Lerner aide lifts lid on O'Neill saga

Randy Lerner's right-hand man General Charles Krulak insists Martin O'Neill received full backing from the American multi-millionaire club owner before deciding to resign as Aston Villa manager.

But director Krulak has accused O'Neill of being "unwilling" to come to terms with the reality of trying to balance up the club's finances.

And he is adamant Villa will continue to push for a Champions League spot and that "no one person is bigger than our club".

Krulak said: "I have read every article about Martin's departure and must say that they are pretty one-sided. There is absolutely no question that Martin did a good deal for Villa and I felt he did a fine job.

"He knew full well about the need to bring wages in line with revenue, the same as every Premiership club. He was absolutely supported by the owner. All one needs to do is look at the money spent. The reality is that the wage-to-revenue issue was not addressed and Martin apparently was unwilling to help address it. He quit."