ALEX McLeish’s case is probably the first whereby a manager’s honeymoon period was over before he had even got the job.

In fact, the marriage never received a blessing at all, apart from at the church of Randy & Paul.

His slap-in-the-face decision to move in next door raised the hackles on both sides of the Second City divide, none more so than among the Aston Villa supporters.

It will require dainty footwork by McLeish to tip-toe through a Villa Park minefield in the next few months.

But once the hoo-hah has subsided and people come to terms with what he has done, with the legal redress finalised, Blues have to get on with the task of negotiating one of their most important close seasons for decades.

Their focus has to be on themselves.

Quite rightly, they were determined to ‘robustly’ pursue compensation for McLeish’s walk-out. When it comes to something like this, they are like a dog with a bone.

Carson Yeung and Peter Pannu took the former owners to the High Court and forced a settlement over inherited debts and monies they advanced to themselves. I doubt if any have achieved that before.

Yet the first managerial appointment of Yeung’s regime has to be shrewd and sensible.

Forget the ‘big name’ of a Martin O’Neill or a Mark Hughes. Carlo Ancelotti, even.

Blues do not have the wherewithal to tempt such men, and there is realism at St Andrew’s that a job in the Championship, with its terms of reference, won’t hold appeal to all.

Blues identified Chris Hughton immediately and that was a good start. He’s been among the front-runners, and Blues need a grafter, someone who will put substance over style managerially.

Whether Yeung would prefer a ‘sexy’ name for the kudos and to impress in the Far East is not known for sure. He brought Steve McManaman into the fold as a celebrity buddy as much as an advisor.

And Yeung has been leaning towards Gianfranco Zola to fill the St Andrew’s hot seat.