The Martin O'Neill thread (with added sacking #2188)

[pauliewalnuts]

On our way back from Swindon on the train last night my son related the story to a young very dedicated Villa fan of the relationship O'Neill has built up over the years with media commentators and journalists.   It even got me thinking and I have heard the story many times.

I've said all along that a large part of the O'Neill myth came when he was at Leicester and turning down bigger jobs, implying that he was waiting for  one more worthy of his talent.

He doesn't really look like he's enjoying it at Sunderland much.

I reckon he'll walk at the end of the season, and that'll be it from him.

[pauliewalnuts]

Martin Ridley from the Mail On Sunday nails Mon in the first few seconds of that clip......."Martin has always carefully guarded his image......"
And he's right,, it's always about Martin, as in Martin O'Neils whichever club he rocks up at. You rarely see Man U described as Fergies Man U, or David Moyes Everton.
A lot of the other stuff in that clip I think began to dawn on a good few us towards the end of year two.

Although, I seem to remember Ridley being amongst the most fervent of the O'Neill fellaters in the media a few years ago.

[Matt C]

Are those pundits all H&V posters?

[dave.woodhall]

On our way back from Swindon on the train last night my son related the story to a young very dedicated Villa fan of the relationship O'Neill has built up over the years with media commentators and journalists.   It even got me thinking and I have heard the story many times.

I've said all along that a large part of the O'Neill myth came when he was at Leicester and turning down bigger jobs, implying that he was waiting for  one more worthy of his talent.

He doesn't really look like he's enjoying it at Sunderland much.

I reckon he'll walk at the end of the season, and that'll be it from him.

The thing we tend to forget is that he's sixty. His mentor retired at 58.

[The Laughing Policeman]

You're right Paulie, I think it was Ridley who predicted that the European Glory days were about to return to Villa Park when MON turned up.
But it is good to see that the scales are falling from some well seasoned eyes.

[pauliewalnuts]

The worst ever MON love-in thing I read was from Henry Winter (otherwise a good jour no) who said MON was "too good a person for football".

[Monty]

I have to admit that I bought into the MON thing full tilt at the time. There was a different feeling, a sense that under him we had become relevant again. I criticised some of the tactics at the time but thought the good outweighed the bad. As time goes by, though, the amount of bad grows and becomes overwhelming. That he was appointed at the exact moment we finally got decent financial backing is a very sad piece of timing in our history, as Randy's money spent more wisely by a better, more up-to-date manager, I believe, would have got us into something like the position Spurs are in now, if not better.

[bertlambshank]

The worst ever MON love-in thing I read was from Henry Winter (otherwise a good jour no) who said MON was "too good a person for football".

I have just been sick.

[manic-road]

They made some excellent points there, overpay for British players, hike the wages, doesn't look abroad for players, plays boring football to watch and then pisses off when he can't take it any further.
And yes we are still suffering from his era.

[Legion]

I have to admit that I bought into the MON thing full tilt at the time. There was a different feeling, a sense that under him we had become relevant again. I criticised some of the tactics at the time but thought the good outweighed the bad. As time goes by, though, the amount of bad grows and becomes overwhelming. That he was appointed at the exact moment we finally got decent financial backing is a very sad piece of timing in our history, as Randy's money spent more wisely by a better, more up-to-date manager, I believe, would have got us into something like the position Spurs are in now, if not better.

Claps.

[Jon Crofts]

The worst ever MON love-in thing I read was from Henry Winter (otherwise a good jour no) who said MON was "too good a person for football".

Yes what a lovely human being he turned out to be.

[dave.woodhall]

One thing I will say about him is that whichever club he's at becomes high-profile. As was once said, a big club needs a big manager and we've only really had two or three in living memory.

[Monty]

I have to admit that I bought into the MON thing full tilt at the time. There was a different feeling, a sense that under him we had become relevant again. I criticised some of the tactics at the time but thought the good outweighed the bad. As time goes by, though, the amount of bad grows and becomes overwhelming. That he was appointed at the exact moment we finally got decent financial backing is a very sad piece of timing in our history, as Randy's money spent more wisely by a better, more up-to-date manager, I believe, would have got us into something like the position Spurs are in now, if not better.

Claps.

My name's Montbert, and I'm a recovering MONaholic. And I find the term 'Monette' either insulting and offensive to me or to be a mispronounced impressionist painter.

[eastie]

My opinion of mon started to change after he put that weak team out in Moscow.

[Sexual Ealing]

As a fully paid-up MONette, it's taken me until this season to start to think that the H&V miserable git committee may have had a bit of a point about his limitations.

I thoroughly enjoyed his time here, and still think he did a good enough job, but what few matches I got to under him were aways so I maybe got the best of it.

But the thing that really rings true about the negativity I read on here for his final two years is seeing Sunderland this season. Jesus, so dull, like MON's Villa but without the samba rythms.

The sad thing is that, at his Leicester and (to an extent) Celtic best, he could do wonders with no-mark players on sod-all money. Like with so many players we've had down the years, maybe he was the right man at the wrong time.