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Martin O'Neill


Saw that, the former sky sports news deadline day wanker also said he had some unpleasant experiences with old ellis. With Keane talking about a four year legal battle with the club due to short also it doesn’t paint him well the way he ran us into an ice berg and dumped us to the cockney lot also still leaves a sour taste. I know he did some good things here but he truly fucked up here in reality wasting his and our money while doing so.
 
Mackemansj1 said:
Saw that, the former sky sports news deadline day wanker also said he had some unpleasant experiences with old ellis. With Keane talking about a four year legal battle with the club due to short also it doesn’t paint him well the way he ran us into an ice berg and dumped us to the cockney lot also still leaves a sour taste. I know he did some good things here but he truly fucked up here in reality wasting his and our money while doing so.
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He gave us a few years of Zenden, Sessegnon, and Malbranque. Can only be so mad at him despite him actually crippling us for nearly a decade after he left.
 
Nice to know Martin was listening to that game as well. Second replay V man utd round six 1964. I would have been seven back then, though went to the first game at Old Trafford..my first away match (3-3) and days later the famous replay with heavens knows how many in Roker. maybe 80,000. (The crowds broke the gates down ..and thousands ringed the ground all though the match even if they couldnt get through the mob to see the pitch. last minute Bobby Charlton goal in extra time tied it up 2-2

What a series.

At the end Denis Law was just too much. 1-5 at Huddesfield - the neutral ground, as things were done back then - as he nabbed a hat trick. Even then Sharkey scored first for us. We just ran out of puff.

Great days. Just like they are right now. Enjoy it all while it lasts.
 
Cappuccino Kid said:
O’Neill only has himself to blame for getting the sack here, mind. No point trying to deflect his shortcomings on the ownership.
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A lot of valid criticisms to level towards Short and the way he ran the club but all you need to do is look at the state that Titus Bramble was in during his last few games for us to see the levels of unprofessionalism that O'Neill and his backroom staff allowed our players at the time to get away with.
 
I summarised the SAFC craic from his book a couple of years ago, posting below if anyone's interested. As always with these autobiographies, the truth will be somewhere in the middle:

- Took the job as it was his boyhood club and was advised by Fergie not to stay out of the game for too long

- Robertson was burnt out after the way they left Villa and having been involved in the game continually for so many years and wanted to take some time out, so didn't join him at SAFC

- He felt Short didn't want to know when it came to buying players and he was told by him and Byrne that they would replace Bendtner and that would be it, in his first summer window

- Had to push and push to get Fletcher who he felt paid for himself with his goals that year. Plenty of praise for Mignolet also especially stepping in for Westwood with the mask on

- Was summoned to a meeting in London by Short who introduced him to Di Fanti and co who he essentially felt were a bunch of bluffers. O'Neill was gone a couple of weeks later with Short calling him to say he was going in a different direction

- Felt he would have kept us up with us needing what he reckoned would have been around 5 points from the remaining 7 games, but ultimately the end was nigh regardless due to Short wanting to go in a different direction

- Lots of praise for Sessegnon who he felt was an excellent player

- Said the Everton defeat in the cup was one of his biggest disappointments and it ate away at him for some time
 
People have always said the Everton replay broke him. However, we actually put in our best performance of the season in the next game directly after that - 3-3 away to Man City. I always remember though he had a meeting with Short around that time and he was quite bullish with the press beforehand, telling them that we needed to strengthen otherwise we'd end up in another relegation battle again. We were then 'linked' - I use the term loosely, the papers seemed to be as surprised as we were to be reporting on it - with Fernando Llorente and MON talked about needing a striker like him who could hold the ball up and score goals.

His demeanor seemed to change overnight shortly after that from being so energetic and bubbly to looking on the verge of tears every game. I always thought the meeting with Short mustn't have went well and he seemed to lose all enthusiasm for the job.

