On This Day (21 March 2013) 'Martin O'Neill is Martin O'Neill' says Craig Gardner!

03/21/2025 02:00 AM

Pressure was starting to build on the boss, but his players were right behind him.

After looking as if we'd found a long-term solution in the manager's chair in the form of Martin O'Neill, Sunderland's form had deteriorated somewhat – and, by the time spring was getting its feet comfortably under the table, our performances were showing anything but signs of a brighter future.

Drab displays, difficulties in front of goal and a dire run of just two wins in 10 games had seen O'Neill's side slip down the table. And, after what seemed like a pretty good game to get back to winning ways – Norwich at home – had resulted in only a draw, pressure was building.

With an international break providing some much-needed respite, midfielder Craig Gardner faced the press to issue, well, something that wasn't a rallying call. But kind of resembled a rallying call.

My frustration is that I have done interviews before and everything comes out as a rallying call, that 'Craig Gardner is doing a rallying call', so and so is doing a rallying call, so the fans think we are.

Then the fans turn on us saying 'we pay this money, we are cheering you on week in, week out'. We are giving everything, we are working really hard to turn it around. The results just aren't going for us. That's the biggest frustration.

We have got to take the responsibility on ourselves, the fans aren't going to. We have got the club into this position, so we need to win and get the club out of it.

I am one of the most honest people you will meet. There's no point me sitting here saying 'let's get behind us' because the fans will get behind us regardless. What I am saying is that we have to get out of this regardless. The players will do it for the fans and for the manager. We will do it.

After an excellent start to managerial life on Wearside, O'Neill – who'd spent £30m in the summer – was struggling to get a tune out of his squad, and fans were beginning to question whether the Irishman was the right person to to steer the club in the short term, as well as the long term.

And with a tough run of games coming up – Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton – the hope was it wouldn't get worse before it got better.

The players though still seemed to have faith in the former Leicester, Celtic and Villa boss, as Gardner outlined.

We have to dig deep for ourselves and for the manager, first and foremost. He has been there for us from day one and we need to dig deep for him.

I have worked with the manager for seven or eight years. He is one of the best. He is unbelievable. He turns things around at times like this. He is one of the best and we will be fine. We just need to dig deep and we will.

Martin O'Neill is Martin O'Neill. He knows what to do. He has been in the game longer than I have been alive. He has been through every single situation possible. He knows what to do. We have the best possible person in charge of this squad at this time. He will get us out of it.

Unfortunately, O'Neill wasn't given the chance to get us out of it, with the trigger happy Ellis Short sacking the popular manager in the immediate aftermath of the next fixture – at home to top of the table Manchester United.

Sir Alex's side would go on to reclaim the title from neighbours Manchester City by an impressive 11 point margin by the time the season ended, and three of those points were gained on Wearside – a first-half Titus Bramble own goal seeing United walk away with three points, and Short readying O'Neill's P45, and putting Paolo's number on speed dial.

In hindsight, it might well have been one of those 'wait and see' situations – O'Neill's track record suggests he would have got us out of trouble – however, if we didn't make a change, we may not have got those days out at St James, Old Trafford and a Wembley final.

However, I still reckon that, if we'd stuck with O'Neill then, we don't end up in League One just five seasons later.

A sliding doors moment? Perhaps.

All we know is that O'Neill's departure marked the start of an increasingly unpredictable and trigger happy spell in charge for Ellis Short – which ultimately consigned us to a double relegation and four seasons mostly floundering in League One.

Patience is often the most valuable – but rarest – commodity in football...