Gary O’Neil insists he is not thinking about his future as Wolves manager after the pressure on his position increased following the 4-0 defeat by Everton.
Sections of Wolves fans could be heard turning against the boss during Wednesday’s heavy defeat, which was the second game in a row they have sent four after Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat by Bournemouth.
The latest reports suggest that O’Neil is expected to remain in charge for Monday’s game against West Ham and, speaking at the press conference for that game, the Wolves boss insists it is business as usual as far as he is concerned.
He said: “I don’t think about me personally. I think for the team and where we are in the league, the last two results have let us down from the momentum we’ve built.
“There’s always the next challenge which comes very, very quickly at West Ham on Monday. There is a lot in the last two games that the group needs to take on and learn from very quickly if we want to have any chance of being more competitive and more consistent.
“Of course losing two games in a row and conceding four goals in both is not where we wanted to recover from a difficult start.”
“I can go on until things change. As far as I know, I trained this morning, players who started have recovered, players who didn’t play have trained.
“You will not find anyone more hardworking and professional than me. Last night we watched the game back, this morning we went back and watched it again.
“We’ve started to prepare for West Ham and I know I can put the group in a good position to go there and do their best again.”
“Fired in the morning”…
Wolves fans have had enough, they want Gary O’Neill out! pic.twitter.com/pV9f7ZJArB
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) December 4, 2024
O’Neil was asked about the criticism from the away goal at Goodison, which included chants of “Sacked in the morning”, with the 41-year-old saying he understood the fans’ frustration.
“I’m not hurting on a personal level, I’m more disappointed for the fans because I understand how much it means to them every weekend,” he added.
“A long time ago I was a football fan. I know how important these days are to you and how your club is doing and performing. It has an impact on how you feel. I know how much they give. Time, travel, money. I totally understand how they feel.
“As I always say, criticism is integral.”
“We assume Lopetegui will be in charge”
Defeat for either side at the London Stadium on Monday could well prove damaging for their manager, with Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui also feeling the heat after Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat by Leicester .
Although six points clear of 19th-placed Wolves, Lopetegui is seemingly close to the sack after a difficult season since succeeding David Moyes having won just four of 14 league games this year.
“I haven’t even thought about who will be in charge (of West Ham),” O’Neill said. “Obviously we’re assuming Julen will be in charge.”
“They have an incredible group of players. I think when you look at the amount of attacking talent that they have, what they’ve been able to add, it’s an incredibly talented team that we’ve gone up against on Monday.
“They were in bad form, of course they are, but they go to Leicester and have 30 shots. They have something there to work on.”
