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

[not3bad]

An interesting thread here on a Sunderland forum saying the fact John Robertson hasn't joined MON this time may be a factor - http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=740377

Just read the 'No Respect' thread. Quite embarrassing. I cringe every time the 19 minutes finishes now.

Are they Liverpool in disguise?

[frank]

You can see some of ours looking round, almost counting how many home fans are joining in so they can start slagging them. It's worse then celebrating a goal by goading the opposition and that's pretty pathetic.

Agreed. Yesterday the "No respect" chant started the moment the applause finished. It's almost automatic now

[Percy McCarthy]

What a load of bollocks this 'no respect' thing is. If anyone thinks anybody is purposely disrespecting or snubbing Petrov they need their heads testing.

I agree it's embarrassing. Shame.

[Holte L2]

It's about time we took a stance and maybe start booing when the 'no respect' starts. It's the only way some muppets will learn. Otherwise we're going to look a joke if we carry on.

[Fin Feds Dad]

What a load of bollocks this 'no respect' thing is. If anyone thinks anybody is purposely disrespecting or snubbing Petrov they need their heads testing.

I agree it's embarrassing. Shame.

Spot on mate - it's cringeworthy .

[Rip Van We Go Again]

After trawling through his awful spelling, I deduced that hawkeye attempted to type 'people flew into an absolute rage when anyone flickered a suggestion that MON was not, in fact, the Messiah'. Fletch agreed.

I think Hawkeye's comment was exaggerated for comic effect, but people on here did rabidly defend him when questions were asked about his managerial decisions.

For all the bile that he's had on here for the last few days, I still know some that love him and won't hear a bad word said about him.

He's also a subject that will still be talked about 2 years down the line as his decision to do one still reverberates around the club to this day, although that's not purely his fault, more the arse headed leadership decisions that have been made ever since.

[frank]

It's about time we took a stance and maybe start booing when the 'no respect' starts. It's the only way some muppets will learn. Otherwise we're going to look a joke if we carry on.

Unfortunately, they'll think the boos are for the opposing fans not themselves

[Percy McCarthy]

Fair enough Fletch.

Personally speaking, I always thought he was a good manager, and I think his record with us (and before us) suggested that. I think he bottled the chance to show he was any better than that by leaving, which in effect was him saying 'I haven't the ability to work within financial constraints'.

Now, I think age or the ability to relate to players has caught up with him and he's probably not even a good manager anymore, same as what happened to Big Ron.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Fair enough Fletch.

Personally speaking, I always thought he was a good manager, and I think his record with us (and before us) suggested that. I think he bottled that chance to show he was any better than that by leaving, which in effect was him saying 'I haven't the ability to work with financial constraints'.

Now, I think age or the ability to relate to players has caught up with him and he's probably not even a good manager anymore, same as what happened to Big Ron.

Agreed.

I think his arrival here blew the cobwebs away and made me feel an enthusiasm I hadn't felt in years.
He hit the proverbial glass celing and fucked off knowing that the only way was down (anything below 6th)

The real bitch is the way things have been handled ever since, my 2 cats could have run the club better and we can't wholly blame the last 2 and a bit years on O'Neill.

I also agree with others that his heart doesn't seem in it at Sunderland.

I think when he leaves/get's pushed, he'll retire.

[BC54 VFC]

Yesterday's Daily Express had a pre-match feature, by Niall Hickman, inevitably with the prime focus on MON, which had this amazing paragraph:-

"At Villa Park, where his relationship with American owner Randy Lerner eventually went sour, he led his side to three top-six finishes in a row, an astonishing achievement in view of the lack of investment with which he had to contend."

Whilst eastie provides a link on Page 17 to a pre-match Daily Mirror thread, which alludes to MON's programme notes, I thought it worth quoting MON's programme notes from yesterday, insofar as they relate to Villa, verbatim:-

"We return this afternoon to a very important Barclays Premier League game against Aston Villa, a club that I was very privileged to manage for four seasons starting in August 2006. After the trials and tribulations of a first season at Villa Park the club finished with three consecutive top six finishes, qualifying for European football on all three occasions. Our ultimate season saw the club reach the final of the League Cup at Wembley, losing contentiously 2-1 to Manchester United. A couple of weeks later Wembley was visited again, this time for a semi-final FA Cup game against eventual winners Chelsea. Four or five weeks later the club finished the Barclays Premier League campaign with 64 points, the highest points total the club has achieved in almost 20 years. I mention this because there has been a tendency to re-write history. In January 2011, the club reportedly spent £30million in the transfer market some five months after my backroom staff and I had departed."

MON's clearly still got some friends in the press, and is a very sensitive chappie! Personally, I consider it was well worth driving 710 miles in the space of five days to see my team record two away victories, the latter being particularly sweet as it was such an accomplished performance against the Messiah!

[Percy McCarthy]

Well obviously Niall hickman is talking bollocks, but it's hard to pick any holes in what MON said.

[hilts_coolerking]

I'm not sure what point Pubey is trying to make there.  Unless he's suggesting that rumours he walked out on us because there was no more money to spend are untrue.  And he's right.  He walked out on us because the owner didn't trust him to spend his money any more.

[dave.woodhall]

Well obviously Niall hickman is talking bollocks, but it's hard to pick any holes in what MON said.

http://blogs.birminghammail.net/astonvilla/2012/11/re-righting-a-ron-g-martin.html

[Irish villain]

Well obviously Niall hickman is talking bollocks, but it's hard to pick any holes in what MON said.

True. Bent and Makoun weren't exactly the best bits of business the club has ever done.

[dave.woodhall]

Well obviously Niall hickman is talking bollocks, but it's hard to pick any holes in what MON said.

True. Bent and Makoun weren't exactly the best bits of business the club has ever done.

How can anyone criticise signing Bent?