ONE good thing about Martin O’Neill’s appointment as Sunderland manager is that it will stop his name appearing in prospective lists every time a job comes up in the Premier League.

That’s unless Fergie resigns and the Irishman is tipped for the poisoned chalice of following the almighty managerial god into Old Trafford.

For me O’Neill has been the outstanding No1 in the British game over the past 15 years. Having brought league football to Wycombe he has had continual success wherever he has been.

Some might say that was easy enough in Scotland where his stint at Celtic was spectacularly successful with only other club coming close as challengers – guess which one – but his record at Norwich, Leicester and Aston Villa also stands up to the closest scrutiny.

Martin is the closest thing to an egghead in football since Pat Nevin, hugely intelligent, yet still able to work on the same wavelength as the player with the lowest IQ in his squad.

There is no doubt he learned his trade under the influence of a magnificent mentor in Brian Clough. That is not to say that Cloughie realised he was teaching his pupil so well, or that O’Neill has copied any of his traits.