Wolves now find themselves in a scrap to escape relegation from the Premier League and with growing disdain at Molineux, club chiefs have been left with a tricky decision to make regarding the position of Gary O’Neil
It’s pretty simple to construct a case for the dismissal of Wolves’ boss Gary O’Neil.
With just two wins in 15 outings this season and the most porous defence in the Premier League, the most obvious statistics are pointing in one direction: Downwards. Indeed, going back to last season, the figures paint an even bleaker picture.
In the final ten matches following a morale-sapping FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Coventry City, O’Neil’s side only managed to defeat Luton Town in front of their own supporters. That makes it almost three-quarters of a season – with just three victories.
A bleak return. Relegation form. The medium-term trend, then, appears well-established. And now you can toss into the mix the unedifying sight of skipper Mario Lemina tussling with Jarrod Bowen after last night’s defeat at West Ham – and then going head-to-head with O’Neil’s assistant Shaun Derry.
If O’Neil’s players wanted to give the impression the club was imploding – here is the prima facie evidence. Yet, it may not be that simple: Here is the conundrum facing Wolves’ decision-makers – chairman Jeff Shi and director of football Matt Hobbs.
The club’s next two fixtures are against Leicester City and Ipswich Town. So, do they act now or wait to see how the next two games play out and then reach a decision?
Do they say the manager’s staying put, regardless? That one is doubtful, as support for O’Neil on the Molineux terraces is almost beyond the point of no return. But even if the manager is ejected, where do they go to find a replacement?
Two seasons ago, the club could offer Julen Lopetegui the role, promising the former Real Madrid boss that funds would be available in the New Year. That cash was spent. Lopetegui, profiting from a string of tight – mainly 1-0 victories, particularly at Molineux – managed to avert disaster.
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According to Shi’s open letter to supporters at the end of last season, it is now evident that Wolves can no longer suckle at the cash teat of owners Fosun. O’Neil referenced it at his press conference ahead of the 2-1 defeat in east London – the club has to be sustainable.
That means wholesale changes next month on a scale enjoyed by his predecessor are not going to happen. An at this juncture it is worth remembering that Lopetegui walked out – there aren’t many bosses these days who fall on their swords at Premier League clubs – because of his concerns about cash being spent on players.
Interestingly, Wolves have cashed in on their captains in the last of the three seasons. Conor Coady, Ruben Neves and Max Kilman have all departed, leaving a dressing-room short of backbone and without many senior players – a situation that could have been re-dressed this summer by Hobbs, by the way, but wasn’t.
I mean, Lemina was pictured crying on the pitch after a defeat to Liverpool earlier this season. It’s difficult to imagine the likes of Billy Wright doing the same.
In summation, who, exactly, is going to be enticed to the Black Country sort out this mess? The checklist isn’t great. The squad is short on leaders, low on confidence, and leaking goals for fun. There is no cash to fall back on.
It’s difficult to think of anyone who will put their CV on the block to take it. The other alternative is that the club’s leaders hold their nerve, hope O’Neil turns around again during the next couple of weeks, and head into the New Year begging the owners for finance to fund a couple of additions.
One thing is for sure: The narrative at Molineux is set—and it’s going to take something spectacular for it to change for the better.
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