My lads have, down the years , become roll the eyes tired of me extolling the virtues of Martin O'Neill as a football manager.
No one is perfect in any of life's roles , and especially in the unpredictable world of football management. But I have always been baffled why Martin has not been sought after by one of the really big clubs. Maybe he is too much his own man? Maybe he is no "Internationalist", an absurd term I once heard mentioned by an "expert" on the radio as being a desirable quality for a manager at the highest levels?
No matter. Their loss. Their huge loss is our magnificent gain. A team that was floundering badly and which had begun to reek of relegation has stormed to safety by early February and is in the quarter finals of the FA cup. Ridiculously, you could see this coming, or at least some of it. What does this man do that other seasoned managers don't?
On Saturday evening I, ( and my lads!) witnessed a pulsating, committed performance by Sunderland to more or less overwhelm Arsenal. The fire and quality of that display will long be remembered by all there, and all who watched on the box. That "one day" thing has come to pass. We have a real chance now. That's all, a real chance. But it's something we have never really had in my time watching, and that goes back to the 60's.
Thank you for coming Martin. I hope we can all make it worth your while.
Those eyes have stopped rolling heavenward
