Martin O’Neill quits as Villa boss

Aston Villa have lost boss Martin O’Neill, after the Irishman quit the club earlier today.

It seems a strange move with less than a week to go before the Premier League season kicks off.

Villa were mentioned as candidates for a top four finish this season but O’Neill quitting has cast a shadow over Villa Park.

Statement

O’Neill told the clubs 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.

A club statement from the club thanked O’Neill for his hard work with the club. I fear however it was the club who made it impossible for the Irishman to stay. O’Neill has been unable to strengthen his squad this summer.

Superb

O’Neill has done a superb job turning Villa from also-rans into regular European contenders. His team was young, solid and vibrant. His squad needed strengthening this summer with all their rivals likely to be even stronger than last season but O’Neill wasn’t given the funds to strengthen.

At the end of last season there was speculation over his future, due to the apparent lack of ambition shown by his board and chairman. It seems he has finally lost patience with the Villa hierarchy. O’Neill knew that this season would be difficult without any major investment in the team and decided now is the right time to leave the club.

Exodus

The exit of boss O’Neill could cause a mass exodus from Villa Park. It already looks likely that England midfielder James Milner will leave for Manchester City but other star players could follow him out the Villa Park exit door.

Pacy winger Ashley Young has been linked with a big money move to Tottenham and the other top Villa players could start getting itchy feet after O’Neill’s departure. Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor would also be a very attractive signing for other Premier League clubs.

Villa can’t afford to lose any of their very small squad and if they are weakened then they face a struggle to even make it into the top eight of the Premier League, never mind the top four.

Who Next

Whoever takes the Villa job will have their work cut out to get Villa into a European spot this season. They will encounter the same problems that O’Neill came up against, notably lack of cash to spend on new signings and lack of ambition from the club chairman.

The names of Slaven Bilic and Martin Jol have been installed as the favourites to take the job. I’m not sure if it would be in either of their interests to take the Villa job with no guarantees of money to spend. The other name that has been mentioned is Alan Curbishley.

The former-Charlton boss has been out of the game for awhile. He was also more used to competing in midtable, so I don’t think Villa fans would appreciate his appointment. And he didn’t really impress in his last position as West Ham boss.

Reserve team boss Kevin MacDonald will be caretaker boss while Villa looks for a permanent boss. The board must act quickly or this season could be a disaster.

Where Next?

Another big question is where Martin O’Neill will go from here. He is a highly-rated coach and could have been the boss of Liverpool, if he had quit his position at Villa a few months earlier. He is now slightly in limbo.

He would make a good England boss but apparently the FA is keeping faith with Fabio Capello. What you can guarantee is that O’Neill will now be linked with every vacant position at Premier League clubs. It is difficult to predict where he will end up but I’m sure he’ll get a top job in the near future.

Was O’Neill right to quit Aston Villa?