Martin O'Neill Interview - Mercury

[Frenzied]

Good read but why are the paragraphs so short?

Because that's how you are supposed to write for the web - it's easier to read.

[kam6]

wow, it was nice to read about what he thought about this club years after he left.

made me a little sad though, i must admit. we saw some of the best times as leicester fans (at least in my years as a supporter, im only 25).

i wonder if they will do an interview with Peter "turn everything to shit" taylor? love to hear his views on his time at the club!!!!

[StanSP]

wow, it was nice to read about what he thought about this club years after he left.

made me a little sad though, i must admit. we saw some of the best times as leicester fans (at least in my years as a supporter, im only 25).

i wonder if they will do an interview with Peter "turn everything to shit" taylor? love to hear his views on his time at the club!!!!

rather not. hje can fucl off an never speak of leicesstter city again for al i care.

[AjcW]

rather not. hje can fucl off an never speak of leicesstter city again for al i care.

on second thoughts stay on your making me

[Dr The Singh]

Why do they do this?

It's over. He's gone. He might have loved the club but not enough to stop him moving on because he'd supposedly taken us as high as he could.

For me I think he's had a shallow existence ever since.

Celtic have their games against Rangers and their annual on-a-plate sortie ito Europe. And Villa are just pretenders to other people's thrones - and, indeed, one extra as Manchester City surpass them to sit alongside United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

I'm truly grateful for what MON gave us - they were superlative times full of marvellous memories - but it's history now and I'm far more interested in what Pearson might do in the future.

Agreed, he's moved on and so have I!!

[Hugo Sanchez]

Agreed, he's moved on and so have I!!

Buts whats wrong about posting a interview with the greatest manager in our history !! Seriously what is wrong on looking back on the Martin O' Neill era ? Better then the league 1 crap from last year.

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

Good to hear that Parker is going to be a scout.

Suprised he left coaching in the first place.

[cecchini]

I agree - a good read and happy memories!

Filled in a few blanks as well.

time to move on!

[Edmund]

Good to hear that Parker is going to be a scout.

Suprised he left coaching in the first place.

Wasn't he on that program on sky 1 'Were are they now' (or something along those lines) working as a painter and decorator as MON stated?

I loved Parker. Remember those sideburns.

It's funny that MON said in the interview his fitness lacked on occasions. He did look a bit big for a footballer as I recall.

[Corky]

Wasn't he on that program on sky 1 'Were are they now' (or something along those lines) working as a painter and decorator as MON stated?

I loved Parker. Remember those sideburns.

It's funny that MON said in the interview his fitness lacked on occasions. He did look a bit big for a footballer as I recall.

He was a class player.

[James.]

I'm not ashamed to say I had a little lump in my throat reading that. Quality stuff. I fell in love with the club during that period, I was at that age when it all started making sense.

[BoneDog]

That is a great interview. Never a truer word said when he says "there was an indescribable magic at Filbert Street". The O'Neill days were the best days of my life. Once we got going under O'Neill I was always confident of getting a result.

Hero

[thybluefox]

If we'd changed our name to DMU Leicester City the council would probably have ignored the Offside protest mob and granted us permission

Reply of WIN!

People are right, he's gone and nothing will be achieved by looking back.

But, I do fill up with pride thinking of those 5 years, and tbh on that interview I'd fooking marry they bloke. For this line especially;

"I loved Filbert Street, I see the Walkers Stadium today and it's a fine stadium and I say well done to you. But if you could have kept Filbert Street and built up those two stands to match the Main Stand – which was superb but looked incongruous by itself – what a ground that would have been."

Comparable to Highbury I think. Close quarters, and would have had 00 times the atmosphere of the walkers.

But, like I said, nothing to be achieved by what ifs.

[josh_baskin]

Yes the man is a cult hero for what he achieved at this club on a shoe string budget, but would his style of management have fit the bill when the club had sunk to the third division for the first time?

[Fez of Mahrez]

Comparable to Highbury I think. Close quarters, and would have had 00 times the atmosphere of the walkers.

For me, the closest comparison is Goodison Park. I went there for the first time at the end of last season and got a touch of goosebumps from how similar it was to a much larger Filbert Street, especially the main stand that faces the TV cameras.

I remember the Birch giving the announcement prior to the Red Star Belgrade home leg that we'd got the planning permission for the new ground (or some such news) and it was an incredible feeling. As much as I loved Filbert Street, as a 15/16-year-old who'd been frustrated with the place compared with some of the grounds we became accustomed to visiting, the thought of going to a game and looking around to see 30,000 City fans was indescribable. I remember wishing so hard that we'd be able to make an East Stand to match the Carling Stand. Even before that, the board built 6,000 extra seats at Filbert Street... on a Championship Manager 97/98 game I had, and at the time I liked to imagine it had been the East Stand. These were the days before identikit stadia on quite the scale that we have now. Nowadays, it's a real pleasure to visit a ground with true character.

