David O'Leary
Encyclopedia
David Anthony O'Leary (Born in Stoke Newington
, London
, England
on 2 May 1958) is an Irish
football
manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United
and later he managed Aston Villa
. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai. The majority of his playing career (20 years) was spent as a defender
at Arsenal
and his 722 appearances for them are a club record.
, London
on 2 May 1958 and moved to live in Dublin at the age of three.
schoolboy player O'Leary signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1973. He soon progressed through the ranks at Highbury, playing in the reserves at the age of 16. He made his debut for Arsenal against Burnley
on 16 August 1975, and despite being only 17, went on to make 30 appearances that season. For the next ten years he was ever-present in the Arsenal side, playing more than 40 matches a season (except for 1980–81
, where he was injured and only played 27).
A calm and collected central defender, O'Leary was noted for his good positioning and elegant style of play. He won his first major honour with Arsenal when he played in their 3–2 win over Manchester United
in the 1979 FA Cup Final
. He also played in the 1978 and 1980 Cup finals, and the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup final, all of which Arsenal lost. In 1982 O'Leary became club captain, but reliniquished it to Graham Rix
eighteen months later.
O'Leary broke numerous appearance records at Arsenal; he was the youngest person to reach the 100 and 200 match milestones, and he made his 400th appearance while still only 26. He passed George Armstrong
's all-time record of 621 first-team games in November 1989. By this time, O'Leary was no longer automatic first choice (with the partnership of Tony Adams
and Steve Bould
at the centre of George Graham
's defence), but he still turned in over 20 appearances as Arsenal won the 1988–89
First Division
title thanks to a 2–0 win at Anfield
on the final day of the season.
O'Leary won another League title in 1991 and an FA Cup and League Cup
double in 1993, though by this time he was mainly used as a sub. He holds Arsenal's all-time record for appearances, with 722 first-team games, and over 1000 games at all levels, in a twenty-year long association with the club. In a poll to compile the list of the club's Greatest Ever Players, O'Leary was voted 14th.
came as a teenager in a 1–1 draw with England
in 1976. Following the appointment of Jack Charlton
O'Leary was frozen out of the international set up for 2 years. After being left out of a squad for a mini tournament in Iceland in May 1986, O'Leary booked a family holiday which he decided not to cancel when he was eventually asked up to the squad following several withdrawals. O'Leary did not feature until November 1988 thus missing out on Euro 88.
The highlight of his 68-cap international career came in the 1990 World Cup
. With Ireland in a penalty shootout
with Romania
, Packie Bonner saved Daniel Timofte
's last penalty. It was O'Leary who then stepped up to take the decisive final penalty to win the shootout 5–4. O'Leary only played 26 minutes in the tournament after replacing Steve Staunton
in the Romania match.
Shortly after the World Cup O'Leary scored his only goal from open play for the Republic in a 5–0 win over Turkey
in a Euro 92 qualifier.
was put in charge at Leeds United
in September 1996, O'Leary was installed as his assistant. He remained in this position for two years until Graham moved to Tottenham
.
the manager's position, but the deal fell through and O'Leary was instead promoted to the hot seat. At the end of 1998–99 Leeds finished fourth in the Premier League
and qualified for the UEFA Cup
. Their 1999–2000 campaign ended in the semi-final with defeat to the Turkish side Galatasaray
.
On the domestic front, Leeds finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League
. It would be their first campaign at this level since the 1992–93 season. It was during this time that O'Leary endorsed a Game Boy Color
computer game entitled O'Leary Manager 2000
, which was released by Ubi Soft in 2000.
Leeds reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2000–01
, where they lost to eventual runners-up Valencia
. Their Premier League form also dipped slightly and O'Leary's men had to settle for a UEFA Cup
place. Although there was little indication of this at the time, this was a serious failure for the club because Peter Ridsdale
had borrowed £60 million against future gate receipts, budgeting for prolonged Champions League involvement.
2001–02 began well for Leeds. They frequently topped the table during the first half of the season and were Premier League leaders on 1 January 2002. But a loss of form in the second half of the season saw them slump into fifth place, meaning that they would again have to settle for a UEFA Cup place.
