Return of O'Neill - divided opinion

[VILLA MOLE]

I still don't understand how he left us .  He says he didn't resign he has only resigned from Norwich, we paid compensation so we must have sacked him

Well at least the first part of this is right. You don't understand.

please enlighten me then as I am in the dark on this   

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

We've got more threads than Marks & Spencer hammering our current manager and now our collective ire turns to the most successful one in years who's described as vile, horrible and demonic. While we exhaust methods of delivering pelters, shall we compare and contrast? -

MON had us in the top 6 regularly and at Wembley and in Europe, this is fact. What would we give for him now as McLeish turns our club into a national laughing stock? We travel the land honking out stadia and receiving pity from those who remember AVFC for what it was.

MON made mistakes, so did Saunders, so did Taylor, so does Fergy. There were many more plusses than minuses however and as a Villa supporter I'd give my right arm to get along to the game and know we've got 11 players who'll put a shift in. Best manager we had in years.

Who finished no higher than the previous one.

But consistently did it in a league much better than the previous managers one. And we had good cup runs. And we had plenty of memorable matches. And we believed we could win any game we played.

[Brend'Watkins]

We've got more threads than Marks & Spencer hammering our current manager and now our collective ire turns to the most successful one in years who's described as vile, horrible and demonic. While we exhaust methods of delivering pelters, shall we compare and contrast? -

MON had us in the top 6 regularly and at Wembley and in Europe, this is fact. What would we give for him now as McLeish turns our club into a national laughing stock? We travel the land honking out stadia and receiving pity from those who remember AVFC for what it was.

MON made mistakes, so did Saunders, so did Taylor, so does Fergy. There were many more plusses than minuses however and as a Villa supporter I'd give my right arm to get along to the game and know we've got 11 players who'll put a shift in. Best manager we had in years.

Who finished no higher than the previous one.

But consistently did it in a league much better than the previous managers one. And we had good cup runs. And we had plenty of memorable matches. And we believed we could win any game we played.

We did, that is true.

A pity MON stopped believing and waited till 5 days before the season started to let it be known.

[Cuz]

We've got more threads than Marks & Spencer hammering our current manager and now our collective ire turns to the most successful one in years who's described as vile, horrible and demonic. While we exhaust methods of delivering pelters, shall we compare and contrast? -

MON had us in the top 6 regularly and at Wembley and in Europe, this is fact. What would we give for him now as McLeish turns our club into a national laughing stock? We travel the land honking out stadia and receiving pity from those who remember AVFC for what it was.

MON made mistakes, so did Saunders, so did Taylor, so does Fergy. There were many more plusses than minuses however and as a Villa supporter I'd give my right arm to get along to the game and know we've got 11 players who'll put a shift in. Best manager we had in years.

Who finished no higher than the previous one.

But consistently did it in a league much better than the previous managers one. And we had good cup runs. And we had plenty of memorable matches. And we believed we could win any game we played.

We did, that is true.

A pity MON stopped believing and waited till 5 days before the season started to let it be known.

we do not know what went on, I will give Mart a clap on Saturday

[VILLA MOLE]

We've got more threads than Marks & Spencer hammering our current manager and now our collective ire turns to the most successful one in years who's described as vile, horrible and demonic. While we exhaust methods of delivering pelters, shall we compare and contrast? -

MON had us in the top 6 regularly and at Wembley and in Europe, this is fact. What would we give for him now as McLeish turns our club into a national laughing stock? We travel the land honking out stadia and receiving pity from those who remember AVFC for what it was.

MON made mistakes, so did Saunders, so did Taylor, so does Fergy. There were many more plusses than minuses however and as a Villa supporter I'd give my right arm to get along to the game and know we've got 11 players who'll put a shift in. Best manager we had in years.

Who finished no higher than the previous one.

But consistently did it in a league much better than the previous managers one. And we had good cup runs. And we had plenty of memorable matches. And we believed we could win any game we played.

We did, that is true.

A pity MON stopped believing and waited till 5 days before the season started to let it be known.

we do not know what went on, I will give Mart a clap on Saturday

yes it is all a bit vague on what happened at the end of his reign  or have I missed something?

[glasses]

We've got more threads than Marks & Spencer hammering our current manager and now our collective ire turns to the most successful one in years who's described as vile, horrible and demonic. While we exhaust methods of delivering pelters, shall we compare and contrast? -

MON had us in the top 6 regularly and at Wembley and in Europe, this is fact. What would we give for him now as McLeish turns our club into a national laughing stock? We travel the land honking out stadia and receiving pity from those who remember AVFC for what it was.

MON made mistakes, so did Saunders, so did Taylor, so does Fergy. There were many more plusses than minuses however and as a Villa supporter I'd give my right arm to get along to the game and know we've got 11 players who'll put a shift in. Best manager we had in years.

