HENRI CAN HANDLE IT

ASTON VILLA boss Steve Bruce has ordered Henri Lansbury to keep his head when he faces the wrath of Newcastle fans tonight.

The midfielder, just one booking away from a ban, faces Newcastle for the first time since Toon boss Rafa Benitez accused him of getting two players sent off in December.

Benitez claimed Lansbury, who was then captain of Nottingham Forest, baited Jonjo Shelvey and dived under a challenge from Paul by STEVE MADELEY Dummett. Both incidents led to penalties in Forest’s 2-1 win and both Shelvey, who kicked back at Lansbury, and Dummett saw red.

Boyhood Toon fan Bruce expects stick himself after crossing the North East divide to manage Sunderland, and he has told Lansbury (right) he must not got wound up.

“He has to handle that and enjoy the stick,” said Bruce. “If you get stick, I take it as a back-handed compliment.

“He has to handle the pressure because that is what playing for this club is.

“I was there that night at Forest. He didn’t do much to get two sent off. If he runs the gauntlet, he has to handle that.

“He’s a very decent player. The reason I have taken him off in the last couple of games is because he has to curb his excitability.

“He gets excitable when things aren’t going his way.”