Martin O'Neill: Ten years on

[Villan82]

I am not pro-MON but I do feel a devil's advocate is required on this thread.

In MON's defence - hear me out - in 2006 we all, fans and manager included no doubt, thought we had the new Abramovich and that our days of penny pinching were over. Yes, it was spent poorly (maybe we couldn't attract the marquee players, who knows?).

But, it was certainly a shock to my system in 2009 and 2010 when, despite this bright new era, we were still losing our star players. Actually, it started with Patrick Berger's comments to the effect Barry needed to leave to fulfill his ambitions, was it in 2008? That was a worrying sign. Barry wanting out was the start of the worries for me. That was a hammer blow, and in hindsight, shows that we were never going to break that glass ceiling with the Lerner regime. We managed fine after Barry left because Miner became a superb central midfielder.

However, the rumours about Milner going soon started. Put yourself in MON''s shoes. Not only are we not the new moneybags FC we thought we would be, we are now having our best players picked off by other clubs who are passing us out. Then, add to that, we are cutting our cloth. It would have been clear by mid 2010 that even matching our previous 6th place finishes was going to be a challenge in 2010-11 and, considering how much moaning there was by 2010 about repeatedly falling short of the top four, trying to sell a top ten finish was going to be a nightmare for him.

Yes, he was a c-word for what he did. He should have went that summer. However, let's not pretend his leaving was the only problem. The wheels were already falling off the Lerner project before then and, if Stephen Ireland was accepted as a makeweight against his wishes you can see how that would cause a flare up.

[dave.woodhall]

I am not pro-MON but I do feel a devil's advocate is required on this thread.

In MON's defence - hear me out - in 2006 we all, fans and manager included no doubt, thought we had the new Abramovich and that our days of penny pinching were over. Yes, it was spent poorly (maybe we couldn't attract the marquee players, who knows?).

But, it was certainly a shock to my system in 2009 and 2010 when, despite this bright new era, we were still losing our star players. Actually, it started with Patrick Berger's comments to the effect Barry needed to leave to fulfill his ambitions, was it in 2008? That was a worrying sign. Barry wanting out was the start of the worries for me. That was a hammer blow, and in hindsight, shows that we were never going to break that glass ceiling with the Lerner regime. We managed fine after Barry left because Miner became a superb central midfielder.

However, the rumours about Milner going soon started. Put yourself in MON''s shoes. Not only are we not the new moneybags FC we thought we would be, we are now having our best players picked off by other clubs who are passing us out. Then, add to that, we are cutting our cloth. It would have been clear by mid 2010 that even matching our previous 6th place finishes was going to be a challenge in 2010-11 and, considering how much moaning there was by 2010 about repeatedly falling short of the top four, trying to sell a top ten finish was going to be a nightmare for him.

Yes, he was a c-word for what he did. He should have went that summer. However, let's not pretend his leaving was the only problem. The wheels were already falling off the Lerner project before then and, if Stephen Ireland was accepted as a makeweight against his wishes you can see how that would cause a flare up.

Two things about that.

First, when Lerner arrived he made it clear that he wasn't Abramovich II. In fact, when Manchester City started spending big there was a general feeling on here that we were doing it right and we didn't want to be bankrolled.

Second, the very first time that O'Neill didn't have unlimited funds and power - in other words, when he had to behave like every other manager - he was off.

[SoccerHQ]

We played Newcastle early in his reign and iirc ater the game their manager said our commitment etc was frightening.

For some reason this was a comfortable regulation win in but always remember it. Not sure it was Reoder but if you look at those 2 line ups  they had better players - Mellberg and Barry, maybe Angel would make combined team

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/5266292.stm

Carr, Bramble, Moore, Babayaro was close to a relegation standard defence, mind you looking at ours we seemed to have Whittingham at left back. Think Newcastle had a stronger 11 when they went down a few years later.

[SoccerHQ]

We played Newcastle early in his reign and iirc ater the game their manager said our commitment etc was frightening.

For some reason this was a comfortable regulation win in but always remember it. Not sure it was Reoder but if you look at those 2 line ups  they had better players - Mellberg and Barry, maybe Angel would make combined team

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/5266292.stm

I remember going to Blackburn who were managed by Allardyce as probably the high water mark of his reign. We'd just signed Heskey (I know, but he'd scored on his debut), were on a great run, and absolutely dismantled them in front of a full away end (the whole stand I think). I remember Allardyce saying we were frightening and they couldn't match our commitment and skill. At that point it looked like we could go for the title let alone the top 4, but it was just a few weeks before Moscow.

