Hendrie and Vassell give O'Leary double trouble

Eye-witness Ian Robinson said: 'Trouble seemed to flare after he reacted to someone insulting him about being a Birmingham fan. There was a mixed reaction afterwards. The majority view was that they had had enough of him and his petulant attitude.

'It's a shame because it ultimately doesn't benefit anyone and if it continues into the season it will undoubtedly have a detrimental effect. At 26 he should be showing a lot more maturity than that.'

Hendrie's outburst is said to be the subject of an inquiry by West Midlands police, who have acted on the complaint of a supporter, upset at Hendrie's foul language after he had kicked the ball into the middle of the 3,000-strong visiting contingent.

O'Leary's weekend was soured further when it emerged that the club are seeking to end the contract saga involving Vassell.

They have been negotiating with the player's agents since Vassell, 23, went to the World Cup last summer with England.

But after failing to meet the striker's £30,000 a week pay demands, Villa have decided to cash in early on their asset and have instructed his agents to find a suitable buyer at around £2million.

New Wolves striker Steffen Iversen is itching to start his Molineux career after watching their poor pre-season form continue.

The 2-1 defeat at Coventry was Wolves' third of the week but Iversen, signed from Tottenham on a one-year contract, is confident he can make a difference as they prepare for the Premiership opener against Blackburn in a fortnight.

It would be hard not to make a difference to a young strike force that failed to take a host of chances against Coventry.

Iversen said: 'It is always a lot harder when you are down on the pitch rather than watching from the side but I certainly would hope to have scored - and that is what I am planning to do once I start playing.

'Wolves have a lot of players in contention for the places up front and that is healthy but I am just looking forward to getting started.

'We have two weeks to go and supporters should not be worried because we lost. The result is not the important thing from a pre-season game.'

While Adam Proudlock - leading the line because Wolves were missing five of their strikers - was struggling up front, the defence, which featured debutant Jody Craddock , allowed Coventry to score twice in the second half.