Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, (born March 1, 1952 in Kilrea, Northern Ireland) is a former Northern Ireland national football team captain who has previously managed Wycombe Wanderers, Norwich City, Leicester City and Celtic and is currently manager of Aston Villa. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Kilrea is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. ... Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... First international Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Biggest win Ireland (IFA) 7 - 0 Wales (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 1 February 1930) Biggest defeat Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) World Cup Appearances 3 (First in 1958) Best result Quarterfinals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none... Wycombe Wanderers F.C. are an English football team currently playing in Football League Two. ... Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. ... Leicester City Football Club, (also known as The Foxes) are an English professional football club based in the city of Leicester. ... Celtic Football Club (pronounced seltik in IPA; AIM: CCP)[1] is a Scottish football club, competing in the Scottish Premier League, the highest form of competition in Scotland. ... In sports, a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of an athletic team or of individual athletes. ... Aston Villa Football Club (also known as The Villa and The Villans)[3] are an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who currently play in the Premier League. ...

Early life

As well as association football, he played Gaelic football as a youth, winning the MacRory Cup in 1970 with St. Malachy's College, Belfast. He attended St. Malachy's College with Irish chef Eamonn ó Catháin and local Belfast legend Aidan Barnes. While at St. Malachy's, he first came to public attention as a soccer player with local side Distillery F.C.. This breached the Gaelic Athletic Association prohibition on gaelic footballers' playing "foreign sports", and the resulting disputes heightened O'Neill's profile. After completing his education at St. Columb's College, Derry, he began a degree in law at the Queen's University of Belfast. He signed for Distillery F.C. and won the Irish Cup in 1971 scoring twice in the final. He also scored against FC Barcelona in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in a 3-1 home defeat in September 1971. It was during this period he was spotted by a scout for Nottingham Forest F.C., for whom he signed in 1971, quitting his studies. Gaelic football (Irish: Peil or Caid ), commonly referred to as football, Gaelic or GAA (gah), is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ... St. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Northern Ireland County: District: Belfast UK Parliament: Belfast North Belfast South Belfast East Belfast West European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 posttown = Belfast Postal District(s): BT1-BT17, BT29 (part of), BT58 Area: 115 km² Population (2001) Website: www. ... St. ... The following article may contain mistakes, especially regarding the Honours section. ... A stylised Celtic cross serves as the traditional logo of the GAA. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael) is an organisation which is mostly focussed on promoting Gaelic Games - traditional Irish sports, such as hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball, and rounders. ... St. ... Londonderry redirects here. ... A B.A. issued as a certificate A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ... Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ... The Queens University of Belfast (QUB) is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland; the university is often called Queens University Belfast. ... The following article may contain mistakes, especially regarding the Honours section. ... The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. ... Futbol Club Barcelona, known familiarly as Barça (IPA: baɾ.sÉ™), is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... The UEFA Cup Winners Cup (also known as the European Cup Winners Cup) was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. ... Professional sports scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scouts organization. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Playing career

O'Neill progressed slowly as a player until the legendary Brian Clough arrived at the City Ground as manager in 1975 and made him a key part of his midfield. O'Neill went on to play an integral role in Forest's golden era, in which they gained promotion to the top flight, then won the League and League Cup in 1978, followed by further League Cup success a year later and the first of two European Cup triumphs. Brian Howard Clough, OBE (21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was a successful footballer and subsequently football manager, most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. ... In association football a midfielder is a player whose position of play is midway between the attacking strikers and the defenders. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ... The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ... The UEFA Champions League (also known as the European Cup, UCL, CE1, C1[1] or CL) is a seasonal club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. ...

O'Neill was a regular for his country, captaining the Northern Ireland side at a memorable 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, which included defeating the host nation in Valencia. He played 62 times for Northern Ireland. At club level he also played for Norwich City F.C., Manchester City F.C. and Notts County F.C. before retiring. First international Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Biggest win Ireland (IFA) 7 - 0 Wales (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 1 February 1930) Biggest defeat Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) World Cup Appearances 3 (First in 1958) Best result Quarterfinals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none... Qualifying countries The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th staging of the World Cup, was held in Spain from June 13 to July 11. ... First international Spain 1 - 0 Denmark (Brussels, Belgium; 28 August 1920) Biggest win Spain 13 - 0 Bulgaria (Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933) Biggest defeat Italy 7 - 1 Spain (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 1928) England 7 - 1 Spain (London, England; 9 December 1931) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1934) Best... Location Coordinates : 39°29′ N 0°22′ W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Catalan) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ... Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. ... Manchester City Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Manchester. ... Notts County Football Club are a football club based in Nottingham, England and is the oldest professional football team in the world. ...

