| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… 09:42 - Jun 21 with 6927 views | itfcjoe |
https://www.nytimes.com/athlet
On Sunday morning, O’Neil, who had returned to his family home in Kent for a flying visit after the Ipswich defeat, took a phone call from Hobbs to inform him of Wolves’ decision.
It would not have come as a shock given his departure has looked increasingly inevitable for much of this season. Even at the height of his Wolves success, the cracks were appearing.
In a single month — February 2024 — O’Neil’s Wolves claimed famous, emphatic Premier League victories at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, completing the double over both ‘Big Six’ clubs, stood toe to toe with Manchester United before losing a 4-3 Molineux thriller in stoppage time, and defeated Brighton to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
They saw off Sheffield United for good measure and, as spring arrived with some fans dreaming of pushing for a spot in Europe, it felt like players, management, club and supporters were in harmony for the first time since Nuno Espirito Santo departed, drawing a line under the club’s most successful spell since the early 1980s.
Yet already the seeds of the decline had been sown.
The failures of the January transfer window, when O’Neil was confident of adding a striker to his squad, only to discover in the final days of the window that Wolves would not sanction any of the deals on the table, left the former Bournemouth boss disenchanted with life at Molineux.
Neither he nor the Wolves hierarchy could have foreseen the scale of the injury crisis that robbed him of his first-choice forward line for much of the final third of the campaign, with Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha all injured for several weeks.
But O’Neil felt his warnings that Wolves were risking their immediate future by not adding understudies had gone unheeded. The result was a quarter-final defeat to Coventry with raw teenager Nathan Fraser leading the line, combined with a slide from the outskirts of the European race to the bottom half of the Premier League table with just two wins in their final 12 league games.
In a worrying echo of the breakdown in trust between Wolves and O’Neil’s predecessor Lopetegui, O’Neil’s confidence in the owners’ ability and willingness to back him was never restored.
People familiar with the situation say O’Neil was angry for much of the transfer window due to what he saw as broken promises over his desire for a centre-back and a winger who could step straight into his first team, replacing the departed Maximilian Kilman and Pedro Neto.
Instead, striker Jorgen Strand Larsen is the only summer signing to have cemented a place in the team, while several other fairly costly signings were young players with an eye to Wolves adding value in the future.
After the closure of the window, O’Neil’s anger was said to have subsided as he resolved to make the best of the squad he had.
But a combination of tricky early fixtures — the toughest opening of any club in the league based on Opta’s Power Rankings — and squad deficiencies meant Wolves’ season spiralled out of control, not helped by O’Neil’s decision to change their playing style based on signings he expected but which never arrived.
In the end, he left Wolves with goodwill still intact. His relationship with Hobbs remained especially strong, with O’Neil considering that Hobbs had kept up his end of the bargain by lining up deals for first-team players that ultimately went unsanctioned.
Senior players also remained supportive of O’Neil, but their loss of discipline in recent weeks, from Jose Sa venturing into the crowd during the defeat to Bournemouth to Mario Lemina’s meltdown at West Ham and the ugly scenes after the weekend defeat to Ipswich involving Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri, suggested that while O’Neil retained support, he had lost authority.
That realisation, combined with continued dreadful results, left Wolves with no choice but to make a change. Even senior figures at Wolves accepted that O’Neil was to a large extent a victim of circumstance.
The job he did last season in taking over a squad rocked by Lopetegui’s eve-of-the-season departure and leading Wolves well clear of relegation trouble while claiming memorable wins and big-name scalps earned him widespread respect in the Molineux hierarchy.
And the club’s decision-makers were painfully aware that those key injuries at the end of last season, combined with a horrible set of fixtures at the start of this one, helped destroy the momentum he had created.
Yet there were also decisions that haunted the young, inexperienced head coach.
He was heavily involved in the summer in the appointment of Jack Wilson as Wolves’ first set-piece coach, only to go back on the decision and move Wilson out three months later, with people familiar with the matter saying O’Neil decided he had not integrated well into the backroom staff.
