O'Neill quits as Villa boss

Disagreement over transfer activity reportedly forces boss to leave

Last updated: 10th August 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

It's obviously a wrench to be leaving such a magnificent club. I would like to pay tribute to the Villa players, my coaching staff and the Villa supporters.

Martin O'Neill.
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Martin O'Neill has stunned Aston Villa by resigning as manager with immediate effect ahead of the new Premier League season.

Reports emerged earlier on Monday that the former Leicester and Celtic boss was set to quit Villa Park over frustration at the club's transfer policy and the expected sale of James Milner to Manchester City.

Villa have now confirmed the news of O'Neill's departure and revealed that Kevin MacDonald, reserve team manager, has assumed the role of caretaker boss ahead of the start of the new season against West Ham on Saturday.

O'Neill told Villa's official website: "I have enjoyed my time at Aston Villa immensely.

"It's obviously a wrench to be leaving such a magnificent club. I would like to pay tribute to the Villa players, my coaching staff and the Villa supporters for all the support and encouragement they have given both the club and me personally during my time as manager.

Upper echelons

"I wish them all the best for the future. I will obviously be assisting the club in the immediate short-term with regard to the handover of my duties."

Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Aston Villa, said: "The club would like to thank Martin for the great work he has done at Aston Villa over the past four years.

"He has helped to establish the club in the upper echelons of the Premier League, has taken us to Wembley and we have also qualified for European competition for the past three seasons under his management. We wish him the best in the future."

An additional statement from Villa read: "No further comment will be made by either Aston Villa or Martin O'Neill until further notice."

It was speculated at the end of last season that O'Neill was set to resign because Villa did not match his ambition to force a place into the top four of the Premier League.

The earlier sale of Gareth Barry to City and a reluctance from club owner Randy Lerner to finance new signings has also been rumoured to have played a part in O'Neill's decision.

O'Neill has transformed the fortunes of Villa since replacing David O'Leary during the summer of 2006, with three consecutive top-six finishes in the league and a place in February's League Cup final.

Comments (196)

J p Dolan (Celtic fan) says...

I feel sorry for Villa fans.Judging by some comments Martin has plenty critics but take it from someone who knows,you''ve lost the best man manager in the British game.I know the SPL is vastly inferior to the Premiership but Martin made Celtic into a team who could take on any team in Europe(at home) and we''ve never been the same club or team since he left.I doubt very much Villa will find someone who''ll do better and every club Martin''s left has went backwards.If he was as poor a manager as some are saying then no team will touch him now.Can''t see that happening somehow.Good luck Villa fans,become quite fond of your team since O''Neill took over and Celtic fans know the pain you''re feeling.Watching him arrive at Villa Park that day when the car took ages to arrive with fans mobbing it was like watching a wife drive away with someone else.Like I said,if he''s so crap then his next job will be lower Championship or league 1.We''ll see

Posted 20:24 10th August 2010

Adriaan M (Newcastle United fan) says...

Agreed that the timing of this is awful, but at the same time, it is not a surprise - MON is a lot like Keegan, something doesn''t go his way and he''s off. But all this slating of the owner, please get real. With the exception of the odd few teams, clubs have to be run as a business and the amount Randy Lerner has put in over the last few years is sizeable and he is right to want to see some of his losses cut. If O''Neill was such a good manager, you would have thought that he would have brought through more young players so that the books could start to be balanced, and he does seem to have had more than his fair share of turkeys. Be thankful you have an owner who has been willing to invest in the club, and who seems to want to do the best by the club, and rather than shouting Yanks Go Home, remember, english owners are not necessarily any better - you could have Mike Ashley and then you would be right royally messed up. In fact, there''s an idea - if Lerner is so bad, let''s do a swap - Lerner for Ashley :-) Good luck with finding a new manager.

Posted 16:33 10th August 2010

Simon Hodson (Aston Villa fan) says...

Like some of the other comments here, I''m not suprised MON resigned - the timing is horrible. I think it was time for him to move as I don''t believe he could have progressed Villa any further given their reluctance to spend money

Posted 14:42 10th August 2010

Luke Adair (Aston Villa fan) says...

