It would be fair to say that a number of Aston Villa fans were disappointed with the managerial appointment of Alex McLeish last summer.

The Scottish boss had recently been relegated with rivals Birmingham City and many supporters raised concerns regarding his ability and style of play.

Their viewpoint was vindicated as the campaign progressed, with the Villans only securing their status as a Premier League club for another season with one match remaining.

Sports Mole guides you through the twist and turns of Villa's season under the guidance of 'Big Eck'.

August

While the opening month of the season failed to inspire Villa supporters, the club went the whole of August without tasting defeat. Draws against Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers were accompanied by a win at home to Blackburn Rovers.

September

Villa claimed three successive draws in September as the spoils were shared with Everton, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers - the latter of which was thanks to a late own goal from Villa defender Richard Dunne.

One chance of silverware also disappeared during the second month of the season when Bolton Wanderers claimed a 2-0 victory at Villa Park in the Carling Cup.

October

October began brightly as Villa struck two goals without reply against Wigan Athletic.

However, defeats against Manchester City and rivals West Bromwich Albion soon followed as the Villa faithful began to turn on McLeish. The month ended with a 2-2 draw at Sunderland, despite McLeish's side taking the lead on two occasions.

November

The Villans continued to struggle for consistent form as the season entered into November. They failed to build upon a victory against Norwich City by the odd goal in five, with a 2-0 loss at Tottenham Hotspur followed by a credible draw away at Swansea's City Liberty Stadium.

December

Phil Jones scored the only goal of the game as Manchester United left Villa Park with all three points in early December. Villa supporters booed their team off the pitch after they had failed to register a shot on target against the champions.

Victory at Bolton followed, before Liverpool and Arsenal both took maximum points from trips to Birmingham. The traditional Boxing Day fixture ended in a 0-0 draw with Stoke City.

The month ended on a high though, as goals from Stephen Ireland, Stiliyan Petrov and Darren Bent handed Villa a 3-1 victory from a visit to Chelsea.

January

The New Year failed to spark a positive result from Villa, who were beaten 2-0 at home by Swansea.

However, the loan arrival of Robbie Keane from LA Galaxy inspired a draw against Everton and a 3-2 victory over the Irish striker's former club Wolves.

Bristol Rovers were defeated in the FA Cup, before Arsenal recovered from a two-goal deficit at half-time to knock Villa out of the competition courtesy of a 3-2 victory in round four, sparking more jeers from the Holt End.

February

Villa were beginning to look over their shoulders at the drop zone as February ended without a victory.

Draws were achieved against relegation candidates QPR and Wigan, while Man City and Newcastle left McLeish to ponder on defeats.

The month ended on a bad note for the club when Bent suffered an ankle injury that would rule him out for the remainder of the season.

March

Everything was put into perspective in late March as news filtered through that Villa captain Petrov had been diagnosed with acute leukaemia. The Bulgarian midfielder instantly began treatment as his teammates revealed their determination to fight off relegation for him.

On the pitch Villa picked up four points from matches with Blackburn and Fulham, before successive defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea.

April

Villa held Liverpool and Stoke to successive 1-1 draws at the start of April, while Man United scored four without reply against a youthful Villa side at Old Trafford.

Goalless draws against Sunderland and West Brom followed, before what looked to be a costly defeat against fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers.

The odds began to shorten on Villa being a Championship club next season.

May

The antics of a number of Villa players on a night out led to fines and much criticism from afar - something that McLeish conceded that he could have done without.

The coach will have been more pleased with the point against Tottenham though as it secured Premier League football for another season barring an unthinkable goal difference swing on the final day.

The campaign ended with a 2-0 loss away at mid-table Norwich, further intensifying the pressure on McLeish.