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Author Topic: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on  (Read 15393 times)

Online dave.woodhall

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #15 on: August 10, 2020, 10:04:28 PM »
But the one thing I will say is that we couldn't blame him for more than a couple of years. By the time Lambert arrived we should have been rid of his influence.

Online Tokyo Sexwhale

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #16 on: August 10, 2020, 10:06:59 PM »
Given the money and opportunity he had, he achieved the bare minimum that could have been expected.

Bought too many mediocre English/British players.  But stuck to the same XI nearly every week.

Then fucked us over when the easy money ran out, and he hadn't had the foresight to build a good enough squad to continue competing.

Oh and Heskey.



Offline PeterWithesShin

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #17 on: August 10, 2020, 10:11:57 PM »
The two occasions we had the ability to spend big and take that step into the top few sides we had Gregory and pubehead spending the money. Two average managers with little ability beyond motivation and who had no idea you could buy players from outside the UK. Still pisses me off those 2 wasted all that money.

Offline Chico Hamilton III

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #18 on: August 11, 2020, 09:37:30 AM »
I hate him, hate his spending on donkeys, hate the way he dropped us in the shit when he flounced off, and I can't believe that I ever rated him.

Truth is though, I did really love him at the start. That first game at the Emirates (with Lerner just taking over from Doug,"USA,USA..." Mellberg scoring the first ever goal at the new ground etc) was up there with one of the best days I've had as a Villa fan. Liberated from Ellis, a new owner who we all thought loved Villa and our history and said all the right things. Some really great days, ending in the effing nightmare that we're still recovering from....   

Online itbrvilla

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #19 on: August 11, 2020, 09:50:59 AM »
The two occasions we had the ability to spend big and take that step into the top few sides we had Gregory and pubehead spending the money. Two average managers with little ability beyond motivation and who had no idea you could buy players from outside the UK. Still pisses me off those 2 wasted all that money.
I'd argue MOM wasn't as big a motivator has claimed.  I always felt made a teams appear to be less that the sum of its parts.

Offline JD

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #20 on: August 11, 2020, 09:52:28 AM »
Totally agree Chico. When O'Neill and Randy turned up I thought we were in for great times like the late 70's early 80's. God it turned to shit so quickly when it went wrong. 

Online dave.woodhall

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #21 on: August 11, 2020, 10:04:17 AM »
The two occasions we had the ability to spend big and take that step into the top few sides we had Gregory and pubehead spending the money. Two average managers with little ability beyond motivation and who had no idea you could buy players from outside the UK. Still pisses me off those 2 wasted all that money.
I'd argue MOM wasn't as big a motivator has claimed.  I always felt made a teams appear to be less that the sum of its parts.

I know people who worked at Villa then and they said that when he deigned to speak he could have you willing to run through brick walls for him.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #22 on: August 11, 2020, 03:01:39 PM »
I would imagine not going on a thread with his name is a good start.

Pissed off with the short notice how he fucked us over in short period but still gave me some of the best memories since Little.


I was very much a MON fan generally speaking. Apart from the last minute deadline day trolley dashes for players that would have put Harry Redknapp to shame. He stitched us up with the manner of his departure and the Milner sale was obviously the tipping point for O'Neill. I think in some ways the circumstances were similar to when Ron Saunders left. I think both Saunders and MON fully believed they would win the power struggle, get their way and come out the other side even more powerful. They were both wrong.

Offline AsTallAsLions

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #23 on: August 11, 2020, 03:05:31 PM »
I would imagine not going on a thread with his name is a good start.

Pissed off with the short notice how he fucked us over in short period but still gave me some of the best memories since Little.


I was very much a MON fan generally speaking. Apart from the last minute deadline day trolley dashes for players that would have put Harry Redknapp to shame. He stitched us up with the manner of his departure and the Milner sale was obviously the tipping point for O'Neill. I think in some ways the circumstances were similar to when Ron Saunders left. I think both Saunders and MON fully believed they would win the power struggle, get their way and come out the other side even more powerful. They were both wrong.

The difference being, Saunders was an excellent manager who won things for the club.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #24 on: August 11, 2020, 03:09:40 PM »
The two occasions we had the ability to spend big and take that step into the top few sides we had Gregory and pubehead spending the money. Two average managers with little ability beyond motivation and who had no idea you could buy players from outside the UK. Still pisses me off those 2 wasted all that money.
I'd argue MOM wasn't as big a motivator has claimed.  I always felt made a teams appear to be less that the sum of its parts.

I know people who worked at Villa then and they said that when he deigned to speak he could have you willing to run through brick walls for him.


I think it seemed quite clear that his Leicester and Celtic sides would run through brick walls for him. His Villa teams seemed to play for him too more often than not. But whatever motivational skills he had seemed to have worn off during his time with Sunderland and Forest.

Offline PeterWithesShin

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #25 on: August 11, 2020, 03:13:51 PM »
We played Newcastle early in his reign and iirc ater the game their manager said our commitment etc was frightening.

Offline BC Villain

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #26 on: August 11, 2020, 03:50:35 PM »
I hate him, hate his spending on donkeys, hate the way he dropped us in the shit when he flounced off, and I can't believe that I ever rated him.

Truth is though, I did really love him at the start. That first game at the Emirates (with Lerner just taking over from Doug,"USA,USA..." Mellberg scoring the first ever goal at the new ground etc) was up there with one of the best days I've had as a Villa fan. Liberated from Ellis, a new owner who we all thought loved Villa and our history and said all the right things. Some really great days, ending in the effing nightmare that we're still recovering from....

O'Neill was exactly what the club needed in 2006, after the O'Leary years, and I'd argue that Villa was the exactly the club he needed.  For all the gripes we had later on in his reign and in the years after he left, the initial buzz that greeted his arrival has  only been matched by our late surge to promotion in 2019.

Him leaving really exposed the "by the seat of our pants" way that the club was being run.

I often wonder about whether the fall out from Moscow played a part in him going. The club put on that meal for those who went and, I know from talking to people who went that there seemed little remorse from him for making that decision.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2020, 03:58:50 PM by BC Villain »

Offline Damo70

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #27 on: August 11, 2020, 04:18:39 PM »
I think MON thought he could do anything he wanted Brian Clough style but firstly there was only one Brian Clough (helped by the fact Forest was run by a committee that Clough could divide, conquer and manipulate with no Doug style owner) and secondly football had moved on from Clough, Saunders, McMenemy managers that ran their clubs from top to bottom. I doubt if Mourinho has the power and clout at Spurs these days that he had at Chelsea.

Offline BC Villain

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #28 on: August 11, 2020, 07:55:15 PM »
Sure its been posted here before, but this says so much about O'Neill and his dislike for those who dare to challenge him

https://youtu.be/p9kjjOAqg0w

Offline Dave P

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Re: Martin O'Neill: Ten years on
« Reply #29 on: August 12, 2020, 11:37:13 AM »
Sure its been posted here before, but this says so much about O'Neill and his dislike for those who dare to challenge him

https://youtu.be/p9kjjOAqg0w

My God! I've never seen that but what a twat he made himself look.

 


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