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

[pauliewalnuts]

Disagree, John.

Ultimately the whole thing was built on foundations of sand. I reckon O'Neill knew what was coming, hence his rapid exit.

Had he finished fourth, it wouldn't have made much difference. His 1980s brand of football would have been found out very quickly. Rapid Vienna managed to handle it with ease. God knows what a half decent European side would have done to us.

It would have been a sharp exit with a gigantic price tag.

[cheltenhamlion]

We didn't though, did we, Concrete John.

[TonyD]

There was a feeling we COULD NOT progress any further.   

[Concrete John]

There was a feeling we COULD NOT progress any further.   

There was both, which is what caused great debate on here.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

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.

Percy, we live with a club that has twats running it. And those twats have to be criticised by supporters like us. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Risso? I have a greater responsibility as a villa supporter than you can possibly fathom. You weep for O'Neill and you curse the Miserablists. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that O'Neill's departure, while tragic, probably saved the club in the long run. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, is important to the club...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that message board. You need me moaning my head off in the pub.
We use words like support, season tickets, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent supporting this club. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the finely tuned aggression I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a dog turd and arrange to have it put through Martin O'Neill's letterbox. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

[Concrete John]

Disagree, John.

Ultimately the whole thing was built on foundations of sand. I reckon O'Neill knew what was coming, hence his rapid exit.

Had he finished fourth, it wouldn't have made much difference. His 1980s brand of football would have been found out very quickly. Rapid Vienna managed to handle it with ease. God knows what a half decent European side would have done to us.

It would have been a sharp exit with a gigantic price tag.

If we had finished 4th it would have justified the spend, if not how it was spent, and enabled us to continue to build.  So I think it would have made a difference.

I think footballing wise there were some sound foundations in as far as we had the defence right, great away tactics and our key players were all quite young.  Where it was more wobbly was financially.  What MON could not/did not do was build on what he had created and address the finances.

[Concrete John]

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.

Percy, we live with a club that has twats running it. And those twats have to be criticised by supporters like us. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Risso? I have a greater responsibility as a villa supporter than you can possibly fathom. You weep for O'Neill and you curse the Miserablists. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that O'Neill's departure, while tragic, probably saved the club in the long run. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, is important to the club...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that message board. You need me moaning my head off in the pub.
We use words like support, season tickets, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent supporting this club. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the finely tuned aggression I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a dog turd and arrange to have it put through Martin O'Neill's letterbox. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

So the miserablists modelled themselves on a self absorbed mad man who should be in jail?

[pauliewalnuts]

Disagree, John.

Ultimately the whole thing was built on foundations of sand. I reckon O'Neill knew what was coming, hence his rapid exit.

Had he finished fourth, it wouldn't have made much difference. His 1980s brand of football would have been found out very quickly. Rapid Vienna managed to handle it with ease. God knows what a half decent European side would have done to us.

It would have been a sharp exit with a gigantic price tag.

If we had finished 4th it would have justified the spend, if not how it was spent, and enabled us to continue to build.  So I think it would have made a difference.

I think footballing wise there were some sound foundations in as far as we had the defence right, great away tactics and our key players were all quite young.  Where it was more wobbly was financially.  What MON could not/did not do was build on what he had created and address the finances.

It wouldn't have made any difference whatsoever if we'd got knocked out in the qualification match (as we did in the EL in his last season).

[WarszaVillan]

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.

Percy, we live with a club that has twats running it. And those twats have to be criticised by supporters like us. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Risso? I have a greater responsibility as a villa supporter than you can possibly fathom. You weep for O'Neill and you curse the Miserablists. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that O'Neill's departure, while tragic, probably saved the club in the long run. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, is important to the club...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that message board. You need me moaning my head off in the pub.
We use words like support, season tickets, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent supporting this club. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the finely tuned aggression I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a dog turd and arrange to have it put through Martin O'Neill's letterbox. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

I don't understand a word of this, I'm probably being dumb and missing some in jokes but what does it mean

[Dave]

[SoccerHQ]

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.

09/10 was the tipping point. It was downhill from there even if MON had stayed that season I reckon.

[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.

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.

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

So you'd better admit to having got that wrong hawkeye, or it makes you a fanatic.

Oh dear, what about these facts
Marlon Harewoood
Habib Beye
Emile Heskey
Steve Sidwell
Zat Knight
Selling Cahill
The wage bill
Walking out on us 5 days before the seson started.
Grief is a terrible thing.

[Percy McCarthy]

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.

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.

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

So you'd better admit to having got that wrong hawkeye, or it makes you a fanatic.

Oh dear, what about these facts
Marlon Harewoood
Habib Beye
Emile Heskey
Steve Sidwell
Zat Knight
Selling Cahill
The wage bill
Walking out on us 5 days before the seson started.
Grief is a terrible thing.

They are not facts. That is a list of players you have a low opinion of, one you have a high opinion of, a sum of money which in your opinion was unjustified, and two things that are completely irrelevant to what anybody thought when he was our manager, which is what we were discussing.

BTW, I didn't feel a moments grief over his departure - I save that for more deserving cases than multi-millionaires who flit from one fantastically well-paid to another, and I think it is pathetic of you to suggest I did. Pathetic, but coming from you, unsurprising.

[pauliewalnuts]

In fairness, grief is a terrible thing.

[not3bad]

There was a feeling we COULD NOT progress any further.   

I don't remember having that feeling.