Birmingham Mail

AND you thought England's late, late reprieve might end speculation about Martin O'Neill leaving Villa? Wrong.
Just look at the morning papers. If you can just evade the glare of Alan Shearer publicity, then lurking behind the scenes are worrying tales about a 7-3 majority at the FA for appointing the Irishman, regardless of England's fate on Wednesday night.
Now I know there has been a little nonesence written over the past week.
There was one story that O'Neill had flown to New York for talks with Randy Lerner over how he could cut his ties with the club and smooth his passage to the national post.
O'Neill was in America shortly after the win at Blues, he was quite open in telling me why he was flying over there for a couple of days. It had nothing to do with England.
But I cannot rule him out of taking the biggest job in our game.
The FA, in my opinion, would have to come down on bended knee after rejecting him in favour of Steve McClaren last time around, even though he had undergone and interview which had gone well until, so the story goes, he stressed his allegiance to his coaching team of John Robertson and Steve Walford.
If England make it to Euro '08 on Wednesday night then perhaps all of this will be irrelevant. If they don't, then watch this space.
On the positive side, O'Neill has only once walked away from a club without finishing a job and that was his five months at Norwich after a fall-out with chairman Robert Chase.
At Wycombe he turned down bigger clubs, and he did the same at Leicester.
At Celtic we hear that he had met Leeds Chairman Peter Ridsdale to discuss taking over at Elland Road when he had six months remaining on a contract.
O'Neill though was quick to point out that Celtic knew of these talks at the time, and that he was fulfilling a clause in his contract allowing for such discussions. He had felt let down that no one at Celtic had offered him a new deal first. Within a month he had signed an extension.
So he is a man of honour and that will not allow him to walk away from Villa easily. Not after just 15 months.
Secondly, and just as importantly, O'Neill has a terrific relationship with Lerner.
They are not what I would call 'mates'. O'Neill is the elder by some years.
They talk reasonably frequently and get along fine. There has never been a cross word I am told.
But where O'Neill really benefits at Villa, and many lesser men would crumble, is his ability to drive the club single handedly. His backroom team scouts for new players, he decides who he signs, and when, at what price and what they shall be paid.
O'Neill is in charge of everything. From the training ground to Villa Park. He has absolute control.
Nobody at Boardroom level would dare to interfere.
It makes for a punishing schedule but that is the only way he will have it.
So would he walk away from that?
As I say, it would take a lot. An awful lot.
The derby win at Blues brought incredible joy to everyone at Villa Park, save from perhaps Tom the security guard at Bodymoor Heath who has held a lifetime affiliation, or should that be affliction, to Blues (although he now says he is more Villa).
The last week has been a shambles, a total and utter PR disaster.
The manager to quit, Olof Mellberg to quit, Martin Laursen to quit...
A mess.
Still, there were no calls, texts or e-mails from anyone at the club's press department. No change there then.
Perhaps O'Neill will have the answers at his press briefing on Tuesday?