Martin O'Neill

[Guest Toon_Fanatic]

Shearer is by far a worse pundit than O'Neill. Shearer throws out old clichés and just appears to be a dull and embarrasing bloke.

 

He should be spending time with his new job as Sporting Ambassador.

[NE5]

I love the way getting a team promoted in consequtive seasons, promoting leicester and winning a cup and winning scottish titles is average, yet being the 2nd biggest spending club in the country and managing to average 5th best club is somehow a remarkable feat.

 

3rd most, maybe 4th.

 

It's obviously because Fred is a shite manager, and he hasn't appointed you.

 

 

[Guest Morph]

Shearer is by far a worse pundit than O'Neill. Shearer throws out old clichés and just appears to be a dull and embarrasing bloke.

 

He should be spending time with his new job as Sporting Ambassador.

 

yes, you are a total tit.  well said.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

[Howaythelads]

Shearer is by far a worse pundit than O'Neill. Shearer throws out old clichés and just appears to be a dull and embarrasing bloke.

 

He should be spending time with his new job as Sporting Ambassador.

 

yes, you are a total tit.  well said.

 

To be fair, Shearer always has talked cack, like.

[BlufPurdi]

The Indi' agrees with you HTL...

 

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/comment/article1169764.ece

 

Brian Viner: Shearer takes the obvious to previously uncharted depths

Shearer will tell anyone that Frank Sinatra could hold a tune

Published: 10 July 2006

 

It was end-to-end stuff. First the BBC held the initiative, then ITV.

 

Reaching for the remote as frequently as Rafael Nadal had earlier reached for the towel, your armchair critic tried to assess who was having the better game, John Motson and Mark Lawrenson playing from left to right, or Clive Tyldesley and David Pleat playing from right to left.

 

There wasn't much in it, although Tyldesley unwittingly played a blinder when he mused, early doors, that "we've had an early injury, an early yellow card, it may be the kind of game that needs an early goal". Seconds later, France had a penalty, converted by Zinedine Zidane with bags of what we call "sangfroid". The World Cup final had the early goal that Tyldesley had just said it needed. He must have felt like God.

 

As for the deity that was Zidane until his extraordinary sending-off, he did little else in the first 45 minutes, which at half-time gave the BBC's Alan Shearer pause for thought. "He's a big player for France," said Shearer, who will also tell anyone who cares to listen that Frank Sinatra could hold a tune, and that Brigitte Bardot was a bit of a looker.

 

Shearer apart, however, the BBC held most of the aces in the studio. Their principal asset was Gary Lineker, who had almost as good a World Cup as he had in 1986, when he won the Golden Boot. Lineker used to strain a little too hard for the quip - almost as if he had a photograph of Des Lynam pinned up just behind the cameraman's head - but now they either come naturally or they don't.

 

His ITV counterpart Steve Rider did nothing wrong, either, but in a way that was his problem. He is so safe that he could endorse a brand of condoms, but he sucks away even the charisma of others. Immaculately coiffed and suited, he managed to give the half-time quizzing of Terry Venables and Ruud Gullit the air of a Sunday morning discussion programme on European common agricultural policy.

 

But when Venables and Gullit told him that the Italians were in the ascendancy and that France had better watch out, they were talking about football, not oilseed rape subsidies. Across on the BBC, Alan Hansen and Martin O'Neill told Lineker much the same. So in the second half, naturally, the French stormed forward and for ages Italy hardly got a look in. Football has a wonderful way of confounding the experts.

 

In the punditry before extra time, sitting next to Shearer for so long had plainly rubbed off on the normally sure-footed Hansen, who explained that "we'll have to wait and see what happens".

 

Well, yes. My wife was saying the same thing to my eight-year-old son. Meanwhile, ITV had no time for punditry, it was too busy with commercials. That isn't always a bad thing, although if I ever bump into those two Budweiser guys, I might have to do a Zidane.

 

 

Bit harsh to signal out him, but I agree with most it says about the rest.  Especially the last bit...

[Howaythelads]

Nice to see a normally lying journalist writing some sense for a change.  bluebiggrin.gif

 

Someone should ask Billy Hill for a price on how long it will be into a match before that tosser Tyldesley mentions manure. Doesn't matter what the match is, the nob always manages to mention them. Motson is just as bad on the other channel, none of them actually commentate on the match.

 

Best part was the Bud adverts on ITV throughout tbh.

 

I watched the final on BBC to select the commentary from the radio, but I switched the ITV just before the breaks to get the adverts.

