Just days after receiving the proverbial ‘vote of confidence’ from chairman Jeff Shi, Wolves have dismissed manager Gary O’Neil. His expected sacking, post a 2-1 defeat to West Ham dubbed ‘El Sackico’, was temporarily put on hold as Shi stood by him prior to their clash with Ipswich Town.
However, another disheartening 2-1 loss to their relegation rivals saw Shi opting for managerial change. With the latest setback leaving Wolves languishing in 19th place in the Premier League and four points adrift from safety, fan frustration has been palpable; evident during a dispiriting 4-0 loss at Everton earlier in the month, when fans chanted ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ and ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’.
A statementr from Wolves read: “Wolves have parted company with head coach Gary O’Neil and his backroom staff. O’Neil arrived at Molineux just three days before the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season, taking on a significant challenge and ultimately guiding the Old Gold to a successful campaign.
“During his first season at the helm, Wolves beat Manchester City and won impressively at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as rivals West Bromwich Albion during a journey to the FA Cup quarter-finals.”
Chairman Jeff Shi said: “We’re very grateful to Gary for all of his effort, dedication and hard work during his time at the club, and we wish him and his team the best of luck for the future.”
Despite the season’s trials, O’Neil had maintained his belief in his ability to lead, pointing to the club’s transfer dealings as a key factor in their struggles. Addressing his position post-defeat to West Ham, O’Neil stated: “The people above me are supportive. But of course the supporters want their football club to be successful. I understand them pointing the finger at me and it’s my team and I have to take responsibility, but when I arrived at this football club they had picked up just [41] points in the Premier League.”
But speaking after the 2-1 defeat to Ipswich on Saturday, O’Neil had pointed the finger at his players.
“The set-play goal, I would happily take responsibility for it if the players were stood in the right place,” he said. “For some reason two of them have decided to change roles very late on in the game. I’m 100 per cent confident if they were in the right spot our player heads it away.
“That’s the players’ decision-making under stress. Players will change things around and try and find fixes all the time but that’s a real poor decision from them in an important moment.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wolves-sack-gary-oneil-after-30590750