The season was thrown into turmoil by the involvement of four players, including first-teamers Jonathan Woodgate
and Lee Bowyer
, in an incident in Leeds city centre that ended in the assault and injury of an Asian student. O'Leary to some extent alienated the fans, and more importantly Ridsdale, by writing a book, Leeds United On Trial, that some saw as cashing in on the troubles the club had suffered.
By June 2002, O'Leary had spent almost £100 million on new players in less than four years for no reward in terms of trophies, but he had never finished outside the top six as a manager. Ridsdale sacked O'Leary as Leeds manager in the summer of 2002, replacing him with Terry Venables
. O'Leary's departure signalled a downhill spiral for the club – highly attributable to the financial state that saw the sale of several key players – which saw three more managers (Venables, Peter Reid
and Eddie Gray) come and go before the club was finally relegated from the Premier League in 2004 with £80 million debt, and fell into League One
(the third tier of the league) three years later.
O'Leary's fame at Leeds rests upon his promotion of a series of younger players, Jonathan Woodgate
, Lee Bowyer
, Alan Smith, Harry Kewell
, Stephen McPhail
, Eirik Bakke
, Ian Harte
and Danny Mills
(signed for £4M from Charlton Athletic
). He promoted several members of the youth team into an exciting Leeds side that played a pressing game relying on youthful enthusiasm. Alan Smith in particular exemplified this attitude and O'Leary's arrival seemed to many fans like the arrival of a new attitude at Leeds – bold, innovative and attacking.
In an interview regarding the decline of Leeds, O'Leary stated "I never wanted to leave Leeds
. The fans are fantastic to me here. I hope they stay up because I had great times at the club".
O'Leary has since stated that he would like the chance to return as manager of Leeds United, after Peter Ridsdale left the club. The news was met with mixed views from Leeds United fans.
when Peter Reid was sacked in October and again when Howard Wilkinson
was sacked in March, ironically along with his former mentor George Graham
on both occasions.
But O'Leary remained out of work until June 2003 when he was appointed manager of Aston Villa
.
By the beginning of November 2003, Aston Villa were hovering just above the relegation zone. O'Leary managed to push a limited squad to perform successfully and consistently, led by the revitalised Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel
, and by the final weeks of the season they were in with a real chance of a European competition qualification place. In the end they had to settle for sixth place – one place too low for European qualification due to Millwall's
FA Cup Final appearance and Middlesbrough's
Carling Cup
triumph. It was still a remarkable achievement from O'Leary, who had to deal with a downsized first team squad and a lack of transfer funds, and although some felt that Villa had overachieved in reaching 6th place, it was still creditable, with the club improving 10 places and now fans had some much needed optimism. The new found form of Angel, neglected under previous manager Graham Taylor, also saw Villa possess a dangerous weapon for the next season.
, highly rated Chelsea prodigy Carlton Cole
and acclaimed French midfielder Mathieu Berson
, while still restriced by a tight budget imposed by chairman Doug Ellis
. Although there were some criticisms of his relationship with fans and his motivational skills, O'Leary insured that there would be no scares like those suffered under Taylor's disastrous second era in charge. There was also much encouragement as a result of the return to form of the outcasted Lee Hendrie
and the occasionally erratic Nolberto Solano
, which seemed to dispel some doubt over his motivational skills.
and Kevin Phillips
who added more quality to the squad, the 2005–06 season brought a disappointing turn for the worse for O'Leary and his fragile relationship with fans deteriorated even further when he described them as fickle and offended supporters unfurled a banner declaring 'we're not fickle. We just don't like you'. Increasingly under-fire from fans and media alike, the season saw a highly embarrassing League Cup exit via a 0–3 defeat to League One side Doncaster Rovers
. A series of poor results saw Villa hovering dangerously above the relegation zone going into December, with just 17 points from 17 games. However an improved winter period saw them move slightly up the league, with encouraging victories over Everton
(4–0), Middlesbrough
(4–0) and a well-earned point against runaway leaders Chelsea
. In the end, Villa finished a disappointing 16th, just two places above the relegation zone. Following the relegation of local rivals Birmingham City
and West Bromwich Albion, Villa were the only Midlands side playing Premier League football in 2006–07.
