MARTIN O’NEILL received a rapturous reception when he arrived at Villa Park last night, with 1,000 fans gathering outside the ground to proclaim the new Aston Villa manager. As far as those in the claret-and-blue shirts were concerned, they were were hailing the new Midlands Messiah.

Doug Ellis, the embattled Villa chairman, revelled in the supporters’ optimism.

Not since the eras of Tommy Docherty and Ron Atkinson, Ellis said, had there been such a welcome. “It was wonderful,” Ellis said after the appointment of his thirteenth manager. “I’ve not seen so many people here since Tommy took over and maybe Ron as well. I hope Martin is here for a lifetime.”

O’Neill, ending his 15-month exile from management, was almost overwhelmed. However, he was quick to temper the loud acclaim with a touch of realism. Villa, winners of the European Cup in 1982, are in a mess and he knows it.

Villa languished in sixteenth place in the Barclays Premiership last season and are embroiled in a takeover battle, with Ellis stubbornly refusing to relinquish his grip on the club. Last month, David O’Leary was dismissed as manager after he was reported to have engineered a player revolt against Ellis’s alleged penny-pinching.

“It’s a fantastic challenge and I’m ready for it,” O’Neill said. “Everyone is aware of the history of this club and while we might be a long way off reviving those former glories, why not try? That is the dream.

“If Villa are going to be a success in the coming years, then I would like to be a part of it. Is the club big enough to satisfy my ambitions? Yes, it is. It genuinely is.”

O’Neill, 54, who has signed a one-year rolling contract, took over at Celtic in 2000 and inherited a club in disarray, not dissimilar to that which he will find at Villa Park. Yet by the time he had left, he had led them to three league titles, three Scottish Cups, one league cup and a Uefa Cup final.

He left not because it was time to move on but because he needed to look after his ill wife, Geraldine. It is believed that her condition has now improved but he declined to comment on it last night. “I am not looking for a sympathetic vote on that,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill was touted for the vacancies at Newcastle United and Middlesbrough during the summer and also as a replacement for Sven-Göran Eriksson, the former England head coach. Of the England job, he said cryptically: “I’m glad I didn’t have too many interviews with Mr Ellis. After too many interviews, I don’t seem to get the job.”

Ellis and O’Neill met three times before the job was offered to the Northern Irishman, who has also managed Wycombe Wanderers, Norwich City and Leicester City. “He offered and I accepted,” O’Neill said. “I will have some transfer funds available and I will be trying to use them. In fact, I will be using them.”

O’Neill’s first task is to meet his players and identify the weaknesses in the squad. He will fly out to Germany today for Villa’s first tour match against Hannover 96 this afternoon. They then move on to the Netherlands to play NEC Nijmegen on Tuesday and FC Groningen on Friday.

Amid the general euphoria, Ellis revealed that discussions were “ongoing” about the possible takeover. The consortium led by Randy Lerner, the American billionaire, is believed to be heading the bidders.

Docherty and Atkinson may have arrived amid a triumphal fanfare at Villa Park but O’Neill should also be aware of other defining moments in the club’s history. Both were dismissed . . . by Doug Ellis.

O'Leary's complaints don't add up

DAVID O’LEARY, the former Aston Villa manager, often bemoaned the lack of transfer funds made available to him by Doug Ellis, his chairman, but it seems that his claims were something of a myth.

From when the Irishman took over in May 2003 until last January, he spent £22.3 million on new players and recouped £5.9 million in sales. This net spend of £16.4 million was more than 12 Premiership clubs during the same period of time.

Martin O’Neill is likely to have £10 million at his disposal for immediate squad strengthening, and twice that upon completion of the boardroom takeover.