Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill (2007)
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill ( born March 1 1952 in Kilrea, Northern Ireland ) is a former Northern Irish footballer who also captained the national team of his country. After that he worked as trainer clubs such as Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa and Sunderland AFC last. Since November 2013 he is the new coach of the Irish national football team.
Youth
O'Neill played alongside conventional football - also known in the United Kingdom " Association Football " - in his youth and Gaelic Football, winning in 1970 for the St. Malachy 's College in Belfast the " MacRory Cup". He then made the first time as a footballer attention to himself when he ( now known as " Lisburn Distillery ' known) played for" Distillery ". He opposed it one rule of the Gaelic Football Association " GAA " ( Gaelic Athletic Association), which forbade participation in "foreign sports ". Due to the resulting dispute is O'Neill's brand awareness increased more significantly. After he had completed his education at St. Columb 's College in Derry, he began studying law at Queen's University of Belfast. During this time he was discovered by a talent scout from Nottingham Forest, where he signed a contract in 1971 and his studies ended. He continued to study at Nottingham University, where he received his degree (BA).
Playing career
O'Neill first developed very slowly in Nottingham. This changed radically in 1975, when the legendary Brian Clough as coach at the City Ground stadium took over. As a key player in the midfield O'Neill accompanied the best time of the club, with the rise of the second-rate Second Division began in the first-class First Division and continued by winning the British Championship and the League Cup in 1978. This development was crowned in the following years, as Nottingham with O'Neill the European Cup of Champions 1978/79 and 1979/80 and 1979 could win the League Cup again. After a not so good season in the First Division O'Neill moved in 1981 to Norwich City.
For the Northern Irish national team, he came to a total of 64 international matches - in which eight goals get him - and led his team as captain for the Football World Cup 1982 in Spain, where one could defeat the hosts in Valencia even surprising. At club level he played mostly for short time later still for Norwich City, Manchester City, Notts County, Chesterfield FC and FC Fulham prior to 1985 his active footballers career ended.
Coaching career
O'Neill began in 1987 his first work as a trainer in " Grantham Town". After another short stay at the forefront of " Shepshed Charterhouse ", he supervised the first time with the Wycombe Wanderers a serious amateur club he 1993 - resulted in professional football - after a tense and sometimes unfair -wide championship fight against trained by Roy McDonough club Colchester United. Later he took over the short line from Norwich City, but came back before were able to show the effects of his work.
The second half of the season 1995/96 he was then obliged by Leicester City. With his new club, he was able to rise in the first season via the play- off games in the Premier League and kept the club in the next year even in the top half of the English top flight. Other achievements include O'Neill for Leicester with the two League Cup victories in 1997 and 2000. It was during this time right before a move to Leeds United, but which ultimately did not materialize, which may also apply to a broad-based action of Leicester trailers ( "Do not go Martin !") was due.
In 2000, O'Neill left Leicester then finally took over and by the duo John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish as coach at Celtic. He won there once the "triple" from Scottish Cup, Scottish FA Cup and Scottish League Cup and reached the final of the addition of Celtic UEFA Cup. Overall, he won with Celtic in his five years coach three championships, three Scottish Cup trophies one League Cup, which he collected the same number of tracks as his main rival Alex McLeish of the Glasgow Rangers with seven titles. At the same time his old club Leicester had two times to accept relegation from the Premier League after his departure.
During the entire time O'Neills in Glasgow, he was regularly brought in the case of a vacant position with a possible trainer employment in the Premier League in conjunction. All the greater was the surprise when he at the end of the 2004/05 season - his career at Celtic ended in order to devote himself in the created out of his wife Geraldine intensive, ill with malignant lymphoma - after the Cup final against Dundee United.
As of June 2006, rumors of a new employment of O'Neill were increasing. He was regarded as the successor candidate of Guus Hiddink as an Australian national coach and Sven -Goran Eriksson as England coach, and in the second case, the choice fell on Steve McClaren and O'Neill later expressed his regret to have not received an offer. Even with Newcastle United and Middlesbrough FC he was a possible candidate for each vacant office, which in the case of Middlesbrough it failed, that O'Neill to work only four days a week was ready. In August 2006, he was obliged by Aston Villa after he had worked as an expert for the BBC during the 2006 World Cup.
On August 9, 2010 O'Neill resigned with immediate effect as head coach of Villans.
After over a year without coaching job Martin O'Neill came on 3 December 2011, the successor to the sacked Steve Bruce to the English first division club Sunderland AFC. After the 0-1 defeat against Manchester United O'Neill was released on March 30, 2013, since the projection on the first relegation zone only amounted to a point and the team was able to get only two points from their last eight Premier League games.
Find out more
- For his achievements in the sport O'Neill was awarded the 2004 Order of the British Empire as " OBE ".
- Although O'Neill never finished his studies, he aggressively pursuing major criminal cases, visiting some of the most infamous British court processes, including the negotiation of the cases of the " Yorkshire Ripper" and by Donald Neilson. His fascination began in his own words in 1961 with the case of James Hanratty.
Achievements
As a player
- European Cup Winners ' Cup: 1979, 1980
- Supercup winner: 1980
- English Champion: 1978
- English League Cup Winners: 1978, 1979
As coach
- Scottish champion: 2001, 2002, 2004
- Scottish Cup Winners: 2001, 2004, 2005
- Scottish League Cup Winners: 2001
- English League Cup Winners: 1997, 2000