A storm broke surrounding O'Leary and Aston Villa on 14 July 2006 when a press release from the Aston Villa players criticised Ellis and his ownership of Villa. The media furore finally came to a head when on 19 July 2006, O'Leary's contract as Aston Villa manager was terminated by mutual consent. As it happened, Ellis sold the club within a few months to Randy Lerner
, and Martin O'Neill
was appointed as manager.
club Al-Ahli Dubai, where his first decision was to install former Italy
captain Fabio Cannavaro
as the new skipper of the team.
On 2 April 2011, the former Leeds United and Aston Villa manager would be relieved of his duties imminently according to board members, following a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Al Jazira. On 22 April 2011, Al-Ahli officially announced its decision to sack O'Leary with his assistant coach Roy Aitken
.
played for Shamrock Rovers and Celtic
and was capped seven times for the Republic of Ireland
. His nephew, Ryan O'Leary
of Kilmarnock
, declined to play for the Republic of Ireland Under 21s, choosing to play for Scotland
, the country of his birth.
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Football League First Division
FA Cup
Football League Cup
European Cup Winners' Cup
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 2 May 1958) is an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and later he managed Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai. The majority of his playing career (20 years) was spent as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
at Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and his 722 appearances for them are a club record.
Club career
O'Leary was born in Stoke NewingtonStoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 2 May 1958 and moved to live in Dublin at the age of three.
Arsenal
A ShelbourneShelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
schoolboy player O'Leary signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1973. He soon progressed through the ranks at Highbury, playing in the reserves at the age of 16. He made his debut for Arsenal against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on 16 August 1975, and despite being only 17, went on to make 30 appearances that season. For the next ten years he was ever-present in the Arsenal side, playing more than 40 matches a season (except for 1980–81
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
, where he was injured and only played 27).
A calm and collected central defender, O'Leary was noted for his good positioning and elegant style of play. He won his first major honour with Arsenal when he played in their 3–2 win over Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the 1979 FA Cup Final
1979 FA Cup Final
The 1979 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final. For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking...
. He also played in the 1978 and 1980 Cup finals, and the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup final, all of which Arsenal lost. In 1982 O'Leary became club captain, but reliniquished it to Graham Rix
Graham Rix
Graham Cyril Rix is an English former football player and coach. He was fired by Heart of Midlothian in March 2006, which was his most recent role in professional football...
eighteen months later.
O'Leary broke numerous appearance records at Arsenal; he was the youngest person to reach the 100 and 200 match milestones, and he made his 400th appearance while still only 26. He passed George Armstrong
George Armstrong (footballer)
George "Geordie" Armstrong was an English football player and coach, primarily associated with Arsenal.Born in Hebburn, County Durham, Armstrong had trained as an electrician while playing in youth football, and was rejected by both Newcastle United and Grimsby Town. Nevertheless, he succeeded in...
's all-time record of 621 first-team games in November 1989. By this time, O'Leary was no longer automatic first choice (with the partnership of Tony Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
and Steve Bould
Steve Bould
Stephen Andrew Bould is an English former football player and current coach. He played professionally for Stoke City, Torquay United, Arsenal and Sunderland.-Stoke City:...
at the centre of George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
's defence), but he still turned in over 20 appearances as Arsenal won the 1988–89
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
title thanks to a 2–0 win at Anfield
Liverpool 0–2 Arsenal (26 May 1989)
The final match of the 1988–89 English Football League season was contested on 26 May 1989, between Liverpool and Arsenal, at Liverpool's Anfield ground. By sheer coincidence, it was the match between the top two teams in the First Division and the teams were close enough on points for the match to...
on the final day of the season.
O'Leary won another League title in 1991 and an FA Cup and League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
double in 1993, though by this time he was mainly used as a sub. He holds Arsenal's all-time record for appearances, with 722 first-team games, and over 1000 games at all levels, in a twenty-year long association with the club. In a poll to compile the list of the club's Greatest Ever Players, O'Leary was voted 14th.
