When Football Rivalry Goes too Far....

[lynchbhoy]

Thought martin o'neill was a bit too OTT in his celebrations and had crossed into the realm of triumphalism celebrating goals 3, 4 and 5. Completely out of character imo , he would def never have done that while at Celtic.

OTT?  Lynchboy, you have just done the double over your closest and fiercest rivals, kept your team in the hunt for 5th place (which is the highest we could ever dream of finishing) and you say it was OTT.  Not a bit, O'Neill is not normally known for his passivity anyway so to say its out of character is incorrect in my eyes, he is always pacing the touchline no matter who his teams are playing and I witnessed as many reactions during his Celtic days also.  He is a heart on sleeve kind of guy, Villa are on the up and up and have a great leader and a brilliant Chairman.  Contrast this with the other American owners across the water and you will see what I mean.  Randy Lerner is at the hub of everything positive about us right now, his right hand man General Charles Krulak (Purple Heart holder) watched the match from the Holte end yesterday and had a great reception.  Villa are now in the hands of owners who have the best interests of the club at heart and putting so much back into the community.  The future is bright, the future is Claret & Blue. 

The General Rules!

Believe me, the passion and rivalry of the 'Second City Derby' is as crazy as any of world football's big match ups.

Great moment yesterday when Big Carew hoisted the Ball Boy into the air to celebrate his first goal.

I know this prob meant a lot to you if you are as I suspect - a villa fan (not a hammer  ).

but do you honestly think that villa blood courses through Oneills veins to the extent that makes him go radio rental to celebrate goals when the game is already won ?
yes, IMO it was a little OTT - even for Oneill , whose soccer and management career I have followed with interest as my father is friendly with his brothers - so imo I know his actions and reactions reasonably well (as well as anyone not knowing the guy could  )

Great win, two good goal tally's in successive weeks.
Still a long way from the top and imo prob wont break into the top three - would like to see them do it though.

[Norf Tyrone]

O'Neills celebrations are rather tame compared to Doogie's on a Saturday afternoon watching Strabane United!

[Doogie Browser]

Of course Villa blood does not run through his veins, but neither did Grantham, Wycombe, Leicester and to a lesser extent Celtic.  but I repeat again I did not see anything different yesterday than I have seen from MON several times before.  the man gives every thing he does in life the maximum at all times he is that kind of character just.

He was under a lot of pressure yesterday, Villa have been having sell out crowds most of the season and the crowd were crying out for this kind of result.  15 goals in three games makes us the second highest scorers behind Manu.  The last few goals were just the icing on the cake and he was able to relax safe in the knowledge that the game was over.

The man has made so many subtle changes in under two years that have had a massive difference throughout the Club, wee things that make you go 'bloody hell, the man is a genius'.  For instance, for years the away fans were sited behind the goals in the lower tier of the North Stand, MON said he wanted to change this so that when Villa attack they are facing their own fans in both halves - resulting in away fans being moved to the lower tier of one of the sideline stands, minor change massive effect in terms of atmosphere.

Also he said that when he came to the Club he struggled to find any reference to a European Cup Win (more than Chelsea - at the moment Norf! -  & Arsenal combined), so he littered the corridors around the training ground with images of the glory night in Rotterdam, previous managers (Dreary O'Leary etc) felt intimidated by the presence of the past glories and felt it pressurised the team.  Not MON, his view was, lets remind people of the heights scaled in the past, allows people to dream of the past and hark after days like that - no harm done.  We have more European Cup Winners medals amongst our coaching staff than any other club in the Premiership too (I think)!

Regarding the top three, I accept we will not break into that, would be nigh on impossible without massive investment, but the mere fact we are even in contention for 5th (which is top of the mini league for the rest of us) is a symbol of how far we have come.

[maddog]

The rivalry between Villa and the Blues is pretty deadly alright. Hearing reports from the lads in the office of sparking sessions all over town. In our local there were about 200 people in for the match, plenty of ribbing a lot of it near the knuckle but thankfully no trouble.
One lad however ran out of the pub and onto a very busy main road, was hit by a merc and when he landed it was on his head. Reports at about 7pm last night suggested that he was a goner but no one knew for sure. Its a bit unnerving walking into the local when there is police cordons all over the shop.

[Norf Tyrone]

The man has made so many subtle changes in under two years that have had a massive difference throughout the Club, wee things that make you go 'bloody hell, the man is a genius'.  For instance, for years the away fans were sited behind the goals in the lower tier of the North Stand, MON said he wanted to change this so that when Villa attack they are facing their own fans in both halves - resulting in away fans being moved to the lower tier of one of the sideline stands, minor change massive effect in terms of atmosphere.

Funny you say that...When Mouinho came to Chelsea he did the opposite. He moved the away fans from the East lower (Pitchside) to the shed end corner (Almost behind the goal). The reasoning being he did not want the away fans influencing the linesman!

Maybe we should get a wee double header away trip next year Doogie? You can educate me in Birmingham on a Sat, and I'll give you the glamour of Chelsea on a Sunday? Or get Villa in London or something?

[Doogie Browser]

Maybe we should get a wee double header away trip next year Doogie? You can educate me in Birmingham on a Sat, and I'll give you the glamour of Chelsea on a Sunday? Or get Villa in London or something?
[/quote]

Great idea Norf, I always get first dibs at great seats at the Villa so will have a look at what the fixtures throw up in the summer and see what can be arranged.