O'Leary had been described as "at turns, arrogant and rude, then charming, affable and humorous, has terrorized rivals and regulators for more than a decade. And so far, they have waited in vain for him to trip up or his enthusiasm to wane."34 In fact, O'Leary had been pronouncing his intention to depart from the airline "in two years' time" since 2005. He had declared that he would sever all links with the airline, refusing to "move upstairs" as chairman. "You don't need a doddery old bastard hanging around the place," he proclaimed