Wolves chaos deepens as owner circles back to manager he once tore apart — and Gary O’Neil’s future hangs by a thread
Being the only team in English top-flight league history to begin consecutive seasons with 10 winless games while firing managers who had just received long contract extensions is arguably the most ridiculous thing.
Reappointing the first of those fired managers, whose shortcomings the chairman painstakingly detailed a few months ago, is the only possibility more absurd than even that scenario.
Vitor Pereira signed a three-year contract in the midst of five consecutive Wolves losses in September, but he only lasted 45 days. His final lineup against a Fulham team that seemed to be in worse shape was like a cry for assistance.
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It was exposed on social media on Friday night, but it was quickly disregarded because to its absurdity: five of the players who finished the thrilling comeback against Chelsea in midweek, including both goal scorers, were left out of the starting lineup, and six defenders, Andre and Joao Gomes, were benched.
However, Pereira continued to assert that his players’ “physical lack of condition” was at least largely to blame for the “worst” performance of his tenure.
With the increasingly terrible Emmanuel Agbadou sent off when Wolves were only behind by one goal, it is unlikely that playing with ten men for around an hour away from home helped.
A manager who has long since seemed to want to be somewhere else was defeated by Pereira’s unwavering faith in him, Marshall Munetsi, and Jhon Arias in particular.
Similar to Julen Lopetegui before him, there are rumours that Pereira intended to go in the summer due to broken promises during the transfer window.
It would be more unwise of him to believe that he could be the manager and alter Jeff Shi and Fosun.
A methodical and persistent process of squad-weakening has led to what already seems like an inevitable relegation and potential further decline.
The main issue is that Wolves have sold several excellent players over the past few years and replaced them with far less expensive and subpar players whose growth has been based on the quicksand of managerial instability and constant uncertainty.
Even if they are eventually good enough, Jackson Tchatchoua, Tolu Arokodare, or Fer Lopez cannot possible hope to succeed in this atmosphere.
Long-term, a change in the dugout won’t make much of a difference, but the move Wolves are apparently thinking about might drive even the most understanding fans over the edge.
Shi stated of O’Neil in July, “Maybe we cut ties too late with Gary; the team had lost form and the mentality.” “I thought the team had lost its leadership.
In a subsequent interview, he hinted that “some coaches just don’t even try to have chemistry with me” and that “if we can’t have that, the coach can’t stay longer.”
“We didn’t have the clear communication in the dressing room and we lost a little bit of discipline,” he continued.
When O’Neil makes a possible comeback, their opinions might not serve as the foundation for his revelation.
It seems unwise for O’Neil’s career prospects to even entertain the possibility of returning, given that he was only 129 days into the four-year contract he signed in August of last year before Wolves let him go.
However, it would be a fitting choice for Wolves, the only team in the top seven English football tiers without a league victory this season, a club on an unstoppable decline, and a team devoid of ideas, hope, originality, and appeal.
After firing O’Neil, they’re probably still paying him, so why not get another confusing contract for a few more weeks?
With the current situation in wolve, who do you think they should appoint next as their manager ?🤔
