McLeish latest manager to flirt with 'Judas' tag

Should Alex McLeish be appointed Aston Villa manager after his controversial departure from bitter city rivals Birmingham he will join a select band of 'traitors', those who have crossed the divide and managed sides that detest each other. The 52-year-old Scot will have to face down irate Villa fans - some of whom have already made their feelings clear with 'we don't want you bluenose scum' the politest graffiti sprayed at Villa's training ground - and cope with equally strong feelings from disgruntled Birmingham fans who feel betrayed. McLeish, who nevertheless leaves Birmingham having guided them to their first silverware in 48 years in their thrilling win over Arsenal in the League Cup, will not be the first man to do such a thing in England's second city. For Ron Saunders - a man who did not suffer fools gladly - did it in the opposite direction, walking out on a Villa side he had guided to the 1981 league title and who were going well in the European Cup to join a non descript Birmingham side. While Villa went on to win the European Cup that season Saunders battled on in charge of Birmingham seeing them relegated in 1984 before bringing them back up the following season and finally left to take over at West Bromwich Albion.....another bitter local rival. Alan Curbishley was a Birmingham player when Saunders crossed over, and though Saunders has since been given a rousing ovation on rare appearances at Villa Park, it took years for the bitterness to erode. "When Ron Saunders went from Villa to Birmingham there was uproar. I can understand the furore that is going to happen if Alex McLeish goes to Villa," he told Sky Sports. "I think people outside of the city of Birmingham don't understand the rivalry between the two clubs. It is massive." The high octane rivalry of North London has not been immune from such switches of loyalty. Terry Neill set the tone by managing Spurs before opting for the more promising pastures of Arsenal and while his former club were relegated in 1977 he delivered an FA Cup final triumph in 1979 to a club admittedly he had played for with distinction. George Graham of bungs fame delivered much more than that in his spell with the Gunners but the money for transfer scandal cost him his job there, but a few years later having re-established himself, 'stroller' as he was known when he played popped up as manager of Spurs. However, despite landing a League Cup he never won over a sceptical Spurs fan base and he was sacked days before the 2001 FA Cup semi-final......against Arsenal. Harry Redknapp revels in the good bloke image but his name was mud with Portsmouth when he decamped to bitter rivals Southampton when both were still in the Premier League - however Pompey fans had the last laugh as they stayed up and Saints went down in 2005. Shameless he returned to Portsmouth for the following season and guided them to their greatest day in their modern history with the 2008 FA Cup final triumph. It is not solely an English habit as charismatic Brazilian Leonardo has in a short managerial career been in charge of AC Milan, and then after a few months rest after being sacked stepped into the breach at city rivals Inter. However, the well spoken 41-year-old did not believe that he had betrayed Milan. "I'm totally comfortable with what I did in red and black (Milan's colours)," he said of his 13 year association in different guises. "I know that I'm not a traitor and this serenity allows me to respect and accept the judgements of others." There is little doubt that McLeish can handle himself and as he revealed in a touching interview with The Times in January stems from his upbringing in Glasgow. "I think there is probably a bit of the old Govan shipyards, the old Ayrshire mines in all of us (the Glasgow-born managers). I mean by that a drivenness, a hard work, a respect and I think some humility. "I keep thinking back to my dad. He was a plater in the Glasgow shipyards, a really hardworking, proud man, who died of a heart attack at the age of 43 because he was so driven by his work." Humility will come in handy for McLeish in the days to come but he is not the first and he will certainly not be the last manager to risk popular opprobrium in taking on the tribal ties that encompass football.