Darren Bent: Blame players for Alex McLeish sacking

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has admitted that the club's players must take some of the blame for the sacking of manager Alex McLeish.

The Scot, who had been at the club for less than a year, was dismissed on Tuesday after Villa had narrowly avoided relegation.

"I spoke to him on Monday and you could tell from his face he was gutted, as you would expect him to be," Bent told the Birmingham Mail.

"I only had a few words with him, but I could see his disappointment and I just wished him all the best for the future. He felt he could have turned it around next season, but it wasn't to be.

"The players must take responsibility too, including me. Managers always get the brunt of the criticism because they make the decisions but, collectively, we haven't done well enough over the season."

Bent, who moved to Villa Park from Sunderland in January 2011, was sidelined for the final three months of the campaign with an ankle injury.