People often talk about the differences between the Family Stand, the Kop and L1 at the Walkers. In truth, they're not that different at all. At Filbert Street, I felt like I'd visited five different grounds over the years, sat and stood in various places.

The white wall that ran the length of the old Main Stand. Tony James and Oxford. Wanting to run on the pitch to celebrate with everyone else, aged 5. Feeling ill when we played Port Vale one time, we lost 1-0 to a very early goal, and just wanting to throw up all over the wall. How close you were to players taking throw-ins. Remembering Tony Spearing being rubbish even though I was so young I couldn't really know for sure, but everyone said it so it was true. Being excited every time Tommy Wright, and later Julian Joachim, got the ball.

The back row of the Carling Stand with the view up towards the university and the Infirmary. Went up there quite a few times, partly for the novelty of it when it replaced the Main Stand. Some old-timer poured tobacco out of his pipe down my shoulder once, absolute agony. Was up there when we played Sheffield United so infamously. A performance so terrible that a few of us were singing "O'Neill out, Mustafa in" because of this debutant from Chelsea running his heart out on the nearside touchline, in contrast to the turgid display from the rest of the team. He never let us forget that day, but as many have said, we learned to live with it given that it may have spurred him on to prove us wrong so brilliantly. When we beat Villa 1-0 to reach the League Cup Final for the nth time, being sat in an unusual place to the left of the dugouts instead of to the right, about halfway up. Seeing Mark Morrison and his bodyguards, all dressed in white suits, sitting nearby.

The bizarre world-of-its-own corner between the East Stand and the North Stand, with the orange seats and the little cafe room. That seems unreal now compared to the Walkers, but even then felt strange. Only went in there once and felt like a real outsider, think it was something to do with the Supporters Club. It was the 3-3 draw with Southampton when Neil Lennon scored a belter. I shouted something at Le Tissier and he stuck his middle finger up at me. I vividly recall being a bit Outraged of Tunbridge Wells about it for a day or two, but what a memory to have.

The Double Decker, where I was for most of my visits. The surreal sight of Arsenal scoring the opening goal in an 11.30am kickoff (from memory, Lee Dixon, although it seems unlikely) and a whole row of Japanese tourists just in front of us suddenly standing up and taking photographs. Things like that kept happening under O'Neill and you knew the Premiership was slightly different. Was there again for that legends game, very emotional. Seeing a few blokes legging it down Burnmoor Street with a Ladbrokes kiosk.

Lastly, the Kop. It was a special place, no doubt, but I only ever stood there four times. Twice right in the corner next to the away fans - once against West Ham and once against Newcastle, when Danny Thomas came on and I didn't have a clue who he was. Both times it was a bit intimidating and both times there was this one bloke, shaven-headed, early to mid 20s, who looked a bit of a nutter and obviously didn't have a ticket for where he was, or maybe didn't have a ticket at all. Either way, he spent the whole of the first half of both games frantically trying to stand somewhere, and blocked my view at one point. Never seen him since.

The other two times stand out though, from the opposite ends of the spectrum. That Sunderland game, being stood on the back row in the middle and feeling immense pride all game, both at being League Cup champions and at the fact we were scoring goals all over the place and had this incredible team and fantastic strikeforce. Two or three days later Heskey went to Liverpool and that was really where it began to unravel from, and we've never truly been the same since despite Taylor's team leading the league and promotion back under Adams. The last game I ever went to in the Kop was sadly that awful, awful Wycombe game. Being about seven or eight rows back, dead centre. Right behind Simon Royce's goal. Seeing a split second before most in the ground that we were going to go behind to a goal scored by a striker bought off the internet, as the again infamous tale goes. A horrible day, not felt like that after a football game since.

Wrote all that for my own enjoyment really, was only planning on the first part about Goodison Park. It brought so many memories flooding back. I'd love to hear more of other people's memories of the place, even though we've probably covered it before and it would fit a new topic better.

[davieG]

Memories

Here would probably do.

http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=45200

Memories,

Like the corners of my mind

Misty water-coloured memories

Of the way we were

Scattered pictures,

Of the smiles we left behind

Smiles we gave to one another

For the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then?

Or has time re-written every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again

Tell me, would we? could we?

Memories, may be beautiful and yet

What's too painful to remember

We simply choose to forget

So its the laughter

We will remember

Whenever we remember...

