In the last of the week's positional reviews, Liam Keen and Nathan Judah look at the management.
Gary O'Neil is under the microscope
Gary O'Neil is under the microscope
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00:00Hello, I'm Nathan Judah. I'm delighted to be joined by Mr. Liam Kinney, the Wolverhampton
00:13Wanderers reporter for the Expresso Star and Shropshire Star. It is Saturday and we are
00:17finishing with the manager in our positional reviews of the season. The most important
00:23position, of course, Liam. This was a little bit of a longer video if it was last season
00:28when we had Bruno Lange, Steve Davis, Lopetegui. Just one man at the helm this season and barely
00:35just at the start of the season, three or four days before they kicked off against Manchester
00:40United. But I think the situation he was brought in to do with no pre-season with his players,
00:49with trying to get players over the line, with players being sold as well. He's done
00:55a pretty great job, hasn't he? And I understand that it was a bit of a disappointing finish
00:58because of injuries and extenuating circumstances. But overall, I think Wolves are in very good
01:04hands going forward, aren't they?
01:06That's the video done, mate. You've hit the nail on the head. I don't need to say any
01:08more than that. Yeah, look, comes in a few days before the start of the season. You've
01:12got to remember how good was that performance at Man United as well. Now, obviously it was
01:17a different formation, different system than he ended up playing for the majority of the
01:21season. And obviously Wolves sort of developed under Gary O'Neill into a team that can pick
01:26up results and do it in a good fashion. But to have come in in those circumstances and
01:31have such a tough task with everyone virtually pinning them for relegation. By the way, before
01:39the start of last season, I did predict a 14th place finish and it was a 14th place
01:43finish.
01:44You did actually.
01:45Just wanted to put that out there.
01:46That's just come to you, hasn't it? That's just come to you now.
01:47Just popped in there now.
01:49So last time you mentioned that. Yeah, definitely not. So with everyone apart from me backing
01:55them for relegation, I wasn't backing them for relegation. No, you weren't either. I'll
01:59give you that. You weren't. Look, Gary O'Neill came in and turned it all around, but it didn't
02:04happen overnight, did it? It was some obviously losing that first game, then losing to Brighton
02:094-1 at home and a couple of going away to Palace and struggling, drawing with Luton,
02:15losing to Ipswich. And then all of a sudden the Man City result pops out of nowhere. And
02:18it was not just a result, but a performance that was well worth beating the champions
02:22as well. And the treble holders, of course, at the time. So you take that momentum into
02:28a purple patch from there. And that's really the catalyst for Wolves' season. And what
02:35was a season that turned into fighting for Europe, going far in the FA Cup? It could
02:40have been very different where they got into Europe and got into the semifinal or the final
02:45of the FA Cup. It had injuries gone their way, maybe certain decisions, certain small
02:50factors had changed. But overall, the tactical nous that Gary O'Neill showed proved he's
02:57a very impressive operator, both tactically as a football manager, but also off the pitch.
03:01I mean, he's a really good communicator. He's a likable person. He's good with the media,
03:06really good with us and other media as well, which I think helps to get his message across
03:11to supporters. Good with the players in the dressing room, building a culture that is
03:15only going to breed confidence and positivity and hopefully good results. And then talking
03:20about sending message to the supporters, that togetherness that he was able to focus on
03:24with the players and the supporters, have everyone on the same hymn sheet, means that
03:28he creates a really good atmosphere at games. And that all came from the first initially
03:34from Gary O'Neill. And then it spread through the squad, it spread into the fan base, spread
03:38into results. And he made Wolves better to watch. Wolves were more entertaining, scored
03:43more goals. It was a far more enjoyable season because of Gary O'Neill at the helm than it
03:49had been in the last couple of years by some distance.
03:54And you asked Gary O'Neill what his takeaway moments are of this season. And I think one
03:59of the main ones when he was asked was his relationship with the fans. And you could
04:02see that. You can see the unity, not just at the end of the season, halfway through
04:07when they're winning, but just overall, celebrating with the fans. You could see the players looking
04:11to Gary O'Neill when he's giving it the three fist pumps in the air and everyone behind
04:17him and that loyalty and just the kind of relationship he's got with the fans, I think
04:23is very important. We haven't really seen that, I think, since Nuno days. And that's
04:28something that's going to be key going forward, I think, into next season, because there are
04:31going to be difficult times. And look, Gary O'Neill admitted at the start when he took
04:34over, there's going to be some high highs, but there's going to be some rough patches
04:38as well. And he understands that. But at the same time, I do feel when you look at interview
04:43fans at the end of the season, you look at people saying, look, we love Gary O'Neill.
