Top 5: Strange Managerial Appointments

Alex McLeish – Aston Villa

McLeish looks relaxed on the bench at Fulham.

What could be worse that hiring the manager of your local rivals? That’s right – hiring the manager of your local rivals who had just been relegated.

This is exactly what Aston Villa did when appointing Alex McLeish, who had just relegated Birmingham City in June 2011.

As you would expect, manager-fan relations would never be at an all-time high and this was clear from the announcement of his appointment, with Villa fans protesting outside the ground.

McLeish led Villa to 16th place that season and avoided relegation by just two points. The Scot became, statistically, the worst manager Villa had ever had with a win rate of just 21.4%. Unsurprisingly, he was sacked the day after the season ended.

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