54% Said O’Leary Was Badly Treated

We asked, following the forced return of Eirik Bakke to Leeds, if David O’Leary had been badly treated over the affair.

O’Leary had stated several times that he was keen to keep Bakke on load from Leeds United until the end of the season. However his hand was forced by Doug Ellis who insisted the player was returned as part of a cost cutting exercise.

The question wasn’t asking if the fans rated Bakke, it was never about the player, more that what is a manager doing at Aston Villa if the board don’t rate his footballing decisions and don’t back him. Remember he wasn’t asking for the player to be bought, he wanted him to remain on loan and yet Villa still couldn’t afford him. Or is Doug making the footballing decisions now?

Anyway, most fans got the point of the affair, it had nothing to do with whether we support the manager (a good many don’t after this dismal season) or the player.

17% felt O’Leary had been treated badly and that he should resign in protest. The majority – 54% – felt he had been treated badly but that he should stay. 11% said he hadn’t been treated badly and that he can’t be trusted with transfers. Leaving 18% with no patience left for O’Leary saying that not only had he not been treated badly; but he should be sacked.