O'Neill A Dark Horse For The England Job

Martin O'Neill is one of the best managers in the game and yet his name is barely muttered when it comes to the England job. 

With Fabio Capello leaving after Euro 2012 it seems that Harry Redknapp has almost got the job, however for me O'Neill should signify a serious contender. For a man who is widely respected in the game for his achievements both as a player and manager it is amazing that he has never been offered a top job. In the summer of 2010 he was linked with Liverpool before losing out to Roy Hodgson. For me he should have got the England job after Sven Goran Eriksson left in 2006.

London calling?

Currently he manages his born-hood team Sunderland AFC and his record up to this point is very good. After Steve Bruce's sacking Sunderland were down at the bottom end of the Premier League and struggling to pick up any points. A home defeat to Wigan was the final straw that got Bruce the sack. The sale of key stars was sighted for Sunderland problems. However since O'Neill (left) has come in his record is P12 W8 D2 L2 in all competitions. In the league it stands at P10 W7 D1 L2, this is almost Champions League form. This to he has done with the same players as Bruce had. The transformation is superb. Sunderland are now a team that no one wants to play. The victory over Manchester City was an incredible achievement and highlights just what O'Neill brings. He has a terrific way will getting the best out of so called players of 'average' ability. He has shown this throughout his career.

In the early days when O'Neill was Wycombe Wanderers manager he lead them to the Football League as well as winning the FA Trophy twice (FA Cup format but only non-league sides involved). During a five year reign he took them from the Conference to the Division 2 (modern day League 1). This also included two consecutive promotions in 1992/93 and 1993/4.

At Leicester he lead them to the Premier League and through one of the most successful times for the club in recent times. Between 1997-2000 he lead the foxes to three League Cup finals in four years. Winning two of these finals in 1997 and 2000. He therefore lead them into the UEFA Cup in 2000 as well as an 8th place league finish. This with a squad of players that contained Matt Elliot, Robbie Savage, Muzzy Izzet, Emile Heskey and Neil Lennon. If anyone doubted his role at Leicester it is interesting to see that only two year after he left they were relegated (2001-2002).

At Celtic he had a 76% win after five years in charge (2000-2005) ; winning 3 League titles, 3 Scottish Cups and one League Cup. He also lead them to the UEFA Cup final in 2003 where they lost to Jose Mourinho's Porto. After leaving to care for his ill wife he came back into football in the summer of 2006 to take charge of a struggling Aston Villa side who had been finishing in the bottom half for last few years under both David O'Leary and John Gregory. O'Neill went on to lead Villa to three 6th place finishes in three consecutive years. One in which it seemed the Champions league was a real possibility only for his squad to be too small to maintain the push. He also lead them to the Carling Cup final and if Nemanja Vidic had been sent off as he should have been in the third minute it could have been another cup win for O'Neill. It was incredible at the time that some Villa fans were complaining about him on the radio, since his departure they are no where near top six and are a weak side. Those fans will see when he leads Sunderland to a higher league position then Villa this season how wrong they were. 

O'Neill's man management skills are well known as terrific and this is something required for the England job. I believe that he could do a fantastic job for England. His mentor was that of the great Brian Clough a man described as the 'greatest manager England never had', and O'Neill does share similarity with the great man. His ability get results with average teams is one of them. Furthermore the current England team are average on the International stage and need a man like O'Neill get the best out of the players. At the moment of course Harry Redknapp is the leading contender however the current court case that he is involved with could affect or ruin his chances of the England job. If this is the case then the FA in their Wembley HQ should being looking at O'Neill as a serious contender.