Leeds United
He joined Leeds on a free transfer in 1993 after 19 years at Highbury. Throughout 1993–94, O'Leary was a regular player in the Leeds side until he suffered an achilles injury, which ruled him out for the whole of the following season. He was still on the club's payroll at the beginning of the 1995–96 season but that September he gave in to his injury and announced his retirement from football at the age of 37, after only 14 appearances in all competitions.International career
O'Leary's international debut with the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
came as a teenager in a 1–1 draw with England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in 1976. Following the appointment of Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
O'Leary was frozen out of the international set up for 2 years. After being left out of a squad for a mini tournament in Iceland in May 1986, O'Leary booked a family holiday which he decided not to cancel when he was eventually asked up to the squad following several withdrawals. O'Leary did not feature until November 1988 thus missing out on Euro 88.
The highlight of his 68-cap international career came in the 1990 World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
. With Ireland in a penalty shootout
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
with Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, Packie Bonner saved Daniel Timofte
Daniel Timofte
Daniel Timofte is a retired Romanian football midfielder and is currently a coach. He is today a legend in Samsun and remains a fan favourite.-Club career:...
's last penalty. It was O'Leary who then stepped up to take the decisive final penalty to win the shootout 5–4. O'Leary only played 26 minutes in the tournament after replacing Steve Staunton
Steve Staunton
Stephen "Steve" Staunton is an Irish association football manager and former professional footballer, who was most recently manager of Darlington...
in the Romania match.
Shortly after the World Cup O'Leary scored his only goal from open play for the Republic in a 5–0 win over Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
in a Euro 92 qualifier.
Managerial career
When the former Arsenal manager George GrahamGeorge Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
was put in charge at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in September 1996, O'Leary was installed as his assistant. He remained in this position for two years until Graham moved to Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
Leeds United
After Graham left for Tottenham, the Leeds board offered Martin O'NeillMartin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
the manager's position, but the deal fell through and O'Leary was instead promoted to the hot seat. At the end of 1998–99 Leeds finished fourth in the Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
and qualified for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. Their 1999–2000 campaign ended in the semi-final with defeat to the Turkish side Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
.
On the domestic front, Leeds finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. It would be their first campaign at this level since the 1992–93 season. It was during this time that O'Leary endorsed a Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
computer game entitled O'Leary Manager 2000
O'Leary Manager 2000
O'Leary Manager 2000 is a football player-manager game released in 2000 for the Game Boy Color. The player can choose whether they want to focus on the management side of football, play the matches themselves on the game's 2D match engine, or combine the two features for a more in-depth experience...
, which was released by Ubi Soft in 2000.
Leeds reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2000–01
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, where they lost to eventual runners-up Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
. Their Premier League form also dipped slightly and O'Leary's men had to settle for a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place. Although there was little indication of this at the time, this was a serious failure for the club because Peter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale
Peter Ridsdale is an English businessman who is currently the Chairman of Football Operations at League Two club Plymouth Argyle. Ridsdale was previously the chairman of Leeds United, Barnsley and Cardiff City.-History:...
had borrowed £60 million against future gate receipts, budgeting for prolonged Champions League involvement.
2001–02 began well for Leeds. They frequently topped the table during the first half of the season and were Premier League leaders on 1 January 2002. But a loss of form in the second half of the season saw them slump into fifth place, meaning that they would again have to settle for a UEFA Cup place.
The season was thrown into turmoil by the involvement of four players, including first-teamers Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Simon Woodgate is an English footballer who plays for Stoke City in the Premier League.Woodgate started his football career at Leeds United where he established himself in the starting eleven. However, Woodgate was sold to Newcastle United for £9 million in January 2003. He impressed...
and Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer
Lee David Bowyer is an English professional footballer born in Canning Town, London, who plays as a midfielder for Ipswich Town of the Football League Championship....
, in an incident in Leeds city centre that ended in the assault and injury of an Asian student. O'Leary to some extent alienated the fans, and more importantly Ridsdale, by writing a book, Leeds United On Trial, that some saw as cashing in on the troubles the club had suffered.