04:46Gary O'Neill is the one to take them forward. I was wrong about Gary O'Neill. And that's
04:49despite them losing nine out of the last 10 or eight out of the last 10 or only getting
04:53one win. And when you still have that affection for someone as a manager, they know that they've
04:58got the right man involved and the right man who is trying to prove himself in the game
05:03as well. I think Gary O'Neill has got high expectations and high ambitions in the game
05:07as well. But I feel like Wolves is the best place for him to make sure that he gets the
05:12job done and is very successful. I think he's very motivated, very focused on delivering
05:16some special time to Wolves fans going forward.
05:18And you've got to remember, that was his first full season as a manager as well. He came
05:22in partway through at Bournemouth. He's never had a preseason as a manager. That's why I
05:27think going into this summer, it's going to be really, really important. But he's going
05:30to learn a hell of a lot about himself as well as the team. I think he's only going
05:35to improve himself moving forward. He's going to realise things that he may have got wrong
05:38during the season and things he can adjust and tweak. And that can only be a good thing
05:43for Wolves because if this is the performance he's been able to put in this season, imagine
05:48what he could do with some improvements next season.
05:50And obviously the players and the squad is going to massively aid that. But it comes
05:56down to the decisions he makes. And by and large, he made the right decisions for most
06:02of the season. And that's despite the poor ends of the campaign. And you're right. Despite
06:08that poor end, it takes maybe a little bit of the shine off in some people's eyes because
06:11they didn't get into the FA Cup so far. They didn't get into Europe. But you've got to
06:16remember those moments he did provide, those performances he did provide, those goals that
06:20he was able to help create alongside obviously the players who go out there and physically
06:24do it themselves. Really, really impressive as an operator, as a manager, as a head coach,
06:29as a leader and a communicator. Someone that has gone from, we're losing Julian Lopetegui
06:36here, someone who managed Spain, managed Real Madrid, he's won European trophies with Sevilla
06:43and you bring in Gary O'Neill who's had three quarters of a season at Bournemouth. He's
06:48admitted himself. That's underwhelming. People don't know what you're going to get. Are Wolves
06:53going to be in a relegation battle? And he's taken that perspective and he's switched it
06:58on its head. And you now have a manager who Wolves are desperate to keep, who people believe
07:05Wolves would be far worse off without Gary O'Neill. And that is absolutely correct because
07:10he's earned that based off the performances. It's been magnificent really.
07:14Yeah, it's a good point you say that about earning that. I think him and Matt Hobbs are
07:17an excellent duo as well. I think they're very close in their relationship and they're
07:20both on the same page, which is very important. In terms of the disappointing end to the season
07:26and then we look at the fixture list and you look at those first six games, Wolves will
07:31be very much underdogs apart from maybe the Forest Away game where it might be 50-50.
07:36But they will be underdogs probably in five of those first six games. So let's say you
07:40have the end to that season, let's say you have a disappointing start to the season,
07:44which is doable. I mean, it could happen with five of those first six games being against
07:47top six opposition really. If they did, let's say lose five out of those six. I mean, for
07:52me, he's got a lot of credit in the bank. I think way surpassed that, that if they were
07:57to start badly, there will be no question marks. There's always a couple of grumbles
08:00from fans, but I think he's even surpassed that where there's not even a question, even
08:04if they did start badly this season, which would be an extended maybe 18 games if you
08:08take last season, this season.
08:09Yeah, there'll definitely be some grumbles because some people would look at the end
08:13to this season and then that hypothetical start the next season. I think it's pretty
08:17large all over again. Wolves are going to be in a relegation battle. So I understand
08:21that perspective and why people or some people might think that, but I think the spots on,
08:24I think from a wolf's point of view, Gary O'Neill has earned that credit. I don't think
08:30you could lose five of the opening six. All of a sudden wolves are talking or considering
08:34sacking Gary O'Neill. I don't think he's anywhere near that situation and he's earned that based
08:38off what he's been able to produce and what he's been able to create on and off the pitch
08:43as we say.
08:44Yeah, I think wolves, um, there's a reason that other clubs have looked at Gary as well.
08:49Other clubs keep track on managers as well as players. Uh, wolves would be the same.
08:54Wolves will keep track of managers and who's available and who they like, uh, as well as
08:58players in any circumstance that Gary O'Neill leaves. And there's a reason clubs are looking
09:02at him because he's, he's a young English up and coming, exciting manager who's produced
09:08good football, scored goals and got wolves from relegation favourites in some people's
09:12eyes to European favourites at one point in some people's eyes when they were seven.
09:16So yeah, it was, um, that turnaround, regardless of what happened after it was really impressive.
09:21And I think I've got full faith in Gary O'Neill being able to take this team forward, particularly
09:26with some additions this summer.
09:29Great stuff, Liam. Thank you very much for your positional reviews this week. We appreciate
09:32it and we'll be back next week with plenty of news as wolves continue their summer and
09:38hopefully maybe some more signings to come. We'll see you very, very soon.