Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly dismissed its head coach Gary O’Neil. The club has relieved its manager of his duties following a string of poor results in the Premier League. The decision comes in the wake of Wolves’ 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Ipswich Town on Saturday, leaving the club in 19th place with just nine points from 16 matches.
Wolves, who narrowly avoided relegation in recent years, have found themselves embroiled in another battle for survival this season. The Ipswich loss marked the team’s fourth consecutive defeat, further cementing their position in the bottom two.
Tensions boiled over after Saturday’s match, with Rayan Ait-Nouri receiving a second yellow card and Matheus Cunha needing to be restrained amid the chaos.
This followed a similar scene in Monday’s loss to West Ham United, where Mario Lemina’s post-match altercation with Jarrod Bowen led to Lemina being stripped of the captaincy.
O’Neil, 41, was appointed in August 2023 following the departure of Julen Lopetegui and was seen as a steadying influence after Wolves finished 14th last season. His efforts initially seemed promising, with the club showing glimpses of cohesion and resilience.
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In August 2024, O’Neil committed to a new four-year deal, signaling the club’s faith in his ability to guide them forward. However, the current campaign has been anything but smooth. Despite the occasional positive performance, Wolves have struggled for consistency and results, leading to their current relegation fight.
Saturday’s defeat to Ipswich epitomized the challenges under O’Neil’s management. Wolves took an early lead courtesy of an own goal by Matt Doherty but were undone by Jack Taylor’s stoppage-time header. The match underscored the team’s inability to capitalize on opportunities and manage games effectively.
Speaking after the Ipswich loss, O’Neil expressed frustration with the recurring disciplinary issues within the squad.
“We deal with things like that very, very seriously, as you saw last week,” O’Neil remarked, referencing Lemina’s scuffle with Bowen. “It’s annoying in that we’ve got enough to do at this moment in time. We’ve got enough to fix without me having to spend time on things that go on off the pitch.”
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He urged his players to take greater accountability, adding, “The players do need to take some responsibility. But I’ll help them with all of it so we get back to work on Monday morning.”
Unfortunately for O’Neil, it seems the club’s hierarchy believed the problems ran deeper than individual responsibility and decided a change in leadership was necessary.
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