We dont need Bob Bradley because he has no premier league experience and he dont have the potential to keep us at the level martin did. Bring in Moyes,hiddeink or jol

Posted 14:36 10th August 2010

Nick G (Sunderland fan) says...

No manager can make football - progress if his best players are sold at any stage of the season. Martin O''Neill doesn''t need the hassle of Aston Villa''s outlook on the future when more ambitious clubs will be eyeing him up.

Posted 13:58 10th August 2010

Jack Maca (Aston Villa fan) says...

How can anyone blame lerner, he has given MON 170mil to spend in 4 years at the club, i think MON has been selfish and left the villa in a terrible position at the moment he did great in the years he was here but dissapointed he has left us like this please don''t give us slaven bilic i just don'' think he''d do well but i believe Bob bradley, Mark Hughes and Mark Bowen, Guus Hiddink and martin jol would all be great, i think hughes would be happy top leave fulham already because he knows this is a bigger job but maybe with the american connecton bradley could do well. There will be life after MON at villa park, no one is bigger than the club!

Posted 13:28 10th August 2010

Mike Shiman (Arsenal fan) says...

Call me cynical, but is there an England Manager''s job coming up soon?

Posted 13:27 10th August 2010

Peter Sweedle says...

Thank God for Andy Gray. I do love Paul Merson but fortunately not for his sense. Martin O''Neill has had a huge amount of money to spend and has spent most of it very unwisely. So many players on silly wages, so many silly transfer fees, Heskey (60 grand a week!!!). Great motivator apparently.. But that doesn''t count for much when he insists on having complete control while being so unreasonable towards the situation he has created at Villa.

Posted 13:17 10th August 2010

James Roberts (Manchester United fan) says...

Am I the only one who thinks O''Neill is a disgrace. Leaving his team 5 days prior to the new season! Sure, Villa may not have had the millions available to spend in this transfer window, but one would think he has already spent enough to form another challenge for fourth place. Where is the loyalty? I for one think his resignation is a indication that he thought himself too big for the club.

Posted 13:03 10th August 2010

Peter Fernie (Rangers fan) says...

No surprise O''Neill has left. He likes to get things all his own way or he goes off in a huff. He is a good manager but he will only take you so far. Toughness and durability over class is his preference. He used to moan at Celtic about his small squad even though he had 5 years to build a squad. He''s been saying he''s got a small squad at villa for 4 years. Who''s fault is that? If Villa have no money it must be because their existing squad members are on inflated wages . Again, who''s fault is that? To be fair Villa are now better off than he found them but at great great cost. He has done well but has run out of ideas . A more inventive manager with a greater scouting network can improve them at less cost and put some much needed creativity in the squad. At the moment they are a good counter attacking team but far too direct and don''t keep the ball nearly well enough. This is down to O''Neill''s recruitment policy and tactics. Villa fans should be happy at the chance of fresh ideas in my opinion. Good luck Villa and take care Martin.

Posted 12:40 10th August 2010

Daniel Foster says...

I''ve never really understood the hype surrounding Martin O''Neill. His best talent is manipulating the media to maintain his reputation. Okay he won the league cup with Leicester which was a good achievement, then he won a few trophys with Celtic which let''s face it, is not that hard to do as there''s only 2 teams in Scotland. He had Aston Villa on the brink of knocking my club Arsenal out of the top 4 and then blew it. Right around the time he decided to abandon the Uefa cup. For such a supposed good man manager, to send out a message to his players that its okay to not try to win certain high profile games, I knew right there Arsenal would overtake them in the end. And then last season Villa were already starting to go backwards under O''Neill, with Spurs and Man City overtaking them. He''s quit now while everyone still thinks he''s amazing.

Posted 12:35 10th August 2010

Nathan Spooner (Aston Villa fan) says...

Very dark day for Aston Villa. If what we hear is true and he issued an ultimatum which the board didn''t rise to then thats just ridiculous. Like another post said, we have a crop of young talent who need great man management to help them progress and you are not going to get that with someone like sven or bradley who will almost certainly go foreign to strengthen the squad. I feel for those youngtsers, which is why my choice is Kevin MacDonald the caretaker manager and youth guy. Give him a chance, great reputation in the squad, great reputation for bringing through young players. This is the biggest step backwards for Villa since we employed Graham Taylor for the second time!!

