Martin O'Neill Mystery Man. How did he turn around Aston Villa?

By Garry Cook

Martin O’Neill can, it seems, do nothing wrong. His reputation as a manager was pretty high before he came to Aston Villa on the eve of the 2005-06 season.

Trophy successes at Leicester, who fell faster than an eastern European after O’Neill’s departure, and then Celtic, where a seemingly dominant Rangers were humbled, won the zany Irishman as much critical acclaim as football can give.

But, my god, the job he’s doing at Aston Villa is quite extraordinary.

Where last season Villa were totally miserable under David O’Leary they are now mesmerising.

And it’s not because the style of football has transformed from hapless to pure class – Villa’s play is far from beautiful – it is because O’Neill has proved beyond doubt a fact that the rest of us had thought wrong: managers can make a difference.

Football teams rise and fall, they inconceivably stutter then they shockingly astound. And throughout a side’s natural cycle the manager can switch from brilliant to buffoon almost effortlessly.

You are left wondering are they any good? Did they just strike lucky?

But O’Neill, who attracts success like Peter Crouch attracts attention-seeking women, has taught us all that not only can managers hugely influence a team, they can also do it when they’re as mad as a hatter.

It is difficult to reconcile O’Neill’s punditry sessions on the BBC over the past few years, where he embarrasses Gary Lineker by frequently heading off-tangent, with the manager who commands respect and demands success.

But these are the facts: Martin O’Neill waltzed into Villa park just days before the season started. For the unenviable task of visiting the new Emirates Stadium for Arsenal’s first-ever Premiership match there, O’Neill picked a team almost identical to the one which drew 2-2 at home to Bolton Wanderers 12 months earlier.

Out of the squad of 16 players which O’Neill picked for his first match, there was only one new name – the young Gabriel Agbonlahor replacing Nolberto Solano who decided he fancied a move back to Newcastle United last January. It’s worth pondering on that fact for a moment. One change. They finished fifth bottom last season. O’Leary’s constant, constant moaning.

Villa’s draw against Arsenal was a far better result than a draw against Bolton a year earlier – but that was just a wake-up call. It is what has happened since that has enthralled.

Seven games played and no defeats. Villa fans can’t believe it. Birmingham fans can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. No one can believe it. Randy Lerner must be the luckiest multi-millionaire ever to buy a football club. O’Neill had already been appointed by the time his £62million take-over went through.

O’Neill is short on bluff and big on tactics. It appears that every player has been given unique instructions, a specific job to stick to.

Away from home O’Neill has largely stuck to a tight 4-3-3 formation. Olof Mellberg, Aaron Hughes, Liam Ridgewell and Gareth Barry have created a wall across the back, denying space to attackers.

And they have been backed up by a tough three-man midfield of Steve Davis, a revitalised Gavin McCann and, lately, Stilyian Petrov. These three, with McCann putting in the kind of holding role performances which should England boss Steve McClaren twitching, are as good as any unit in the Premiership so far this season.

Unlike McClaren, O’Neill is playing to his team’s strengths rather than shoehorning one or two men into places they clearly don’t fit. (Steven Gerrard wrong, Michael Carrick very wrong – take note Macca).

The only obvious weakness for Villa is in attack where the exciting duo of Luke Moore – until his injury – and Agbonlahor have been racing in from the wings to support Juan Pablo Angel. Goals have not been easy to come by. Villa drawing all of their first four away games tells its own story.

Part of the problem has been the spoiling tactics of using the two supporting attackers to nullify the creativity of the opposition’s full-backs.

At home this is less of a problem, with O’Neill refining his orders to allow his team to create genuine chances – a balancing act he will have to perfect if Villa are to become genuine diners at the Premiership’s top table (or until Randy asks Martin what he wants for Christmas)

Still, Villa fans will happily accept a season of away-day nail-biting after the endless whining Irish lilt of O’Leary they’ve had to endure in recent seasons. Their new zany Irishman is already a Villa king.