Who finished no higher than the previous one.

But consistently did it in a league much better than the previous managers one. And we had good cup runs. And we had plenty of memorable matches. And we believed we could win any game we played.

CBBB. This is why I find it hard to hate him. I enjoyed O'Neills time more than I have any other managers since Gregory. In my lifetime (regularly going to matches) that is the best Villa have been.

[pauliewalnuts]

We've got more threads than Marks & Spencer hammering our current manager and now our collective ire turns to the most successful one in years who's described as vile, horrible and demonic. While we exhaust methods of delivering pelters, shall we compare and contrast? -

MON had us in the top 6 regularly and at Wembley and in Europe, this is fact. What would we give for him now as McLeish turns our club into a national laughing stock? We travel the land honking out stadia and receiving pity from those who remember AVFC for what it was.

MON made mistakes, so did Saunders, so did Taylor, so does Fergy. There were many more plusses than minuses however and as a Villa supporter I'd give my right arm to get along to the game and know we've got 11 players who'll put a shift in. Best manager we had in years.

Who finished no higher than the previous one.

But consistently did it in a league much better than the previous managers one. And we had good cup runs. And we had plenty of memorable matches. And we believed we could win any game we played.

CBBB. This is why I find it hard to hate him. I enjoyed O'Neills time more than I have any other managers since Gregory. In my lifetime (regularly going to matches) that is the best Villa have been.

How old are you, glasses? Serious question, btw, not taking the piss.

[arnie66]

The one thing that I ahve learned from this thread is that......few things have divided Villa fans more than this.....It's going to be a very weird atmosphere at 3pm on Saturday

[glasses]

26. I've been a Villa fan all my life, but only since the age of 14/15 would I say have I been regularly going to matches and properly understanding things.

[Mister E]

For me it's simple: MO'N massively disrespected the fans and the club by walking out without so much as a "cheers and thanks"; by taking his 5-6 cronies with him; by being unable to accept criticism at any time; by overplaying players when others in the squad were available. Even if the club / the chairman were at fault, he could have been much more gracious and magnanimous about the club, its employees and its fans. He wasn't: he went off in a hissy fit, spitefully and vindictively.

To be clear: IMO, in 2006 he was the messiah for the club. He brought back some pride and purpose to the club after a - frankly - awful 5-6 years and he he complemented the work being done by the new owners to 'up' the club's standing on and off the field.

He undid all of that  and in the process took us back to the dark days of O'Dreary and Doug's final hours as Chairman.

That's why I cannot give him any positive acknowledgement and - when challenged by fans of other clubs - have to lay out these negatives as 'evidence' of a man whose public persona is simply wrong!

[pauliewalnuts]

26. I've been a Villa fan all my life, but only since the age of 14/15 would I say have I been regularly going to matches and properly understanding things.

So MON's the manager who delivered the best times you've seen at Villa Park since the year 2001 or so?

Let's be honest, there's not much competition in there is there? I'd probably agree with you.

[glasses]

26. I've been a Villa fan all my life, but only since the age of 14/15 would I say have I been regularly going to matches and properly understanding things.

So MON's the manager who delivered the best times you've seen at Villa Park since the year 2001 or so?

Let's be honest, there's not much competition in there is there? I'd probably agree with you.

Well, I was 14 in 1999. The two years doesn't make a massive difference, granted. For me, something fundemental and intangible has been missing from the club since he left/was removed or whatever. And I don't mean him. It's just a spark or something I cant put my finger on. Perhaps thats why my rose-tinted spectacles appear every now and then. We felt like somebodys then, we dont anymore.

[Concrete John]

For me, something fundemental and intangible has been missing from the club since he left/was removed or whatever. And I don't mean him. It's just a spark or something I cant put my finger on. Perhaps thats why my rose-tinted spectacles appear every now and then. We felt like somebodys then, we dont anymore.

I think that fundemental thing was direction.

Since MON left, we've tried one approach with Houllier and then another with Mcleish, both of which haven't exactly set the world alight.  A rudderless ship without any real idea of where it even wants to go, let alone a means to get there. 

Like him/it or not, the club used to be run with an MON side in mind.  Plus, his ego and control freak nature also covered for a lack of direction by the board.   

[usav]

What are we divided on exactly.   Whether he is a wanker for walking out five days before the season starts or because he is an egotistical twat who manufactured mind-numbingly boring football with no tactical nuance at all?

Either way there is little good to be found.

[Concrete John]

What are we divided on exactly.   Whether he is a wanker for walking out five days before the season starts or because he is an egotistical twat who manufactured mind-numbingly boring football with no tactical nuance at all?

Either way there is little good to be found.

OK, we'll put you in the 'undecided' category then!