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McLeish set to leave Villa after talks

Alex McLeish is facing an uncertain future as Aston Villa manager © PA Photos

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Under-fire Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish is holding talks with chief executive Paul Faulkner on Monday which will decide whether he will pay the price for a season of underachievement.

It has been reported that club owner Randy Lerner would also fly in from the United States to speak with McLeish along with in the aftermath of Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Norwich, which was described as ''woeful'' by the manager. But suggestions are that he will be let go as a decision has already been made.

McLeish has been bombarded with abuse this season and sections of fans again called for the former Birmingham boss to be axed as Villa ended the campaign just two points clear of the bottom three.

Their tally of 38 points in finishing 16th is actually one less than when McLeish was relegated with Birmingham last campaign, while Villa have also encountered their worst season in their history in terms of their home record in registering just four wins.

McLeish insisted after the 2-0 defeat at Carrow Road he was still the right man for the job and was aiming to rebuild the side. But his future now depends on whether Lerner decides it is time to search for a fourth manager in less than two years or takes into account the difficult conditions McLeish has worked under.

Most notably these include slashing the wage bill, which McLeish described as ''astronomical'', while he has been deprived of several key players through injury or illness with record signing Darren Bent, key defender Richard Dunne and skipper Stiliyan Petrov sidelined for lengthy spells.

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