Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked Gary O'Neil as head coach but his post-match remarks after the 4-0 loss at Everton offer a big clue into his departure
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Gary O'Neil when Everton beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 at Goodison Park on December 4, 2024
Gary O'Neil when Everton beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 at Goodison Park on December 4, 2024
Gary O’Neil has been sacked has head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers following their 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town but his remarks after the 4-0 thrashing against Everton at Goodison Park on December 4 offer a big clue to his departure. The loss to Kieran McKenna’s side who have achieved back-to-back promotions, was Wolves’ 11th in 16 Premier League fixtures so far this season and they are currently second bottom of the table with nine points.
O’Neil took charge in August 2023 after Julen Lopetegui’s departure and guided the team to a comfortable 14th place in his one full season. The summer departures of Pedro Neto to Chelsea and Max Kilman to West Ham weakened Wolves in a window when profitability and sustainability concerns framed their dealings.
The West Midlands outfit are now expected to dispense with the rest of the 41-year-old's coaching staff with the club planning to appoint a replacement before their trip to Leicester City on Sunday. The writing looked on the wall for the former Bournemouth boss when Wolves’ own travelling supporters turned on him during what was Everton’s biggest home win four five-and-a-half years since they defeated Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United by the same scoreline in April 2019.
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Many of them chanted: “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” “You don’t know what you’re doing,” and “Gary O’Neil, your football is s***.” Following their outbursts, O’Neil said: “I go over there (across the pitch to Goodison’s Bullens Road away section) to see them because I appreciate every single one of the Wolves fanbase because they’ve given me unbelievable support since I arrived at the football club. In a tough moment, we managed to produce some unbelievable stuff last season, away at Chelsea; away at Tottenham; away at our rivals, West Brom; with a team that was heavily tipped by most of the nation for relegation, we were nowhere near it, ever.
“We managed to enjoy all of that together. So, now that it’s tough, I’m happy to go over there and look them right in the face and take any criticism that they want to throw at me, because I accept responsibility for all of my part in that.
“There are a lot of parts that have led to where we are at this moment, but for my part in that I am happy to accept full responsibility. Whatever criticism they want to throw at me will not change what I feel about them and what they’ve given me over the last 15 months.”