[Baggio]

BUMP

[NE5]

BUMP

 

 

 

[jackyboy]

I always thought that NE5 talked shite 99% of the time. His MON comments on here show I was wrong, NE5 talks shite 100% of the time

[Guest Knightrider]

BUMP

 

He's done nowt yet and I liken much of Villa's early season form to that of ours under Roeder just after Souness got sacked. Basically Souness going was the big lift, same with O'Leary who had a similar effect on Villa that Souness had on us, minus the money spent. Lets see if he can do to Villa what KK did to us or Sir Bobby even. I'm not so sure, although it does seem like he'll get lots of money to spend so he might.

 

Either way we'll find out whether he really is as good or as great as many make him out to be.

[Mick]

 

edited.

 

But true all the same.

 

As Everton, Villa, Leeds, forest, Wolves, Southampton, West Ham to name a few ..... were all better than us for years, and we have such shit directors inferior to those, we could always nick David Moyes or David O;leary as manager ....

 

Anyway. Back on topic. Martin O'Neill.

 

We don't appoint big managers. He has won the Scottish League, and a lot of people wanted him.

 

Dalglish won the Premiership 4 times, the FA Cup twice, and was manager of the year 3 times. Gullit won the FA Cup and left a team that went on to win more. Bobby Robson was a manager of true world wide standing over 25-30 years. But Martin O'Neill was the fans choice and none of those could match his track record ........

 

 

 

My question has been answered.  bluebiggrin.gif

[Guest geordieracer]

The brains and bravado that define O'Neill

 

Kevin McCarra

Saturday September 30, 2006

The Guardian

 

 

Aston Villa are the predictable surprise of this campaign. In view of a restricted squad and a 16th-place finish in the Premiership last season, they have no business holding an unbeaten record, but, then again, it is the sort of transformation expected of Martin O'Neill. Even if there is the obvious chance of a setback at Chelsea this afternoon the likelihood is great that Villa's progress would still resume shortly.

Few managers come with a guarantee as O'Neill does. Discord with the then chairman at Norwich saw him walk away after a few months, but his formula has worked wherever he has had free rein. The O'Neill effect seems to have an immediate effect on prospective employers. Given the opportunity, he swiftly secured the post at his previous club.

 

"Guus Hiddink was very prominent in our thoughts and in a certain regard he was our benchmark," said the Celtic chairman Brian Quinn, casting his mind back to the summer of 2000. "Then Martin came to speak to the board over dinner at [the principal shareholder] Dermot Desmond's suite in the Dorchester. After an hour and a half there was no further discussion about who our manager should be."

There is a temptation to portray O'Neill as a horse whisperer for footballers, with the magical knack of galvanising them. Quinn, however, sees a more basic foundation to this manager's style. "Martin is a smart fellow," he said, "and intelligence is the key. He is persuasive, he speaks well, he can marshal an argument and he is a very decent tactician. Of course, he is also an outstanding man-manager."

 

O'Neill has a track record in pulling off disconcerting coups in the transfer market. Tony Cottee was a prominent example, brought back to England from Selangor of Malaysia in 1997 to play for Leicester when he was already 32. "I got him out of a hole and then he got me out of one," O'Neill has said succinctly. Cottee scored 27 goals in 66 Premiership starts and was in the 2000 line-up that brought the League Cup to Filbert Street for the second time in three years.

 

Entertaining and genial as O'Neill can be, the intensity and potential for severity do not drop completely from sight. "Leicester were the League Cup holders when I arrived," Cottee recalls, "but we were knocked out at Grimsby. Martin asked me in the dressing room how much he had paid for me. I told him it was £500,000 and he said, '£500,000 too much'. I can remember him giving a terrible bollocking to Neil Lennon, but he also knew that Emile Heskey wouldn't play for you if you did that to him. Martin would make Emile believe he could beat four men and smash the ball into the net."

 

Any good manager appreciates that he needs a range of tones for a variety of footballers, but O'Neill is a virtuoso in gauging such matters. He is intriguing, too, in the way he controls relationships with players. "You never knew exactly where you were with him," said Cottee. "He could be your best friend when you met him in the corridor one day and the next he would ignore you. It might have been that his mind was a million miles away, but Martin could just as easily have been thinking, 'He didn't play for me at all in that last game, the bastard. I'll walk straight past him.' You never knew exactly where you stood with him. It kept you on your toes."