By June 2002, O'Leary had spent almost £100 million on new players in less than four years for no reward in terms of trophies, but he had never finished outside the top six as a manager. Ridsdale sacked O'Leary as Leeds manager in the summer of 2002, replacing him with Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
. O'Leary's departure signalled a downhill spiral for the club – highly attributable to the financial state that saw the sale of several key players – which saw three more managers (Venables, Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
and Eddie Gray) come and go before the club was finally relegated from the Premier League in 2004 with £80 million debt, and fell into League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
(the third tier of the league) three years later.
O'Leary's fame at Leeds rests upon his promotion of a series of younger players, Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Woodgate
Jonathan Simon Woodgate is an English footballer who plays for Stoke City in the Premier League.Woodgate started his football career at Leeds United where he established himself in the starting eleven. However, Woodgate was sold to Newcastle United for £9 million in January 2003. He impressed...
, Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer
Lee David Bowyer is an English professional footballer born in Canning Town, London, who plays as a midfielder for Ipswich Town of the Football League Championship....
, Alan Smith, Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell
Harold "Harry" Kewell is an Australian professional football midfielder who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Internationally he has received 55 caps, and scored 16 goals, while playing for the Australian national team...
, Stephen McPhail
Stephen McPhail
Stephen John Paul McPhail is an Irish footballer who plays for Cardiff City. He has won 10 caps for his country, the Republic of Ireland, and scored one goal...
, Eirik Bakke
Eirik Bakke
Eirik Bakke is a Norwegian football player. He plays on the right-hand side or centre of midfield. He currently plays for Sogndal.-Sogndal :Bakke played 99 matches for Sogndal...
, Ian Harte
Ian Harte
Ian Patrick Harte is an Irish international footballer who plays for Reading in the Football League Championship. Best known for his spell at Leeds United and also his ability to score goals from long range, including being a free kick specialist...
and Danny Mills
Danny Mills
Daniel John Mills is a former English professional footballer best known for his time at Leeds United. His main position was right-back, though he could also play as central defender...
(signed for £4M from Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
). He promoted several members of the youth team into an exciting Leeds side that played a pressing game relying on youthful enthusiasm. Alan Smith in particular exemplified this attitude and O'Leary's arrival seemed to many fans like the arrival of a new attitude at Leeds – bold, innovative and attacking.
In an interview regarding the decline of Leeds, O'Leary stated "I never wanted to leave Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. The fans are fantastic to me here. I hope they stay up because I had great times at the club".
O'Leary has since stated that he would like the chance to return as manager of Leeds United, after Peter Ridsdale left the club. The news was met with mixed views from Leeds United fans.
Aston Villa
O'Leary, was linked with various other vacant manager's jobs throughout the 2002–03 season. He was hot favourite to become manager of SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
when Peter Reid was sacked in October and again when Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson is a former English football player and manager, and has recently stepped down as a Non-Executive Director at Sheffield Wednesday after formerly relinquishing the chairman role to Milan Mandaric...
was sacked in March, ironically along with his former mentor George Graham
George Graham (footballer)
George Graham is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best remembered for his success at Arsenal, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager from 1986 until 1995.-Early life:...
on both occasions.
But O'Leary remained out of work until June 2003 when he was appointed manager of Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
.
By the beginning of November 2003, Aston Villa were hovering just above the relegation zone. O'Leary managed to push a limited squad to perform successfully and consistently, led by the revitalised Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel
Juan Pablo Ángel
Juan Pablo Ángel Arango is a Colombian footballer. He currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Atlético Nacional and River Plate:...
, and by the final weeks of the season they were in with a real chance of a European competition qualification place. In the end they had to settle for sixth place – one place too low for European qualification due to Millwall's
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
FA Cup Final appearance and Middlesbrough's
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
Carling Cup
2004 Football League Cup Final
The 2004 Football League Cup Final was played between Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough at the Millennium Stadium on 29 February 2004. Middlesbrough won the game 2-1 to clinch their first major trophy...
triumph. It was still a remarkable achievement from O'Leary, who had to deal with a downsized first team squad and a lack of transfer funds, and although some felt that Villa had overachieved in reaching 6th place, it was still creditable, with the club improving 10 places and now fans had some much needed optimism. The new found form of Angel, neglected under previous manager Graham Taylor, also saw Villa possess a dangerous weapon for the next season.
