| abstract | - Portsmouth O'Neil became Portsmouth's youngest ever player as a 16 year old on 29 January, 2000. Manager Tony Pulis handed him his debut as a substitute at home to Barnsley in the First Division but kept him out of the spotlight for the rest of the season. The following year both Pulis and his successor Steve Claridge used O'Neil sparingly but Pompey's third manager of a disastrous season, Graham Rix, made O'Neil a starter for final 5 matches of the season. Pompey went into the final game needing to win to have any chance of avoiding relegation to what was then the Second Division. Pompey won the match 3-0 and survived, with O'Neil scoring the third goal, his first in professional football. O'Neil spent the entire 2000/2001 season with his name misspelt 'O'Neill' on the back of his shirt. In the 2001/2002 season, still a teenager, O'Neil became a key player in a young Pompey team managed by Graham Rix. Despite another disappointing campaign for the club, Gary's own reputation continued to increase and he scored a volley against Millwall, whom he supports. When Harry Redknapp took over as Pompey manager at the end of the 2001/2002 season, O'Neil was one of the few players not to be moved on in the rebuilding of the squad. In Redknapp's first full season O'Neil only started 11 league matches (scoring 3 goals), the manager's huge praise of the midfielder upon his arrival made this all the more surprising. The 2002/2003 campaign may have been disappointing personally for O'Neil but it was a great one for the club as they convincingly won the First Division title, thereby gaining promotion to the Premiership. He was loaned to Walsall at the beginning of the 2003/04 season in order to gain first team experience. His impressive performances for the Midlands side and Pompey's increasing injury problems led to a recall in November 2003. He went straight into the starting XI for his Premiership debut against bottom of the table Leeds United at Fratton Park and scored two goals in a 6-1 win. This performance meant that he maintained his place for the next match, away at Fulham but then had to travel to Dubai to captain England Under 20s in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Upon his return Gary found that Pompey's injury problems had cleared up and he could not break back into the team for the remainder of the season. At the beginning of the 2004/05 season he was loaned to Cardiff City to gain further first team experience. After excelling in the Welsh capital he was recalled to Portsmouth in November who yet again were experiencing an injury crisis. He made his return to the side in one of the biggest matches of the season, a 2-1 defeat at Southampton. He was picked again for the next match, at home to Manchester City, and scored in a 3-1 loss. This match proved to be a turning point in both the history of Portsmouth F.C. and the career of Gary O'Neil as it proved to be the last match of Harry Redknapp's reign. Technical director Velimir Zajec took over a temporary manager and made O'Neil a regular in the Pompey midfield. During Zajec's 5 month reign Pompey fell from midtable to relegation candidates and Alain Perrin was appointed to keep the club in the Premiership. O'Neil remained a crucial part of the Frenchman's plans and was one of the main reasons why Portsmouth were not relegated back to the First Division after only two seasons. His outstanding performances at right midfield and centre midfield and his stunning goal away at Manchester United were enough to convince European champions Liverpool to bid £5million for him, a bid which was rejected by Portsmouth. Gary O'Neil went into the 2005/2006 season as a regular for Alain Perrin's new-look team and, like in the 2002/2003 campaign, he was one of the few players to survive from the previous year. Despite being seen by most of the Pompey fans as the best central midfielder at the club, he was mainly utilised on the right by 'Reggie'. By November Pompey were in severve trouble at the bottom of the Premiership and Perrin was sacked only 7 months after being appointed. The shock return of Redknapp was seen by some to signal the end of O'Neil's Pompey career. Many people believed that Redknapp did not rate O'Neil and this view seemed to be confirmed in 2004 during the feud between Redknapp and the Pompey chairman Milan Mandaric when the latter claimed he has vetoed an attempt to sell Gary to Cardiff. Just before leaving Southampton though Redknapp said "Gary O'Neil is proving a real find for Portsmouth. It's good to see him coming along well. His passing is tip-top, he's strong and quick. He will definitely go on to play for England one day." In Harry's first match back in charge at Tottenham, O'Neil retained his place in the team and was picked on the right of midfield. O'Neil's late handball conceded the penalty for Spurs' winner. O'Neil was moved into his preferred position of central midfield a few games later and Pompey went on their best run of the season with O'Neil scoring in successive home games. For the home game with Everton in January 2006 O'Neil captained Pompey for the first time but disappointingly for him this was also the game where he was moved back to the right to allow new signings Pedro Mendes and Sean Davis to form a partnership in the middle. Pompey lost the game 1-0 and went on a horrendous run of form that left them near certainties for relegation in mid-March but O'Neil's inspirational performance in a crucial 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers saw him keep his place in the starting XI. Two weeks after this draw, Pedro Mendes' last minute winner against Manchester City sparked a magnificent comeback. Pompey gained 14 points out of the next seven games and secured survival at Wigan's JJB Stadium on April 29th with a 2-1 victory. Gary was a regular at the right of midfield for Portsmouth in the 2006/2007 and despite only contributing one goal Portsmouth finished 9th, their best in the Premiership at that time.
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