Originally Posted by
SwanVsDalton
Can't agree with that. O'Leary took Villa to 6th, 10th and 16th. Under O'Neill, it was 11th, 6th, 6th, 6th. Very consistent despite the top tier of the EPL being more competitive than it was during O'Leary's tenure. Plus O'Neill has the better win percent and won almost twice as many games (albeit with an extra season).
Sure O'Neill had the money to spend, but for me the most important thing is Villa became consistent, and crucially, started beating the big teams on occasion (Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal et al). Under O'Leary, Villa were regularly spanked against those guys. As a team, Villa were far more purposeful under O'Neill.