Martin O’Neill Leaves It Too Late For England

On the same day that Martin O’Neill sensationally resigned from his post as manager of Aston Villa, Fabio Capello proved yet again he has no answers as he faced the media for the first time since the dust settled on England‘s World Cup nightmare.

As Fabio Capello fumbled his way through a packed press conference responding with his usual one word answers, England fans couldn’t help but ask the question: Why is this guy still in charge? Only hours after Capello‘s afternoon performance was branded ‘Clueless’ by The Sun newspaper, reports of Martin O’Neill‘s departure filtered through.

There are no hints yet on why Martin O’Neill decided to leave Aston Villa but we can’t help but think football has served up another cold dose of irony. Martin O’Neill is not your typical manager. As a player, O’Neill won the European Cup twice under Brian Clough and like his former boss, O’Neill started his managerial career at the very bottom. First with non-league Grantham Town and then Shepshed Charterhouse, O’Neill enjoyed varied success with Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester, Celtic and Villa.

During his 23-year managerial career Martin O’Neill forged a reputation as a master man-manager. The type of coach who looks after his players and knows their inner thoughts, O’Neill has nurtured more than his fair share of England talent. The current crop of England players on the books at Aston Villa is a testament to O’Neill‘s understanding of the English game and commitment to improve its future. Stewart Downing, Ashley Young, James Milner and Gabriel Agbonlahor have all featured for England under Martin O’Neill. And don’t forget Luke Young, Steve Sidwell, Curtis Davies, Fabian Delph, Nigel Reo-Coker and Stephen Warnock, players who for whatever reason don’t currently make the grade at international level but at least feature regularly for their club.

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