Managerial career

After his playing career, O'Neill began a hugely successful career in football management, initially at Grantham Town in 1987. After a brief spell at the helm of Shepshed Charterhouse, he managed non-league Wycombe Wanderers, and took them into the Football League as Conference champions in 1993. They had narrowly missed out on promotion the previous year after a two-horse race with Colchester United. [1]. He became manager of Norwich City in the summer of 1995, but left the club in December of that year due to differences with club chairman Robert Chase. Grantham Town is a football club currently playing in the Southern League. ... Wycombe Wanderers Football Club are an English football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, currently playing in Football League Two. ... The Football League is an organisation representing 72 professional football clubs in England and Wales, and runs the oldest professional football league competition in the world. ... The Football Conference is a football league at the top of the National League System of non-League football in England. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Colchester United Football Club are an English football team who, after finishing 2nd in League One for the 2005/6 season are competing in the Championship in 2006/07, for the first time in their history. ... Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. ...

Leicester City

He joined Leicester City immediately after leaving Norwich. After a difficult start he achieved great success at the club, gaining promotion via the play-offs to the Premiership in the same season as joining the club. Leicester finished in the top half of the Premiership in every season O'Neill was manager. They also won the Football League Cup under O'Neill in 1997 and 2000, as well as reaching the 1999 final of the competition. They finished ninth in 1997, tenth in 1998 and 1999, and eighth in 2000. The two League Cup triumphs saw them qualify for the UEFA Cup each time, though both campaigns were short-lived. Leicester City Football Club, (also known as The Foxes) are an English professional football club based in the city of Leicester. ... For the Scottish equivalent see Scottish Premier League The FA Premier League (often referred to as the Barclays Premiership in England and the Barclays English Premier League or just simply The EPL internationally) is a league competition for football clubs located at the top of the English football league system... The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ... The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams, organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). ...

During his time at Leicester, O'Neill held talks to become manager of Leeds United but declined the job after thousands of supporters held up placards saying "Don't go Martin!" in an effort to make him stay. “Leeds United Football Club” redirects here. ...

Celtic

O'Neill did eventually leave Leicester on 1 June 2000, taking over from the team of John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish to become manager of Celtic. It was at Celtic that O'Neill gained his nicknames "Martin the Magnificent" and "the Blessed Martin". O'Neill's first Old Firm game ended in a dramatic 6-2 victory for Celtic over Rangers and did much to overturn the psychological advantage previously held by Rangers. In that first season O'Neill's Celtic won the domestic treble. He was also the first Celtic manager to take the team into the revamped Champions League (a feat he managed three times). In the first season in the CL Celtic were eliminated in spite of having 9 points. Perhaps his greatest achievement was to guide Celtic to the 2003 UEFA Cup final held in Seville. Celtic lost to Porto 3-2 in extra time, coached by Jose Mourinho. In his five seasons there, he won three League titles, three Scottish Cups, and a League Cup. O'Neill also oversaw a record 7 consecutive victories in Old Firm derbies. Also in season 2003-04 Celtic created a British record of 25 consecutive victories. During this time, his name was linked with a number of high-profile jobs back south of the border. June 1 is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Barnes (born November 7, 1963) is a Jamaican-born English football player. ... Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish MBE (born 4 March 1951 in Dalmarnock, Glasgow) is a former Scottish international football player. ... Celtic Football Club (pronounced seltik in IPA; AIM: CCP)[1] is a Scottish football club, competing in the Scottish Premier League, the highest form of competition in Scotland. ... Crowd at football match between Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C. at Celtic Park. ... The 2002-03 UEFA Cup was won by FC Porto. ... José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix was born January 26, 1963 in Setúbal, Portugal and is a successful football manager. ...

On 25 May 2005, Celtic announced that O'Neill was resigning as manager at the end of the 2004/05 season to care for his wife Geraldine, who has lymphoma. is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about lymphoma in humans. ...

O'Neill's last competitive game in charge of Celtic was the Scottish Cup final 1 – 0 victory over Dundee United on 28 May 2005, decided by an eleventh minute goal by Alan Thompson. Celtic had an impressive record under O'Neill, playing 282 games and winning 213, drawing 29 and losing 40. Celtic Football Club (pronounced seltik in IPA; AIM: CCP)[1] is a Scottish football club, competing in the Scottish Premier League, the highest form of competition in Scotland. ... Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alan Thompson (born December 22, 1973 in Newcastle) is a professional footballer currently playing for Leeds United on loan from Celtic. ...

