Return of O'Neill - divided opinion

[pauliewalnuts]

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.

To be fair to the angry pube headed one (not something I like doing), his football wasn't mind numbingly boring away from home. It was limited and predictable in some ways, yes, but not boring.

The last two season at home, though, were barely better than this season excitement wise.

[usav]

To be fair to the angry pube headed one (not something I like doing), his football wasn't mind numbingly boring away from home. It was limited and predictable in some ways, yes, but not boring.

Paulie I know what you are trying to say.  However, I remember saying even at the time that we were really lucky to win a lot of those away games, we always had about 30-40% possession and hit teams on the break.   We rarely dominated games from start to finish. 

So I'll retract the boring from the away games and replace it with 'lucky'.

[pauliewalnuts]

To be fair to the angry pube headed one (not something I like doing), his football wasn't mind numbingly boring away from home. It was limited and predictable in some ways, yes, but not boring.

Paulie I know what you are trying to say.  However, I remember saying even at the time that we were really lucky to win a lot of those away games, we always had about 30-40% possession and hit teams on the break.   We rarely dominated games from start to finish. 

So I'll retract the boring from the away games and replace it with 'lucky'.

Sounds good to me.

[Concrete John]

We had a great away record over a number of seasons, so don't think it could be described as 'lucky'.

[Risso]

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.

The thing that is misisng is quite tangible - money.  He wasted piles of it, and now we don't have any left.

[Eigentor]

I don't agree that MON was lucky in our away games. He employed an effective tactic, and it paid off quite often. It was one of the reasons why we were doing well under MON. The problem was, if we wanted to progress further, the "sit back and counter" had to be one of several possible tactics in the manager's repertoire. Sadly, MON revealed himself to be a one trick pony.

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't agree that MON was lucky in our away games. He employed an effective tactic, and it paid off quite often. It was one of the reasons why we were doing well under MON. The problem was, if we wanted to progress further, the "sit back and counter" had to be one of several possible tactics in the manager's repertoire. Sadly, MON revealed himself to be a one trick pony.

I can genuinely not remember a single occasion of him making a substitution or a tactical switch in such a way as to win a game.

I never got what the fuck he was trying to do with 75th min substitutions involving changing the right back, either.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The thing that is misisng is quite tangible - money.  He wasted piles of it, and now we don't have any left.

This is the key.
We have some decent youngsters, but we need 3 or 4 quality signings to go with them.
Sadly, the finances are up shit creek so we won't be getting them.

[PeterWithe]

MON's teams may not have played the best football I've seen, that would have been BFR or Sir Brian, but there were times during his reign that I have probably had more hope for the future than under any previous manager.

[pauliewalnuts]

MON's teams may not have played the best football I've seen, that would have been BFR or Sir Brian, but there were times during his reign that I have probably had more hope for the future than under any previous manager.

That's hard to disagree with.

In my case, I think it was largely due to the billionaire chairman investing money, though, not the manager.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Best I ever saw was the 76/77 team.

Man for man i'd put them above the Championship winning side.

[PeterWithe]

For me it was spending £4m on the pub. If we are spending that much on a pub no-ones allowed in, how much will be spending on players?

The answer of course was lots and lots, just the wrong ones.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

For me it was spending £4m on the pub. If we are spending that much on a pub no-ones allowed in, how much will be spending on players?

That was one almighty fuck up from start to finish and made me realise that the powers that be are clueless.
The opening hours were erratic and the bar lady there admitted to me that 'We don't want locals in'
It might have found a market for the VMF diners but it was always shut.
How did they ever expect to make it work?

Don't they use it on matchdays now to sell club tat?

[PeterWithe]

Strange all round although I console myself that at least they couldn't give it a free transfer to Doncaster three years after building it.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Strange all round although I console myself that at least they couldn't give it a free transfer to Doncaster three years after building it.

It's big, cumbersome, hideously expensive and they wheel it out now and again to little effect.

They should rename it The Emile Heskey.

Boom, and furthermore, boom