O’Neil’s exit was no surprise after Wolves reign descended into chaos
Share:
Breaking character following another defensive shambles, the club called time on the head coach’s troubled tenure.
So, it turns out it really was the dreaded vote of confidence. Less than 72 hours after the Wolves chairman, Jeff Shi, insisted the club was united behind Gary O’Neil in a column in the local newspaper, the Express and Star, the manager was informed his time was up. This was no surprise to O’Neil, who, amid the increasing din of discontent in recent weeks, has spent time volunteering various mitigating reasons for what has been a shambolic season, seemingly in preparation for this moment. Including, but not limited to: amateur defending, a lack of physicality in the squad, ill-discipline, Wolves’ rigid business model, a deficiency in Premier League quality. The problem for O’Neil is they were not deemed extenuating circumstances. They were never going to be.
A brutal run of three wins in 26 league matches, since a late collapse at home to Coventry in the FA Cup quarter-finals, tells its own story. Those victories came against Fulham in November, against bottom-placed Southampton a fortnight earlier and Luton, now 19th in the Championship, in April. Wolves wanted O’Neil to work – they gave him and his staff new four-year contracts only four months ago – but have acted for fear of joining Luton in the second tier. The good times, victories over Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea and, in the FA Cup, local rivals West Brom, feel a distant memory. Many Wolves supporters already worry it is too late.
