After Mario Lemina’s meltdown following Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to West Ham United on Monday night, Portugal defender Nelson Semedo has been named the relegation-threatened side’s new captain by Gary O’Neil
Gary O’Neil delivered a pre-match message with a touch of seasonal farce as he owned Wolves’ woes.
The under-fire Molineux chief opened with the shock news that he had stripped skipper Mario Lemina of the captaincy, suggested that if he’d been cherry-picking players he would have lost his job by now and told the fans they could carry on as they saw fit.
He finished by saying that he would switch off last night by sitting and watching an hour’s worth of ‘ Wonka ’ with his kids. O’Neil heads into this afternoon’s tussle with Tractor Boys with the two clubs enjoying just four victories between them.
And he does so with a new captain with Nelson Semedo taking the armband following Lemina’s on-field meltdown at the Olympic Stadium last Monday when he was involved in an altercation after the final whistle with Jarrod Bowen and a face-off with O’Neil’s assistant, Shaun Derry.
Wolves’ boss said: “We’ve spoken a lot this week – me, Mario and some of the other senior players what happened after the game can’t happen. We understand emotions can rise and we’re in a tough moment and everyone is under big stress and pressure but they are scenes we won’t see again. We decided to move the captaincy to Nelson and he will captain the group from now on.
“I have a lot of respect for Mario and when we get the best out of him his level is so high he will play a big part for us. He will still be around that group of senior players who lead the team but at this moment we feel it’s best for Nelson to lead the group.”
O’Neil has received a vote of confidence from the chief executive Jeff Shi and backing too from sporting director Matt Hobbs. But there is a growing feeling of collective blame swirling among the fan-base with owners Fosun not investing in the team, the players not producing on the pitch and O’Neil being unable to get a positive response from them.
The club’s head coach said: “If I’d been put into a situation where we were free-spending and I was cherry-picking Premier League players and we’d won three games, I’d have lost my job a while ago. I understand the importance of results for the club. There’s a realism attached to where we are.”
O’Neil added that he understood why the fans were fed up. He said: “They’ve watched a team that’s fallen short too often which is why they feel the way they feel. How they feel about me is up to them. I prepare the team as I always say I’ve no concerns about my part in that.
“I’m sure if they are desperate for me to be changed, then I’m sure they’ll let everyone know which is how the game works. But the team needs them. I’m sure they’ll be right behind the team and we need to make sure we do our part.”
And as for the pay-off, it concerned how he was going to prepare.
“I like to check everything we’ve done, through the week, and check there’s nothing I’ve missed on the opposition,” he said. “But then I’ve got the second half of ‘Wonka’ to watch with my kids. So I need to find time for that – with a cup of tea and a biscuit – yes, a chocolate one.”
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