Martin O'Neill In Hot Water

ASTON Villa coach Martin O'Neill has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association for his behaviour after his side's 3-2 defeat by Manchester United on Sunday.

Not surprising really as too many managers these days seem to lose their heads and go charging out to the ref to complain about decisions that have already gone, we can't rewind the clock and change anything. Why oh why don't they bide their time and write about it in their many column inches they seem to have or voice their opinions in press conferences?

The charge relates to O'Neill's conduct towards referee Mike Riley following the final whistle in the Premier League game at Old Trafford. The Northern Irishman was angered by the amount of stoppage time that Riley added on at the end of the 90 minutes.

'What was it? Five minutes added time? I'm sure we wouldn't have got it at Villa Park,' he said after Federico Macheda's 93rd-minute winner.

O'Neill also complained about what he saw as an unpunished foul on Villa winger Ashley Young in the build-up to Macheda's goal, as well as several earlier decisions.

'The officials also got three offsides wrong,' he said.

O'Neill has until April 27 to respond to the charge.....Back To Home Page...

Aston Villa 0 - 0 Manchester United - Martin O'Neill's Verdict

I was a bit disappointed Manchester United didn't have this game sewn up by half time. The first 45 minutes saw them miss 3 good chances and end the half having had 57% of the posession. In the first 15 minutes of the second half Villa had a bright spell and Agbonlahor could have scored for them. Wayne Rooney, who just a month ago couldn't miss a goal if he tried has now gone 35 days without scoring. He missed an absolutely golden chance towards the end. Carrick played a high ball into the area and Rooney watched it come over his shoulder and then, rather than smashing it into the roof of the net on the volley as he normally would, he allowed the ball to bounce and then crashed his shot high into the crowd, the ball had snow on it when it finally came down.

Vidic had a lucky escape in my opinion when he fouled Agbonlahor. He grabbed the England mans shirt and was pulling him back for a good 15 metres before finally going down in the area. I think the ref bottled it to be honest because if he granted a free kick there was no question Vidic would have been off. So there it was, 0-0, which meant the top 5 teams in the Premier league failed to score a goal between them.

Martin O'Neill said of the match : "I thought it was important to battle very strongly and we did that well. We could have nicked it at the end but we also had moments to endure ourselves. Overall, it was a very hard-fought draw. We were spirited and resilient. The players are doing splendidly and putting a big effort into the games. The last two matches have pitted us against the very, very best. United won't be too far away at the end of the season. They have so much movement, such creativity and good players. It was a great effort against them and I am so pleased with my players. They put a big effort into the match and if we had been beaten it wouldn't have been through a lack of effort." On the subject of the tussle between Agbonlahor and Vidic on the hour mark, O'Neill added: "It was a penalty. You can see it back and consider if it was inside the box or outside the box. But it wasn't just that. The decision is a massive one because even if it is outside the box, it's a foul. And the player, having committed the foul and as the last man, has to be sent off. The referee chose not to give it. I thought it was too big for him. I thought the consequence of the decision was too big for him. It was a major moment. He had a hold of Gabby throughout the move. I can understand the referee being hesitant about giving the penalty but not about giving the foul. It was a goalscoring opportunity and the consequence should have been Vidic being sent off.".....Back To Home Page...

Martin O'Neill Is Tipping Roy Keane To Manage Manchester United

MARTIN O’NEILL tips Roy Keane to land the biggest job in football - manager of Manchester United.

Aston Villa chief O’Neill said: “I think Roy can be anything he wants to be. The sky’s the limit for him.

“Can you imagine the wealth of experience Roy would have picked up from spending all those years and years playing under Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson?

“He couldn’t have had two better mentors. All he’s had to do is take his own personality into it and be his own man.”

Although O’Neill himself was schooled under Clough at Nottingham Forest he stresses he ‘doesn’t pretend’ to know the ex-Manchester United midfielder.

He added: “I’ve had very, very few conversations with Roy, so mine is very much an outside viewpoint.

“But if he still has the same drive, determination and ambition he had as a player, there’s nothing to stop him reaching the very top as a manager.

“There’s no question he was one of the greats of the last 10-15 years and acknowledged by just about everyone as one of the top five Premiership players of that time.

“He stepped in at Sunderland with no managerial experience and turned results around and won promotion from the Championship at the first attempt.

“He’s had a supportive board but with his winning mentality and refusal to accept second-best, I have no doubts he can take Sunderland on to the level he would at least be satisfied with for the time being.”