Ideal Christmas Present - Martin O’Neill’s autobiography “ On Days Like These”

[surrifox]

A copy of Martin O’Neill’s autobiography “ On Days Like These” . Out on Thursday . Book signing in Waterstones in Nottingham 

[KingsX]

5 minutes ago, surrifox said:

Book signing in Waterstones in Nottingham 

 

You thought he was a pussycat ... but he was actually the devil.

 

[SkidsFox]

I've just realised no one in my family is remotely interested in football.  Very strange - or maybe it's the norm? 

[AyewJoking]

23 hours ago, SkidsFox said:

I've just realised no one in my family is remotely interested in football.  Very strange - or maybe it's the norm? 

So you want one of us to buy it for you?

[foxfanazer]

Brendan's resignation 

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/martin-oneill-reveals-leicester-city-7795614

 

Former Leicester City manager Martin O’Neill has described an amusing memory from his time with the club, that has been shared in his new autobiography entitled “Martin O’Neill, Days Like These, My Life in Football”, available to purchase from Thursday.

O’Neill enjoyed a successful stint with the Foxes between 1995-2000. In this period, the Northern Irishman secured promotion to the Premier League and won the Football League Cup, now the Carabao Cup, both in 1997 and 2000.

Taken from an extract of his autobiography, O’Neill recalls: “At Filbert Street, an incandescent fan behind me continually shouts “Get Lewis on! Get Lewis on!” I don’t want to look round.

 

“Neil Lewis is a young left back converted from left wing. He is quick and has a decent left foot, but he cannot defend. I know this from the innumerable training sessions I’ve had in the weeks I’ve been manager.

“Mike Whitlow is playing left back at the moment. He is bigger and stronger than Lewis, but not as quick. Right now, I think he’s more dependable.

“The “Get Lewis on!” shouts have gathered momentum over recent home games, and are now getting much more traction from a large number of know-it-alls behind the dugout. Lewis is a substitute, and Whitlow is not good today. But I cannot allow Lewis on to the pitch.

“His surrogate dad behind me will have won, and I will have no option but to continue with him until the season ends — or my time as manager ends, which might be much more close at hand. I cannot buy a win.

“Whitlow is injured for our next home game, and I finally start Lewis in the match. At least “Popeye” behind me will be satisfied. But with 15 minutes gone Lewis slips, allowing the winger to cut inside and fire a left-foot shot that whizzes inches past the post.

“What happens next is unbelievable.

“From just over my right shoulder, the same face that has for weeks been screaming for Lewis’s appearance roars more loudly than ever, “Get Lewis off! Get Lewis off!”

“It will stay with me for eternity.”

[Fox92]

Legend.

[boots60]

I've read the Geoff Peters book & the (unofficial) Celtic book. To hear his story from the horses mouth should be interesting.

Hoping he's not too critical of our fans circa March 1996!

[cruzFOX]

Ooops! Sounds a bit like us all on here

rogers out! Wait… Rogers in! Lol

i’m a fickle fan I’ll admit it 

[marcymarc666]

Problem is I'd only want to read half the book, who wants to read about Forest glory days.

[1972 Fox]

 

[Guest Lako42]

On 08/11/2022 at 20:57, marcymarc666 said:

Problem is I'd only want to read half the book, who wants to read about Forest glory days.

Slate makes for heavy reading 

[kushiro]

I was worried that a book that covers his whole career wouldn't have much detail about his time at Leicester - and that's exactly how it turns out. It's pretty good on the period between December 1995 to September 1997 - i.e.  his appointment, the early problems, the promotion at Wembley, then the League Cup win and Atletico Madrid.  But then his remaining time at the club - almost three seasons - is whizzed over in the space of a couple of pages. It's really bizarre - like you've pressed fast forward and suddenly he's at Celtic.

 

What's most disappointing is the total absence of any comment about the Gang Of Four episode. That was one of the most dramatic times in the history of the club, and I remember at a meeting at the Half Time Orange at the height of the trouble when Martin spoke to the fans and said 'there are things going on behind the scenes here that no-one has revealed, but it will come out one day'. 

 

Well, I've been waiting more than 20 years to hear Martin's side of the story - and he doesn't even mention it in the book. What makes it worse is that Martin is known for his love of complex legal cases. He's fascinated by criminal history and his bookshelves are full of dense tomes about the Hanratty case in the 60s and other famous trials. I hoped he would deal with the Pierpoint situation in the same detail.  

 

It's possible of course that he wanted to say more but an editor said 'Celtic fans and Forest fans aren't going to be interested in the detail of a board room struggle at Leicester City'. Who knows. Still, I feel really disappointed. 

 

 

 

 

[davieG]

2 hours ago, kushiro said:

I was worried that a book that covers his whole career wouldn't have much detail about his time at Leicester - and that's exactly how it turns out. It's pretty good on the period between December 1995 to September 1997 - i.e.  his appointment, the early problems, the promotion at Wembley, then the League Cup win and Atletico Madrid.  But then his remaining time at the club - almost three seasons - is whizzed over in the space of a couple of pages. It's really bizarre - like you've pressed fast forward and suddenly he's at Celtic.

