Villa back McLeish in fight against drop

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner have backed manager Alex McLeish as he battles to avoid being relegated with different clubs two years running.

Supporters called for McLeish, who went down with Birmingham last season, to be sacked after Tuesday night's home defeat by Bolton and Lerner and Faulkner understand the frustration of supporters. But the duo have issued a rallying cry with Villa three points above the bottom three after registering only one win in their last 13 games.

Lerner and Faulkner, in a joint statement, said: "We will continue to support and rely on our manager and the squad and therefore give them our full support."

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