O’ Neill is favourite for the Ingurland job.
Martin O, Neill has emerged as a strong favourite to take up the England post vacated by Steve McLaren it has emerged this morning, although it is expected that he will decline the offer.
O'Neill was interviewed for the post when it was last vacant and has given indications that he would have taken it had it been offered. Back then, though, he was taking a break from the game to care for his ill wife Geraldine rather than being employed by a club, so the timing suited. Now, he is in the early stages of his efforts to revitalise Villa and, in Randy Lerner, has a chairman willing to back him substantially
Leaving that behind - albeit Lerner recently insisted that he would not stand in his manager's way - for one of the most pressurised and unstable jobs in football might no longer appeal.
This was echoed by this mornings times that stated "'The Aston Villa manager, widely tipped to succeed Steve McClaren, will confirm today that he wants to stay in the Midlands, which will leave the governing body to see whether there is interest from potential foreign candidates such as Jürgen Klinsmann, José Mourinho or perhaps even Rafael BenÍtez,' reports The Times.
'O'Neill is understood to be uneasy about ruling himself out of a job that has not been offered to him, but, with speculation feverish, he has decided to clarify his future after talks with Randy Lerner, the Villa owner. They met in the United States last week and have established long-term plans to take Villa forward.'
However that bastion of truth justice and the British way of life (cue dambusters tune) – The Sun is today reporting that "'the FA will bend over backwards to make O'Neill the new England boss" with FA administrator Brian Barwick cited in the article stating that he has "the support of two other Soho Square board members in his quest to appoint O'Neill."
Lets hope he doesn’t take it! A football squad full of talented yet underachieving players gets taken over by a man who is considered to be one of the best motivational managers in Europe? That will never be successful will it?
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt