Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has said that there is "no animosity" between him and Norwich City fans following his acrimonious exit last summer.

The Scot was at the centre of a boardroom row with the Canaries when he was initially denied the opportunity to take over at Villa Park, which marred what had been a successful three-year spell at Carrow Road.

Lambert takes his Villa team to East Anglia for the third time this afternoon and does not believe that he will receive a rough reception from the Norwich faithful.

"The fans have always been good with me," the 44-year-old told reporters. "There's no animosity; as I said, it's gone.

"I don't have anything to prove. The Norwich thing is finished. The two times I've been back the majority of the crowd have been really good with me.

"I had three great years at Norwich. The fans were great, the lads who played for me were great and I had nothing but good memories there. But what happened after that, happened."

The Villans were twice triumphant at Carrow Road last season, winning 2-1 in the Premier League and 4-1 in the League Cup.