The way we were...

The way we were...

[thybluefox]

Edit: D'oh! Sorry DG...

Epic post Fez.

I was in the East stand, block next to the away fans. Atmosphere was second to none, low roof, 3 inches from the pitch, columns in the way, tiny corridor at the back of the stand and the damp toilets. Immense.

My favourite memory was losing to Man Utd the season we got relegated, and just singing We love you leicester continuously the whole game, or singing We're shit and we're beating you to Charlton i believe.

Now I've moved to the corporate section with the old man, not a match goes by when I don't miss the old east stand though.

[Corky]

Edit: D'oh! Sorry DG...

Epic post Fez.

I was in the East stand, block next to the away fans. Atmosphere was second to none, low roof, 3 inches from the pitch, columns in the way, tiny corridor at the back of the stand and the damp toilets. Immense.

My favourite memory was losing to Man Utd the season we got relegated, and just singing We love you leicester continuously the whole game, or singing We're shit and we're beating you to Charlton i believe.

Now I've moved to the corporate section with the old man, not a match goes by when I don't miss the old east stand though.

I'll always remember that moment, the whole ground was up for that one. Really special moment, full of pride.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Edit: D'oh! Sorry DG...

Epic post Fez.

I was in the East stand, block next to the away fans. Atmosphere was second to none, low roof, 3 inches from the pitch, columns in the way, tiny corridor at the back of the stand and the damp toilets. Immense.

My favourite memory was losing to Man Utd the season we got relegated, and just singing We love you leicester continuously the whole game, or singing We're shit and we're beating you to Charlton i believe.

Now I've moved to the corporate section with the old man, not a match goes by when I don't miss the old east stand though.

I'll always remember that moment, the whole ground was up for that one. Really special moment, full of pride.

I couldn't make that game, listened to it on Radio 5. The commentators had abandoned the game at one point really, and were just talking about how amazing our fans were. And at a home game where we were getting relegated. Although it might be difficult to imagine now, I suppose there was that Birmingham game a couple of years ago. Not quite on the same scale though.

[H_26]

My thoughts exactly.

The good old days, worth every penny I spent. Although I have a feeling it will happen all over again soon under Pearson.

[CosbehFox]

The bizarre world-of-its-own corner between the East Stand and the North Stand, with the orange seats and the little cafe room. That seems unreal now compared to the Walkers, but even then felt strange. Only went in there once and felt like a real outsider, think it was something to do with the Supporters Club. It was the 3-3 draw with Southampton when Neil Lennon scored a belter. I shouted something at Le Tissier and he stuck his middle finger up at me. I vividly recall being a bit Outraged of Tunbridge Wells about it for a day or two, but what a memory to have.

That's where I was positioned when Taylor came on board.

Back row....and the steward lets us stand up every game. The corner tuck shop was ran differently to the other kiosks. Supporters Club corner yet you didn't need to me a member. The steps from the turnstiles and the tight toilets. One of my favourite games there was Sunderland League Cup Semi...we sneaked through to the final.

Family Stand with it's awkward looking VIP boxes.

A season in the Premiership watching from the Carling Stand as Newcastle and Man United destroyed but equally enjoyed games against Tottenham. Liverpool on Boxing Day at 11.30am kick-off!! Then once getting complimentary tickets against Forest and been impressed by Stuart Pearce and how fierce he was.

I never did the Kop...nearly did once Tranmere play-off semi but it was deemed too dangerous.

I remember vividly the concourse of the Double Decker and the steepness of it. Watching us play Peterborough there whilst the workmen watched from the Carling. Or Southend on a November Saturday afternoon and the seats were empty everywhere.

What I'd do to play tomorrow's match at Filbo.

[Stuliasz]

Why do they do this?

It's over. He's gone. He might have loved the club but not enough to stop him moving on because he'd supposedly taken us as high as he could.

For me I think he's had a shallow existence ever since.

Celtic have their games against Rangers and their annual on-a-plate sortie ito Europe. And Villa are just pretenders to other people's thrones - and, indeed, one extra as Manchester City surpass them to sit alongside United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

I'm truly grateful for what MON gave us - they were superlative times full of marvellous memories - but it's history now and I'm far more interested in what Pearson might do in the future.

Thrac, I do agree with you that it's more important to be looking ahead but what's the point in having the good times if you can't look back on them in the future? I personally found that a cracking read and would love Pearson to come anywhere near the heights that MON achieved. Unfortunately there are fans out there that compare every manager ever since to MON and every team ever since to that team which in honesty lowers us to the level of those Forest fans who believe they are still european champions.