Former Toon Star Expected Relegation Fight!

James Milner: "If Sam Allardyce had still been at Newcastle, they wouldn't be in the position they are now.

"Allardyce was planning for the long-term. The staff he brought in, he was looking at a bigger picture.

"The plan might have taken three, four, five years. There's always going to be question marks about the way you play football, but first and foremost Allardyce's job was to get stability.

"The organisational ideas he had worked at Bolton so why should he change from that? But he never told us to just hit it. We had the players to play and Allardyce wanted us to do that.

"The reason I've come to Aston Villa is there is stability with Martin O'Neill in charge and that should mean you'll see the best of me."