O’Leary adamant he'll learn from past mistakes

DAVID O’LEARY, who this afternoon will be unveiled as the new Aston Villa manager, has promised to learn from his past mistakes after succeeding Graham Taylor.

O’Leary, who has signed a three-year contract at Villa Park, is excited by the challenge of getting the Birmingham club “back into the top six where they belong”.

That is where he left Leeds before his sacking in June 2002, although fifth in the Premiership fell short of the requisite qualification for the Champions League for the second season running.

Leeds suggested that was the reason behind O’Leary’s dismissal, but his controversial book ‘Leeds United On Trial’, and equally controversial newspaper columns cannot have helped his cause either.

Acknowledging as much, O’Leary admitted: “It was a tough job at Leeds and I have learned a great deal.

“Yes, I made mistakes and I’ve learned from them.

“The biggest one is that I became too opinionated in newspapers and you won’t have that from David O’Leary again.”

However, he could not resist another shot at the people behind his Elland Road departure, especially as the club subsequently only narrowly avoided relegation last season.

“I was disappointed to be sacked because I thought I did a good job,” O’Leary said. “I thought I bought well and sold well and I wonder how the people who did sack me feel because look at where Leeds are now.”

O’Leary had led the Yorkshire club to a Champions League semi-final against Valencia, and hopes to bring the good times back to Villa Park.

Villa ironically finished 16th in the Premiership, one place and two points behind Leeds, but O’Leary added: “I can’t wait to get started.

“There’s a wonderful stadium and I want to get the crowd buzzing. Hopefully, I’ll put out a good team for them. I’ll try to make them proud. I could have come back earlier but this is the type of job I have been waiting for.

“Other offers I’ve had didn’t feel right but this one is right and I am delighted Mr Ellis has given me this opportunity. I wanted to go to a club where I believed I could do things.

“Over the next couple of seasons the aim is to get them back into the top six where they belong.

“I don’t know much about Mr Ellis but he is Aston Villa through and through. He wants the best for Aston Villa and I want that now. They are great fans here and it’s a big club.”

Taylor resigned last Wednesday and the speed with which Villa have replaced him will have taken many people by surprise. O’Leary was one of a number of names who had been linked with the vacant post, the others including George Burley, Alan Curbishley, Micky Adams and England U21 boss David Platt.

But Ellis has moved swiftly to install O’Leary, who becomes Villa’s 10th manager in 20 years.

Villa finished fifth-from-bottom in the Barclaycard Premiership after a disappointing season and O’Leary, who spent close on £100million at Leeds, will have to do more wheeling and dealing at Villa under prudent Ellis than he had to at Elland Road.

O’Leary, who eventually agreed a settlement with Leeds United, subsequently went public with his hope that he might one day return as Leeds manager.

But he has now grasped the chance to manage a top-flight club which has underachieved in recent years.