Who will replace Martin O’Neill – early front-runners?
As the dust settles upon the shock news of Martin O’Neill’s resignation as Aston Villa manager five days before the start of the new season, attention has turned towards who will replace him?
It’s certainly going to be a hard act to follow; the Irishman single-handedly lifted all expectations at Villa Park, turning them from mid-table no hopers into European contenders. Chairman Randy Lerner has a tough task on his hands to find an adequate replacement, especially with the reasoning behind the former Celtic man’s resignation seeming strange, to say the least. Their lack of transfer activity over the summer and the imminent sale of James Milner is a major cause of concern for any aspiring candidate.
Here’s a few of the early-front runners for the post:
Sven-Göran Eriksson
When any major managerial job comes available Eriksson is usually among the front runners, and if Villa are looking for a big name within world football, with a huge amount of experience, then the Swede could well be top of their list. However, Eriksson hasn’t set the world alight recently with poor spells with the Mexico and Ivory Coast national sides, and he wouldn’t exactly set pulses races at Villa Park if appointed.
Rating – 4/10
Alan Curbishley
If it’s a man for a crisis you’re after then Curbishley fits the bill. He worked a minor miracle at West Ham to save them from relegation in 2007 and led to them a top-10 finish the following season before his fallout with the eccentric West Ham board. He has been out of work ever since, and has admitted to be looking to get back into football following his successful court battle against the Hammers; definitely one of the front runners.
Rating – 9/10
Martin Jol
Talks stalled at the last minute with Fulham a few weeks ago, and Ajax seem very keen to keep the Dutchman on board which could prove a huge stumbling block if Villa are looking towards the former Spurs boss.
Rating – 5/10
Slaven Bilic
The Croatia national team coach is well respected within international football – and would be a popular choice from a fans’ perspective as his management style is filled with passion and honesty. A worry would be that he’s never coached at a domestic level and throwing him in the deep end of Premier League football could be too much of a risk for the ambitious Villa owners.
Rating – 8/10
Sean O’Driscoll
Who, I hear you cry? O’Driscoll is a huge outsider to take up the post, but on the basis of his incredible success with Doncaster, guiding them from the bottom of League One into touching distance of the Premier League, he should make the shortlist for the post. His football philosophies have turned Rovers into one of the most exciting teams to watch outside the Premier League. However, many will doubt he has the personality or the media skills to deal with the pressures of managing in the top division.
Rating – 6/10
http://www.senore.com/Martin-ONeill-resigns-as-Aston-Villa-manager-a20967
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