Wolves host Ipswich Town in a relegation six-pointer on Saturday after losing their last three Premier League games.
Defeats to Bournemouth, Everton and West Ham have cemented Wolves in 19th position, handing supporters little optimism of survival.
Despite an awful run of form, Gary O’Neil will be in charge against Ipswich Town, although the Old Gold are searching for a replacement.
Five managers have already rejected the Wolves job, including title-winning head coach Massimiliano Allegri and former Chelsea boss Graham Potter.
Meanwhile, Luton manager Rob Edwards has emerged as an option for Wolves, having previously played and coached at Molineux.
With the pressure on O’Neil to deliver this weekend, Paul Merson has made a baffling claim about the 41-year-old.
Gary O'Neil, Manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC ...
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Paul Merson thinks Wolves were right to keep Gary O’Neil
O’Neil would have been sacked at most other clubs, though Wolves are remarkably keeping faith in the Englishman, despite him showing no signs of turning the season around.
Wolves fans called for O’Neil to be sacked after the 4-0 defeat to Everton. It’s a decision most couldn’t argue against, although Merson, writing in his column for Sportskeeda, believes Fosun were right to keep him in the dugout.
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“I believe it was the right decision from Wolves to not sack Gary O’Neil after the defeat to Everton. If they had let him go, the new manager would have had no time to prepare for this huge game with so much on the line.”
Ahead of Wolves must-win game against Ipswich, the former Arsenal forward has issued his prediction for the match.
Merson predicts Wolves to beat Ipswich
Wolves will be without midfielder Joao Gomes, who is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against West Ham.
The Old Gold need to stop the rot at home to the Tractor Boys, especially with a trip to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City up next.
Ipswich, who are level on points with O’Neil’s men, have also lost their last three league matches, last tasting victory in November when they beat Tottenham.
Predicting the outcome of the game, Merson thinks Wolves will secure a narrow 2-1 victory, although he claims it could be all over if they fail to win on Saturday.
“Wolves face another team fighting to avoid relegation in the form of Leicester after this game,” Merson wrote.
“So if they beat Ipswich and Leicester, they will be out of the relegation zone. But if they end up losing this game, I’m afraid it’s all over for them! I say that because of their fixtures after the Leicester game.
“Wolves face Manchester United, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth and Fulham before facing Everton in March. How many points do you expect them to secure during this run? It could all be over by the time they face Everton.
“So they must win points while they can and it starts with this game on Saturday. Ipswich have had some bad results in recent weeks. They have lost three games in a row since that draw against Manchester United. And when you look at these three fixtures, they faced Forest, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
“These are not the big boys of the division, they were games where they still had a chance. I don’t think they’ve been playing well so I’m backing Wolves to win.”
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