March 2009 Archives

As soon as Martin O'Neill changed his tune, Aston Villa's season was doomed.

The intellectual Ulsterman was quick to dismiss talk of a top-four place during the first half of this season.

Villa's exciting crop of young English talent were over-achieving and daring to challenge the Premier League's all-conquering elite.

However the chances of hearing O'Neill publicly express a belief that Villa could genuinely finish the campaign in a coveted Champions League plan were slim.

That was until the claret and blue wave went beyond the Iron Curtain at the end of the February.

From the moment O'Neill unveiled his weak starting XI to face CSKA Moscow during last month's second-leg round of 32 Uefa Cup tie, Villa were officially gunning for a top-four place.

Whereas, before, they were something of an unknown quantity who were storming forward on all fronts with tremendous moment, Villa had suddenly become the ones to watch.

Teams were now even more on their guard when the top flight's visitors from Birmingham arrived in town and as CSKA Moscow manager Zico alluded, Villa's opponents were starting to figure out a way of dealing with their one-dimensional style.

A bold move it may have been for O'Neill, but it is one that has disastrously back-fired into the face of the former Celtic manager.

Martin O'Neill loves a good yarn. So there's no doubt he's fond of the famous story about George Best's playboy lifestyle.

The former Manchester United legend is on his hotel bed with a wad of banknotes won in the casino and the current Miss World, when a room service porter knocks on the door, sees the scene, and asks: "Mr Best, where did it all go wrong?"

O'Neill might not be Best, and as we're all finding out now, his Aston Villa team are not yet the best.

But the Villa boss can surely empathise with his former Norther Ireland international team-mate.

A team which is currently 11 Premier League places better off than the one he inherited less than three years ago.

With the strong prospect of automatic qualification for European competiton for the first time in over a decade.

And a collection of talented young British players who have been a breath air for most of the season by challenging the established elite.

So, in this knee-jerk era where impatient fans are clamouring to knock O'Neill, it's worth remembering the Best anecdote and realising that, even after a month of misery, Villa haven't got it too bad.

"Mr O'Neill, where did it all go wrong?"

Call it gallows humour, but the lone Villa voice who asked 'Does this make us as good as Real Madrid?' when Liverpool's fourth goal went in was clearly having a laugh.

Which was more than could be said for manager Martin O'Neill after a humiliation which leaves Villa's receding Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

When the animated Irishman stands statue-like in his technical area instead of jumping around the dugout like a jack in the box, it is clear his team have got problems.

Sadly, he was not the only member of the claret and blue contingent to be rendered motionless by Rafa Benitez's rejuvenated title-chasers, as a team which put four past Real Madrid and Manchester United went one better against Villa.

First for the positives.

I spotted this on the Blues forum on the Mail this morning....

"There was a team called Villa"
"They were two-nil up on Stoke"
"They let in 2 late goals and became a national joke"
"They thought they'd break the top four"
"They never stood a chance"
"Now their bubbles burst and we're doing a promotion dance"

Thoughts? Dare I ask...