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

[Percy McCarthy]

I don't think they do kangaroo courts at the Old Bailey.

[not3bad]

You're wrong.  Skippy got sent down for 10 years the other day for smuggling counterfeit goods in his pouch.

[PeterWithesShin]

Ultimately the most damning thing for me about MON is that despite having by far the best working conditions of any Villa manager in my life, he's only the 6th or 7th most successful in that time. It's a toss up between him and Gregory for 6th and 7th. Both peaked at 6th, both wasted a lot of money, both got to a cup final and semi final.

[Percy McCarthy]

Riss: 'we're only joshing with you'!

I suspected as much. I've read so much ridiculous bollocks on the last few pages, I couldn't believe it was serious.

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't think they do kangaroo courts at the Old Bailey.

Huh, that's the only kind of court there is in this rapidly failing capitalistic system, comrade.

/student_grant

[Risso]

"They send people to the gallows for nicking a packet of Polos, whilst the capitalist scum get away with selling children's vital organs".

[Percy McCarthy]

The most sensible things posted all day.

[Pat McMahon]

My take is that the large majority of posters on here are very much angry that we did not progress further under MON, and there is generally some cracking debate above.

I think that the negatives ( lack of tactical flexibility, dull home performances, high transfer fees and salaries, failure to maintain momentum in February / March each season, poor progress in Europe, timing of departure) and positives (consistent top 6 finishes, beating all the then Sky 4 teams, fantastic away form, knowing we could beat anybody, anywhere, anytime, magnificent record in local derbies, opponents were very wary of us) are generally acknowledged by both supporters and critics alike.

One element that is not sufficiently acknowledged is the three consecutive 6th place finishes. Other managers have achieved 6th place, but I think that MON was the first manager in my lifetime to achieve this for 3 years in a row, and I am 50 in a month's time. We had reached a level of consistency - too consistent, unfortunately - that had been lacking for a long time and were ideally positioned to remain there. The right appointment in 2010 should have seen us stay very near to 6th spot, maybe move higher. This was a real wasted opportunity.

Amazing that over two years after his departure that we have a thread of nearly 40 pages!

[eastie]

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.

Agreed and his graphical charts were a pain too!

[Irish villain]

My take is that the large majority of posters on here are very much angry that we did not progress further under MON, and there is generally some cracking debate above.

I think that the negatives ( lack of tactical flexibility, dull home performances, high transfer fees and salaries, failure to maintain momentum in February / March each season, poor progress in Europe, timing of departure) and positives (consistent top 6 finishes, beating all the then Sky 4 teams, fantastic away form, knowing we could beat anybody, anywhere, anytime, magnificent record in local derbies, opponents were very wary of us) are generally acknowledged by both supporters and critics alike.

One element that is not sufficiently acknowledged is the three consecutive 6th place finishes. Other managers have achieved 6th place, but I think that MON was the first manager in my lifetime to achieve this for 3 years in a row, and I am 50 in a month's time. We had reached a level of consistency - too consistent, unfortunately - that had been lacking for a long time and were ideally positioned to remain there. The right appointment in 2010 should have seen us stay very near to 6th spot, maybe move higher. This was a real wasted opportunity.

Amazing that over two years after his departure that we have a thread of nearly 40 pages!

I agree with your post but would point out that we were never out of the top eight between 1996 and 2002 and reached fourth and fifth within that time. That was pretty consistent.

[itbrvilla]

Yeah we had a 4th, 5th and 6th in a row. Trumps MON I'm afraid.

[eastie]

Yeah we had a 4th, 5th and 6th in a row. Trumps MON I'm afraid.

Including a Wembley final win.

[Irish villain]

Yeah we had a 4th, 5th and 6th in a row. Trumps MON I'm afraid.

The third was a seventh and that was followed by sixth which meant four top sevens in a row.

[cheltenhamlion]

But we won a pot and got close other times as well. Including the FA Cup. That is a whole different conversation however...

[Concrete John]

The thing with those late 90s finishes was we were in a general slow decline from the high of Sir Brian's first full season until it went really wrong under Sir Graham MKII.  With MON's three 6th places there was a feeling, which obviously caused great debate, that we COULD have progressed from there, with the points tally and gap to 4th getting better each year.