We had 51 points after that game, end of January 2009 so were well on course to get to 70 points which would've been our highest premer league total since 1993. We actually only got 63 points in 95/96 which surprised me. As we know won 2 of the final 13 league games.

[BC Villain]

Martin O'Neill has finally lifted the lid on his controversial Aston Villa exit during his most honest interview since he quit the club.

In an exclusive chat with BirminghamLive's Claret & Blue podcast, O'Neill revealed he regrets leaving Villa - and the manner of his departure - in the summer of 2010. He insists he would "absolutely stay put", seek to mend his fractured relationship with Randy Lerner and try to push Villa forward if he could have his time again.

He left Bodymoor Heath under a storm when he handed in his resignation five days before the start of the 2010-11 Premier League season. It followed a tense phone call with Lerner the day after Villa's pre-season friendly against Valencia.

O'Neill, who took legal advice before handing his resignation to chief executive Paul Faulkner on August 8, later went on to win a case of constructive dismissal. His shock exit followed three sixth place finishes in the Premier League, along with League Cup final and FA Cup semi final appearances.

O'Neill told Claret & Blue that Randy Lerner's decision to sell James Milner to Manchester City was the tipping point that forced him to quit. The 70-year-old Irishman insists he was given assurances by Lerner that Villa would not only keep Milner but would look to bolster the team by attempting to sign Scott Parker, only for the American owner to go back on his word the very next day.

O'Neill asked Lerner to publicly explain to Villa fans that the goalposts had been moved and their expectations should be adjusted - but the billionaire refused to do so. It proved to be the final straw for the former Nottingham Forest European Cup star.

"The bottom line is that if you were asking me now - and in fact even if you'd asked me maybe a year after events - then I would certainly have stayed on at the football club and pushed on," revealed O'Neill.

"I have to say wherever I am as a football manager the owner of a football club has his own decisions to make, and maybe I didn't see that at the time.

"But again, in hindsight, you look and you think he's the owner, he's the one who has tried to improve the football club in many aspects, so that decision should rest with him probably.

"People said it was because he was asking for money and that's an absolute myth, that wasn't the case.

"I did say to Randy that at some stage along you will get your money back for the likes of James Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing and you will make some money in those deals so let us try and push on. They did get the money back.

"I was expecting perhaps more from the likes of Steve Sidwell and Nigel Reo Coker. But overall I thought we had a squad certainly capable of being in the top six again.

"Can we push into those last two positions? That was it. But this idea that I was asking for a lot more was certainly not true."

In his most honest interview since leaving Villa 12 years ago, BirminghamLive asked O'Neill if he thought the manner of his departure has tainted his legacy in the eyes of the claret and blue faithful.

"I don't know," he said. "We finished with three top sixes and tried to push on. I'm not going to convince everyone.

"I did a little function last night and three Villa fans did come up to me. They weren't cantankerous or anything like that and they said we had some really great days there.

"But there will be lots of Villa fans who say, no, he left us in the lurch, that type of thing.

"I've said to you during this interview that if I was to do it again I'd absolutely stay put."

Speaking exclusively to BirminghamLive at a Second City hotel O'Neill insists what he achieved at the club - sixth place finishes and Wembley trips - should have been the start rather than the height of the club's ambitions.

"We finished in the top six but this is the interesting thing about it," he said. "I didn't think the top six was good enough for Aston Villa, that's really it.

"I wanted to be in the Champions League. I'd had the experience of that there at Celtic. There's nothing like it and there's nothing like that music being played. Imagine having that played at Villa Park. That was my drive, I didn't think the top six was good enough for Aston Villa."

[PeterWithesShin]

It was only the height of what we achived as you signed so much overpriced shite. Go fuck yourself MON. Wanker.

[dave.woodhall]

The first time he had to do what almost every other manager has to do, he walked out. We knew that already.

[Villan82]

Lerner hadn't the first clue about how run a club which is why we ended up relegated.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'd have a lot more sympathy for him if it weren't for the insane number of players he spunked huge amounts of money on only to never use.

[Sexual Ealing]

I'm not surprised he regrets leaving, but slightly surprised that he admits it.

[VILLA MOLE]

let’s list the players we didn’t make back £ on

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Too little too late from the quitter!
Faux regret after all these years doesn't wash.

[tomd2103]

Given the players he had at his disposal and the money he spent, his time at the club was about par for the course.  I still think we should have had at least one top four finish in his time with us and that it was his poor squad management that meant we didn't.

[Beard82]

I wonder how many people regret leaving the villa

I think far more regret it than are thankful for it

[London Villan]

Regret as his career fell away after being Villa manager. Wasn’t he sacked everywhere he went after us?