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

[brian green]

A really excellent piece chelts.   I hoped you would have got in a sentence or two about the exploitation of the Clough connection but that is a tiny quibble about as definitive a statement on the topic as we shall ever get.

[cheltenhamlion]

Tell you what Brian, here is a paragraph or two just for you:

The other thing with the MON myth of course is that it is predicated in the past. The national media desperately want to see him as the reincarnation of Brian Clough. The difference is that, for all his personal posturing, he won't accept assistance in the way Cloughie would.

Peter Taylor found the players Clough needed, from the lower leagues and at the right price. MON's scouting involved Ian Storey Moore telling him an England international might be able to play. He is as much a Clough clone as I am of Mourinho.

[Dave]

Just to join in the praise, beautifully written article.

I read the post that you made of it on that Sunderland blog and was going to come here to direct people to it. Clearly no need for that.

[cheltenhamlion]

If its on a Sunderland blog they have played copy and paste. I only posted it here.

[Dave]

If its on a Sunderland blog they have played copy and paste. I only posted it here.

Fair enough, it's been put on that previous linked site - http://salutsunderland.com/2012/11/oneill-out-no-but-meet-the-aston-villa-fans-questioning-that-judgement/ as one of the responses.

[cheltenhamlion]

Excellent post CL.  A heart-breaking read in some ways, particularly when you consider how close we were, but the bottom line is that O'Neill's idiosyncrasies were simultaneously the reason why we did so well and the reason why we were never going to do any better.

Quite right, Hilts. I agree entirely.

[cheltenhamlion]

In fact, let us very briefly go again.

If he was not such a one dimensional, stubborn prick, he could just have gone down as another marvellous chapter in our illustrious history. He was that close.

Had he not been such a self centred, egotistical, stuck in his ways, bastard he could have achieved the holy grail that so many had tried, and failed, to get right before him.

[Percy McCarthy]

Fuck me it's a feeding frenzy. It reminds me of when I walked into the pubs on Chelmsley after they'd beaten us.

Not that I had to worry about that when O'Neill was manager.

[WarszaVillan]

Less than an hour and I took lunch towards when I was supposed to be leaving for the day!

Dave - If you want top open up old wounds and use that for the Chrimbo edition you are welcome.

Perhaps as an open letter to their fans if so.

What just an open letter? No this should get a literary prize. It should be printed in the thousands and distributed to the masses. It will become a guide for all of us who suffered the delusions of being a disciple of Saint Martin. We shall gather in Greg Nash's bunker and read the great text before being shown Eastie's 24 hour SkySport compilations of the infidel's interviews. I repent my ways, I just thank you that you allowed me to see how I had trodden this treacherous path.

[hawkeye]

Cheltenham Lion, that is the most well observed and well written post on the subject. UTV Hawkeye

[TonyD]

It is funny to see Sunderland fans say "I still have faith in him" - "I still have confidence in him" even after reading about all his faults - fully detailed and essayed for them on their forums by learned viila contributors.

It is also curious that how many villa still hold a candle for the man despite now being in full possession of the facts. 

A true enigma.

[hawkeye]

It is funny to see Sunderland fans say "I still have faith in him" - "I still have confidence in him" even after reading about all his faults - fully detailed and essayed for them on their forums by learned viila contributors.

It is also curious that how many villa still hold a candle for the man despite now being in full possession of the facts. 

A true enigma.

Thats what happens with fanatics, they can never accept that they got it wrong.

[WarszaVillan]

It is funny to see Sunderland fans say "I still have faith in him" - "I still have confidence in him" even after reading about all his faults - fully detailed and essayed for them on their forums by learned viila contributors.

It is also curious that how many villa still hold a candle for the man despite now being in full possession of the facts. 

A true enigma.

Thats what happens with fanatics, they can never accept that they got it wrong.

With your help I'll conquer this terrible affliction

[cheltenhamlion]

Less than an hour and I took lunch towards when I was supposed to be leaving for the day!

Dave - If you want top open up old wounds and use that for the Chrimbo edition you are welcome.

Perhaps as an open letter to their fans if so.

What just an open letter? No this should get a literary prize. It should be printed in the thousands and distributed to the masses. It will become a guide for all of us who suffered the delusions of being a disciple of Saint Martin. We shall gather in Greg Nash's bunker and read the great text before being shown Eastie's 24 hour SkySport compilations of the infidel's interviews. I repent my ways, I just thank you that you allowed me to see how I had trodden this treacherous path.

Ooh, get you. I have to hit the shower pre work but I so wish you had turned in an hour ago to actually debate this.

The guy that told me I cant possibly know more about the goings on at the club than you because you didnt know it yourself and, if I did, I would have played ITK cards with all und sundry to prove my point.

I have of course given Dave W scoops in the past, as well as Mods on here, but dont let that get in the way of you defending your great pal, Marty.

Will respond tomorrow (after talking to my agent of course).

Love, Stu xx

[paul_e]

Fuck me it's a feeding frenzy. It reminds me of when I walked into the pubs on Chelmsley after they'd beaten us.

Not that I had to worry about that when O'Neill was manager.

As one of the people who backed MoN quite strongly until the last few months, I think for me the problem is, for all the good things he did, it's hard to look at the current squad, compare it to the cash spent in the last 6 years and not think he made a bit of a mess of things.

I was happy with how things went but there was never any long-term planning and over the last 2 years we've seen just how little plan there was.