 

What's most disappointing is the total absence of any comment about the Gang Of Four episode. That was one of the most dramatic times in the history of the club, and I remember at a meeting at the Half Time Orange at the height of the trouble when Martin spoke to the fans and said 'there are things going on behind the scenes here that no-one has revealed, but it will come out one day'. 

 

Well, I've been waiting more than 20 years to hear Martin's side of the story - and he doesn't even mention it in the book. What makes it worse is that Martin is known for his love of complex legal cases. He's fascinated by criminal history and his bookshelves are full of dense tomes about the Hanratty case in the 60s and other famous trials. I hoped he would deal with the Pierpoint situation in the same detail.  

 

It's possible of course that he wanted to say more but an editor said 'Celtic fans and Forest fans aren't going to be interested in the detail of a board room struggle at Leicester City'. Who knows. Still, I feel really disappointed. 

 

 

 

 

Probably wont bother unless one of kids gets it me for a present.

[kushiro]

One very intriguing line in the book. He says that a few days after the Republic Ireland drew 1-1 with Scotland, 'I had the opportunity to become a Premier League manager once again'.

 

That was June 2015 - so he's confirming that he received an offer from Leicester before they appointed Ranieri.

 

He doesn't specifically refer to Leicester. but it must be us he is alluding to. There were other new managerial appointments in the Premier League that summer - at Newcastle, West Ham and Watford, but the timing doesn't fit for those clubs, so it must be the Leicester job he is referring to.

 

It's not a secret that he was a contender for the position. There was a famous thread on here that started on July 10th 2015, the day when the bookies stopped taking bets on O'Neill taking over. That was three days before Ranieri's appointment. O'Neill had turned it down (as, it seems, did Guus Hiddink).

 

Here's the full passage:

 

 

 

Interesting that he's a bit coy about it and doesn't mention Leicester specifically.

 

 

By the way, having had the chance to read the whole book, it's really well written. Pretty high standard for a football autobiography. The Leicester section is very brief (as I said above), but the parts on his breakthrough into the professional game and the years at Wycombe are really good reading.

 

 

Edited 12 November 2022 by kushiro

[Nalis]

39 minutes ago, kushiro said:

One very intriguing line in the book. He says that a few days after the Republic Ireland drew 1-1 with Scotland, 'I had the opportunity to become a Premier League manager once again'.

 

That was June 2015 - so he's confirming that he received an offer from Leicester before they appointed Ranieri.

 

He doesn't specifically refer to Leicester. but it must be us he is alluding to. There were other new managerial appointments in the Premier League that summer - at Newcastle, West Ham and Watford, but the timing doesn't fit for those clubs, so it must be the Leicester job he is referring to.

 

It's not a secret that he was a contender for the position. There was a famous thread on here that started on July 10th 2015, the day when the bookies stopped taking bets on O'Neill taking over. That was three days before Ranieri's appointment. O'Neill had turned it down (as, it seems, did Guus Hiddink).

 

Here's the full passage:

 

 

 

Interesting that he's a bit coy about it and doesn't mention Leicester specifically.

 

 

By the way, having had the chance to read the whole book, it's really well written. Pretty high standard for a football biography. The Leicester section is very brief (as I said above), but the parts on his breakthrough into the professional game and the years at Wycombe are really good reading.

 

 

Thanks for your summaries.

 

I wonder he doesnt mention Leicester because he doesnt want people thinking thank fvck he didnt go because we wouldnt have won the league rather than any other reason?

[RumbleFox]

I do love old MON. What a team he built. Not as good as what we’ve had recently but will always be special to me. I think when you’re younger things hit differently. I idolised that team in a way I couldn’t even with the title winners. I think it’s harder to idolise people younger than you? Elliott, Taggart, etc seemed like Gods. 

[FLAN]

10 minutes ago, RumbleFox said:

I do love old MON. What a team he built. Not as good as what we’ve had recently but will always be special to me. I think when you’re younger things hit differently. I idolised that team in a way I couldn’t even with the title winners. I think it’s harder to idolise people younger than you? Elliott, Taggart, etc seemed like Gods. 

I feel the same. Odd as it sounds I enjoyed those years more than our biggest success period maybe because there were more characters in the team? 

[RumbleFox]

13 minutes ago, FLAN said:

I feel the same. Odd as it sounds I enjoyed those years more than our biggest success period maybe because there were more characters in the team? 

I think, for me, it’s maybe becisse I was younger. The players seemed like “men” which sounds stupid. But they were all older than me and it just seemed easier to look up to them. I think I’d have felt the same about Vardy, Huth, etc if I was 16 but it’s just hard to idolise people who are younger than you I think. Well, for me anyway.

[Guest Lako42]

If that's the case I do worry about our owners and the managers they approach. 

[Durnerz]

Just finished the book and in parts it made for interesting reading with the occasional funny anecdote but it’s just very matter of fact for a lot of it. 
 

Would have obviously liked more detail on his time here but we didn’t make much of a filling between the forest-celtic sandwich of paragraphs. 
 

Still love the guy so it’s a 7/10 from me.