Somehow along the way Martin O’Neill has picked up the reputation of being something of a swordsman when it comes to man management. My suspicion is that this is the result of back handed compliments as much as anything. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve read some McExpert or other opining about his lack of tactical nous, only to balance their critique by conceding that he’s a “good man manager” in some sort of
There can’t be too many people close to Martin O’Neill’s innermost thoughts. In fact, there may be a few who wonder whether he is close to his innermost thoughts sometimes, but I couldn’t possibly comment. I’m certainly not among the inner sanctum so it’s idle speculation on my part here, but is it possible that MON’s transfer dealings to date reveal a tactician who is actually ahead of the curve? Wait, hear me out here!
MON’s activity in
Regular readers will not need reminding that I’m an ardent supporter of the Lerner/O’Neill management of our club. Aston Villa are barely recognizable from the club they were a little over 3 years ago. In fact, they’re almost polar opposite.
However, no one is beyond criticism and I must confess one trait of Martin O’Neill’s that frequently leaves me scratching my head is his apparent willingness to ask players to perform roles outside of their natural positions. Sure,
I’m starting to think that losing the opening game against Wigan will turn out to be a good thing, if given time. Whether the Peace Cup could be dismissed as just pre-season or not, we were on a high from picking up a trophy and arguably “discovering” some hidden gems among our reserves.
Wigan was definitely a wake up call. The players lost their day off and were dragged in for training yesterday. No one at the club