Ian Appleyard: Wilson and McLeish must hit ground running to bridge divide

For these two managers have combined to split two of Britain’s biggest footballing cities.

When Wilson was unveiled by Sheffield United last month, it sparked protests from around 200 supporters in the club car-park. It was nothing, however, compared to the protests in Birmingham this week as Aston Villa turned to McLeish.

In fairness to Wilson, it had been 11 years since he was sacked by Sheffield Wednesday. McLeish had not even been out of Birmingham City for 11 days!

The wounds at St Andrews were still raw as Villa owner Randy Lerner opened his salt bottle. McLeish tendered his resignation on Sunday, by email, which was hardly a sign of respect.

‘Big ‘Eck’, as he is known, had written his name into Birmingham folklore by leading the Blues to victory over Arsenal in the Carling Cup and a first significant piece of silverware last season.

The majority of the club’s fans were even willing to put aside relegation from the Premier League and stick by McLeish as they looked forward to a Europa League campaign and likely promotion push.

But relationships were becoming strained behind the scenes at St Andrews.

Blues owner Carson Yeoung – who once made a failed bid to buy into Sheffield Wednesday – stressed that promotion was a priority, heaping a degree of pressure on his manager’s shoulders. Chief scout Paul Montgomery was also laid off by acting chairman Peter Pannu before being reinstated as a consultant.

The departure of Gerard Houllier from Aston Villa had created a vacancy at the bigger club down the road.

But no-one could have predicted how events would unfold.

On Tuesday, Villa released a statement which saying: “The club understands that Alex McLeish is a free agent. We therefore intend to interview him imminently.”

On Wednesday, Birmingham released their own statement, accusing their neighbours of “tapping up”.

Of course, tapping up (the act of inviting someone to leave their current job in order to further their own career with you) is not regarded as a crime in any other walk of life but sport. Nor should it be.

In football, where the clamour for compensation is so high, it still matters immensely to chairmen and managers.

Around 500 fans gathered outside Villa Park on Wednesday night to protest against the possible appointment of the Scot. One imagines that even more supporters on the blue side of town are angry with McLeish but are saving their energies for another time.

The Blues described their rival’s announcement to proceed with an interview as “a contempt of Premier League and FA rules”.

“The club feel this will taint football and give the game and the footballing authorities a bad name if this is allowed to materialise,” read a statement. “We will lodge a formal complaint as there is now not the slightest doubt remaining about this tap-up attempt. This conduct, if condoned, will open up floodgates and set a very bad precedent. It 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 relegation.”

McLeish is a top quality manager, arguably a contender to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson one day at Manchester United.

But his decision to join Villa is a brave or a foolish gamble. He will never be forgiven by supporters of his former club – although his record deserves gratitude.

He also needs to secure acceptance at his new club – and the only way to do that is by winning football matches, and quickly.

In that respect, both McLeish and Wilson are in the same boat now although there are signs that the Sheffield United manager is already making inroads into the hostility.

Wilson has gone out of his way in the last few weeks to attend supporters’ meetings and show his allegiance to their flag. He has chosen an office in the centre of the club’s administration department to underline his team ethic and, from time to time, even mashes the tea!

People also need to remember that managers, players and club directors (well, the honest ones at least) are in football for success – and that doesn’t change whoever they work for.

If they deliver success, they will earn acceptance but, if they don’t, there will be less patience around.

At Bramall Lane, Wilson is well aware that he needs to hit the ground running. There are some who will get on his back even if the team does not win enough pre-season friendles. He has impressed those who have listened to his words so far but, for a minority, there is only black and white in football. Or red and white and blue and white if you are referring to Sheffield!

No other manager has crossed the Steel City divide and to do so is akin to treason. Wilson also played for the Owls and was a member of the side that defeated the Blades in the 1993 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. But he was hardly a success at Hillsborough as a manager which is another reason why some Blades are up in arms about his appointment.

Chairman don’t let possible reactions from fans cloud their judgment when interviewing candidates for a job. Instead, they look at his credentials, his experiences in the job and whether he fits the criteria they are seeking.

Wilson ticked the right boxes for Blades chairman Kevin McCabe, just as McLeish impressed Villa owner Lerner. Only time will tell if they have made the right move.

Mark Hughes is the most recent example of a manager who was initially reviled but eventually admired by his new club’s supporters. Hughes joined Manchester City after spending the majority of his playing career with arch-rivals Manchester United.

Now McLeish and Wilson must follow suit. And if I was either chap, I would definitely give the other a call for advice along the way!

and another thing ...

FOR once, let’s hope it rains in Spain next Sunday.

Torrential rain over Montreal turned the Canadian Grand Prix into an epic, gripping encounter and a wet circuit can only add to the drama as the next stage of Formula 1’s world tour roars off in Valencia with the European GP.

For Jenson Button, the Montreal race proved to be the best of his career so far.

The 31-year-old could not have endured a worst possible start, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton running into him on lap eight, but over the course of the longest race in Formula 1 history, lasting a shade over four hours, Button made six trips to the pits, five for tyres and once for a drive-through penalty making it a wonder he finished anywhere near the front, never mind clinching his 10th career win.

Even Button has admitted to dispensing with his smooth driving style over the closing 10 laps as he drove on the ragged edge to first reel in and pass Mark Webber, then Michael Schumacher before closing in on Sebastian Vettel.

Then on the final lap, three kilometres from home, Vettel cracked, sliding wide and allowing Button through.

It is moments like that that make you appreciate the real beauty of sporting drama at its most enthralling