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

[hilts_coolerking]

I also remember loads of posts at that time applauding how the club was going about things 'the right way', i.e. by not forking out massive sums for marquee signings.

[pauliewalnuts]

Something else worthy of note is that whilst it is true, there was hardly a clamour from here to stop signing players and do something about the wage bill, we didn't know what the overall picture was.

Does anyone remember those first two years or so when we were desperate for him to spend money?

The accusation then was that he was being too cautious and treating the money as if it were his own.

In the early days, I think we saw the words "billionaire owner" and thought we were going to do a Chelsea.

[QBVILLA]

Something else worthy of note is that whilst it is true, there was hardly a clamour from here to stop signing players and do something about the wage bill, we didn't know what the overall picture was.

Does anyone remember those first two years or so when we were desperate for him to spend money?

The accusation then was that he was being too cautious and treating the money as if it were his own.

In the early days, I think we saw the words "billionaire owner" and thought we were going to do a Chelsea.

There was a lot of us like that. When we realised we weren't we joined together condemning the manner in which Chelsea then Citeh bought their titles.

[PeterWithesShin]

Those first couple of years I remember waiting for the superstar signings to start arriving. I was very naive back then.

[not3bad]

Those first couple of years I remember waiting for the superstar signings to start arriving. I was very naive back then.

The scales began to fall from our eyes when we got a Marlon Harewood shaped wake up call.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I remember the U.S.A chants ringing around the Emirates in O'Neill's first game.

Still up there with my alltime favourite Villa games. New owner, new gaffer, new kit, new dawn .

And Mellberg scoring the first ever goal scored at the new Arsenal ground.

Fantastic.

In fact, "terrific"

[not3bad]

I wasn't at the Arsenal match but the following two home games against Reading and Newcastle I remember well - a draw and two wins in our first 3 matches under the new regime, and we hadn't even signed anyone of note yet. 

[eamonn]

That probably has as much to do with having to put-up with all the Gooners you have to work with though.

[eastie]

Something else worthy of note is that whilst it is true, there was hardly a clamour from here to stop signing players and do something about the wage bill, we didn't know what the overall picture was.

Does anyone remember those first two years or so when we were desperate for him to spend money?

The accusation then was that he was being too cautious and treating the money as if it were his own.

Yep there were many comments along those lines. The problem is the modern fan sees the transfer fee which is not the overall outlay.

E.g Cuellar, Heskey and Beye cost us £40m for a combined total of 10.5 seasons with if we are being kind probably less than 30 good games between them.

And 28 of those were by cuellar!

[N'ZMAV]

Something else worthy of note is that whilst it is true, there was hardly a clamour from here to stop signing players and do something about the wage bill, we didn't know what the overall picture was.

Does anyone remember those first two years or so when we were desperate for him to spend money?

The accusation then was that he was being too cautious and treating the money as if it were his own.

Yep there were many comments along those lines. The problem is the modern fan sees the transfer fee which is not the overall outlay.

E.g Cuellar, Heskey and Beye cost us £40m for a combined total of 10.5 seasons with if we are being kind probably less than 30 good games between them.

And 28 of those were by cuellar!

I don't remember Cuellar having 28 good games.

[mike]

[
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.
[/quote]

Looking at that list objectively my opinion is:
Harewood,Beye and Heskey were poor signings, baffling at the time.
Sidwell for £5m was viewed as good business at the time by the majority of us. He didn't succeed so it turned into a bad signing.
Knight was bought as a squad player, did ok and was sold for pretty much what we paid if not a bit more.
The Cahill sale, well i've covered that above, for me that was just timing.
As for the wage bill. Was O'Neill in sole control of the club's finances? If so then that is bad business and renders the board redundant. Sure he has to shoulder some of the blame for the huge wages paid to the likes of Beye but someone sanctioned those contracts.
[/quote]

Curtis Davies
Nicky Shorey
The list just goes on. And on top of that even the not too bad players cost a fortune. What did we pay for Luke Young, Warnock, Delph, Reo Coker. I bet Mrs O doesn't let him do the shopping.

[pauliewalnuts]

All managers buy stinkers, it happens.

The difference with MON, though, was that the policy seemed so scattergun and ill thought-out, that it was all ultimately very short term.

[Merv]

My biggest gripe about MON's transfers were always the volume of expensive players he brought in who were then very quickly dropped to the bench, or completely out of the squad.

It was as if he wasn't sure about a player, bought them anyway, then had a proper look at them and decided he didn't like them.

[cheltenhamlion]

The signing of Shorey is a compelling case in point. Bouma picks up a bad injury so we need a new left back.

MON isn't sure about Shorey as he thinks he is too slow. But, owing to his lack of scouting network and unimaginative transfer policy, can't think of a single player that is better so signs him anyway and on very good money.

Then drops him like a stone very quickly after.

[Gareth]

Had he left at a reasonable point ie after the last game of the previous season it would have been a case of 'thanks for some good times, time to move on' for me but his legacy sinks on that gutless, spiteful act of leaving 5 days before kick off in what will always appear to be an act calculated to cause the maximum damage.  Any respect I had for him went that day....and to quote him I prefer to 're-write history' as it suits me to use hindsight and despise him jilting our football club, showing a contemptable level of respect to you and me when it needed him to step up and prove himself.

He had the opportunity to put himself up there with the Saunders / Bartons / Sir Graham's but he is nothing but a pretender, scarcely above that gutter where O'Leary and McNeill reside, languishing below McLeish even.

IMHO.