Short was credited that summer for spending to bring in Fletcher and Johnson but that was actually the start of a real shift in transfer policy. We spent fuck all all summer, bringing in Cuellar and an ancient Louis Saha on frees, despite bringing in fees for Turner and Gyan and losing Bendtner at the end of his loan. Then we brought in Fletcher and Johnson after the start of the season but both had been frozen out at their previous clubs - Fletcher hit the ground running but it took Johnson months to get fit. We did the same in 14/15, 15/16 and 16/17 (13/14 was the De Fanti summer), not really spending all summer then panic buying after we got off to a shit start.

The only time MON seemed to find any enthusiasm after that was around December time when Shearer had a pop at him on MOTD and he came back firing, coinciding with a good run of results over December and January.

So, roundabout way of saying, I think Short refusing to invest in the team killed all enthusiasm MON had for the job and he spent most of the following 12 months sulking before Short put him out of his misery.
 
jcrossan said:
Nice to know Martin was listening to that game as well. Second replay V man utd round six 1964. I would have been seven back then, though went to the first game at Old Trafford..my first away match (3-3) and days later the famous replay with heavens knows how many in Roker. maybe 80,000. (The crowds broke the gates down ..and thousands ringed the ground all though the match even if they couldnt get through the mob to see the pitch. last minute Bobby Charlton goal in extra time tied it up 2-2

What a series.

At the end Denis Law was just too much. 1-5 at Huddesfield - the neutral ground, as things were done back then - as he nabbed a hat trick. Even then Sharkey scored first for us. We just ran out of puff.

Great days. Just like they are right now. Enjoy it all while it lasts.
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I remember vividly the series of games. I was 10 and listened to the coverage of the Leeds Rd game on radio. I turned to my mam and asked if they could still win when it was 5–1 😁.
About 5 years ago I met up with Dennis Law at a dinner and recalled the story. He couldn’t remember the game ( his health hadn’t declined at that stage).
When I was introduced to him I gripped my DJ and shirt cuffs with my fingers and apologized when going to shake hands with “ sorry Dennis ….. it’s a lifetime habit”. He roared.
 
Maravilla said:
A lot of valid criticisms to level towards Short and the way he ran the club but all you need to do is look at the state that Titus Bramble was in during his last few games for us to see the levels of unprofessionalism that O'Neill and his backroom staff allowed our players at the time to get away with.
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Yep. The likes of Graham and Johnson (who he brought into the club at a significant cost to the owner) were well renowned wasters who were allowed to get away with all sorts.
 
Mackemansj1 said:
Saw that, the former sky sports news deadline day wanker also said he had some unpleasant experiences with old ellis. With Keane talking about a four year legal battle with the club due to short also it doesn’t paint him well the way he ran us into an ice berg and dumped us to the cockney lot also still leaves a sour taste. I know he did some good things here but he truly fucked up here in reality wasting his and our money while doing so.
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Sir Bob Murray hates him as well
 
I like O'Neill, think he's a decent bloke and that first few months after he took over was among my most exciting as a fan. However, he was bang out of ideas by the time he left. The energy & dynamism we had when he first took over completely vanished in the 2nd season as we turned into a slow, plodding outfit - and he doubled down on that by signing the oafish Graham in January when we desperately needed a bit of pace in the side. He was a busted flush at the point he was let go, and the jobs he's had since prove that.

Incredibly sad & incredibly Sunderland, as if we'd got him straight after Keane I think he'd have done fantastic here.
 
Roose Bolton said:
I like O'Neill, think he's a decent bloke and that first few months after he took over was among my most exciting as a fan. However, he was bang out of ideas by the time he left. The energy & dynamism we had when he first took over completely vanished in the 2nd season as we turned into a slow, plodding outfit - and he doubled down on that by signing the oafish Graham in January when we desperately needed a bit of pace in the side. He was a busted flush at the point he was let go, and the jobs he's had since prove that.

Incredibly sad & incredibly Sunderland, as if we'd got him straight after Keane I think he'd have done fantastic here.
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He was a joke. Playing a game on a Saturday then him but more importantly letting the players have a few days off then come back on a Thursday. Lazy lazy manager who would never be able to manage in the modern game. He football was embarrassingly bad to watch
 
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