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

[eastie]

I still think the sea change which happened at Villa Park was not the arrival of Randy Lerner or the appointment of O'Neill but the departure of Doug Ellis.

It reminds me of the plot of The Pit and The Pendulum.   Ellis went, phew, what a relief.   O'Neill and Lerner arrive, wonderful pendulum free days at VP.  What's this? F*ck! it's the pendulum. Enter Houllier and TSM and we wish we had somebody as football savvy and less naive than Lerner and Faulkner, Ellis for example.

Maybe, Brian, but I think the difference would have been that Ol' Herbert would not have allowed the wage bill to spiral out of control in the way that it seems RL did. If MON had come in to work under Doug (which I don't think he would have done), we would not have made the large number of mediocre signings on big salaries. So, we'd never have got into the position we found ourselves in 2010.

Ellis for all his faults kept his hand on the tiller and a tight control on the finances .

[eastie]

Mon hits back at villa critics!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/sunderland-v-aston-villa-preview-1413253

O’Neill splashed out a combined £30million on Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and James Milner.

Although that trio have since been sold for a profit, the net spending under O'Neill topped £80m and he departed in the wake of US owner Randy Lerner announcing he would have to operate a ‘sell to buy’ transfer policy.

The Northern Irishman has hit back, insisting he worked within a budget under Lerner.

He said: “There’s been a bit of re-writing of history since I left Villa - obviously the people who stay get to re-write history.

“There was an idea that, as results improved immensely there, so did the investment.

"Actually, Aston Villa spent £30m four or five months after I left. The wage-bill got higher.”

O’Neill wanted to make his point to Lerner, though, and said: “I have mentioned in my programme notes that there’s been a bit of re-writing history there. It took a bit of time, but we were getting there.
“It was a very fine side in place at the end, but it takes a bit of time. There was an idea that as results improved immensely at Villa, so did the investment.
“Actually, Aston Villa spent £30m four or five months after I left. The wage bill got higher.”
Sunderland’s struggles this term and at the back end of last season — a sorry Prem run of one win from 16 — have reminded O’Neill of his early days in the Midlands.
He added: “I would expect to be judged over a season I must admit. People can say what they want, I can’t change it. The only way I can change it is by winning some football matches.
“Managing is a privilege anyway, it was a privilege to manage Villa. But I came in here last season and joked that having an affiliation with Sunderland might give me a couple of games.
“I’ve completed 11 months and my ambition is to build a side fans can be really proud of and can actually make an impact.”

[TopDeck113]

Oh, goody, MON making comments about us in the press.  Did he not hear the responses meted out to Sullivan and Green?

[Risso]

"We've tried our best to come out with a response, and so all we can say say is, fuck off you pubeheaded twat".

[saunders_heroes]

Oh, goody, MON making comments about us in the press.  Did he not hear the responses meted out to Sullivan and Green?

He's hardly ripped into the club.

[danlanza]

Oh, goody, MON making comments about us in the press.  Did he not hear the responses meted out to Sullivan and Green?

Obviously not, but i am looking forward to the match thread and the post match thread when we can hopefully shove some words back up his hooter. The bloke threw his dummy out and dropped us in the shit and for that he can never be forgiven.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Not sure how he dropped us in the shit. It shouldn't have been that difficult for a new manager to take control of a team that was one of the better teams in the league.

Besides, I think I've read more about MON than any other manager on here ever. You're adding to his legend.

Move on, nothing to see here.

[Concrete John]

Oh, goody, MON making comments about us in the press.  Did he not hear the responses meted out to Sullivan and Green?

He's hardly ripped into the club.

The fact he's even mentioned it says to me he's concerned about his image being tarnished by some of his shortcomings here being brought up.

[Rigadon]

Oh, goody, MON making comments about us in the press.  Did he not hear the responses meted out to Sullivan and Green?

He's hardly ripped into the club.

The fact he's even mentioned it says to me he's concerned about his image being tarnished by some of his shortcomings here being brought up.

Yes, it's conspicuous in it's inclusion I agree.

[PeterWithesShin]

I still think the sea change which happened at Villa Park was not the arrival of Randy Lerner or the appointment of O'Neill but the departure of Doug Ellis.

It reminds me of the plot of The Pit and The Pendulum.   Ellis went, phew, what a relief.   O'Neill and Lerner arrive, wonderful pendulum free days at VP.  What's this? F*ck! it's the pendulum. Enter Houllier and TSM and we wish we had somebody as football savvy and less naive than Lerner and Faulkner, Ellis for example.

Maybe, Brian, but I think the difference would have been that Ol' Herbert would not have allowed the wage bill to spiral out of control in the way that it seems RL did. If MON had come in to work under Doug (which I don't think he would have done), we would not have made the large number of mediocre signings on big salaries. So, we'd never have got into the position we found ourselves in 2010.

