So thinks Villa’s Yank owner Randy Lerner who drizzled his manager in effusive praise by saying that not only is Martin O’Neill very special, but that he is one in a million too.
Jose Mourinho famously dubbed himself (and ‘dubbing yourself’ is always a hugely arrogant act) as ‘The Special One’ but Lerner claims he has got himself a unique gem.
Lerner said of O’Neill:
“He is special. We have the best manager around, I do believe that,” he told the Birmingham Mail. “But as Martin settles into this over the years, I think he can accomplish anything he wants to here. And, my God, I do mean ‘here’. I don’t think the Martin O’Neill’s of the world are ever available. Ever. Somehow the fates have to conspire. The worst thing in the world would be to set out and try to get a Martin O’Neill. You would never get him. Martin O’Neill is a very special person.”
So are Villa lucky to have geek chic Martin O’Neill with his friendly bumbling demeanor or is this all hidingthe fact that he actually isn’t very good – is Learner’s praise just another layer masking O’Neill’s crapness?