When Martin O’Neill took over in August 2006 the club needed an overhaul and together with Randy Lerner, he built the club back up to the top level and restored the fan’s faith in the team, embedding optimism and ambition that was missing in previous years. This is a balanced account of his achievements at Villa.
O'Neill is a great man manager and he raised a lot of good young players, turning them into top Premier league talents. Players such as Agbonlahor, Young and Milner would not get close to the levels of recognition they enjoy today without his belief and leadership. We also have a British spine to the team, providing a number of players to the England setup recently.
Despite finishing 16th in O'Leary's last season in charge, O'Neill got rapid results. He took us back into the top third of English football in his second season, maintaining that position for a further two seasons. This proves his ability as a manager as the squad he inherited was weak and underachieving.
Traditionally we have Cup pedigree and for the first time in years MON gave us success (nearly). He took us to our first major final and semi-finals for years, showing us how close we were to glory.
The attacking style of football we played under him got us scoring goals and winning matches, making us more entertaining to watch. He also got us back into Europe. A return to the scene of our greatest triumph was the "dream" he said. Big teams need European football and MON made the fans feel that he shared their view in desiring continental success.
He fought to keep Barry and Milner. He believed that we are equal to the top 4, making other teams in the PL take us seriously and his hardball approach won us a lot of respect. But most importantly for Villa fans, MON renewed our enthusiasm for football and created a feel-good factor that lasted for the majority of his reign.
Whilst we have a lot to be grateful to MON for, there are drawbacks to his time at the club. He spent over the odds for a number of players (£120mil) in his time at the club, many of whom arrived for big money and never really got a chance in the first team. Some signings such as Sidwell and Beye were also unjustifiable in their lack of ability.
Despite some remarkable achievements MON was stubborn. He constantly played the same XI and his insistence to play some players out of position (Cuellar) and not give others a chance (L Young) was frustrating. This approach led to fatigue and accusations of us having a threadbare squad when our depth is not as bad as people think.
No plan B. When plan A worked it was fantastic and we could win games easily, especially after the defence was strengthened. However, he rarely trusted his subs' (bar Heskey) ability to turn a match and would persevere with the same tactics for the whole 90 minutes. Consequently teams learnt our style and we became predictable and tired.
His decision to prioritise the league over the UEFA Cup in 08/09 was a mistake. This upset the fans who were desperate for European progression and interrupted the team’s rhythm at a key point in the season. Also, MON was reluctant to look abroad for players. We are crying out for a creative midfielder, a rarity in Britain, so he should have gone abroad for one but it seemed he lacked an insight into foreign football. A few good signings with money spent on players like Sidwell would have helped MON persuade Barry and Milner to stay and avoided public tugs of war.
He lost face after his public challenge to Lerner, giving the owner an ultimatum. He stayed but didn’t spend anything, suggesting Lerner had called his bluff, damaging their relationship.
MON made us competitive, restored our status as a top PL side and launched a number of promising careers at Villa. The fans are once again proud of the club and it is in fantastic condition with a good squad. His achievements are incomparable and most Villa fans are extremely grateful to him. However, his transfer policy was flawed and his stubbornness over his starting XI and the way they played made it impossible for us to reach higher than sixth. The team petered out in the last third of each season and had MON put more trust in the players that he had bought then we stood a chance at breaking the top four.
Lerner had every right to take stock of the club’s position this summer. MON spent heavily since 2006 and Lerner has invested generously, enhancing the club on and off the pitch. To be told to sell before he could buy was not unreasonable given our spending in the last four years (training ground, facilities, forgoing sponsorship etc).
The perceived glass ceiling between the top 4 and everybody else is a myth. We had the tools to achieve it but MON was defeated by himself. MON should have accepted that he had to sell some players to buy more. If he could not sell the players that he bought but did not rate then selling Milner is something he should have come to terms with.
Monday 16 August 2010
The Problems With English Football
The farcical showing by the England national team at this summer’s World Cup must finally bring the problems facing English football to everybody’s attention. Aside from the sheer calamity that is our national side, the F.A, Premier League, the media and the players and management must all take responsibility for their shortcomings.
Firstly, the Football Association must address its position immediately. The body is poorly organized with no clear leadership and it needs somebody to go in and shake things up. Many of the members of the association have no experience of the game and this must change. There is no sense of responsibility within the body and it is run in an unprofessional manner.
The F.A. should have held themselves responsible for a number of years of international underperformance, poor decision-making and broken promises, paving the way for a fresh new group of more efficient members. We have been promised a centre of National Football Centre for years, where is it? The French opened Clairefontaine in 1988 and despite their poor performance this summer look at how many good players have been created by that in the last generation. They have won the World Cup and the Euros since and also reached a second World Cup final. Also, where is the justification for poor decisions such as appointing Brian Barwick and Lord Triesman as Chief Executives of the association? They were abject failures and neither had the knowledge of what it takes to enhance football in this country.