Both with and without Wilson, Wolves’ failure to defend set pieces has been a constant problem.
That saga raised questions about O’Neil’s judgement, as did the replacement just a few days ago of Lemina as captain following his post-match meltdown at West Ham after O’Neil had chosen the Gabon international in the summer to replace Kilman as skipper. Lemina, 31, grappled with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen after the 2-1 defeat, then clashed with team-mates Nelson Semedo and Toti and pushed first-team coach Shaun Derry.
The change of tactics and shape, including a switch to a back four, at the start of the season was also a risk O’Neil did not need to make and invited criticism given the previous use of three central defenders and a counter-attacking style had worked well last season until injuries struck, with the gap between the club’s expected goals for and against trending in the wrong direction this season.
With O’Neil increasingly looking unable to solve the immediate defensive and man-management problems he faced, the Wolves hierarchy concluded that a figure with more experience and gravitas was needed.
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 09:45 - Jun 21 with 5026 views | ITFC_Forever |
More questions than answers.
Wolves have been a basket case for a few years under their current ownership and signing strategy, but there are bits in there which were certainly under GON’s control. |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 09:56 - Jun 21 with 4896 views | Devereuxxx |
I suspect this is why Ipswich fans have a fairly dim view of GON.
My most recent and lasting memory of him was him failing to control a Wolves team whose star player assaulted an Ipswich member of staff.
Which is why a lot of fans aren't onboard, in my opinion. |  | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 09:59 - Jun 21 with 4860 views | bournemouthblue |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 09:56 - Jun 21 by Devereuxxx |
I suspect this is why Ipswich fans have a fairly dim view of GON.
My most recent and lasting memory of him was him failing to control a Wolves team whose star player assaulted an Ipswich member of staff.
Which is why a lot of fans aren't onboard, in my opinion. |
It's also worth looking at how that team performed under the new man
They were an absolute shambles when we played them, hopefully he has leart from it |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:00 - Jun 21 with 4844 views | ketton_itfc |
I wish him well as I do any Town manager. I remain to be convinced but then again I thought Cook would be a success. It could be that it’s a perfect scenario of he’s what we need and we’re what he needs. Having stability at a club hopefully will allow him to continue to grow as a manager. He’s definitely got something about him is up for the challenge of keeping us up.
I did read yesterday that Wolves wanted to reappoint him last season but GON turned them down so the above makes sense. |  | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:01 - Jun 21 with 4829 views | tiptreeblue |
So he wasn't backed with the players he wanted as I suggested earlier today, But I don't think that's going to happen at Ipswich.
He made mistakes, but who doesn't, and now hopefully he's learnt from them. |  | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:03 - Jun 21 with 4776 views | Wallingford_Boy |
Sounds like just what we need!
Sigh… |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:03 - Jun 21 with 4763 views | FrimleyBlue |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 09:59 - Jun 21 by bournemouthblue |
It's also worth looking at how that team performed under the new man
They were an absolute shambles when we played them, hopefully he has leart from it |
People talk about how bad wolves were behind the scenes. It wasnt his fault etc
Fine
But proper respected managers have sides that will go through a brick wall for their manager
Town behind the scenes wasnt great last season. Yet KM still got his side mentally right for the fight
What did oneils wolves side do for him.. |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:06 - Jun 21 with 4739 views | NthQldITFC |
Thanks Joe, that paints a picture to me of a young manager trying to adapt in a very tricky situation in the toughest league in the world, and getting some things right and some things wrong. That's a really good environment for learning, and if he has learned well in it, then that bodes well for his return to that environment with a probably less awkward group of players and a more accommodating employer.
