Don't turn on us, O'Leary plea to fans

David O’Leary today pleaded with Aston Villa’s fans not to turn against his players as they strive to pull out of the Premiership relegation zone.

Angry supporters are planning to stage a mass demonstration against Villa chairman Doug Ellis over the lack of funding in the team before Saturday’s home encounter with Southampton.

But O’Leary is concerned that the already fragile confidence of his players will be further affected by any unrest transmitted towards them from the terraces.

Villa remain anchored in the bottom three after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham and are without a Premiership win since September 20.

O’Leary told PA Sport: “The fans and I want to see success at Aston Villa. The fans come and want to see a good football side having success so they are going to be frustrated.

“But it is no good them getting frustrated and lowering the confidence of the players because that it is going to make it worse.

“This season more than any other the team is going to need the support of the fans. I’ve not yet detected a feeling amongst the lads that they would rather be playing away from home.

“But if the crowd start getting onto them then that can start to undermine players. I’ve a quiet bunch of players. They are not big, strong characters.

“I don’t think (the crowd turning on them) would help them in any way. We need more than ever the support of the Villa fans.”

Supporters groups have united under the banner of ‘Villa Fans Combined’ to try to put pressure on Ellis and the remainder of the board to provide the investment they feel is vital if Villa are not to lose their top flight status after 15 years.

But O’Leary is adamant that he was given only £4m (€5.7m) to spend for the entire season and that was used up on the summer signings of Thomas Sorensen and Gavin McCann from Sunderland.