Why Martin O'Neill was let down as soon as Lerner lost his bottle

By Oliver Holt

Published 11:20 10/08/10

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This morning some will argue Martin O’Neill’s career goes ­downhill from here.

Some will say Aston Villa was his stepping stone to one of the big four clubs and he has blown his chance.

Well, O’Neill is 58 now and it is obvious he has not got many more big projects left in him.

But his stock should not be ­diminished by his sudden resignation yesterday. He should still be at the top of the short-list when the first Premier League job becomes available in the autumn’s sacking season.

The truth remains that O’Neill did a fine job at Villa – and if owner Randy Lerner had the bottle to help his manager finish what he had started, Villa would have been competing in the Champions League this season.

O’Neill transformed Villa from a club flirting with relegation to a side challenging for the top four every season and only falling short because their squad was not big enough.

Lerner backed him in the early days and O’Neill justified Lerner’s faith, signing Ashley Young and James Milner and by converting Gareth Barry into a top class central midfielder. But then, just when Villa were ready to take the great leap forward, the ­investment dried up, Villa were left to atrophy, Barry was sold and ­resentments crept in.

O’Neill could not compete with the big four on that basis. He could not even compete with Spurs and Manchester City, who backed their managers more vigorously.

But that does not mean he is not still one of the most talented managers in the game. Along with Everton’s David Moyes and Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp, he has consistently over-achieved wherever he has worked.

His main failing is that he has suffered from bad luck in his career. He should have got the England job when Sven Goran Eriksson left but the FA gave it to Steve McClaren.

And it was his misfortune that the Liverpool job became vacant after Roy Hodgson had a stellar season with Fulham and Villa tailed off again in the Premier League.

But his chance has not gone yet. The way Fabio Capello’s going, the England job might soon be up for grabs again. If Roberto Mancini does not get off to a good start at Manchester City, he will be out by October.

When Lerner tries to get a ­replacement to replicate what O’Neill achieved, he will soon start to realise he just lost one of the best there is.

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Why Martin O'Neill should be the next manager of England

The James Nursey column: I feared Lerner's transfer policy would force O'Neill out

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