Manager of the season

If I were to ask 10 people what manager impressed them the most during the first part of the Premier League season, 9 out of 10 would probably say Phil Brown. Hull City manager really did a great job this season, but I had someone different in mind. Aston Villa look to be on the road to become the first team to break into the Big Four and obviously Martin O’Neill has to take the most credit for the impressive results this term. He has built a great team while he was at Celtic and he intended to do the same at Aston Villa. This is the main reason why he only wanted to sign a five-year contract, and that decision showed that O’Neill was there to stay.

Aston Villa hinted last season that they could be challenging for top four finish very soon, and O’Neill’s team played some great football last term. Sixth place finish gave them the chance to play in Europe this season and the Northern Irish manager knew that his team required some strengthening. He signed several new players this summer in order to have enough players at his disposal for UEFA Cup and domestic competitions. His shrewd thinking is the main reason why the team is now showing no signs of slowing down and they look determined to battle with Arsenal for the fourth place finish. Young players like Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor have really blossomed under O’Neill and they are playing at a very high level this term. The team is now playing very attractive attacking football and the results don’t suffer, as O’ Neill managed to find the right balance in the team. Aston Villa are very consistent this season and that is the quality of big teams. O’Neill is a very energetic manager and he has a very good rapport with players, which helps him to present his ideas in the best possible way. In this time of modern football where managers have problems surviving even a single season in the Premiership, I can only wish all the very best for Martin O’Neill and hope that more managers will follow his footsteps.