Buzzin Football

Martin O’Neill has walked out on Aston Villa after an alleged bust-up with American Chairman and football club owner Randy Learner over the amount of money O’Neill would have to spend if James Milner were sold to Manchester City.

Milner’s transfer looks to be a ‘done-deal’ and follows Gareth Barry’s departure this time last year.  And with rumours circulating of a move to Tottenham Hotspur for Ashley Young, it appears Martin O’Neill rightly sees there is no way forward for a team that in the past two years has clearly suffered in the latter stages of the season due to a lack of squad depth.

With Spurs and Manchester City finishing above Aston Villa last season, and already adding to their larger squads for the new Premier League season that starts this weekend, Martin O’Neill has probably decided that he will not be able to better three successive top 6 Premiership finishes and a Wembley Final if Aston Villa continue to sell their best players without buying good quality replacements.

With Randy Learner at the helm, one of the frontrunners to replace O’Neill is fellow American and current USA national manager Bob Bradley, who has previously stated he would love the opportunity to manage in Europe.

Martin O’Neill has never been one to keep his opinions to himself and appears to be someone who sticks to his guns.  What appeared to be a strong, close owner – manager relationship following his appointment, seems to have become very strained over the past 12 months or so.  I believe this has been caused by O’Neill taking Aston Villa to the brink of Champions League football without further backing and available money to strengthen a small squad.

His departure follows reports early this year suggesting Liverpool were interested in signing Martin O’Neill as a possible replacement for Rafa Benitez.

Martin O’Neill will probably now have a relaxing August while Randy Learner is left with less than a week to find a quick replacement.