I suppose this might seem like odd timing, but I was planning on compiling and publishing this right before the West Ham game and then Martin O’Neill went and put the kybosh on things. I thought I’d leave the survey open for a little while longer to see whether any of the data trickling in after MON’s departure would take any kind of dip, but I really didn’t see that.
That’s a good thing since I was looking for expectations, not
I finally got round to compiling manager performance data going back a wee bit further than 1992. 1946 to be precise; the first league season after World War II.
There’s very little narrative required, but I should explain the data is limited to the top flight only, seasons in the old Divisions Two and Three were excluded. All matches were recalculated on a basis of three points for a win. A handful of games without a permanent manager
It’s brief, it doesn’t reveal much, but the General’s words, which I’ll add below shortly, don’t paint a rosy picture of the scenes behind closed doors at Villa Park.
On the basis of what’s been emerging in the last few days, why Martin O’Neill signed another 12 month contract not two months ago is a mystery to me. I’m sure he’ll give his own version in due course.
Randy Lerner
Having had some time to reflect on Martin leaving, I can say
If you’ve followed the James Milner storyline close enough you will have been aware that Randy Lerner flew into Birmingham ahead of last weekend, setting tongues wagging that the overly drawn out transfer would be wrapped up post haste. Then he flew back to America, on Sunday I think, and the conventional wisdom was that the deal was done, more or less, it was just about crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s.
Then the international break got in the
…he has now.
I’ve heard it said a lot in the last season. And the season before that actually. “MON has taken us as far as he can” the clairvoyants said. The evidence, for as much as evidence is worth in football, suggested the opposite to be more likely. Turns out those with physic powers were correct. The record books will forever record that this is indeed as far MON will take us.
It’s probably about 11
Big shock. That’s all I know right now, but it’s absolutely confirmed. Not a joke.
Martin O’Neill has resigned with immediate effect. Kevin McDonald has been named as caretaker manager ahead of the game against West Ham on Saturday.
I’ll drop links in here as they emerge.
This is the club statement in full:-
AVFC
Aston Villa can confirm that Martin O’Neill has resigned as manager of the football club with immediate effect.
Kevin MacDonald, reserve team manager, has assumed the role of
I’ve been meaning to get to this for some time and as transfer hungry fans start rolling out the old memes, such as Martin O’Neill “has taken us as far as he can” and is “useless in the transfer market”, it seems as good a time as any. I want to put the last few seasons, and especially 2009/10, in a larger context so that the progress and trend can easily be seen by everybody. So it’s time
Martin O’Neill does not have rocks in his head.
I’ll be brief. The inevitable is finally happening and Rafa is being shoved out the Anfield door, it’s just a matter of negotiating how big his golden parachute will be. I hear that he’s currently holidaying in Sardinia and it’s down to the lawyers to sort this mess out.
Whether a pro or anti-Rafa Liverpool fan, now can’t be much fun to be a Red and they have as much sympathy
Randy Lerner is conducting a press conference, as promised, right at this moment and Twitter is lit up with the owner’s confirmation that Martin O’Neill isn’t going anywhere. Since I never thought he was, this isn’t news to me. However, if you look hard enough there have been one or two interesting nuggets floating around which will emerge during the course of the day.
Randy has insisted that James Milner isn’t going anywhere either. Again, not news to