The manager’s standing with Aston Villa fans suffered after he sacrificed European glory to go for a top-four finish in the Premier League

For the best part of two and a half years, Martin O’Neill could do no wrong at Aston Villa. His appointment as manager, allied to Randy Lerner’s arrival as chairman, rejuvenated Villa after the dark days of the David O’Leary and Doug Ellis era. But then came an away trip to CSKA Moscow in the Uefa Cup in February last year, when O’Neill sacrificed the competition in favour of pursuing a place in the Premier League’s top four.

It was a decision that never sat comfortably with a number of Villa supporters and also seemed to trouble O’Neill. The Villa manager was careful not to apologise for leaving eight first-team players behind but it was a measure of his unease that on the flight home he moved to the back of the plane to explain his team selection to the fans on board. He was applauded, but two days later his decision backfired when Villa drew at home with Stoke.

Villa failed to recover that season and from that moment on it felt as though O’Neill’s relationship with the supporters was never quite the same. They still chanted his name but not with the same gusto and there was also the occasional sound of booing at Villa Park, leaving O’Neill furious.

“I suppose Carling Cup final, semi-final of the FA Cup and still battling here with nine games left in the league, maybe that should happen here every year,” said O’Neill after the 2-2 draw at home with Wolves in March.

Much of the supporters’ frustration is likely to have emanated from the realisation that Villa were so close to success. After stabilising the club in his first season in charge, O’Neill led Villa to three successive sixth-placed finishes. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are the only other clubs that have finished in the top six during each of those years, yet Villa could not quite get close enough to any of them to secure the reward of Champions League football that would have justified Lerner’s investment.

Before this summer, O’Neill was backed heavily in the transfer market, although his record when buying players was mixed. Many suspected he paid over the odds for Ashley Young and James Milner but both have doubled their value at Villa and flourished under his tutelage. Richard Dunne also looks to be a shrewd piece of business and Stilian Petrov eventually proved his worth, yet for every success story there were a couple of mistakes.

The true cost of those mistakes is evident on the wage bill, which climbed alarmingly during the 2008–9 season to £71m, far higher than at Tottenham and Everton. Six players – Steve Sidwell, Luke Young, Nigel Reo-Coker, Habib Beye, Nicky Shorey and Curtis Davies – rarely featured last season but cost Villa not far off £250,000 a week in salaries. Lerner could not allow that situation to go on.

O’Neill’s style of play occasionally drew criticism, although few managers have dared to make the kind of comments Arsène Wenger did last season. “A very efficient English game with long balls,” said the Arsenal manager of Villa. O’Neill reacted furiously. Villa were no Barcelona under O’Neill but, at times, in particular when they were counter-attacking through the pace of Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, they could be exhilarating to watch as they switched from defence to attack in the blink of an eye.

Breaking teams down at home proved to be much more of a problem and had O’Neill managed to address that shortcoming, perhaps with the recruitment of a creative player in the centre of midfield and a prolific goalscorer, Villa might well have finished in the top four during his reign. Instead they were a nearly side, promising so much but just coming up short when it really mattered.

Perhaps that will be how O’Neill’s reign at Villa is remembered in years to come. Unlike his spells as a manager at Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City and Celtic, there is no trophy in the cabinet at Villa Park to serve as a permanent reminder of his contribution to the club. And for a man as driven and as ambitious as O’Neill, that will be even more frustrating for him than it is for the Villa supporters.

Aston VillaMartin O’NeillStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk