Former Liverpool, Aston Villa and England defender Stephen Warnock has branded some of Wolves’ players as cowards following Gary O’Neil’s sacking on Sunday afternoon.
Gary O’Neil’s tenure as Wolves manager was brought to an end on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the West Midlands-based club fell to a bitterly disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to relegation rivals Ipswich Town.
The loss, in which Rayan Ait-Nouri had to be manhandled off the pitch by Craig Dawson after receiving a red card and star forward Matheus Cunha was charged with misconduct for his involvement in a post-match melee, was Wolves’ fourth consecutive Premier League defeat.
They had lost to West Ham, Everton and Bournemouth in the games prior, leaving them in 19th-place in the table, which left club chiefs little to no option but to cut O’Neil‘s three-year contract at Molineux short.
Recent reports suggest Wolves have already found the 41-year-old’s successor, with Al Shabab manager Vitor Pereira reportedly agreeing to join on a one-and-a-half-year deal in a move worth £800,000.
Stephen Warnock: Wolves Players ‘Are Cowards’
Speaking on the BBC‘s Monday Night Club, former Liverpool, Aston Villa and England defender Stephen Warnock slammed Wolves for their lack of goalscorers and described some of their players as ‘nasty’ and ‘cowards’.
“There are no goals in the team. I know everybody goes on about Matheus Cunha – he’s a talent but he can’t score. He scores a worldie every now and again but he’s not going to score 15 goals to keep you up,” Warnock said.
“Another thing that really surprises me is why you would sell Raul Jimenez? I know it wasn’t last season but for a player of that quality, he is exactly what Wolves need. He will chip in with 10 goals a season, maybe more and it’s his work rate off the ball – the tenacity up front to pester defenders constantly.
“None of the Wolves players are pests. I don’t look at any Wolves player and think I wouldn’t fancy playing against them. A few of them are nasty in a way but they are cowards when they do it. Anyone can be nasty after the final whistle, that’s brave.”
Wolves are back in Premier League action on Sunday afternoon when they take on relegation rivals Leicester City at the King Power, with the UK’s best football betting sites narrowly favouring the Foxes to come out on top.