Martin O'Neill struggling to meet Aston Villa fans' expectations

Then, in his post match press conference, the Aston Villa manager said that he could not understand why fans were not content with a battling performance to come from a goal behind against local rivals, a Carling Cup final appearance, and a semi-final FA Cup appearance, or with their side's form in the Premier League, which sees them five points outside the top four, but with a game in hand on Tottenham, five points ahead. 'I don't see it,' he said. Make no mistake, this was an important match, for a victory followed by another three points against Sunderland could have seen Villa go fourth (indeed, as the progressed with Villa trailing, O'Neill was joined in the technical area by his Praetorian Guard of John Robertson and Steve Walford, always a sign that matters of high importance are taking place), yet provided Villa win on Wednesday this draw was not the end of the world even if the jeers at the final whistle suggested it was. O'Neill knows that it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage expectations at Villa Park, partly because of the club's profile.  Related ArticlesAston Villa 2 Wolves 2James Milner set for new dealAston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers: match previewMilner: England's silver liningVilla in good shape for top fourO'Neill hails 'extraordinary' Milner'Expectation levels I expect to go up because it is Aston Villa,' he said this weekend. 'Then you are hoping you can make something happen for the supporters. However, like everybody else, you have to earn this and it is not a case of just because a club has been successful in the past and won the European Cup, that things should come automatically and people expect this. 'Some people just feel this expectation should be matched automatically because of the club. It doesn't happen. These players have put heart and soul into these games, together with the fans, who have spent hard-earned money supporting the side a lot. I think those players and those fans deserve that, not someone who has just come along in the last four or five months for the ride but would be the first one to complain if things are not going so well.'' So far, so fair, even if O'Neill is being a tad disingenuous. The supporter frustration is not confined to those who have jumped on the bandwagon in recent years, but by established supporters - and plenty of them. As one wrote on the Heroes and Villains website on Monday: 'I've been looking back through old threads and can't find one that doesn't have a moan somewhere in it.' Moreover, the frustration does not derive just from the club's profile, but also a consideration of the funds that have been made available (£82.5m since the start of last season). O'Neill is correct to point to one Cup final and another semi-final appearance already in the bag as signs of the progress he has made with the financial support of Randy Lerner, but as every manager knows, and often remind us, the League remains the holy grail. It was for precisely that reason that O'Neill fielded a weakened side in Moscow last year the League took primacy over the Uefa Cup. Just as the supporters might like to remember that their side are still in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, O'Neill might do well to remember that by being like every other manager and promoting the League above all else, he is partly responsible for the fans' disappointment with what when tempered with two impressive cup runs might otherwise have been considered a reasonable derby draw.

Source: Telegraph