Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish believes the fighting spirit of skipper Stiliyan ’Stan’ Petrov will help him in his battle to overcome acute leukaemia.

Aston Villa supporters are being urged to attend a pre-match protest against manager Alex McLeish ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Manchester City.

New Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has been praised for “fronting up” to a section of the club’s supporters.

Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner will begin the hunt today to find a successor to manager Martin O'Neill with fellow American Bob Bradley amongst the potential candidates.

David O’Leary’s position as Aston Villa manager is under no immediate threat despite a trio of poor results which has left some supporters calling for him to be sacked.