Ellis for all his faults kept his hand on the tiller and a tight control on the finances .

So how come we didn't have a pot to piss in when Ellis left?

[eastie]

I still think the sea change which happened at Villa Park was not the arrival of Randy Lerner or the appointment of O'Neill but the departure of Doug Ellis.

It reminds me of the plot of The Pit and The Pendulum.   Ellis went, phew, what a relief.   O'Neill and Lerner arrive, wonderful pendulum free days at VP.  What's this? F*ck! it's the pendulum. Enter Houllier and TSM and we wish we had somebody as football savvy and less naive than Lerner and Faulkner, Ellis for example.

Maybe, Brian, but I think the difference would have been that Ol' Herbert would not have allowed the wage bill to spiral out of control in the way that it seems RL did. If MON had come in to work under Doug (which I don't think he would have done), we would not have made the large number of mediocre signings on big salaries. So, we'd never have got into the position we found ourselves in 2010.

Ellis for all his faults kept his hand on the tiller and a tight control on the finances .

So how come we didn't have a pot to piss in when Ellis left?

The club certainly didn't have huge debts like many other clubs at the time.


Did we have a decent stadium?

Did we win two Wembley finals in the 90s and finish  runners up twice having come close to winning the title.

 He had his faults but he wouldn't have made the mistakes Lerner has in the last 2 years .

If anything doug kept too tight a hold on things as if we had added a couple of quality players to very good sides we may have achieved more, the likes of juninho or Keane at the time would have been good additions.

[ktvillan]

He's likeable, like MON before him, but more humble.

I was chuffed when we got MON as manager but can't say I ever found him likeable.    His so called wit, charm and intelligence always came across to me as vindictiveness, arrogance, snideness and defensiveness, and I said as much while he was still our manager.  He's about as likeable as Malcolm Tucker.  I can't say Lambert comes across as particularly likeable either, but then I can barely understand a word he says.   

[Monty]

He's likeable, like MON before him, but more humble.

I was chuffed when we got MON as manager but can't say I ever found him likeable.    His so called wit, charm and intelligence always came across to me as vindictiveness, arrogance, snideness and defensiveness, and I said as much while he was still our manager.  He's about as likeable as Malcolm Tucker.  I can't say Lambert comes across as particularly likeable either, but then I can barely understand a word he says.   

That's unfair I think, Malcolm Tucker is likeable in his own way.

[PeterWithesShin]

I still think the sea change which happened at Villa Park was not the arrival of Randy Lerner or the appointment of O'Neill but the departure of Doug Ellis.

It reminds me of the plot of The Pit and The Pendulum.   Ellis went, phew, what a relief.   O'Neill and Lerner arrive, wonderful pendulum free days at VP.  What's this? F*ck! it's the pendulum. Enter Houllier and TSM and we wish we had somebody as football savvy and less naive than Lerner and Faulkner, Ellis for example.

Maybe, Brian, but I think the difference would have been that Ol' Herbert would not have allowed the wage bill to spiral out of control in the way that it seems RL did. If MON had come in to work under Doug (which I don't think he would have done), we would not have made the large number of mediocre signings on big salaries. So, we'd never have got into the position we found ourselves in 2010.

Ellis for all his faults kept his hand on the tiller and a tight control on the finances .

So how come we didn't have a pot to piss in when Ellis left?

, did we have a decent stadium?

Did we win two Wembley finals in the 90s and finish  runners up twice having come close to winning the league ?

The answer to all of these is yes - he had his faults but he wouldn't have made the mistakes Lerner has in the last 2 years .

He treated the manager of our greatest moment disgracefully. Barry Fry and small heath showed more respect to Barton than Ellis ever did. He relegated us. He thought Graham Turner and Billy McNeill were good enough to manage Villa. He sanctioned the signing of a lot of overpaid players, especially under Gregory. He named Witton Lane after himself. He cocked up building it. He destroyed the Trinity Road. We were heading for relegation a second time under him until Lerner stepped in. We didn't have a pot to piss in when he sold us to Lerner.

[ktvillan]

He's likeable, like MON before him, but more humble.

I was chuffed when we got MON as manager but can't say I ever found him likeable.    His so called wit, charm and intelligence always came across to me as vindictiveness, arrogance, snideness and defensiveness, and I said as much while he was still our manager.  He's about as likeable as Malcolm Tucker.  I can't say Lambert comes across as particularly likeable either, but then I can barely understand a word he says.   

That's unfair I think, Malcolm Tucker is likeable in his own way.

As an amused onlooker yes, in the same way that I can now kind of like watching MON being a tw*t as he's no longer any thing to do with us.