O’Neill’s resignation leaves Villa reeling ahead of new season

In a move that is unlikely to have gone down well with the Villa Park faithful, Martin O’Neill has resigned as manager of Aston Villa with less than one week to go until the season begins. Whilst there had been rumours of unrest, this is surely the shock of the summer and leaves the Midlands side in a less than ideal predicament, especially given the continued uncertainty around the futures of James Milner and Ashley Young. So why has O’Neill walked away and where do Villa go from here?

Few details have emerged regarding O’Neill’s decision, although it is likely that the limited transfer funds available to improve his squad this summer may have played a part in this. He was clearly bitter about Milner’s impending move to Manchester City, and with Young being pursued by Tottenham, any kind of intervention from chairman Randy Lerner dictating that Young also needed to be sold to fund any further squad investment may have tipped O’Neill over the edge.

Regardless of the timing, Villa fans will be shocked and aggrieved that a manager who has guided the club so far has chosen to walk away. Appointed in 2006, the Northern Irishman has led the club to three successive sixth place finishes and last season took them to Wembley twice in the Carling Cup Final and a FA Cup Semi-Final, with a well balanced and established side who won plaudits in many quarters.

Aston Villa now need to act quickly to ensure that O’Neill’s hard work is not undone. With the futures of Milner and Young still to be resolved, they could find that there are more looking to walk through the exit door unless the club move swiftly to appoint a high calibre successor and Lerner can prove that he can match the players’ ambitions with funds for the incoming manager to spend.

Who that may be is entirely unclear at this point. It’s difficult to think of many top flight managers who are out of work and could take on the challenge at Villa Park. Whoever it is will have less than a month to make any movements in the transfer market that he feels necessary to strengthen the squad, as well as attempt to move on the handful of players who have fallen out of favour.

So lots to think about for all parties concerned in the coming weeks. Further details are sure to emerge concerning O’Neill’s decision in the next few days, but for now it falls to reserve team manager Kevin MacDonald to prepare the side for this weekend’s opening game against West Ham. Let us know what you think about O’Neill’s resignation. Why did he resign? Who should replace him at Villa Park? And what impact will this have on Villa’s season?