Martin O'Neill: Ten years on

[PeterWithesShin]

After much careful deliberation, weighing up all the good and bad from his time here I have to the conclusion that he's a pubeheaded twat that was a footballing dinsoaur tactics wise. P.s. He's a twat.

[CorkVilla]

I still can't believe he sold Gary Cahill and bought Emile Heskey.

[Dick Edwards]

He left out of spite, at a time calculated to cause most harm, and much of the following five years was down to him.

Absolutely this. I've seen him interviewed recently where he's suggested he 'may' have done the wrong thing leaving as he did. He knows deep down what he did was spiteful and calculating but he still can't completely cleanse his conscience. For me he'll never be respected as a successful former Villa manager because he really wanted us to suffer when he left. And suffer we did.

[rob_bridge]

He left out of spite, at a time calculated to cause most harm, and much of the following five years was down to him.

Absolutely this. I've seen him interviewed recently where he's suggested he 'may' have done the wrong thing leaving as he did. He knows deep down what he did was spiteful and calculating but he still can't completely cleanse his conscience. For me he'll never be respected as a successful former Villa manager because he really wanted us to suffer when he left. And suffer we did.

I have a really good mate who is a Leicester fan and it was strange how he and fellow Foxes really didn't rave about him as he left them in a similar spot (different motivation) at the peak with little future planning.

[eamonn]

He looked like he felt like yesterday's man when shoving over to let Unai answer questions from the Amazon Prime team last week. Admitted he had been tankerous in 2010 and regretted resigning. 

[Nev]

Just about to finish his book, done the Villa section. I never really hated him and didn't understand some of the more extreme vitriol. Having read the chapter on his time with us I found myself more angry about the Moscow thing than his resignation. I always found him a likeable individual but he comes across the opposite on the book, conceited and somewhat arrogant. I did enjoy his time with us but don't look back with the fondness I do when Big Ron or Sir Graham were in charge.

[London Villan]

What did he say about Moscow?

[dcdavecollett]

Whisper it, but SUE may, we hope, be confronted with the same issue sometime in the Spring.

The advantage he will have is that the strategic use of his squad players so far means he will be better equipped to put out competitive teams in all competitions.

[usav]

What did he say about Moscow?

I don't know about the book, but I assume it was the same as an interview I heard recently where he defended the team selection for Moscow by saying they were all first team footballers or something and not exactly the youth team....and didn't think the game was that important to the fans who were more concerned about the league.

[Brazilian Villain]

MON discussing the 2010 League Cup final and Phil Dowd. https://x.com/WeAreTheOverlap/status/1875150256461009321

[TheTimVilla]

He still comes across as a snarky shit

[LeeB]

MON discussing the 2010 League Cup final and Phil Dowd. https://x.com/WeAreTheOverlap/status/1875150256461009321

I watched all of that last night, he was on pretty good form to be honest and I quite enjoyed it.

He did say had we won that game it may have mended a bridge between him and Lerner, and that "I might not have flounced off in a huff a few months later"

I think he's come to regret doing that.

[olaftab]

All I can say to his credit is that he was not as bad as O'FuckingLeary.

[BC Villain]

Just about to finish his book, done the Villa section. I never really hated him and didn't understand some of the more extreme vitriol. Having read the chapter on his time with us I found myself more angry about the Moscow thing than his resignation. I always found him a likeable individual but he comes across the opposite on the book, conceited and somewhat arrogant. I did enjoy his time with us but don't look back with the fondness I do when Big Ron or Sir Graham were in charge.

I think he always fancied himself as the second coming of Brian Clough

[Rudy Can't Fail]

From a total of 76 home league games, the self-proclaimed 'Second Coming of Brian Clough', MON only managed 32 wins at Villa Park and just 108 goals. Fortress Villa Park it wasn't but then why it be when he was so tactically inept. His Plan A to play on the counter, score then defend for your lives worked better away from home but any team that sat back at Villa Park would normally at least get a point.

MON never did tactics, it would have involved him having to work more than Friday and Saturday.