A rash red card against Stoke in January 2016, with both the result and the Canaries' top-flight survival in the balance, is unfortunately the abiding memory of his two years at Carrow Road as a player, despite the fan favourite he was for much of that time.
It was in those heady yo-yoing days that he became known for his hard working, no-nonsense midfield excellence, a bloody head bandage symbolising the reputation he had in a team that Alex Neil probably should have kept up 10 years ago. Before then he was a member of the supporting cast as City were promoted via the play-offs in 2015, his calming presence required as a substitute once fans had gone into party mode in the 87th minute at Wembley.
The 42-year-old is remembered for an inexplicable red card at Stoke _(Image: PA)_
O'Neil has taken many of those qualities into his coaching career. He's recognised as a galvanising, straight-talking, pragmatic man with teams built in his image. They might not be the most exciting to watch or analyse, but they're rarely accused of lacking heart or desire.
At Bournemouth he did a superb job, widely commended across the footballing world by pundits and insiders alike. Taking over a team tipped for relegation and in turmoil following Scott Parker's early-season departure, he rose from first-team coach to the top job in no time and mastered a great escape, earning a 15th-placed finish to great acclaim.
Although he was subsequently sacked to the shock of most who'd observed that rapid rise, the former West Ham midfielder then pulled off a similar trick with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Again appointed in difficult circumstances - Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper has surely taken note given his club's perils - he replaced Julen Lopetegui and secured top-flight status comfortably.
O'Neil topped his previous campaign by one position, finishing 14th with Wolves and taking them to an unlikely FA Cup quarter-final in his first season. He was dismissed months later with the club 19th in the table and amid a poor run of form, but their situation was far from irreparable and they remained in the Premier League. The 42-year-old still has no relegations on his CV, and many City fans would surely take a firefighter at this stage.
So why are so many of them underwhelmed by the idea of O'Neil at the helm? It's surely not because of that Stoke red card, inexplicable as it remains to this day. This is a coach who has only ever managed at a much higher level than 23rd in the Championship, and one for whom success is commonplace.
Part of it is that pragmatism. Although the detail of his work and his tactical intelligence have been made clear by impressive analyses as a media performer, it's clear that he's someone who adapts his setup from game to game. Neither of his teams had identifiable strengths, but rather were well-rounded and focused on opposition and how to hurt them.
In a modern footballing world of precision, realism and eschewing entertainment, that certainly provides results. But it's not taken to well at Carrow Road, as Liam Manning found to his extreme detriment. The list of pragmatists to have taken the City dugout is not a popular one, no matter the results produced; the tenures of David Wagner, Dean Smith and Chris Hughton all send shivers down the spines of those who were in the stands.
Is O'Neil too similar to Liam Manning? _(Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)_
In that sense the timing may not be right for O'Neil. Knapper stated in the club's confirmation of Manning's sacking that "it's now imperative that we start to repair the relationship with our supporters and do everything we can to give them something to get behind". Of course any win is likely to do that, but in O'Neil's prospective appointment there will be flashbacks to those aforementioned names.
There's also the fact that both Bournemouth and Wolves went onto better things once he departed - the Cherries are now regular competitors for Europe, while Wolves comfortably stayed up after he had them in real trouble.
But calls have persisted for a short-term hire first. Chris Sutton led the brigade whose immediate fear is relegation in his recent column for the [Pink Un](https://www.pinkun.com/sport/opinion/25612699.norwich-city-legend-chris-sutton-next-canaries-head-coach/?ref=ed_direct). Could his fellow ex-Canary both banish those fears and lead a bold new charge to the Premier League?
Maybe a chance to make up for that Stoke sending off is in order. O'Neil would back himself for relegation battle success this time around.