Premier League legend James Milner found out first-hand how easy it is to get on the wrong side of a manager.
The Champions League-winner was in his last season at Aston Villa when he took umbrage with Martin O'Neill's operation. Specifically, it was his belief the squad wasn't doing enough to boost their fitness levels that didn't sit right with the former England midfielder, reported the Daily Star.
He wasn't alone, either, as Stephen Warnock detailed how he was astounded at certain aspects of O'Neill's blueprint after arriving at Villa Park in 2009. However, it was Milner who got it in the neck from the manager for daring to voice his concerns over how little attention was being paid to fitness training.
"Gabby [Agbonlahor] went to Vegas twice and New York [once] in that year – in the season," said Warnock during a recent appearance on Undr the Cosh. "Because we had that much time off."
Asked whether that resulted in the team failing to match up to their foes in terms of fitness, Warnock didn't think twice before replying: "Yeah! We blew up in April. There was a team meeting around March time, and it was led by James Milner, who basically said, 'We're not fit enough. We need to do more'."
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He continued: "And O'Neill took the knock massively. It was like, 'how dare you f***ing question me?' He was fuming. Milly [Milner] was super fit. He'd do the running machine after training, would do his runs on his own and things, but he knew as a whole, as a team, we weren't fit enough. And we weren't."
Martin O'Neill wasn't one for having his methods questioned (The FA via Getty Images)Warnock continued to describe how the 2009/10 season ended with Villa running out of steam around April, stating he and his teammates were "f****d, because we hadn't trained properly". He also highlighted the stark contrast between the "ultra professional" environment at his previous club Blackburn and the fitness coach at Villa not even leading warm-ups because he "didn't wanna do it".
As it transpired, both Milner and O'Neill ended up leaving Villa Park in the summer of 2010. Milner moved to Manchester City for £26million and became one of their key players for years, while O'Neill's four-year tenure in Birmingham concluded with his resignation on a bitter note.
Milner and Stephen Warnock only got to play one season as Villa team-mates (AFP via Getty Images)Warnock, meanwhile, stayed at Villa for another three years before transferring to Leeds in 2013. It's safe to say he probably didn't encounter another manager as touchy as O'Neill when it came to fitness matters.
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