O'Neil is a great manager and to hear he has left Villa was a shock when he was at Celtic I loved the man his passion was amazing he really lived the game the way he jumps up & down the sideline is outstanding I strongly believe all Celtic & Villa fans wish him well and I for 1 would love to see him at another club sooner rather than latter so here is what O'Neil achieved at Villa.
(This piece off news/story is from Goal.com mobile application)
"The Martin O'Neill Years: How Aston Villa grew under the enigmatic Irishman"
The sudden departure of Martin O'Neill from Aston Villa brought to an end almost exactly four years at the helm of the Midlands club.
The former Leicester City and Celtic manager was lured out of his self-imposed break from football by the chance to rebuild Villa, and was followed within weeks by Randy Lerner's arrival at Villa Park.
It seemed like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but recent weeks and months have seen a bitter power struggle develop.
So just what did O'Neill produce in his four years in charge? Goal.com UK takes a look...
2006-07
Premier League finish: 11th - an improvement on 17th the previous season, but only by eight points
FA Cup: Lost 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in third round
League Cup: Lost 4-0 to Chelsea in the fourth round
Europe: Did not participate
Highs: A pair of nine-game unbeaten streaks to begin and close out the season. Foundation stones put in place with the purchases of John Carew, Ashley Young and Stiliyan Petrov
Lows: No wins in eight matches against the top four clubs in the Premier League. A 90th-minute goal from Ole Gunnar Solskajer knocks the club out of the FA Cup at the first - albeit sizeable - hurdle
Major arrivals: John Carew, Ashley Young, Stiliyan Petrov
Major departures: Milan Baros, Juan Pablo Angel
Net spend on transfers: £14.1m (£17.15m spent, £3.05m received)
2007-08
Premier League finish: 6th
FA Cup: Lost to Manchester United 2-0 in third round, this time at Villa Park
League Cup: Beat Wrexham 5-0, but lost to Leicester City 1-0 at home in the third round
Europe: Did not qualify
Highs: A sixth-place finish guarantees the club European football for the first time in six seasons
Lows: Manchester United knock the club out of the FA Cup for the second straight year with two late goals. Leicester City win at Villa Park in the League Cup, avenging their loss the year before and surprising their former manager
Major arrivals: Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood
Major departures: Gary Cahill, Luke Moore
Net spend on transfers: £6.25m (£16.25m spent, £10m received)
2008-09
Premier League finish: 6th - again
FA Cup: Beat Gillingham 2-1 and Doncaster 3-1, but lost to Everton 3-1 in fifth round
League Cup: Lost to QPR 1-0 in third round
Europe: Victory in the Intertoto Cup puts the club in the Uefa Cup group stage. Two wins in their first two matches help advance the club to the first knockout stage, where CSKA Moscow win 3-1 over two legs
Highs: A second straight sixth-place finish, and European football after Christmas
Lows: A run on spending doesn't improve the club's position, or in the domestic cups. Losing to QPR at home in the League Cup
Major arrivals: James Milner, Curtis Davies, Steve Sidwell, Brad Friedel
Major departures: Thomas Sorensen, Shaun Maloney
Net spend on transfers: £45.9m (£48.4m spent, £2.5m received)
2009-10
Premier League finish: 6th
FA Cup: Beat Blackburn, Brighton and Crystal Palace (after a replay), then fight back from 2-0 down to beat Reading 4-2 in the last eight, only to lose to Chelsea 3-0 at Wembley in the semis
League Cup: Knock out Cardiff, Sunderland (on penalties) and Portsmouth, then win a wild semi-final against Blackburn over two legs, and are narrowly defeated by Manchester United in a controversial final
Europe: Lost to Rapid Vienna on away goals in Europa League play-off round
Highs: A third straight sixth-place finish, and two trips to Wembley. A crazy 6-4 win over Blackburn in the League Cup semi-final second leg. League win at Old Trafford is Villa's first in 10 years.
Lows: An early lead in the League Cup final doesn't hold after goals from Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, though many feel Nemanja Vidic should have been sent off for conceding an early penalty, converted by James Milner. Losing the FA Cup semi-final, and in the first round of the Europa League
Major arrivals: Stewart Downing, Stephen Warnock, Richard Dunne
Major departures: Gareth Barry, Zat Knight
Net spend on transfers: £16.05m (£35.05m spent, £19m received)
VERDICT
When O'Neill took over, Villa had just finished a season that saw them narrowly avoid relegation. That they became a staple of the top half of the table and contenders in cup competitions is testament to O'Neill's work.
It didn't come for free, though, and Villa spent more than they received in every season, bankrolled by Lerner. Not for the first time, O'Neill has walked away because of not getting his way - and many will view his reign differently as a result.
Reading this on your mobile device? Try GOAL.com Mobile Reader now by clicking http://goal.mwap.at.
It really showed me when reading this next bit off Villa news as like all celtic fans I just admire O'Neil as a manager so to read that players at Villa were disrespectful towards him have a read at this.....
Aston Villa players celebrate Martin O'Neill's exit by texting pictures of champagne bottles to each other - report"
For all the latest reports and transfer rumours, visit our dedicated section here.
Aston Villa players apparently celebrated the departure of Martin O'Neill from the club by texting pictures of bottles of champagne to each other, according to a report from The Daily Mirror.
Certain members of the squad have apparently been expressing doubts over O'Neill's tactics and training methods in recent times, with many said to have been questioning his loyalty to certain players and his propensity for playing individuals out of position.
Indeed, the report claims that O'Neill said to a group of players at training recently that they looked as though they "hated him".
There have also been reports that the Ulsterman told the squad to "get your trainers" to do more running after Richard Dunne asked him to introduce more ball work into training.
With just five days before the season starts, USA coach Bob Bradley has emerged as a strong contender to take over from O'Neill, with Jurgen Klinsmann also a name linked with the position.
Our provides the best breaking news online and our football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!
No title provided.
Story from Goal.com mobile application Goal.......
0 comments:
Post a Comment