PB Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 My disappointment with MON was that, IMO, he had done incredibly well to put together a team and a squad that could challenge the big 4 BUT had then failed to maximise on their potential due to his own weaknesses i.e. inability to use his squad (resting players and subs), constant selection of his favourites and, for me, inflexible tactics. I didnt really want to get into a MON debate, but I guess his shadow hangs long over Villa park, the things he did and didnt do, could have done, should have done and might have done still nuance events at the club today. Whether I think its right, or anyone thinks its right, it seems clear to me that lerner selected O'Neill as the man he believed could bring Champions League football to Villa Park. I think he further believes that he gave ONeill sufficient resources to achieve that goal. It seems to me as if ONeill, as managers are wont to, demanded more and more and Lerner was faced with a back him or sack him decision, and did neither in the summer of 2010, which for me was weak. He clearly had the money to give (as he gave a massive chunk of cash to Houllier), but appears to have decided he didnt trust O'Neill's judgement. At that point, he should have sacked him, even if he was the only person in the world who didnt trust him. I wouldnt be surprised to find out that a big chunk of that mistrust was based around what Redknapp did with Spurs, who regardless of starting points made it into the top 4 with a smaller wage budget than O'Neill. In other words it was demonstrated beyond any doubt that there was at least one manager (and one generally regarded as a manager who needed to spend big to achieve success) who was making better use of his resources than O'Neill. I'm sure that must have hurt Randy, he must have felt let down. It certainly hurt me watching Spurs last season, and it should have hurt all Villa fans. Instead, we were all too busy celebrating Blues getting relegated, the biggest cheer of the season at Villa Park. Maybe thats our level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolteExile Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I'd definitely agree with your second paragraph there PB, but that was at a time when the kind of financial contribution a RL or similar type of owner could invest might realistically tip the balance. Just over 12 months previously there were reports that Herbert was going to release the purse strings and we'd spend the princely sum of £20 million. In one summer! Oh joy! We didn't, of course, but that's neither here nor there. Yet FF to August 2006 and we have an owner who -though he made it clear he wouldn't be following the Abramovich model- was still reported to be prepared to cough up £20 million per annum, as part of a concerted effort. Rather than just the odd dart here and there. This was as much as we could realistically hope for/ expect and to RL's credit -even when you factor in player sales- it's close to that figure. Not a pittance by any means, but dwarfed by the resources Man Citeh now possess. Before you even factor in the headstart the previous top 4 enjoyed. The success of Redknapp may well have gnawed away at the powers at be to an extent, but I wouldn't necessarily arrive at the conclusion that MON was automatically a failure just because 'arry's lot enjoyed a stellar 2009/10 campaign. Players who were well out of the picture there (Bale, Pav) came in from the cold at crucial parts of the season and made telling contributions - players who he inherited, lets not forget. And who he had barely used up to that point. You could make the case that it was good management on his part to provide the conditions whereby even if they weren't playing, they still felt like valued members of the squad so that they could come in and then make these telling contributions. I wouldn't necessarily disagree. But sometimes things just click into place. Like playing a hitherto suspect left back at left midfield and him then going on to be one of the best players in the league. The failure to maximize resources -particularly relating to players on big wages being nowhere near the first team- is a valid criticism of MON. But based on the league positions he did actually attain, in isolation, it wouldn't be enough for dismissal. If we think we've received negative headlines recently, it would have been that x100 had we sacked MON either in 2009 or 2010. My fear in all this is that the board now look like they have gone too far the other way, and were looking for a candidate who would be easier to dictate to. By all accounts, the reason they continued with GH for so long is he regularly talked to them about football matters, made them feel a part of it. In contrast to MON's slightly colder, distant approach. Clough lite, if you will. A Hughes or a Benitez might have been cut from a similar cloth -or at least shared similar traits in that specific regard- so that was a no no. It's great if there is a fantastic rapport between owner and manager. But for me that should be of secondary importance to the main, primary concern. Does the manager have the credentials for the job? Or to put it another way, what have they achieved in their previous roles that demonstrates an aptitude for this one? McLeish's previous track record is not completely bleak, and there is no point in attempting to paint is as such. But there are large sections of it that can't be glossed over, sections that ask too many questions rather than provide answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 ^^^ An excellent post HolteExile, full of very valid points Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 ...Redknapp did with Spurs, who regardless of starting points made it into the top 4 with a smaller wage budget than O'Neill. In other words it was demonstrated beyond any doubt... Aren't we back to the oranges v oranges debate rather than something that was 'demonstrated beyond any doubt'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 ...Redknapp did with Spurs, who regardless of starting points made it into the top 4 with a smaller wage budget than O'Neill. In other words it was demonstrated beyond any doubt... Aren't we back to the oranges v oranges debate rather than something that was 'demonstrated beyond any doubt'? I can be prone to the odd bit of hyperbole, please forgive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts