"Mr O'Neill, where did it all go wrong?"

Martin O'Neill loves a good yarn. So there's no doubt he's fond of the famous story about George Best's playboy lifestyle.

The former Manchester United legend is on his hotel bed with a wad of banknotes won in the casino and the current Miss World, when a room service porter knocks on the door, sees the scene, and asks: "Mr Best, where did it all go wrong?"

O'Neill might not be Best, and as we're all finding out now, his Aston Villa team are not yet the best.

But the Villa boss can surely empathise with his former Norther Ireland international team-mate.

A team which is currently 11 Premier League places better off than the one he inherited less than three years ago.

With the strong prospect of automatic qualification for European competiton for the first time in over a decade.

And a collection of talented young British players who have been a breath air for most of the season by challenging the established elite.

So, in this knee-jerk era where impatient fans are clamouring to knock O'Neill, it's worth remembering the Best anecdote and realising that, even after a month of misery, Villa haven't got it too bad.

"Mr O'Neill, where did it all go wrong?"