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— Martin O’Neill —
the
manager
WINTER 2011
Proudly displaying the Conference
Trophy, won with Wycombe Wanderers
in the1992-93 season
of the world and thrust him into the
Barclays Premier League and he gets a
bit lost then he needs a bit of help and
individual attention. So you create
camaraderie whilst still taking the
individual’s needs into consideration.
You’ve managed in the ‘old
firm’ cauldron and well as the
Barclays Premier League; what’s
your approach to managing
stress and expectations?
It goes with the territory and you
know the minute that you take on
the job that it will be stress related
and full of tension. I think that every
manager will say that this is what
draws you to the profession. It is an
addiction and you do want to take on
the challenge time and time again. If
you start thinking about stress from
the minute that you step into the
job you’ll never be able to get up and
function effectively as a manager. So
you go along with the environment,
you try and win football matches
because stress is alleviated by winning
games and you know that if you don’t
win the games you will find yourself
in a spot of bother. It certainly seemed
in the times of Shankly, Clough and
Bill Nicholson that managers only got
sacked as the very last straw if results
had been going so badly for a fairly
lengthy period of time. Nowadays
somebody is waiting to take your job
if you don’t get a result in two games.
There is a different type of media
now driving things and everything is
immediate but you expect that and
cope with it.
Other than Brian Clough, who
has inspired you in your career?
In Brian Clough, I worked under
probably the most charismatic
manager that has managed in England
and from my experience there is no
question about that. But Clough did
manage at a great time when players
had little or no say and he could run
a football club in a manner that he
wanted to and lots of things were
in his favour as a manager at that
time. There were very few channels
on television so he became a very
powerful figure who was terrific as
his job. Although I didn’t recognise
it every day, I was very fortunate to
work under such a great manager.
Nowadays you can’t think other
than Sir Alex Ferguson as someone
to admire. To manage at a club of
the calibre of Manchester United
for 25 years and have that level of
success is absolutely extraordinary.
To still maintain that enthusiasm and
constant determination is remarkable.
15 or 20 years ago Italy seemed to
be the divine power and so you looked
up to those managers maybe more
than those who were managing in
Spain at the time. I have admiration
for the likes of Italian managers
who have achieved over the years
like Marcello Lippi and Giovanni
Trappatoni who is still doing well now
with the Republic of Ireland which is
terrific for him. Plus Carlo Ancelotti
who excelled as a manager in his
own country and then arrived in the
Barclays Premier League and won the
double at the first time of asking.
Now Spanish football is at the
forefront and I think that Pep
Guardiola’s approach at Barcelona is
absolutely fantastic; he also happens
to have the best player in the world
playing for him which helps greatly.
José Mourinho has made things
happen during his career so hats off
to him in this modern day to do so
exceptionally well. When he looks
back at his career perhaps winning
the Champions League with Porto
might still rank as his greatest
achievement amongst his host of great
achievements at Chelsea, Inter and
Real Madrid.
www.leaguemanagers.com/
managers/profile-1151.html
Stop Press...
boyhood club
comes calling
Shortly after his appointment at Sunderland,
The Manager
caught up with O’Neill to ask how
pleased he was to be back in football management
“I left Aston Villa in August 2010, never thinking that some 15 or 16
months on I would not be back in management. I have had a number of
opportunities to return in that time but other events seemed to obstruct the
issue. However, Sunderland was a chance that I wasn’t going to spurn. My
will and determination to succeed is as strong as ever. Growing up, I was
a Sunderland fan. I remember listening to the quarter final second replay
in the 1964 FA Cup (when Manchester United eventually beat Sunderland)
on my little crystal set whilst I was at boarding school after lights out. I was
caught by the Dean of the college, the radio was taken off me and I lost
my privileges. So what a terrible evening that was... Sunderland losing,
despite my prayers, and my privileges lost for the next two school terms.”