 

Tiresome to O'Neill as the comparisons are, there are echoes of his old boss Brian Clough. In the Villa backroom staff John Robertson, with his keen eye for a player, is a counterpart to Peter Taylor and acts as the manager's envoy to the squad, happy, as Cottee puts it, "to have a fag or a pint with them". While O'Neill focuses minds by attending training, in particular, on Thursdays and Fridays, preparations are under the command of Steve Walford, whom Cottee considers "a very underrated coach".

 

The human dynamics of O'Neill and his backroom staff are intricate, making it most likely that he told the FA his men would have to accompany him if he became the England manager. Loyalties develop around him. "He gives you a challenge," explained Cottee, "and if you meet it you become one of his lieutenants and you feel you will play with him forever. Lennon, [Muzzy] Izzet and [steve] Guppy were like that."

 

O'Neill has a habit of establishing bonds of a different nature as well. "He has the entrepreneur's skill at identifying an undervalued asset," said Quinn. "He signed players who were not in demand. Then he put them on very good contracts. They were eternally grateful to him for lifting them on to an entirely different earning plane and would give everything for him."

 

Didier Agathe, who is now on Villa's books until January at least, was one such case. O'Neill first saw him in 2000 as a striker on a short-term deal scoring for Hibernian while at centre-forward. Celtic bought him for £50,000, turned Agathe into a wing-back as capable of making a solid contribution in the Champions League as he was in the Scottish Premier League. There were several tales of that sort, with, on a wholly different price range, Chris Sutton emerging from an abject season with Chelsea to terrorise the likes of Juventus.

 

O'Neill, in consequence, is hailed as an alchemist, but a shrewd pragmatism is the real foundation of all that he does. The histrionics on the touchline are misleading. "I was on the bench a lot when I was first at Leicester," Cottee said, "and he would be jumping around and shouting at the referee and linesman. I was asking myself how he could possibly see what was going on, but at half-time he was absolutely spot-on with his comments. He said more in ten seconds than another manager could in ten minutes."

 

There cannot be many rivals left who are so foolish as to mistake O'Neill for an eccentric, even if he is a bit absent-minded over non-football concerns. This is an alert, ambitious manager. Having made an ever-increasing impact at Wycombe, Leicester and Celtic he now aches to compete for the Premiership and European honours. He is in his present job because he believes that his talent and Randy Lerner's money can transmute Villa into just such a mighty club.

 

O'Neill v Mourinho

 

Martin O'Neill yesterday insisted he had the "utmost regard" for Jose Mourinho despite their fall-out after the Uefa Cup final in Seville three years ago.

 

That was the last time the two managers met when O'Neill, then in charge of Celtic, accused Mourinho's triumphant Porto side of "poor sportsmanship".

 

Mourinho responded by criticising Celtic for their overly aggressive approach.

 

"I'm tempted to use another word - but I won't," said the Portuguese

 

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1884373,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=7

 

i think that somes up Martin O'neill i think he is a class manager, who if was at newcastle now we would be in the top 3, as he would of had the tactical nouce to bring in players for positions that needed to be improved, and we might have petrov now  bluesigh.gif

[Mick]

It's no good going on about what might have been, we were given who WE, the fans wanted and we sent thousands of texts to prove it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/news/tm_objectid=17089825&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=glenn-was-fans--choice-name_page.html

 

 

Glenn was fans' choice

 

By Luke Edwards, The Journal, May 17 2006

 

He described it as one of the most important decisions of his career and Newcastle United chairman Freddie Shepherd is adamant he has given the fans exactly what they want by appointing Glenn Roeder as manager. bluesleep.gif

 

Roeder was officially unveiled as Graeme Souness' successor yesterday to bring to an end three months of wild speculation regarding Shepherd's intentions. And although the Magpies have been linked with the likes of Martin O'Neill, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Gerard Houllier, Sam Allardyce, Ronald Koeman and Alan Curbishley since Souness' departure in February, United's chairman claimed his mind had been made up by the support Roeder had received from the fans. bluesleep.gif

 

As a former Newcastle defender and captain, Shepherd believes his new manager has the sort of special affinity with the supporters that enabled Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson to succeed at St James's Park. "The support of the fans is very important," said Shepherd, who has handed Roeder a two-year contract. "The amount of text messages and emails we have had in support of Glenn run into their thousands. "The supporters have identified Glenn as the man they want. We have listened to them.

 

This is what they wanted. This is what they have got. "Managers with a Geordie connection have a feeling for the club. Bobby nearly did it. He was here for five years and he almost achieved it. Glenn was here for six years, his kids went to school here. I view him as one of us.

 

Newcastle has been his club for a number of years. He understands it." Roeder was also quick to stress his love for a club he played for 219 times between 1983 and 1989, years, he insisted, were the happiest of his playing career. bluesleep.gif

 

He said: "I'm elated to have been given this opportunity, especially as I'm a former Newcastle player and a former Newcastle captain. The mood is one of elation. I'm looking forward to the future. "In the last three months we have turned the season around and got the sort of results this club expects to record. I want to carry that on over the next couple of years, carry on those results and get the club to the right end of the table, the end where it deserves to be. "Having been here before, I have a feeling for the club. I'm looking forward to working for them for the next couple of years.

 

I always said that when I looked back on my playing career and the clubs I played for, that Newcastle was quite easily the best."

 

Both men bristled with ambition as they sat next to each other on a stage at St James's Park yesterday morning, with Shepherd making no secret of his desire for a top six finish in the Premiership, while Roeder expressed his confidence he would be rewarded with a contract extension, not if, but when he achieves the success his chairman demands. bluesleep.gif

 

Shepherd added: "We looked at other contenders, other applicants but Glenn has won the job with the results he has achieved. bluesleep.gif

 

He is the highest-placed English manager in the Premiership this season and we felt he deserved the job. "It has to be top six for Newcastle, with the players we have got and the set up we have; the facilities, the stadium, the training ground. We would expect any manager, not just Glenn, to achieve that given the wages we pay here. We pay Rolls Royce wages and we expect Rolls Royce performances." bluesleep.gif

 

And, although Shepherd denied that Roeder had merely been employed to hold the role while Shearer studied for his badges, he did add: "Is Alan Glenn's successor? I'm sure Glenn would want to have Alan involved. He's made that quite clear." 

 

 

[Guest geordieracer]

personally my self i 100% didn't want roeder, i always thought it was all going to end in tears so to speak, and i still do to be quite honest

[Mick]

personally my self i 100% didn't want roeder, i always thought it was all going to end in tears so to speak, and i still do to be quite honest

 

Did you text Freddy?

 

I wonder how many have his mobile number?

[Dinho lad]

It's no good going on about what might have been, we were given who WE, the fans wanted and we sent thousands of texts to prove it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcastleunited/news/tm_objectid=17089825&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=glenn-was-fans--choice-name_page.html

 

 

Glenn was fans' choice

 

By Luke Edwards, The Journal, May 17 2006

 

He described it as one of the most important decisions of his career and Newcastle United chairman Freddie Shepherd is adamant he has given the fans exactly what they want by appointing Glenn Roeder as manager. bluesleep.gif

 

Roeder was officially unveiled as Graeme Souness' successor yesterday to bring to an end three months of wild speculation regarding Shepherd's intentions. And although the Magpies have been linked with the likes of Martin O'Neill, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Gerard Houllier, Sam Allardyce, Ronald Koeman and Alan Curbishley since Souness' departure in February, United's chairman claimed his mind had been made up by the support Roeder had received from the fans. bluesleep.gif

 

As a former Newcastle defender and captain, Shepherd believes his new manager has the sort of special affinity with the supporters that enabled Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson to succeed at St James's Park. "The support of the fans is very important," said Shepherd, who has handed Roeder a two-year contract. "The amount of text messages and emails we have had in support of Glenn run into their thousands. "The supporters have identified Glenn as the man they want. We have listened to them.

 

This is what they wanted. This is what they have got. "Managers with a Geordie connection have a feeling for the club. Bobby nearly did it. He was here for five years and he almost achieved it. Glenn was here for six years, his kids went to school here. I view him as one of us.

 

Newcastle has been his club for a number of years. He understands it." Roeder was also quick to stress his love for a club he played for 219 times between 1983 and 1989, years, he insisted, were the happiest of his playing career. bluesleep.gif

 

He said: "I'm elated to have been given this opportunity, especially as I'm a former Newcastle player and a former Newcastle captain. The mood is one of elation. I'm looking forward to the future. "In the last three months we have turned the season around and got the sort of results this club expects to record. I want to carry that on over the next couple of years, carry on those results and get the club to the right end of the table, the end where it deserves to be. "Having been here before, I have a feeling for the club. I'm looking forward to working for them for the next couple of years.

 

I always said that when I looked back on my playing career and the clubs I played for, that Newcastle was quite easily the best."