Aston Villa

O'Neill was introduced as the Aston Villa manager at a press conference on August 4, 2006. At the press conference he stated "It's absolutely fantastic to be back and with a club such as this. This is a fantastic challenge. I am well aware of the history of this football club. Trying to restore it to its days of former glory seems a long way away - but why not try? It is nearly 25 years since they won the European Cup but that is the dream." Aston Villa Football Club (also known as The Villa and The Villans)[3] are an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who currently play in the Premier League. ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Champions League Logo The UEFA Champions League is an annual international inter-club football competition between Europes most successful clubs, regarded as the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. ...

Villa's form improved substantially following O'Neill's appointment. They had the longest unbeaten start of any Premiership side in 2006-07 (9 games), not losing a league game until 28 October. is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Villa suffered a mid-season slump but recovered late in the season, winning their three away games in April under O'Neill's guidance, to end the season how it began with a run of 9 unbeaten fixtures . For this O'Neill scooped the Barclays Manager of the Month for April.

Outside football

Despite never completing his degree, O'Neill remains an avid follower of criminology and has attended some of Britain's most infamous trials, including those of the Yorkshire Ripper and the Black Panther. His fascination began with the James Hanratty case of 1961. Criminology is the scientific study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon. ... Peter Sutcliffe (born June 2, 1946), infamous as the Yorkshire Ripper, was convicted in 1981 of the murders of thirteen women and attacks on seven more from 1975 to 1980. ... Donald Neilson (born Donald Nappey on August 1, 1936, nicknamed the Black Panther) was a jobbing builder who turned to crime when his business failed to make money—and became a murderer, kidnapper and Britains most wanted man. ... The A6 murder is a crime which many believe led to a major United Kingdom. ...

Martin O'Neill was awarded an OBE for services to sport in 2004.[2] In 2002, Norwich supporters voted him into the club's Hall of Fame. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... The Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame was created in 2003. ...

Playing honours

Distillery

• Winners
  • Irish FA Cup– 1971

Image File history File links Flag_of_Northern_Ireland. ... The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body for football in Northern Ireland. ... The Irish Cup is the national cup knock-out competition in Northern Irish football. ...

Nottingham Forest F.C. 1971–1981

• Winners
  • European Super Cup – 1980
  • European Cup – 1979, 1980
  • Football League Championship – 1977/78
  • League Cup – 1978, 1979

• Runners-Up
  • European Super Cup – 1981
  • Football League Championship – 1978/79

Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ...

Managerial honours

Wycombe Wanderers F.C. 1990–1995

• Winners
  • Football Conference – 1993
  • FA Trophy – 1991, 1993
  • Division 3 Play–Off Winners – 1994

Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ...

Leicester City F.C. 1995–2000

• Winners
  • League Cup – 1997, 2000
  • Promotion to Premier League – 1995/96

• Runners-up
  • League Cup – 1999

Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ...

Celtic F.C. 2000–2005

• Winners
  • SPL Championship – 2000/01, 2001/02, 2003/04
  • Scottish Cup – 2001, 2004, 2005
  • Scottish League Cup – 2000/01

• Runners-up
  • UEFA Cup Runner-Up – 2002/03
  • Scottish League Cup – 2002/03
  • SPL Championship – 2002/03 , 2004/05

Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... The Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, also known as The Scottish Cup, is the national cup knockout competition in Scottish football. ... The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League members. ... The 2002-03 UEFA Cup was won by FC Porto. ... The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League members. ...

Managerial stats

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	L	D	Win %
Wycombe Wanderers		February 7, 1990	June 13, 1995	112	52	28	32	46.42
Norwich City		June 13, 1995	November 17, 1995	20	9	4	7	45.00
Leicester City		December 21, 1995	June 1, 2000	223	85	70	68	38.11
Celtic		June 1, 2000	May 31, 2005	282	213	40	29	75.53
Aston Villa		August 5, 2006	Present	42	13	12	17	30.95

Wycombe Wanderers Football Club are an English football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, currently playing in Football League Two. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Leicester City Football Club, (also known as The Foxes) are an English professional football club based in the city of Leicester. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Celtic Football Club (pronounced seltik in IPA; AIM: CCP)[1] is a Scottish football club, competing in the Scottish Premier League, the highest form of competition in Scotland. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aston Villa Football Club (also known as The Villa and The Villans)[3] are an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who currently play in the Premier League. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

References

This article or section is missing citations and/or footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. You may improve the article or discuss this issue on its talk page. Help on using footnotes is available. This article has been tagged since December 2006. Image File history File links Information. ...

External links

• Martin O'Neill management career stats at Soccerbase
• BBC biography
• Grantham Town profile
• Career information at ex-canaries.co.uk