Gary O’Neil is currently an unpopular figure at Molineux after Wolves torrid run of form but that hasn’t always been the case.
Just when it seemed Wolves had turned a corner with wins over Southampton and Fulham, the Old Gold were peppered 4-2 by Bournemouth.
Talks of the Wolves boss being dismissed had somewhat died down before the game however, the fans called for Gary O’Neil to be sacked at full-time as they’d seen enough.
O’Neil is walking on thin ice at Molineux with regards to his future, losing the faith of a loyal fanbase and failing to improve their defensive record after conceding 32 goals in 13 league matches.
Wolves have made history for all the wrong reasons this term, while in the previous campaign, O’Neil was actually earning plaudits for the job he was doing.
Gary O'Neil, Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, looks on as players of Wolverhampton Wanderers warm up prior to the Premier League match between W...
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Gary Lineker tipped Gary O’Neil to become ‘special’ English coach
At points during the 2023/24 season, Wolves were defying the odds – challenging for the European places in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup quarter-final against Coventry City.
Tim Sherwood heaped praise on O’Neil in February, when the Wanderers were comfortably in ninth, claiming no other manager could do the job the 41-year-old has done.
MORE WOLVES STORIES
Sherwood wasn’t the only one who waxed lyrical over the tactician, with Gary Lineker dubbing O’Neil as a ‘special’ coach in March and hinting that he could be the first English manager to win a Premier League title.
“You can see the players have bought into what he does, he plays aggressive, attacking, pressing football, maybe we’ve struggled to find great England coaches, and we can see that in Premier League history, there’s not been an English coach who has won one yet,” Lineker said.
“So maybe he’ll be that special coach, I don’t want to build him up too much because of what we said before but you never know.”
Wolves fans perhaps agreed with the above comments at the time, as O’Neil was also linked to the England job, but now his stock has fallen dramatically.
Lineker and Alan Shearer back Wolves for Premier League survival
O’Neil is under immense pressure to keep his job in Wolverhampton and failure to secure at least a point against Everton could see him get sacked.
Chris Sutton has predicted Everton to beat Wolves, a result that many supporters will be fearing, although Lineker and Alan Shearer have still backed the Old Gold for survival.
Speaking after the win against Fulham just 10 days ago, Shearer praised how O’Neil looked a lot more confident in the dugout while lauding Matheus Cunha as crucial in the relegation battle.
“You can tell there’s an air of confidence around Gary O’Neil now. They had a really tough start in terms of fixtures,” the former Newcastle striker said.
“We said ‘This is the time for them to step up when they’ve got winnable games’. They certainly have done, and you can tell that. You can just see there’s a bit of a spark back in Gary.
“He’s got the belief back and the confidence is back within the football club. I always felt they’ll be all right. If they can keep him (Cunha) fit, they may be more than all right.”
Lineker added: “I totally agree on that.”
Related Posts