The O'Neill Effect

If you want to know what Martin O’Neill has done for Aston Villa, take a look at the Premiership table. Last season they finished in 16th place, uncomfortably close to the shame of relegation. Right now, a little over one third of the way through the campaign, they’re 5th and they’ve been beaten only once in 13 games. And remarkably, all this has been achieved with substantially the same players as before.

So how does he do it? Rather like his own great mentor, Brian Clough, he isn’t actually seen to be doing a lot, yet somehow a great deal happens because he inspires confidence in players and he organises them well – and that in turn means points are gained from games which in the past would have been lost.

Villa’s visit to the JJB Stadium to take on Paul Jewell’s Wigan is a good example. Despite being deprived by injury of a number of senior players, the visitors produced a gritty and consistent team display in which goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen was outstanding and as a result they were able to grind out a thoroughly creditable 0-0 draw against a side which had won four games on the run.

No wonder some of their fans are even daring to whisper things about Europe.