Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers sack Gary O’Neil

Wolverhampton Wanderers sacked manager Gary O’Neil on Sunday after a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats left them stuck in the relegation zone. The club are second from bottom of the table with just nine points from 16 games following Saturday’s painful 2-1 home defeat to fellow countrymen Ipswich. “The Wolves have parted ways with head coach Gary O’Neil and his staff,” the club said in a statement. “O’Neil arrived at Molineux just three days before the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season, taking on a daunting challenge and ultimately guiding the Old Gold to a successful campaign.”

President Jeff Shi said the club was “grateful to Gary for all his effort, dedication and hard work.”

Just days ago, Shi said the Midlands club were “united” behind the former Bournemouth boss despite Wolves’ struggles.

O’Neil, 41, was appointed in August 2023 following the departure of Julen Lopetegui and signed a new four-year contract with the club in August this year.

Wolves finished 14th in their first season at Molineux but are now in a relegation battle – they have 11 defeats and just two wins and are four points from safety.

Frustrations flared during Monday’s defeat to West Ham when Mario Lemina scuffled with Jarrod Bowen after the full-time whistle, resulting in Wolves losing the midfield captaincy.

Emotions also ran high at full time at Molineux on Saturday after Jack Taylor scored a stoppage-time winner for Ipswich.

Rayan Ait-Nouri received a second yellow card and Matheus Cunha had to be restrained.

After the loss, O’Neil said he struggled to turn his team’s fortunes around.

“The team’s ability to perform at this level is proving incredibly difficult for us,” he told the BBC.

“I’ve worked at this level, it’s my third year now, and I’ve never had such a hard time helping a group cope at this level – really basic stuff.”

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