 

Both men bristled with ambition as they sat next to each other on a stage at St James's Park yesterday morning, with Shepherd making no secret of his desire for a top six finish in the Premiership, while Roeder expressed his confidence he would be rewarded with a contract extension, not if, but when he achieves the success his chairman demands. bluesleep.gif

 

Shepherd added: "We looked at other contenders, other applicants but Glenn has won the job with the results he has achieved. bluesleep.gif

 

He is the highest-placed English manager in the Premiership this season and we felt he deserved the job. "It has to be top six for Newcastle, with the players we have got and the set up we have; the facilities, the stadium, the training ground. We would expect any manager, not just Glenn, to achieve that given the wages we pay here. We pay Rolls Royce wages and we expect Rolls Royce performances." bluesleep.gif

 

And, although Shepherd denied that Roeder had merely been employed to hold the role while Shearer studied for his badges, he did add: "Is Alan Glenn's successor? I'm sure Glenn would want to have Alan involved. He's made that quite clear." 

 

 

 

good post.

 

I always thought that NE5 talked shite 99% of the time. His MON comments on here show I was wrong, NE5 talks shite 100% of the time

 

 

[NE5]

BUMP

 

He's done nowt yet and I liken much of Villa's early season form to that of ours under Roeder just after Souness got sacked. Basically Souness going was the big lift, same with O'Leary who had a similar effect on Villa that Souness had on us, minus the money spent. Lets see if he can do to Villa what KK did to us or Sir Bobby even. I'm not so sure, although it does seem like he'll get lots of money to spend so he might.

 

Either way we'll find out whether he really is as good or as great as many make him out to be.

 

Agreed. He might be good, but you can't say he is yet. If he, say, repeats what Bobby Robson was for Newcastle then we can rank him alongide that as being a good appointment, if not then he isn't, its pretty straightforward.

 

Worth noting, is also that O'leary,  when he went to Villa was touted as the next big manager just like O'Neill is supposed to be now, and he got to the semi Final of the European Cup, far superior than the UEFA Cup Final. But time will tell.

 

 

[Guest geordieracer]

o'leary with leeds had a hell of a lot more money than o'neill though, and bankrupted them because of it

o'neill got to the uefa cup with hardly any money and won 2 league cups with a very average team and made emile heskey worth 11 million!

[brummie]

BUMP

 

He's done nowt yet and I liken much of Villa's early season form to that of ours under Roeder just after Souness got sacked. Basically Souness going was the big lift, same with O'Leary who had a similar effect on Villa that Souness had on us, minus the money spent. Lets see if he can do to Villa what KK did to us or Sir Bobby even. I'm not so sure, although it does seem like he'll get lots of money to spend so he might.

 

Either way we'll find out whether he really is as good or as great as many make him out to be.

 

Agreed. He might be good, but you can't say he is yet. If he, say, repeats what Bobby Robson was for Newcastle then we can rank him alongide that as being a good appointment, if not then he isn't, its pretty straightforward.

 

Worth noting, is also that O'leary, when he went to Villa was touted as the next big manager just like O'Neill is supposed to be now, and he got to the semi Final of the European Cup, far superior than the UEFA Cup Final. But time will tell.

 

 

 

O'Leary took an already top 6 team, spent 100m pounds, nearly bankrupted it, got it to a CL semi final, but won nothing.

 

MON took a shit squad in a shit league to the UEFA cup final. I'm a Villa fan, and DOL was the worst manager we have ever had. Worse than Billy McNeill, worse than Tommy Docherty. He created a situation whereby, last summer, most of the squad wanted to leave. He constantl talked the team down, alienated the supporters, turned good players into bad ones, and created an atmosphere of doom throughout the club, from top to bottom. I pity the next club who employ this man

 

MON has, in a very short time, turned the team around beyod belief. Don't forget, he took the job less than 2 weeks before the start of the season, and the transfer window closed before the Lerner take over was finalised, so he has had no money other than that spent on Petrov. He's also lost Milner (considered our best player last year), and De La Cruz, so strictly speaking, he's got an even smaller squad than DOL had.

 

We're now still unbeaten, along with Everton (not forgetting the fact that we've had away games at Arsenal and Chelsea, whereas Everton have barely been tested). He's turned things around entirely, in pretty much no time. I don't expect us to qualify for the CL this year, but UEFA qualification is a possibility. This is with a squad which most people had written off last year as "shite".

 

I honestly would not swap MON for any other manager you care to mention, working anywhere. He has instilled a buzz, a confidence, and a feeling that we can be great again in every part of the club, from top to bottom. He took the job and *immediately* understood what the fans wanted, got a feel for the history of the club, recognised what the problems were, and talked about how he was going to solve them. Belive me, this man is a great manager, and an extraordinary motivator. I find it amusing that you suggest achieving what SBR did for Newcastle as the benchmark of a good appointment - he's going to do a lot more than that

 

Isn't it funny how one finds so many doubters of MON's ability on the boards of teams who he was linked with but rejected / not appointed for whatever reason?