I'm very much warming to this appointment. |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:07 - Jun 21 with 4702 views | BlueBadger |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:03 - Jun 21 by FrimleyBlue |
People talk about how bad wolves were behind the scenes. It wasnt his fault etc
Fine
But proper respected managers have sides that will go through a brick wall for their manager
Town behind the scenes wasnt great last season. Yet KM still got his side mentally right for the fight
What did oneils wolves side do for him.. |
Similarly Town under Mick Mccarthy. Utter shambles off pitch, but noone else cpuld have jept us up, let alone as competitive as we were at times. |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:15 - Jun 21 with 4574 views | wkj |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:07 - Jun 21 by BlueBadger |
Similarly Town under Mick Mccarthy. Utter shambles off pitch, but noone else cpuld have jept us up, let alone as competitive as we were at times. |
Mick was the ultimate paper crack cover manager, and it was painful to see how much of the wall kept crumbling at the hands of Marcus Evans. No wonder he was flipping us off because we simply weren't appreciating that he was doing a good job given the circumstances, but the club was doing a piss poor job over all.
I'd not be shocked if Evans was trying to sell the club a good couple of years prior and Mick's task was always to keep the club in the Championship. |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:21 - Jun 21 with 4507 views | BlueBadger |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:15 - Jun 21 by wkj |
Mick was the ultimate paper crack cover manager, and it was painful to see how much of the wall kept crumbling at the hands of Marcus Evans. No wonder he was flipping us off because we simply weren't appreciating that he was doing a good job given the circumstances, but the club was doing a piss poor job over all.
I'd not be shocked if Evans was trying to sell the club a good couple of years prior and Mick's task was always to keep the club in the Championship. |
Personally, I suspect that Evans was doing that from Paul Jewell's second season onwards. | |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:30 - Jun 21 with 4416 views | ITFC_Forever |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:03 - Jun 21 by FrimleyBlue |
People talk about how bad wolves were behind the scenes. It wasnt his fault etc
Fine
But proper respected managers have sides that will go through a brick wall for their manager
Town behind the scenes wasnt great last season. Yet KM still got his side mentally right for the fight
What did oneils wolves side do for him.. |
What was wrong behind the scenes last season? Care to elaborate? | |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:44 - Jun 21 with 4336 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:03 - Jun 21 by FrimleyBlue |
People talk about how bad wolves were behind the scenes. It wasnt his fault etc
Fine
But proper respected managers have sides that will go through a brick wall for their manager
Town behind the scenes wasnt great last season. Yet KM still got his side mentally right for the fight
What did oneils wolves side do for him.. |
So who could we have got who was 'proper respected'? Who would have been able to walk in and command all the players respect so that they'd run through walls for?
Someone who's never managed in the premier League? A rookie who has hood coaching pedigree? An unknown exotic foreign manager? These are all types we should have gone for over putting premier League experience and relegation dog fighters at the top of the list.
There are very few who instantly fit that description you suggested and even fewer who would come here, and it's going to be a process for everyone to move on from McKenna. But these are sticks we could beat practically any new manager with, bar these fantasy unknowns that should have been pulled out of a top hat and instantly excelled in the hardest league in the world. |  | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:46 - Jun 21 with 4323 views | topguy |
Shows its never black or white, and its never till later the details come out, i knew some of that but certainly not all, seems like a young manager with players with big egos who prob wanted moves away, find it interesting the next 2 managers only last 1 year too so from that i gauge it was a hard club to manage, credit to GON he made good players better but for some he never was respected for it they used it for moves and to beat that manager with, not quite a situation here not many big egos who are used to hard work, and he will im sure be backed here well tbf we have too but time will tell lets back him and time will tell like any manager how it will pan out. | | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:57 - Jun 21 with 4209 views | radiogaga |
I do understand some of the concerns regarding O’ Neil, although I think they are being over-amplified above what has largely been a good managerial career to date. Wolves requires context with their ownership - I think Gamechanger compared to Fosun at Wolves is chalk and cheese, McKenna generally got the support and resources he needed and I see no reason to think O’ Neil will be any different/ with survival the main priority, it would be nuts for that to be the case.
