Lescott: Aston Villa's relegation 'a weight off the shoulders'
Joleon Lescott hasn't ingratiated himself with the Aston Villa support through his lacklustre defensive performances and perceived failure to take the club's plight seriously, and he took another step toward becoming public enemy No. 1 in his native Birmingham after the club's relegation Saturday.
"Now confirmed maybe it's a weight off the shoulders and we can give these fans what they deserve, some performances," Lescott told reporters following the 1-0 loss at Manchester United.
Related: Aston Villa relegated for first time since 1987
The 33-year-old has drawn the ire of many Villa supporters, including broadcaster and former fan favourite Stan Collymore, who branded the 26-time England international a "tit" on Twitter for his comment.
Lescott previously irritated the Villa Park faithful when he appeared to be fooling around with goalkeeper Brad Guzan on the substitutes' bench during a torrid outing at Wycombe Wanderers in January.
He also fell foul of supporters' expectations when he posted a picture of a £120,000 Mercedes on Twitter shortly after a 6-0 loss to Liverpool, and has offered to fight a fan when he became embroiled in an Instagram spat.
The two-time Premier League winner with Manchester City is expected to leave this summer due to his lack of popularity in B6, and many of those in the stands won't be displeased to see him out of the starting lineup over the remaining four matches of the campaign.
Villa next faces a visit from Southampton on April 23.