Posted 12:18 10th August 2010

Neil Triphook (West Ham United fan) says...

I feel the reason Martin has quit , and i dont expect him to admit this , is due to the greed of modern day footballers The guy is tryin to build a team and all he see,is his best players being lured away by exhorbitant sums of money elsewhere The very same reasons Fooyball Clubs are suffering , player greed Cant wait for it all to implode Greedy overrated braindead fools

Posted 11:53 10th August 2010

Harry Stockton (Aston Villa fan) says...

Doug Ellis....what a top chap and a very lovely rich gentleman thanks to Aston Villa FC......how would any one dare call this Aston Villa stalward selfish, pompus and a money-orientated. He should write a book with a title "How to make money as a Premier League Owner".............bless him. Big Club.....Small Owners (past and present)

Posted 11:49 10th August 2010

Daryl Stringer (Aston Villa fan) says...

Martin will be greatly missed and Villa will not be the same without him. I think it is time Randy Lerner considered his position if he cannot provide the capital required to take the club on. When he took over from Doug Ellis we thought we would go somewhere but Lerner will not invest the money required (even though he has it where Doug Ellis didn''t) - Lerner OUT!!!

Posted 11:45 10th August 2010

Mark Shaw (Aston Villa fan) says...

Thanks for everything Martin, good luck in the future. Learner, get a grip, get some players, keep our stars, or SELL UP AND GET OUT!!! We are not a selling club!! And if your selling our stars WE DONT WANT YOU!!!!

Posted 10:45 10th August 2010

Sean P (Everton fan) says...

I can''t believe MON has walked out on Villa a few days until the season starts. He has known all summer that the possibility of keeping Milner at the club was small, Lerner would have already suggested that not all the transfer fee received would have went straight back into the kitty (like most clubs). I think it is poor by MON, i agree with Merson that MON has realised he cannot take Villa any further. Look at Everton and David Moyes, he works on a shoe-string budget every year, finds gems in lower leagues, keeps the wage budget in tact, constantly in top 6 and has broke into the top four. Each season the best players are linked with big money moves, pienaar, arteta, rodwell, jagielka, heitenga... and the ones who leave are sold because the club needs the money and the player wants to go, Rooney and Lescott are prime examples, they want to go and the money was there, moyes did not want to sell and not all the money received was put into the team but you dont see Moyes walking out on Everton, you see him constantly making shrewd business, bringing youth through and staying around the top 4 each season. MON was selfish on the club and fans, when the club looks like it can stay in the top 6 for the 1st time in recent years he walks out after one major player is leaving and not all the money is going back in the team for him to buy more over-paid fringe players... reo-coker, sidwell, shorey, delph, to name a few. Bradley is not the answer and forget it Randy if you think you have any chance in taking Moyes to Villa, the guy has more sense and more prospects at Goodison.

Posted 10:41 10th August 2010

Matt Hopkirk (Newcastle United fan) says...

Why does everyone rate MON so highly? The guy''s a monosyllabic hypocrite whose only talent is making second rate players look better than they are. He''s only goes where it''s easy for him - he''s a bottler. So give it up England fans.

Posted 10:41 10th August 2010

Dominic Price (Aston Villa fan) says...

For anyone who wants to slate Randy Lerner, look at the money that has been spent since Jan 07. We have spent £95 million on new players, and recouped £33 million. In that same time, Man U have spent £79 million and sold £124 mil, Chelsea £76million and sold £46 mil, Arsenal £59 mil and sold £75 million, liverpool spent £105 mil and sold £108 mil, and Everton £37 million and sold £48 mil.... we have the worst deficit (barring man city) in the whole league when money spent is compared to money gained. Oneil is living in a dream world if he thought he could continue to spend millions, and not regaining any. Hopefully the new manager wont be so deluded!

Posted 10:32 10th August 2010

Stuart Lane (Aston Villa fan) says...

At the end of the day, Martin has left because of the circumstances circulating players in the team, Randy Lerner isn''t giving any money, which has lead to the departure of Martin, I don''t think it''s fair the Martin has suffered because of Randy''s negligence. Any idea''s who will be replacing Martin over the long term?

Posted 10:30 10th August 2010

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