Gary O’Neil’s time in the Black Country has been marred by Wolves’ awful start to the Premier League season, after he started the role in promising fashion last term.
The 41-year-old was relieved of his duties after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town at Molineux, a result that made his position untenable, with fan unrest clear in the stands.
O’Neil’s overall tenure is tough to reflect on as despite the miserable start to this campaign, the boss’ first season brought some memorable moments, and the club’s current downward spiral could be put down to factors outside of his control.
Despite these other factors, the current statistics make for a damning read, with 40 goals conceded from 16 league games.
-
Where did it all go wrong?
When Wolves sat 2-1 up against Coventry City in the FA Cup quarter-final in March, the mood that surrounded Molineux was bright, with an attacking team and a young manager who looked full of promise.
A trip to Wembley looked likely, and the club had outperformed pre-season expectations when they looked secure in mid-table.
O’Neil was popular amongst the majority of the Wolves faithful, which was helped by a first win at the Hawthorns since 1996.
Injury time goals from Ellis Simms and Haji Wright prevented the Wanderers’ qualification for the final four of the FA Cup however, a result that later became a signal for the moment when the tide turned on O’Neil.
In the 274 days since the Coventry defeat, Wolves fans have celebrated just three league wins, two at home over Luton Town and Southampton and one on the road at Fulham.
In the same period, the club have suffered league defeats on 18 separate occasions, a run that meant a change in the dugout became inevitable.
-
The Highlights
As previously mentioned, despite the clear lows, O’Neil has overseen some incredible highs at Molineux which should be remembered.
The first Black Country derby with fans allowed in the stadium since 2012 saw goals from Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha earn a 2-0 victory and a place in the FA Cup fifth round.
It was a dominant performance from the men in Old Gold, and one that will always be one of O’Neil’s most notable achievements at the club.
The victory at the Hawthorns started a run of three away successes on the bounce, with the other two at Stamford Bridge and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Cunha bagged a famous hat-trick in West London, while his Brazilian counterpart Joao Gomes picked up two goals in North London, at a time when the squad looked prepared for a highest league finish since 2020.
Poor form followed in the spring of 2024 but it can be easy to forget just how supported O’Neil was prior to this.
-
Transfer Business
One factor that has clearly had a major impact on Wolves’ poor form is the transfer business over numerous recent windows, which have seen a plethora of big names depart.
The summer of 2024 saw club captain Max Kilman join West Ham United, which left a huge hole in central defence.
Despite the addition of young French defender Bastien Meupiyou and the return of Yerson Mosquera after various loan spells, it was thought that not enough had been done.
This season’s defensive record has highlighted that point and has exposed the loss of Kilman in the summer.
The arrival of André was welcomed, but it was for a position in which O’Neil already had sufficient depth to pick from, with Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes and Tommy Doyle in central midfield.
Rodrigo Gomes and Pedro Lima also excited fans but have proved to be signings for the future.
The summer of 2023 also saw a multitude of high profile depatures, in the form of Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Nathan Collins, Conor Coady, Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Joao Moutinho.
-
Lack of discipline highlighted issues
The boss’ final two games in charge were both marred by issues after full-time, in which senior players were involved in scuffles.
Former club captain Mario Lemina’s outburst at the London Stadium was a sign of frustration, and cost the 31-year-old his captaincy which was handed over to Nelson Semedo.
Rayan Aït-Nouri was sent off for his actions after the defeat to Ipswich Town, with Matheus Cunha also involved in the incident.
These moments were a stain on O’Neil’s final fixtures with Wolves, and painted a picture of the issues inside the dressing room late in his tenure.
-
The Future
Vitor Pereira is the heavy favourite to be appointed as the manager to try and lead Wolves to survival, with the club currently sat five points from Premier League safety.
The 56-year-old has led clubs in various countries, such as Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Turkey, Germany, China, and Brazil.
League titles have come with Porto, Olympiacos and Shanghai Port, but even with such an esteemed repertoire the preservation of Wolves’ top-flight status would rank very high on Pereira’s list of achievements
His first task will be to sure up an extremely leaky back line, but there will be a talented squad at his disposal if Pereira is appointed.