The lack of organisation at the F.A. is clear to see at grassroots level too where youth teams are being managed and taught with outdated techniques that do not prepare the future generations of players adequately for professional football. There is a lack of facilities for young players to use and if you go away to most countries in Europe, e.g. France, Holland, Germany then you will find lots of well-maintained football pitches with goals and nets that are free for the youngsters to use rather than expecting them to make do in a park.
The mentality with which youngsters are taught also must change if we are to transform ourselves from footballing losers. No side looked less committed and less motivated than us this summer yet Germany in particular; keep creating batches of youngsters that share the same motivation and determination to win. This mentality comes from the training that they receive from a very young age.
The Premier League must also shoulder a lot of responsibility for our current predicament. There are too many foreign players allowed to play in the Premier League which means that clubs are bringing through little or no youth players. Although this has strengthened the Premier League as a competition, it has weakened it as far as English football is concerned. We need foreigner caps so young, promising English players can be guaranteed chances of first team football and not forced to rot in the reserves until their mid-20s.
The astronomical wages that players earn also needs to be regulated. No players can justify these sums of money and the funding for this comes from years of unequal distribution of money within the league. This is another problem facing the EPL, the league format needs re-thinking and distribution of money needs to be fairer, giving each team an equal amount of money. The Premier League must look at different league models around Europe e.g. Bundesliga and adopt new methods to avoid the league staying predictable and inflexible. Currently, the television money given out favours the top teams meaning that some sides cannot compete with the top four (now top five) and are constantly raided for talent. Barring a takeover by somebody willing to pump billions into their team like at Man City, most sides are unable to compete properly with the top four defeating the sense of equality in the league.
The media in their current form are too powerful and their role needs to be limited either by themselves, which I accept is unlikely, or by future English management. They are too intrusive and distracting and the pressure that they build up by over-hyping players and speculating over their private lives is unreasonable. The over-analysis of comments, performances and team selections creates a negative atmosphere amongst the players and the public. When things then go wrong they conduct witch hunts and make public scapegoats for the nation’s failure. This pressure and fear of failure contributes to the players’ lack of enjoyment at playing for England and also explains the unrealistic levels of expectations held by the public.
Finally, the players and management of the national team must be addressed. The management situation must be resolved soon. To have a non-English manager who cannot speak the language fully is unacceptable. It brings further divisions between the team and manager in addition to the rifts in the camp in South Africa which resulted in John Terry speaking out against Capello. His iron-fisted code of conduct must also change if he is to ever really build up a rapport with his players.
Many of the players enjoy a relative level of comfort with their current clubs. They win domestic trophies in teams that rely too heavily on foreign players and whenever an opportunity arises for a transfer to a different league with a big team, the offer is usually rejected (Frank Lampard and Inter Milan for example). The experience that moving to another league and learning another style of football would give to English players would be invaluable but none of our players seem prepared to take the risk of immersing themselves into another culture. This narrow-minded mentality means that English players are less rounded than many of our European competitors. Almost every major nation has players who are playing or have played abroad and their games have benefitted from those experiences as they have grown as players.
I also feel that there is a major lack of respect towards international football from our current internationals. Domestic clubs come before England for many players and this mentality must change. Jamie Carragher should not have gone to the World Cup as his ability as a player is no longer what it was and the disrespect he showed the national team in his autobiography should have served as his international football obituary. The players that also give the excuse of injuries ahead of England friendlies and minor qualifiers only to turn out for their club teams a few days later should also be disregarded.
The failure to use in form players cost us dear this summer. The manager, be it Capello or somebody else, has to pick players on form and not reputation. Robert Green and Matthew Upson helped contribute towards another disappointing season at West Ham and should never have made the plane. Steven Gerrard was abysmal for Liverpool and, clearly past his prime; he shouldn’t have started let alone be made captain. James Milner deserved a place but was unlucky with illness. Joe Hart should have played in place of Green while Michael Dawson and Darren Bent both excelled in their respective positions yet Bent was jettisoned and Dawson was overlooked.
The lack of enjoyment towards international football is clear with our players and although this is mostly caused by the media, if you contrast the English players with many of the other squads in South Africa, there was no sense of fun and enjoyment and delight at being there. Everything was too serious and everybody was scared to make a mistake.
I feel that despite there being many deeply ingrained problems in English football, the situation is not irreparable. The changes that are required for English football to benefit will take years to implement and begin bearing fruit, but once these changes have occurred then domestic football will be in much better shape. However, I fear that with the F.A. still intact and the Premier League ignorant of the fact that our domestic league is untenable then English football will continue to suffer. Will England host a World Cup in 2018 that we will win? Dream on. We may host it but I would rather be spared the embarrassment of a paltry showing where we limp out after the group stages and leave the tournament host-less for the latter stages.
Firstly, the Football Association must address its position immediately. The body is poorly organized with no clear leadership and it needs somebody to go in and shake things up. Many of the members of the association have no experience of the game and this must change. There is no sense of responsibility within the body and it is run in an unprofessional manner.
