Where do we start?!
Surely this is the end for O'Neil as Wolves manager. I wanted him to succeed and I even briefly felt sorry for the guy at full-time, but the only hope is we get that new manager 'bounce' from someone who can get the best out of this squad. I have said for months that this group of players is better than what it's showing but this was an evening of realisation that we are in a proper mess. A group of players who are severely lacking in confidence, belief, coaching and organisation.
The issues we face today though, are far from just moving on from Gary O'Neil. For a long time now, the club has been on a downward spiral. Selling key players for profit, wasting money on players that have done nothing for the club and the ethos of the owners to make Wolves 'self-sufficient ' have all torn away at the heights of the Nuno reign.
Two years ago, we found ourselves in the same position with the firing of Bruno Lage and begging Lopetegui to come and save us. That he did, but this time around there is no World Cup to enable us the time to try and lure a decent manager. Here we are now with the same problem and no lessons learnt, but more worryingly this time, is the feeling that Fosun have lost interest. The feeling that they are scraping at the bottom of the barrel for a manager who again won't be too demanding or too ambitious.
Gary O'Neil (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Unless the willingness to go and get a proven manager and support him with funds is undertaken, then it looks more and more likely that we will be in the Championship next year.
This can go one of two ways, and it's all in the hands of Fosun and Jeff Shi. Change the 'self-sufficient' attitude, go and get a Graham Potter, Sergio Conceicao or David Moyes, back him with the funds to get us out of this mess and show ambition to stay in the league, or two, continue on this cheap route, try and wing survival and if that fails, sell the stars to cover the Premier League money.
Matt Hobbs needs to be questioned too. Since he was promoted to Sporting Director, he has made one positive contribution and that was signing Joao Gomes. He is the one who wanted Michael Beale, he is the one who pushed for Gary O'Neil and he is the one who has made numerous poor decisions on players in the transfer market. What he has actually done to warrant such a position at the club is for debate, but he is one that needs questioning as to his own personal intentions.
And then back on the pitch, we lack leadership and authority, a voice and composure. All that a captain should try and install amongst his team-mates. Unfortunately, Mario Lemina is not that. As good as a player as he has been for us, the captain's armband has weighed a lot on his shoulders and with each passing match, captain material he is not.
Lots of issues to resolve then. It's down to Fosun and Jeff Shi to finally show us all where their ambitions and intentions lie.
They either ditch the 'self-sufficient ' model right now, or the best thing is to sell up, because with the season ticket increases still fresh in the memory, the fan base feels like it's about to get toxic very quickly.
Liam Berry
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