Brian Little continues to split opinion with Leicester City fans almost 20 years after his controversial exit

Brian Little is a man who still divides opinion among Leicester City fans.

Whether or not you believe his move from City to his former club Aston Villa will forever be an unforgivable act of betrayal, no one can deny he gave Leicester fans three of the best years in their recent history.

Little arrived at City in 1991 after leading Darlington from the Conference to back-to-back promotions.

He took charge of a City side that were at the lowest point in their history, having just avoided relegation into the third tier of English football.

He led them to three consecutive play-off finals, the last of which in May 1994 culminated in taking them to the promised land of the Premier League.

However, the hero soon became the villain when he left the following November to manage the team he made almost 250 appearances for as a player. City were duly relegated while Little's Villa survived the drop and went on to qualify for Europe for the next two years before he resigned in February 1998.

"Still to this day, there are a number of supporters who say they can never forgive me," said Little. "But there are also a lot of other people who send me messages thanking me for three great years.

"It was a hard decision, it wasn't easy and I didn't enjoy it. But not everything you want in life comes when you want it to. Most of them come at a time when you know it's going to make other people unhappy.

"It could have been handled better publicly, but I had three brilliant years at Leicester.

"People may or may not believe me, but my time there is arguably one of my best times in more than 40 years of being connected with football."

Fast-forward a little more than 10 years to 2009 and, after managerial spells of varying success at Stoke, West Brom, Hull, Tranmere and Wrexham, Little was instated as the new manager of non-league Gainsborough Trinity in the Conference North.

"I wanted to do something different," said Little. "I could have said no, but I spoke to the chairman, Peter Swann, who's actually a Leicester fan, and I thought, 'right, it's something I've never done', so I gave it a go."

By his own standards, Little's spell at the club did not go as successfully as he might have wished. Despite bringing in a number of former league players and building a large squad, Gainsborough only managed a 14th-place finish in his first season.

In his second season, his side was dragged into a relegation battle and they narrowly avoided dropping down into the Northern Premier League.

Following a disappointing start to the next season, Little was sacked as manager on August 22, 2011.

"I can't say I didn't find it difficult," he says. "But I did it, and I tried my best.

"I don't think I did overly well, but I left the lad who took over from me, Steve Housam, with a really good team.

"I couldn't get to grips working just two nights a week, trying to be organised on Thursday for a game on Saturday. I like to go on my gut feelings, and I like to leave my preparations as late as I can.

"People can criticise me for that if they want, and I accept that, but that's just the way I work and the non-league scene just didn't happen for me."

Since leaving Gainsborough, Little has stayed away from the managerial side of the game. But football is still a key part of his life as he now brings his years of experience to his role as a co-commentator for Setanta Sports, covering the Premier League, Europa League and Champions League.

"If you said to me, 'I want you to go and watch Manchester United versus Manchester City, commentate on it, and we'll pay you', I think it's probably the best job in the world," said Little. "You can't get a better gig than that. I've been in football for 43 years, so to talk about it is pretty much second-nature.

"I am not sure how good I am at it, but I do like talking. I enjoy it and it's something I would love to stay in."

Little may be keeping his focus on his co-commentary for now, but he is not ruling out a return to management.

"I do occasionally put my name in for a management job," he said.

"If I were to go back into the professional game, I'd like to have a similar role to what Lennie Lawrence has now with Dougie Freedman at Bolton. As an advisor, or a mentor, an experienced assistant for a younger manager.

"I think it is a job that I have as much experience for as anyone."

Little is also in the process of setting up a coaching school where he lives in Staffordshire, for children between the ages of eight and 12.

"I've got two young boys, a nine-year-old and a 10-year-old, who are both starting to play football, and that's where my desire to do a bit of coaching with youngsters has come from," he said.

"If that goes well, I would like to take it into Birmingham. Who knows, one day I might even bring it into Leicestershire."

But no matter what he chooses to do, he admits that football will always be at the heart of it.

"I will always work in football," he said. "Whether that be odd bits of television, radio work, management or a little bit of coaching.

"It's what I've done all my life and it's something that I will always continue to do."