Wolves manager Gary O’Neil gave a defiant press conference following his side’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Monday – and still believes he can turn things around.
The loss at West Ham has left Wolves 19th in the table with just two wins from fifteen games. Now four points from safety and with fans not knowing where their next point is coming from, O’Neil is under immense pressure.
Monday’s game was dubbed ‘El Sackico’ due to the likelihood of either O’Neil or West Ham boss Julen Lopetigui losing their jobs with a bad result.
But while the future of both managers remains uncertain, neither has yet been relieved of their duties.
Furthermore, the Wolves manager said after the game that he is not worried about losing his job.
O’Neil told BBC Sport: “I am not concerned.”
“I am really proud of the group and everything they have given me. I can only ask them to give their best.”
“We won’t give up and we’ll keep pushing,” he later added.
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Watch Highlights: West Ham 2-1 Wolves
Gary O’Neil Press Conference: Transfer Exodus Has Harmed Club
Coming into the side in August of last year, Gary O’Neil replaced current West Ham boss Lopetigui.
Wolves finished well clear of trouble last season, but sold some key players over the summer.
Pedro Neto left to join Chelsea for £54m, while Max Kilman moved to West Ham for £40m.
The impact of these departures has been obvious, and O’Neil has not shied away from admitting it.
“The club has been through an incredible transition since I came in,” he said.
“We’ve signed some players who will be really good for this club for the future, but we have lost an awful lot. It makes it harder.
“[Since I’ve been here] we have lost £200m worth of talent. We understand it will be tough, but we will knuckle down and get going again.
“Whenever this journey ends with Wolves I’ll be proud of it.”
Wolves Punished By Contentious Decisions Once Again
Gary O’Neil was particularly aggrieved after his side seemed to get the worse end of several big refereeing decisions against West Ham.
Congalo Guedes had a penalty appeal dismissed after a review by the VAR, while West Ham’s opener came from a corner awarded despite the ball appearing to come off West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka last.
O’Neil also believed West Ham’s second goal should have been chalked off for a foul on Wolves’ Santiago Bueno in the build-up.
When challenged over the Bueno decision on Sky Sports, O’Neil said: “That is crazy. He was going to head the ball away, so next phase of play is irrelevant because we would have cleared the ball.”
He then added: “The foul on Goncalo Guedes was a blatant penalty. There was a little one on Bellegarde too, it was small contact but enough to make him fall over.
“It is disappointing they didn’t go our way. It was a combination of us not quite doing enough and the decisions going West Ham’s way meant we came away with nothing.”
Make Or Break For Wolves And O’Neil With Must-Win Fixtures Ahead
Wolves are rapidly approaching the must-win stage of the season if they are to have any hope of survival. No side has ever stayed up after conceding as many goals (38) at this stage.
Three losses on the bounce has fans calling for a change of manager, and some would argue now is the perfect time.
Wolves’ next two games at at home to Ipswich – themselves with just won win all year – and then away at 17th-placed Leicester.
Win both of those and there’s a strong chance they will climb out of the bottom three. But were they to lose both, things start to look very bleak indeed.
If the board were looking to make a change in the dugout, two very winnable games would be a sensible time to try and benefit from the famous ‘new manager bounce’.