 

[merlin]

The brains and bravado that define O'Neill

 

Kevin McCarra

Saturday September 30, 2006

The Guardian

 

 

Aston Villa are the predictable surprise of this campaign. In view of a restricted squad and a 16th-place finish in the Premiership last season, they have no business holding an unbeaten record, but, then again, it is the sort of transformation expected of Martin O'Neill. Even if there is the obvious chance of a setback at Chelsea this afternoon the likelihood is great that Villa's progress would still resume shortly.

Few managers come with a guarantee as O'Neill does. Discord with the then chairman at Norwich saw him walk away after a few months, but his formula has worked wherever he has had free rein. The O'Neill effect seems to have an immediate effect on prospective employers. Given the opportunity, he swiftly secured the post at his previous club.

 

"Guus Hiddink was very prominent in our thoughts and in a certain regard he was our benchmark," said the Celtic chairman Brian Quinn, casting his mind back to the summer of 2000. "Then Martin came to speak to the board over dinner at [the principal shareholder] Dermot Desmond's suite in the Dorchester. After an hour and a half there was no further discussion about who our manager should be."

There is a temptation to portray O'Neill as a horse whisperer for footballers, with the magical knack of galvanising them. Quinn, however, sees a more basic foundation to this manager's style. "Martin is a smart fellow," he said, "and intelligence is the key. He is persuasive, he speaks well, he can marshal an argument and he is a very decent tactician. Of course, he is also an outstanding man-manager."

 

O'Neill has a track record in pulling off disconcerting coups in the transfer market. Tony Cottee was a prominent example, brought back to England from Selangor of Malaysia in 1997 to play for Leicester when he was already 32. "I got him out of a hole and then he got me out of one," O'Neill has said succinctly. Cottee scored 27 goals in 66 Premiership starts and was in the 2000 line-up that brought the League Cup to Filbert Street for the second time in three years.

 

Entertaining and genial as O'Neill can be, the intensity and potential for severity do not drop completely from sight. "Leicester were the League Cup holders when I arrived," Cottee recalls, "but we were knocked out at Grimsby. Martin asked me in the dressing room how much he had paid for me. I told him it was £500,000 and he said, '£500,000 too much'. I can remember him giving a terrible bollocking to Neil Lennon, but he also knew that Emile Heskey wouldn't play for you if you did that to him. Martin would make Emile believe he could beat four men and smash the ball into the net."

 

Any good manager appreciates that he needs a range of tones for a variety of footballers, but O'Neill is a virtuoso in gauging such matters. He is intriguing, too, in the way he controls relationships with players. "You never knew exactly where you were with him," said Cottee. "He could be your best friend when you met him in the corridor one day and the next he would ignore you. It might have been that his mind was a million miles away, but Martin could just as easily have been thinking, 'He didn't play for me at all in that last game, the bastard. I'll walk straight past him.' You never knew exactly where you stood with him. It kept you on your toes."

 

Tiresome to O'Neill as the comparisons are, there are echoes of his old boss Brian Clough. In the Villa backroom staff John Robertson, with his keen eye for a player, is a counterpart to Peter Taylor and acts as the manager's envoy to the squad, happy, as Cottee puts it, "to have a fag or a pint with them". While O'Neill focuses minds by attending training, in particular, on Thursdays and Fridays, preparations are under the command of Steve Walford, whom Cottee considers "a very underrated coach".

 

The human dynamics of O'Neill and his backroom staff are intricate, making it most likely that he told the FA his men would have to accompany him if he became the England manager. Loyalties develop around him. "He gives you a challenge," explained Cottee, "and if you meet it you become one of his lieutenants and you feel you will play with him forever. Lennon, [Muzzy] Izzet and [steve] Guppy were like that."

 

O'Neill has a habit of establishing bonds of a different nature as well. "He has the entrepreneur's skill at identifying an undervalued asset," said Quinn. "He signed players who were not in demand. Then he put them on very good contracts. They were eternally grateful to him for lifting them on to an entirely different earning plane and would give everything for him."

 

Didier Agathe, who is now on Villa's books until January at least, was one such case. O'Neill first saw him in 2000 as a striker on a short-term deal scoring for Hibernian while at centre-forward. Celtic bought him for £50,000, turned Agathe into a wing-back as capable of making a solid contribution in the Champions League as he was in the Scottish Premier League. There were several tales of that sort, with, on a wholly different price range, Chris Sutton emerging from an abject season with Chelsea to terrorise the likes of Juventus.

