this.'[LNB]Birmingham will report Villa to the Premier League on Wednesday after they announced plans to talk to McLeish. City's acting chairman Peter Pannu said: 'There is now not the slightest doubt remaining about this tap-up attempt. The club feel this will taint football and give the game and footballing authorities a bad name if this is allowed to materialise. [LNB]'This is also an attack against the intelligence and integrity of not only the Villa fans but, most importantly, our fans who are badly let down after having just been relegated.' [LNB]Pannu had said he was prepared to accept a ?5.4million compensation package from McLeish or Villa but the intervention of the League Managers Association has sparked a new hardline stance.[LNB] Getting shirty: Yeung is livid at McLeish[LNB] HAVE YOUR SAY... Should McLeish dare cross the Birmingham divide?Alex McLeish has been warned he will face legal action if he makes an acrimonious switch to boss arch-rivals Aston Villa after he resigned from relegated Birmingham City via email on Sunday. Hero or villain? Should he dare cross the bitter divide? Have your say...TELL US WHAT YOU THINKLMA chief Richard Bevan insisted that McLeish had been forced to resign on Sunday because he had been left in an 'untenable' position by Yeung and Pannu. McLeish is claiming constructive dismissal. [LNB]'Alex decided he had to resign as there had been serious issues for some time between him and the board at Birmingham,' revealed Bevan. 'It is very disappointing that some clubs don't follow normal principles of employment law. Mr Pannu has put into the public domain confidential information contained in Alex's contract. This is a breach of confidence. [LNB]'It is disappointing Alex appears to have been criticised for sending his formal resignation letter by email, particularly given that one of the issues Alex resigned over was Mr Pannu's sacking of Alex's chief scout, who learned he was to be dismissed when he was copied in on an email from Mr Pannu to a club official.[LNB] 'There were other issues, including not being properly consulted on player transfers, and making a number of aggressive and seriously undermining communications, which ultimately made his position untenable.' [LNB]Villa made their interest official on Tuesday night. In a statement, they said: 'The club understands that Alex McLeish is a free agent. We therefore intend to interview him imminently in order to make a decision regarding his candidacy to become Villa manager. [LNB]'From the beginning of our search, we have set out criteria based on proven Premier League experience, compelling leadership, an ethic for hard work and, most importantly, sharing our vision for Aston Villa. [LNB]'We feel it is essential to select a manager who understands and supports our strategy for the club to grow and to be sustainable. [LNB]'We would, however, like to emphasise that in deciding to interview Alex McLeish, the board has taken his tenure at our rivals and the strong emotions associated wi th this very seriously.'[LNB]Opposition persists among Villa fans, though, and 13,000 had on Tuesday night signed up to the Facebook page 'Aston Villa Supporters - We don't want Alex McLeish'.[LNB] Villa to hold talks with 'free agent' McLeish despite fans' backlashLMA claims McLeish resigned due to disagreements with Birmingham boardVilla fans threaten to return season tickets if McLeish is appointed as managerAll the latest Aston Villa news, features and opinionAll the latest Birmingham City news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Alex McLeish Places: Birmingham