The F.A. should have held themselves responsible for a number of years of international underperformance, poor decision-making and broken promises, paving the way for a fresh new group of more efficient members. We have been promised a centre of National Football Centre for years, where is it? The French opened Clairefontaine in 1988 and despite their poor performance this summer look at how many good players have been created by that in the last generation. They have won the World Cup and the Euros since and also reached a second World Cup final. Also, where is the justification for poor decisions such as appointing Brian Barwick and Lord Triesman as Chief Executives of the association? They were abject failures and neither had the knowledge of what it takes to enhance football in this country.
The lack of organisation at the F.A. is clear to see at grassroots level too where youth teams are being managed and taught with outdated techniques that do not prepare the future generations of players adequately for professional football. There is a lack of facilities for young players to use and if you go away to most countries in Europe, e.g. France, Holland, Germany then you will find lots of well-maintained football pitches with goals and nets that are free for the youngsters to use rather than expecting them to make do in a park.
The mentality with which youngsters are taught also must change if we are to transform ourselves from footballing losers. No side looked less committed and less motivated than us this summer yet Germany in particular; keep creating batches of youngsters that share the same motivation and determination to win. This mentality comes from the training that they receive from a very young age.
The Premier League must also shoulder a lot of responsibility for our current predicament. There are too many foreign players allowed to play in the Premier League which means that clubs are bringing through little or no youth players. Although this has strengthened the Premier League as a competition, it has weakened it as far as English football is concerned. We need foreigner caps so young, promising English players can be guaranteed chances of first team football and not forced to rot in the reserves until their mid-20s.
The astronomical wages that players earn also needs to be regulated. No players can justify these sums of money and the funding for this comes from years of unequal distribution of money within the league. This is another problem facing the EPL, the league format needs re-thinking and distribution of money needs to be fairer, giving each team an equal amount of money. The Premier League must look at different league models around Europe e.g. Bundesliga and adopt new methods to avoid the league staying predictable and inflexible. Currently, the television money given out favours the top teams meaning that some sides cannot compete with the top four (now top five) and are constantly raided for talent. Barring a takeover by somebody willing to pump billions into their team like at Man City, most sides are unable to compete properly with the top four defeating the sense of equality in the league.
The media in their current form are too powerful and their role needs to be limited either by themselves, which I accept is unlikely, or by future English management. They are too intrusive and distracting and the pressure that they build up by over-hyping players and speculating over their private lives is unreasonable. The over-analysis of comments, performances and team selections creates a negative atmosphere amongst the players and the public. When things then go wrong they conduct witch hunts and make public scapegoats for the nation’s failure. This pressure and fear of failure contributes to the players’ lack of enjoyment at playing for England and also explains the unrealistic levels of expectations held by the public.
Finally, the players and management of the national team must be addressed. The management situation must be resolved soon. To have a non-English manager who cannot speak the language fully is unacceptable. It brings further divisions between the team and manager in addition to the rifts in the camp in South Africa which resulted in John Terry speaking out against Capello. His iron-fisted code of conduct must also change if he is to ever really build up a rapport with his players.
Many of the players enjoy a relative level of comfort with their current clubs. They win domestic trophies in teams that rely too heavily on foreign players and whenever an opportunity arises for a transfer to a different league with a big team, the offer is usually rejected (Frank Lampard and Inter Milan for example). The experience that moving to another league and learning another style of football would give to English players would be invaluable but none of our players seem prepared to take the risk of immersing themselves into another culture. This narrow-minded mentality means that English players are less rounded than many of our European competitors. Almost every major nation has players who are playing or have played abroad and their games have benefitted from those experiences as they have grown as players.
I also feel that there is a major lack of respect towards international football from our current internationals. Domestic clubs come before England for many players and this mentality must change. Jamie Carragher should not have gone to the World Cup as his ability as a player is no longer what it was and the disrespect he showed the national team in his autobiography should have served as his international football obituary. The players that also give the excuse of injuries ahead of England friendlies and minor qualifiers only to turn out for their club teams a few days later should also be disregarded.
The failure to use in form players cost us dear this summer. The manager, be it Capello or somebody else, has to pick players on form and not reputation. Robert Green and Matthew Upson helped contribute towards another disappointing season at West Ham and should never have made the plane. Steven Gerrard was abysmal for Liverpool and, clearly past his prime; he shouldn’t have started let alone be made captain. James Milner deserved a place but was unlucky with illness. Joe Hart should have played in place of Green while Michael Dawson and Darren Bent both excelled in their respective positions yet Bent was jettisoned and Dawson was overlooked.
The lack of enjoyment towards international football is clear with our players and although this is mostly caused by the media, if you contrast the English players with many of the other squads in South Africa, there was no sense of fun and enjoyment and delight at being there. Everything was too serious and everybody was scared to make a mistake.
I feel that despite there being many deeply ingrained problems in English football, the situation is not irreparable. The changes that are required for English football to benefit will take years to implement and begin bearing fruit, but once these changes have occurred then domestic football will be in much better shape. However, I fear that with the F.A. still intact and the Premier League ignorant of the fact that our domestic league is untenable then English football will continue to suffer. Will England host a World Cup in 2018 that we will win? Dream on. We may host it but I would rather be spared the embarrassment of a paltry showing where we limp out after the group stages and leave the tournament host-less for the latter stages.
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