Massive news from the Midlands on Sunday, with Alex McLeish having made an abrupt departure from St Andrews just weeks after stating that he would like to continue as Birmingham City manager following the club’s relegation from the Premier League last month.

McLeish has decided to step down from his post as Birmingham manager and it appears that the Scot has a new role lined up, with the bookmakers expecting this fresh challenge to be available at Villa Park, something which would prompt supporter outrage all over the city.

No sooner had the former Rangers manager resigned from Birmingham had bookmakers Skybet installed ‘Big Eck’ as the 1/5 favourite to replace Gerard Houllier at Villa Park and it appears that McLeish is open to talks with Aston Villa about becoming their new manager.

This is despite the fact that Birmingham supporters would be furious to see McLeish leave for their arch-rivals, especially after winning the Carling Cup with the Blues last season before a run of poor form saw the club finish in the bottom three of the relegation zone.

Such an appointment is unlikely to be popular with Aston Villa supporters either, especially as the Scot has a reputation for long ball football which was ultimately Birmingham’s downfall.