 

O'Neill, in consequence, is hailed as an alchemist, but a shrewd pragmatism is the real foundation of all that he does. The histrionics on the touchline are misleading. "I was on the bench a lot when I was first at Leicester," Cottee said, "and he would be jumping around and shouting at the referee and linesman. I was asking myself how he could possibly see what was going on, but at half-time he was absolutely spot-on with his comments. He said more in ten seconds than another manager could in ten minutes."

 

There cannot be many rivals left who are so foolish as to mistake O'Neill for an eccentric, even if he is a bit absent-minded over non-football concerns. This is an alert, ambitious manager. Having made an ever-increasing impact at Wycombe, Leicester and Celtic he now aches to compete for the Premiership and European honours. He is in his present job because he believes that his talent and Randy Lerner's money can transmute Villa into just such a mighty club.

 

O'Neill v Mourinho

 

Martin O'Neill yesterday insisted he had the "utmost regard" for Jose Mourinho despite their fall-out after the Uefa Cup final in Seville three years ago.

 

That was the last time the two managers met when O'Neill, then in charge of Celtic, accused Mourinho's triumphant Porto side of "poor sportsmanship".

 

Mourinho responded by criticising Celtic for their overly aggressive approach.

 

"I'm tempted to use another word - but I won't," said the Portuguese

 

http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1884373,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=7

 

i think that somes up Martin O'neill i think he is a class manager, who if was at newcastle now we would be in the top 3, as he would of had the tactical nouce to bring in players for positions that needed to be improved, and we might have petrov now  bluesigh.gif

 

Many of the qualities outlined above would definitely rule O'Neill out as a suitable Manager for NUFC - Whilst FS & Co are in charge ; Intelligence ? Not required. Keeping Players on their toes? What? Dyer ,Bellamy et al? Don't think so.

 

Had O'Neill been stupid enough to join NUFC last summer , his actions at Norwich would soon have been repeated...!!

[merlin]

BUMP

 

He's done nowt yet and I liken much of Villa's early season form to that of ours under Roeder just after Souness got sacked. Basically Souness going was the big lift, same with O'Leary who had a similar effect on Villa that Souness had on us, minus the money spent. Lets see if he can do to Villa what KK did to us or Sir Bobby even. I'm not so sure, although it does seem like he'll get lots of money to spend so he might.

 

Either way we'll find out whether he really is as good or as great as many make him out to be.

 

Agreed. He might be good, but you can't say he is yet. If he, say, repeats what Bobby Robson was for Newcastle then we can rank him alongide that as being a good appointment, if not then he isn't, its pretty straightforward.

 

Worth noting, is also that O'leary, when he went to Villa was touted as the next big manager just like O'Neill is supposed to be now, and he got to the semi Final of the European Cup, far superior than the UEFA Cup Final. But time will tell.

 

 

 

O'Leary took an already top 6 team, spent 100m pounds, nearly bankrupted it, got it to a CL semi final, but won nothing.

 

MON took a shit squad in a shit league to the UEFA cup final. I'm a Villa fan, and DOL was the worst manager we have ever had. Worse than Billy McNeill, worse than Tommy Docherty. He created a situation whereby, last summer, most of the squad wanted to leave. He constantl talked the team down, alienated the supporters, turned good players into bad ones, and created an atmosphere of doom throughout the club, from top to bottom. I pity the next club who employ this man

 

MON has, in a very short time, turned the team around beyod belief. Don't forget, he took the job less than 2 weeks before the start of the season, and the transfer window closed before the Lerner take over was finalised, so he has had no money other than that spent on Petrov. He's also lost Milner (considered our best player last year), and De La Cruz, so strictly speaking, he's got an even smaller squad than DOL had.

 

We're now still unbeaten, along with Everton (not forgetting the fact that we've had away games at Arsenal and Chelsea, whereas Everton have barely been tested). He's turned things around entirely, in pretty much no time. I don't expect us to qualify for the CL this year, but UEFA qualification is a possibility. This is with a squad which most people had written off last year as "shite".

 

I honestly would not swap MON for any other manager you care to mention, working anywhere. He has instilled a buzz, a confidence, and a feeling that we can be great again in every part of the club, from top to bottom. He took the job and *immediately* understood what the fans wanted, got a feel for the history of the club, recognised what the problems were, and talked about how he was going to solve them. Belive me, this man is a great manager, and an extraordinary motivator. I find it amusing that you suggest achieving what SBR did for Newcastle as the benchmark of a good appointment - he's going to do a lot more than that

 

Isn't it funny how one finds so many doubters of MON's ability on the boards of teams who he was linked with but rejected / not appointed for whatever reason?

