Aston Villa's O’Neill has winning formula with Agbonlahor
Martin O'Neill spent Thursday assuring his Aston Villa players he will not be the next manager of England. It is a pledge he may need to repeat as the clamour grows.
Convincing wins away from home are timely, especially with solid performances from Scott Carson, Gareth Barry, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Defender Zat Knight said: "The manager told the players that he wants to stay with us. He's trying to build something here and hearing that gives us more togetherness."
Villa were unsteady in the first half. Then they scored through a neat John Carew finish and the result was inevitable.
Olof Mellberg struck a second three minutes into the second half and Agbonlahor got the goal he deserved soon after — racing on to a Carson clearance before shooting past Mark Schwarzer.
Mental toughness is what Middlesbrough need. Manager Gareth Southgate felt they lacked spirit but insisted his job is not under threat.
He said: "There's no question about the support from upstairs. What I do feel is that I'm desperate to repay that backing. I know I need to get results and I know what needs to improve to get those results."
