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

[paul_e]

I'm not sure I agree about him being in credit, breaking even is probably fairer.

He built a team aiming at a short term goal of reaching the champions league, despite improving and being close until the start of March a few times we never met that goal.  A cup win or 2 would have served to mitigate that but by a combination of factors we missed out on those as well.  The approach was very champions league or bust, and we've had a 2 year fall out to going bust.

The hope with Lambert is that he'll have a much longer game plan to aim at the same goal.

[pauliewalnuts]

Who said it was a short term plan, though?

That's how it turned out, but i can't believe it was deliberately done that way.

I think we can forget CL aspirations under Lerner now. They've made it really clear we have to be self supporting - basically, the Everton model.

[pauliewalnuts]

If he'd gone on to sign him after that loan season then by all means he could be criticised but he didn't.

He did spend £2m on having him on loan for that one season. That's only half a million less than we paid for Friedel.

I think that is worthy of criticism.

He was what 21/22 at the time and seen as England's number one compared to Friedel who was 37.

Yes, but the thing with comparing Carson to Friedel is that we paid the Carson fee and then got Friedel in, too.

[glasses]

Was it not the same transfer window we signed Carson on loan, that Sunderland signed Gordon for £8m or so? Am I right in saying that MON wanted Gordon, but he chose Sunderland? Carson was at the time a promising young keeper (or at least had the reputation of one) who was available on loan.

I had no problem shipping Sorensen out at the time mind. The couple of seasons prior to him leaving he put in some shockers IIRC. That said the defence in front of him wasn't always the best. He was pretty solid for Stoke when he went there though. Sometimes players just need a move I guess.

[paul_e]

Specifically on the keeper thing, Sorensen was a bog standard mid-table keeper, generally ok, the odd howler but got on with the job.  Carson had the reputation of being the next big thing, and he clearly had a lot of talent but he wasn't mentally strong enough to be called up for England at that time and his nerves got to him.  Then the same lack of mental strength meant he couldn't brush it off and get on with it.  Can't fault MoN for that.

[pauliewalnuts]

I thought Carson was pretty good right up until that England match.

I'd even managed to get over the fact that he looks like a thin Chris Moyles (controversial, what with Chris Moyles being a ******).

[glasses]

I agree Paulie, on both counts. Carson looking a good player, and Moyles being an unspeakably tosseristic, bastard head.

[PeterWithesShin]

I thought Carson was pretty good right up until that England match.

I'd even managed to get over the fact that he looks like a thin Chris Moyles (controversial, what with Chris Moyles being a c***).

I always thought he looked liked Terry Thomas.

[SoccerHQ]

Sorensen was a much better keeper than Carson.

I believe he was injured for the start of that season (and in any case him and MON probably did have a personality clash) so we did need to get a keeper in and Carson did o.k at Charlton the previous season.

[JUAN PABLO]

Did Carson kick the ball and hit one of the Villas players back side and end up back in the net?

[Risso]

I thought Carson was pretty good right up until that England match.

I'd even managed to get over the fact that he looks like a thin Chris Moyles (controversial, what with Chris Moyles being a c***).

I always thought he looked liked Terry Thomas.

I think he looked like Terry Fuckwit the Viz character.


Edit, and to prove it:

[Lambert and Payne]

Did Carson kick the ball and hit one of the Villas players back side and end up back in the net?

That was Pompey away in a 2-0 defeat. Re Coker it hit I think

[itbrvilla]

Did Carson kick the ball and hit one of the Villas players back side and end up back in the net?

with the amount of back passes he received, it was bound to happen sooner or later.  Never seen so many back passes in all my life than we had when MON was here.

[LeeB]

I thought Carson was pretty good right up until that England match.

I'd even managed to get over the fact that he looks like a thin Chris Moyles (controversial, what with Chris Moyles being a c***).

I always thought he looked liked Terry Thomas.

I think he looked like Terry Fuckwit the Viz character.


Edit, and to prove it:

Spotters badge to Risso.

He reminds me of Rimmer from Red Dwarf, because he appears to be a hologram.

[Big Dick Edwards]

I thought Carson was pretty good right up until that England match.

I'd even managed to get over the fact that he looks like a thin Chris Moyles (controversial, what with Chris Moyles being a c***).

Carson was never a good keeper for us. The England Croatia game merely brought his ineptitude to the masses. I never had any confidence in him. I'd go further and say he's the worst Villa goalkeeper of the last 40 years.