 

 

/quote]

Agree with your comments, Brummie - think you'll have a much better season than anyone expected , although I DID think O'Neill would soon turn the club round.

Personally , I have no resentment that you have O'Neill - he would have been wasted at NUFC , and you guys have had a fairly rough time over the past few years(although not quite the Pantomime that is NUFc..!!).

 

Most of the dissenters on here are probably p'd off , not because they are jealous(although there will be some of that), but because they slagged the guy off during the summer when he was linked with us , and are now in great danger of imbibing large chunks of that often-eaten dish , HUMBLE PIE.!!

 

[colinmk]

I'm 100% jealous. The villa fans are in for some good times with him in charge thats for sure.

[Guest The Fox]

And NE5 thinks O'Neil is very average, which is why without recourse to the transfer market he has got them competing.

Talked  a lot of sense on Sky interview, he said it was early days so lets not get carried away, was impressed by the players response and tried to make sure they did things simply and well.

[NE5]

BUMP

 

He's done nowt yet and I liken much of Villa's early season form to that of ours under Roeder just after Souness got sacked. Basically Souness going was the big lift, same with O'Leary who had a similar effect on Villa that Souness had on us, minus the money spent. Lets see if he can do to Villa what KK did to us or Sir Bobby even. I'm not so sure, although it does seem like he'll get lots of money to spend so he might.

 

Either way we'll find out whether he really is as good or as great as many make him out to be.

 

Agreed. He might be good, but you can't say he is yet. If he, say, repeats what Bobby Robson was for Newcastle then we can rank him alongide that as being a good appointment, if not then he isn't, its pretty straightforward.

 

Worth noting, is also that O'leary, when he went to Villa was touted as the next big manager just like O'Neill is supposed to be now, and he got to the semi Final of the European Cup, far superior than the UEFA Cup Final. But time will tell.

 

 

 

O'Leary took an already top 6 team, spent 100m pounds, nearly bankrupted it, got it to a CL semi final, but won nothing.

 

MON took a shit squad in a shit league to the UEFA cup final. I'm a Villa fan, and DOL was the worst manager we have ever had. Worse than Billy McNeill, worse than Tommy Docherty. He created a situation whereby, last summer, most of the squad wanted to leave. He constantl talked the team down, alienated the supporters, turned good players into bad ones, and created an atmosphere of doom throughout the club, from top to bottom. I pity the next club who employ this man

 

MON has, in a very short time, turned the team around beyod belief. Don't forget, he took the job less than 2 weeks before the start of the season, and the transfer window closed before the Lerner take over was finalised, so he has had no money other than that spent on Petrov. He's also lost Milner (considered our best player last year), and De La Cruz, so strictly speaking, he's got an even smaller squad than DOL had.

 

We're now still unbeaten, along with Everton (not forgetting the fact that we've had away games at Arsenal and Chelsea, whereas Everton have barely been tested). He's turned things around entirely, in pretty much no time. I don't expect us to qualify for the CL this year, but UEFA qualification is a possibility. This is with a squad which most people had written off last year as "shite".

 

I honestly would not swap MON for any other manager you care to mention, working anywhere. He has instilled a buzz, a confidence, and a feeling that we can be great again in every part of the club, from top to bottom. He took the job and *immediately* understood what the fans wanted, got a feel for the history of the club, recognised what the problems were, and talked about how he was going to solve them. Belive me, this man is a great manager, and an extraordinary motivator. I find it amusing that you suggest achieving what SBR did for Newcastle as the benchmark of a good appointment - he's going to do a lot more than that

 

Isn't it funny how one finds so many doubters of MON's ability on the boards of teams who he was linked with but rejected / not appointed for whatever reason?

 

 

I'm not disagreeing with you, I never thought O'Leary was any good either, despite all the pundits/press saying so, and those without a mind of their own who do nothing but agree with the mood of the pundits/press. Just because he played for Brian Clough and is good on the TV like Brian Clough doesn't mean he will be as good a manager as Brian Clough.

 

We will see if he can emulate Bobby Robson or not.

 

It isn't funny how doubters of his ability on the boards of teams he was linked to but rejected are saying at all, I for one have always said he has proved absolutely nothing yet, he might but again he might not. We will see.

 

Anyway, if it works out for you, you might even sell your 3,000 tickets for games at SJP.