Ellis blamed as Foxes see Villa flop

Simmering Villa Park reached boiling point on Saturday when Leicester turned up the heat with a 2-0 win.

And the crucial question remains: Where exactly does it all leave manager John Gregory and chairman Doug Ellis?

A dreadful Aston Villa performance, a Leicester side desperate to survive and tales of another schism between the two men with real power to change the club simply proved too much for home fans.

The Holte End can be imposing but, at times, slow to rouse, and it normally takes something extraordinary to invoke their passion.

A rare Peter Schmeichel error, which led to Leicester's second goal, did it on Saturday, and the chairman came under attack for his perceived lack of financial support.

To underline the mood, one fan raced down the Trinity Road stand to throw his Villa scarf into a puddle while another stood in front of the Press box and launched a 10-minute tirade against Gregory. Although the manager pointed out that this was only Villa's fourth defeat in their last 26 Premiership fixtures, it appears that the public blame for Villa's second disappointing cup exit this season - they were knocked out of the Worthington Cup at home in midweek by Sheffield Wednesday - and the failure to win for a fifth match in succession were placed firmly at Ellis's door.

It is difficult not to feel sympathy for Gregory. He was promised £15million to spend during the summer but it has failed to materialise. And the apparent withdrawal of funds to buy Leicester's Muzzy Izzet has further angered him.