If it’s true that Ashton has viewed him as a longer term successor to KM for some time, and following interviews and all necessary due diligence this is the decision we have reached, I would have to trust the club and trust the process. This is not a club that rushes into rash decisions now. |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:36 - Jun 21 with 3925 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Strasbourg were 16th of 18 this season for Set Piece Xg per StatMuse. Sounds like it wasnt great at Wolves either.
Being bad at set pieces this season simply cannot happen if we want to stay up so he has to improve |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:47 - Jun 21 with 3840 views | Waig |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:36 - Jun 21 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Strasbourg were 16th of 18 this season for Set Piece Xg per StatMuse. Sounds like it wasnt great at Wolves either.
Being bad at set pieces this season simply cannot happen if we want to stay up so he has to improve |
I can’t believe people are still going to back this clown, let’s get him gone asap.
Players won’t warm to him after McKenna, you just know it. | | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:53 - Jun 21 with 3764 views | Gary_Knows |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:47 - Jun 21 by Waig |
I can’t believe people are still going to back this clown, let’s get him gone asap.
Players won’t warm to him after McKenna, you just know it. |
Everything okay hun? |  |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:55 - Jun 21 with 3747 views | Waig |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:53 - Jun 21 by Gary_Knows |
Everything okay hun? |
No it’s hot and I’ve got to do a bbq while my club has appointed a manager for whom will fail within two months | | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:57 - Jun 21 with 3726 views | NthQldITFC |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:47 - Jun 21 by Waig |
I can’t believe people are still going to back this clown, let’s get him gone asap.
Players won’t warm to him after McKenna, you just know it. |
I think the heat must be getting to you fella.
Lol: I hadn't even seen your response just above when I typed this - how prescient am I? [Post edited 21 Jun 11:58]
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 12:05 - Jun 21 with 3634 views | BloomBlue |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:47 - Jun 21 by Waig |
I can’t believe people are still going to back this clown, let’s get him gone asap.
Players won’t warm to him after McKenna, you just know it. |
To be fair you spent most of last season calling for McKenna to be sacked, and claimed we were never going to be promoted if he remained, so given such fantastic insightful football knowledge who did you want as manager? [Post edited 21 Jun 12:17]
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 12:28 - Jun 21 with 3453 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 11:47 - Jun 21 by Waig |
I can’t believe people are still going to back this clown, let’s get him gone asap.
Players won’t warm to him after McKenna, you just know it. |
A comment that is so reminiscent of many fans who won't give some players a chance due to various prejudices, and have written them off before they kick a ball. Philogene, McAteer, etc
Now their ire is aimed at an incoming manager.
It must be fans who joined us during our renascence, and have formed an entitlement based on those (exceptionally unusual) seasons. | | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 12:34 - Jun 21 with 3412 views | nrb1985 |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 10:03 - Jun 21 by FrimleyBlue |
People talk about how bad wolves were behind the scenes. It wasnt his fault etc
Fine
But proper respected managers have sides that will go through a brick wall for their manager
Town behind the scenes wasnt great last season. Yet KM still got his side mentally right for the fight
What did oneils wolves side do for him.. |
Unlike you to have a negative take mate.
Good dollop of unfounded conjecture and speculation in there too for good measure - vintage Frimley. | | | |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 12:46 - Jun 21 with 3321 views | NthQldITFC |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 12:28 - Jun 21 by SuffolkPunchFC |
A comment that is so reminiscent of many fans who won't give some players a chance due to various prejudices, and have written them off before they kick a ball. Philogene, McAteer, etc
Now their ire is aimed at an incoming manager.
It must be fans who joined us during our renascence, and have formed an entitlement based on those (exceptionally unusual) seasons. |
Fans? | |
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| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 12:49 - Jun 21 with 3294 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| The Athletic view of Gary O’Neil leaving Wolves… on 12:46 - Jun 21 by NthQldITFC |
Fans? |
Fair point, well made. | | | |
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