Alex McLeish vows to win over Aston Villa fans after ‘rollercoaster six months’ in charge

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has revealed his desire to win over fans who continue to question him as manager at Villa Park.

Many fans were perplexed when the Scot was appointed over the summer after relegating local rivals Birmingham City from the Premier League.

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Villa currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League ahead of their trip to Stoke City on Boxing Day, and McLeish admits he remains determined to win over supporters who still doubt him.

“I said at the time I took over that I've got to try and prove I'm the right man for this job,” the former Rangers and Scotland boss confessed.

“I'm still determined to do that and win over the Villa fans who have still got their doubts.

“It has been a rollercoaster six months but I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

“The first couple of weeks were difficult with a bit of wrangling here and there. But with the help of all the staff at Villa Park, it's been easy to settle in.”

He said: “I think it's been steady. I've been disappointed we haven't got any points on the board against the elite clubs.

“But there is a real transition going on when you consider the team Martin O'Neill built. There are maybe five or six of those players gone.

“When you include John Carew, Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, James Milner and Gareth Barry, they are some marvellous players who have left the club.

“When I looked at the dressing room on Wednesday night after the Arsenal game and complimented the players on their performance, there were about seven or eight kids in that room.

“They have bright eyes and are having to pinch themselves they are in the dressing room with experienced people like Richard Dunne and people like that.

“That is where we are at the moment. We have a lot of young players, we look to encourage them as much as possible to make the grade in football.

“But they also have to make the grade at Villa where the expectation levels are massive. The kids have a fantastic opportunity and a great challenge ahead of them.”

“The winner was just a wee lapse in concentration and that is why set pieces are vital and you can't switch off for a second,” the Scot continued.

“The problem with set pieces is it's not just defenders. You bring forwards back to defend and it is not their favourite task and sometimes they switch off.

“But defenders can lapse as well and, over the last couple of seasons, Villa have been vulnerable at set pieces.

“It's something we are working hard on and the things that can help are concentration, doing your job in the box and making sure opponents don't get a march on you.”