McLeish - Lerner gave pep talk

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has urged the club's players to stay 'in charge of their own destiny' as they bid to avoid relegation.

Villa owner spoke with players after visiting skipper Petrov

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has urged the club's players to stay 'in charge of their own destiny' as they bid to avoid relegation. Villa are in danger of being dragged into the scramble to avoid the drop and are only five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone ahead of Saturday's clash at Liverpool. They are also dealing with a lengthy injury list and skipper Stiliyan Petrov's shock leukaemia diagnosis. And Villa boss Alex McLeish has revealed that Lerner has taken a hands-on approach in this difficult period. McLeish explained: "Randy went to see Stiliyan on Monday and the following day came up and spoke to the lads. "He said a few words about Stan (Petrov) and said we were all standing toe to toe to support him.

Be strong

"But he also told the players to be strong themselves and be in charge of their own destiny for the remaining eight games. "He told the lads to have the confidence and belief in themselves and for the youngsters to really make a go of it. "It was good for (Lerner) to do that with the boys." Villa's younger players will have a key role to play with so many senior professionals out but McLeish has faith in their ability. He added: "At the end of the day, if you are good enough, you are old enough and it doesn't matter about age."