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

[Dave Cooper please]

The only facts are the results, everything else is conjecture, speculation and opinion.

A couple of Facts then.

Results invariably dried up in the second half of each season, especially from March.

Despite having more money thrown at him than any other Villa manager ever, O'Neill could not make that final step up from sixth.

Those are result driven facts. The conjecture and speculation comes in when we try to analyse why, and also why he chose to give up on the project at the most inopportune possible moment for the club.

[pauliewalnuts]

Then we followed that clown with T-fucking-S-fucking-M. Unbelievable.

MON's departure also laid bare the incompetence at the top.

Houllier I could just about see the sense in as an appointment, but I'll never, ever understand what they did with McLeish. Just beyond belief.

[pauliewalnuts]

The only facts are the results, everything else is conjecture, speculation and opinion.

A couple of Facts then.

Results invariably dried up in the second half of each season, especially from March.

Despite having more money thrown at him than any other Villa manager ever, O'Neill could not make that final step up from sixth.

Those are result driven facts. The conjecture and speculation comes in when we try to analyse why, and also why he chose to give up on the project at the most inopportune possible moment for the club.

Another one.

Look at the goals for column for us at home in his last two seasons. From memory, it was 28 each year. Then factor in the fact that both those seasons involved a five goal thrashing of Bolton or some other dross side, thus leaving 18 goals stretched across the remaining 17 home games.

So, basically, a goal a game for 90 percent of the season. Pretty poor.

I'd also add that him dumping on us five days before the start of a season was also a fact.

[maidstonevillain]

I've been trying not to join in with the "I told you so" fest, as tempting as it is, but I did enjoy this particular post from Chris Smith, "Randy seems to have come to a similar conclusion to those in the former camp and that is why MON will be our manager this coming season.".  Four days before O'Neill walked out!

Jesus it feels as though some of us are going to get shifted off to the gulag and have show trials where we admit to wildy celebrating the 5th goal against the Blues and singing Martin give us a wave.

Yes, that's exactly what it is like, isn't it?

Doh

If you look through the thread, you'll struggle to find anyone who has a low opinion of MON but doesn't also acknowledge the good things he achieved here.

I don't think that is quite correct. I think there are a lot of us who have a low opinion of him (even if it was only formed after he walked). But that does not mean to say that we don't acknowledge the good things he did.

Edit. Ignore. Reread your post.

[Percy McCarthy]

Paulie: yes, him leaving when he did was/is a fact. People are mainly on trial for what they posted while he was here.

[Risso]

People are mainly on trial for what they posted while he was here.

Pass me the black cap!

[pauliewalnuts]

People are mainly on trial for what they posted while he was here.

Pass me the black cap!

*slams down gavel*

Send him down!

[not3bad]

You join us here at the "Martin O'Neill: Truth and Reconcilliation Inquest"...

[hilts_coolerking]

I object, your honor! This trial is a travesty. It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.

[Risso]

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

[Percy McCarthy]

Plea bargain: if you like I'll pretend that the people who spent every summer on here predicting how shit we were going to be were right all along. Hell, I'll even join in with the congratulations.

Can I join the Ministry of Truth club then?

[TonyD]

The Rise of the Neo-Monettes................

[Percy McCarthy]

Ah, that old chestnut. In the absence of an argument, call them a stupid name.

[cheltenhamlion]

Do you think Damon will do a news report on the trial from outside the Old Bailey?

[Risso]

Stop being such a big tart Perce, we're only joshing with you!   Anyway, the only person who really used to wind me up with all this, was Villadawg and his utter refusal to even contemplate that he might be wrong on the wages issue.