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“You’re getting sacked in the morning.”
That was the chant belted out from one corner of Goodison Park on Wednesday evening.
It was being aimed in the direction of Gary O’Neil, and it was coming from his own team’s supporters.
The Wolves boss stood helplessly in his technical area as he witnessed his hapless side crumble to a 4-0 defeat against Everton, heaping on pressure and misery as the fans turned against him.
It was the type of performance and result which has been known to cause struggling managers before him to be shown the door, and O’Neil is now seemingly clinging to his job.
The ex-Bournemouth boss went over to applaud the travelling fans at full-time, but he was roundly jeered by the unhappy following.
“I go over there to see them because I appreciate every single one of the Wolves fanbase,” said O’Neil. “They have given me unbelievable support since I arrived at the football club.
“We managed to produce some unbelievable stuff last season – away at Chelsea, Tottenham and West Brom – with a team that was heavily tipped by most of the nation for relegation, but we were nowhere near it, ever.
“We enjoyed that together, so now that it is tough I am happy to go over there and look them right in the face and take any criticism they want to throw at me. I accept responsibility for my part in that and that will not change how I feel about them and what they have given me over the last 15 months.”
O’Neil ‘working harder’ than anyone at Wolves
The chant about “getting sacked” was not the only one that the irate Wolves supporters directed at their manager. It was one of the most printable, though.
Indeed, the Wolves support rubbed salt into O’Neil’s wounds by singing about former manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who is now in charge at Nottingham Forest.
Wolves finished 14th in O’Neil’s maiden campaign last season, 20 points above the Premier League drop zone, but this felt like the tide turning against the manager, losing the support of the fans, and a night that he may not recover from.
Defender Craig Dawson scored two own goals as Wolves allowed a Toffees side who had not scored since 26 October – a run of five games – to net four goals.
Wolves travel on Monday to West Ham, whose own manager Julen Lopetegui – previously in charge at Molineux, of course – has real question marks over his future.
Should both managers survive until then, the match will no doubt be cruelly dubbed as ‘El Sackico’.
O’Neil said: “I understand how difficult this role is because I know every single detail at this football club and the dressing room, but that is my job, which is what I signed up for and what I need to do.
“I will continue to take responsibility for all of my part on where we are at this moment. Whatever the fans may think of me and my team, there definitely isn’t anyone working harder to help their football club than me.
“I will continue to do so until someone tells me not to.”
‘Negative noise always the loudest’
Wolves lie 19th in the league, three points adrift of safety. Their nine defeats is the most they have had in the top flight at this stage of a season since 2010-11, when they edged their way to survival by a point.
The goals shipped against Everton mean Wolves have now let in a league-high 36 goals from their 14 games – six more goals than bottom side Southampton – and their most at this early stage in a top-flight season since conceding 40 in 1964-65, when they were relegated.
Asked if he is the right man to take the club forward, O’Neil replied: “I will back myself in any role given to get the most out of the group.
“I understand the drive for change from the supporters, you never know how many of them it is or what percentage it is, but the negative noise is always the loudest.
“The playing group are still together and I still have a lot of things that I will try and do to given them a better chance than this evening.”
Culled from BBC
5th Novemebr, 2024.
C.E.
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