2004–05
The 2004–05 season was somewhat disappointing, as Villa finished tenth in the league, a drop from the previous season, despite often giving performances suggesting that they could improve on the previous season's achievement. Despite this, O'Leary once again avoided any risk of relegation and signed AC Milan's international defender Martin LaursenMartin Laursen
Martin Laursen is a Danish former footballer who played in the centre back position. He played three seasons for Italian club AC Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League and the 2004 Serie A championship. He also played for Italian clubs Hellas Verona and Parma FC, and was the team...
, highly rated Chelsea prodigy Carlton Cole
Carlton Cole
Carlton Michael Cole Okirie is an English footballer who plays as a striker for West Ham United in the Npower Championship....
and acclaimed French midfielder Mathieu Berson
Mathieu Berson
Mathieu Berson is a French footballer who most recently played for Toulouse FC as a midfielder.-Career:...
, while still restriced by a tight budget imposed by chairman Doug Ellis
Doug Ellis
Herbert Douglas Ellis, OBE , is an entrepreneur, best known as the former chairman of Aston Villa Football Club.-Early life:...
. Although there were some criticisms of his relationship with fans and his motivational skills, O'Leary insured that there would be no scares like those suffered under Taylor's disastrous second era in charge. There was also much encouragement as a result of the return to form of the outcasted Lee Hendrie
Lee Hendrie
Lee Andrew Hendrie is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Kidderminster Harriers in the Football Conference. The majority of his career was spent with Premier League club Aston Villa, where he spent fourteen years and became known as a somewhat controversial figure...
and the occasionally erratic Nolberto Solano
Nolberto Solano
Nolberto Albino "Nobby" Solano Todco is a Peruvian footballer who plays for Hartlepool United. He has spent much of his career in the English Premier League and also played 95 times for Peru between 1994 and 2009...
, which seemed to dispel some doubt over his motivational skills.
2005–06
Despite six summer acquisitions including Milan BarošMilan Baroš
Milan Baroš is a Czech footballer who plays as a striker for Galatasaray and the Czech national football team.In the 2008–09 season, Baroš scored 20 goals in Turkish Süper Lig, the highest total in the league...
and Kevin Phillips
Kevin Phillips (footballer)
Kevin Mark Phillips is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Blackpool.Phillips was the Premier League top scorer in the 1999–2000 season with 30 goals for Sunderland, a tally which won him the European Golden Shoe. He remains the only Englishman to win the trophy...
who added more quality to the squad, the 2005–06 season brought a disappointing turn for the worse for O'Leary and his fragile relationship with fans deteriorated even further when he described them as fickle and offended supporters unfurled a banner declaring 'we're not fickle. We just don't like you'. Increasingly under-fire from fans and media alike, the season saw a highly embarrassing League Cup exit via a 0–3 defeat to League One side Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
. A series of poor results saw Villa hovering dangerously above the relegation zone going into December, with just 17 points from 17 games. However an improved winter period saw them move slightly up the league, with encouraging victories over Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
(4–0), Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
(4–0) and a well-earned point against runaway leaders Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. In the end, Villa finished a disappointing 16th, just two places above the relegation zone. Following the relegation of local rivals Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and West Bromwich Albion, Villa were the only Midlands side playing Premier League football in 2006–07.
A storm broke surrounding O'Leary and Aston Villa on 14 July 2006 when a press release from the Aston Villa players criticised Ellis and his ownership of Villa. The media furore finally came to a head when on 19 July 2006, O'Leary's contract as Aston Villa manager was terminated by mutual consent. As it happened, Ellis sold the club within a few months to Randy Lerner
Randy Lerner
Randolph D. Lerner is an American entrepreneur and sports team owner.Lerner has been the owner of the American football team, the Cleveland Browns, of the National Football League since October 2002, and the Chairman of Aston Villa Football Club of the English Premier League since 2006...
, and Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
was appointed as manager.
Al-Ahli
O'Leary returned to management on 4 July 2010 with United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
club Al-Ahli Dubai, where his first decision was to install former Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
captain Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI is a former Italian footballer considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" which means The Berlin wall by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy...
as the new skipper of the team.
