Bent: Players responsible for McLeish sacking

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent believes the club’s players should shoulder some of the blame for the dismissal of manager Alex McLeish.

McLeish was sacked on Monday after the Birmingham-based side finished just two points clear of the Premier League relegation zone in his first season at the helm.

England international Bent, 28, who missed the last three months of the season with an ankle injury, was at Villa’s training ground when McLeish was shown the door less than 12 months into his three-year contract.

“I spoke to him on Monday and you could tell from his face he was gutted, as you would expect him to be,” Bent told The Birmingham Mail.

“I only had a few words with him, but I could see his disappointment and I just wished him all the best for the future. He felt he could have turned it around next season, but it wasn’t to be.

“The players must take responsibility too, including me. Managers always get the brunt of the criticism because they make the decisions but, collectively, we haven’t done well enough over the season.”

Bent has been linked with several moves away from Villa Park but reaffirmed his commitment to the club he joined from Sunderland in January 2011.

The striker scored 11 goals this season but had to watch from the sidelines for much of a campaign that yielded just 38 points – Villa’s worst return in 42 years.

“People have asked if I was mis-sold the dream when I signed and if I’m honest I didn’t think Ashley Young (Manchester United) and Stewart Downing (Liverpool) would leave in the same summer,” Bent said.

“We probably lost half our team from last season, so that was always going to have an effect.

“But I signed for Aston Villa because I wanted to be here and I still do.

“I was linked with a transfer out of here all through January and I didn’t want that then and I don’t want that now.

“It’s not been a great season but this is a massive club and we’ve got to make sure it is a blip that doesn’t happen again. It is still a time of transition and we need to do our best to get behind the new manager.”

Villa are yet to name a replacement for McLeish, with Norwich City manager Paul Lambert and former Wolverhampton boss Mick McCarthy among the bookmakers’ favourites for the role.