On 2 April 2011, the former Leeds United and Aston Villa manager would be relieved of his duties imminently according to board members, following a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Al Jazira. On 22 April 2011, Al-Ahli officially announced its decision to sack O'Leary with his assistant coach Roy Aitken
Roy Aitken
Robert Sime "Roy" Aitken is a former footballer who went on to become a coach with clubs including Leeds United and Aston Villa. His position as a player was defence.Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, he grew up in Ardrossan...
.
Football family
O'Leary's brother Pierce O'LearyPierce O'Leary
Pierce O'Leary is an Irish former professional footballer. Pierce is the brother of former Arsenal star and fellow Irish international David O'Leary....
played for Shamrock Rovers and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
and was capped seven times for the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
. His nephew, Ryan O'Leary
Ryan O'Leary
Ryan O'Leary is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Kilmarnock. O'Leary is the son of former Republic of Ireland international footballer Pierce O'Leary and the nephew of David O'Leary.-Club career:...
of Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
, declined to play for the Republic of Ireland Under 21s, choosing to play for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, the country of his birth.
Playing statistics
|-|1975–76||rowspan="18"|Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
||rowspan="17"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||27||0||||||||||||||||0
|-
|1976–77||33||2||||||||||||||||2
|-
|1977–78||41||1||||1||||||||||||2
|-
|1978–79||37||2||||||||||||||||2
|-
|1979–80||34||1||||||||||||||||1
|-
|1980–81||24||1||||||||||||||||1
|-
|1981–82||40||1||||||||||||||||1
|-
|1982–83||36||1||||||||||||||||1
|-
|1983–84||36||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85||36||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1985–86||35||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1986–87||39||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88||23||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988–89||26||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989–90||34||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91||21||1||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||25||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1992–93||Premier League||11||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1993–94||rowspan="2"|Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||10||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1994–95||0||0||||||||||||||||
568||10||||||||||||||||
568||10||||||||||||||||
Managerial stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % | ||||
| Leeds United Leeds United A.F.C. Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system... |
 |
1 October 1998 | 27 June 2002 |
|||||||
| Aston Villa Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder... |
|
20 May 2003 | 19 July 2006 |
|||||||
| Al-Ahli |  |
4 July 2010 | 22 April 2011t |
|||||||
| Total |
||||||||||
- Al-Ahli: Only league games
Honours
WithFootball League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
- Winner: 1988–89, 1990–91
FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- Winner: 19791979 FA Cup FinalThe 1979 FA Cup Final was a football match played on 12 May 1979 at Wembley Stadium. The match was contested by Arsenal and Manchester United. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever finishes in an FA Cup final. For over 85 minutes the game had been unremarkable, with Arsenal taking...
, 19931993 FA Cup FinalThe 1993 FA Cup Final was contested by Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley. The original match, played on 15 May 1993 finished 1–1, with Arsenal winning the replay on 20 May; 2–1 after extra-time.... - Runner-up: 19781978 FA Cup FinalThe 1978 FA Cup Final took place on 6 May 1978 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Arsenal and Ipswich Town. While Ipswich were considered underdogs, with Arsenal fielding a number of well-known players, including England striker Malcolm Macdonald, Ipswich won the match 1–0.Ipswich...
, 19801980 FA Cup FinalThe 1980 FA Cup Final was contested by West Ham United and Arsenal at Wembley. West Ham won by a single goal, scored by Trevor Brooking.To date, it is the last time a team from outside the top flight has won the FA Cup...
Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
- Winner: 19871987 Football League Cup FinalThe 1987 Littlewoods Cup Final was a football match played on 5 April 1987 between Arsenal and Liverpool. The match, played in front of 96,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium, was won by Arsenal 2–1. Ian Rush opened the scoring for Liverpool, before Charlie Nicholas equalised, turning in a...
, 19931993 Football League Cup FinalThe 1993 Coca Cola Cup Final took place on 18 April 1993 at Wembley Stadium, and was played between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday. Arsenal won 2–1 in normal time, in what was the first of three Wembley finals between the two sides that season; Arsenal and Wednesday also met in the FA Cup...
European Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
- Runner-up: 1980
External links
- Profile Arsenal.com
- Full Managerial Stats for Leeds United WAFLL
- International career details