- Planet Sport writer
- 26 August 2024
Gary O'Neil refuses to blame Wolves players for Chelsea humbling
Wolves manager Gary O'Neil admits he was at fault for his side's second-half collapse in the 6-2 home defeat against Chelsea.
Hard-working midfielder O'Neil played for nine different clubs, including Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and West Ham. He spent of his career in the Premier League and Championship making over 500 appearances.
He won the First Division title at Portsmouth, and play-off finals with West Ham, QPR and Norwich.
O'Neil went into coaching after hanging up his boots in 2019 and less than two years after joining the coaching staff at Bournemouth he was given the manager's job full-time in November 2022.
He guided the Cherries to Premier League safety, but was then sacked in June 2023.
In early August 2023, Wolves installed O'Neil as Julen Lopetegui's replacement as head coach.
O'Neil's playing career
London-born O'Neil was given his professional debut as a 16-year-old with then First Division club Portsmouth in 2000.
He netted his first goal the following season in a 3-0 victory over Barnsley that helped Portsmouth beat the drop to the Second Division.
O'Neil began to feature regularly in the Portsmouth first team from 2001 onwards and won the First Division title with them during the 2002/03 season. But a couple of loan spells to Walsall and Cardiff slowed his progress as the club looked to establish themselves in the Premier League.
Due to an injury crisis O'Neil was recalled from Cardiff during the 2004/05 season and swiftly returned to the first team.
O'Neil played an important role in keeping Portsmouth in the Premier League for the next three seasons, and was named Player of the Season in 2006.
He played nearly 200 games for Pompey before joining Premier League rivals Middlesbrough for £5million in August 2007.
O'Neil made 120 appearances across four seasons for Boro, but was unable to halt their eventual slide out of the top flight at the end of the 2008/09 season.
He returned to the top flight with West Ham in January 2011, as the club failed to beat the drop. In 2011/12 O'Neil played an important role in the Irons return to the Premier League via the play-offs.
O'Neil joined QPR are on a free transfer in August 2013, and was part of the squad that returned the west London club to the Premier League via the play-offs. Although he was sent-off for a professional foul in the final against Derby.
The following season he joined for Norwich City for the 2014/15 season and once again helped the club back to the Premier League via the play-offs.
After a season in the top flight with the Canaries he joined Bristol City for a season and then ended his career with Bolton, where he was named Player of the Season in the 2018/19 campaign - his last as a professional.
O'Neil's first managerial job at Bournemouth
O'Neil began his coaching career in Liverpool's under-23s in August 2020, but swiftly moved to the Bournemouth first-team coaching staff in January 2021.
He was part of the coaching staff as Bournemouth were promoted back to the Premier League in 2021/22 under manager Scott Parker, but then he got a rather surprising tap on the shoulder in August 2022.
Parker was sacked after a 9-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League and having voiced his unhappiness regarding the club's approach in the transfer market. O'Neil was asked to step in as caretaker manager.
O'Neil steadied the ship, winning two and drawing four of his first six games in charge.
After back-to-back wins over relegation rivals Everton in the Premier League and Carabao Cup he was given the Bournemouth manager's job on a full-time basis on an 18-month contract in late November 2022.
The 40-year-old took 36 points from his 34 top-flight games in charge to help the Cherries avoid relegation at the end of the 2022/23 season.
But he was sacked on June 19, 2023 less than seven months after he was appointed as the club's permanent head coach.
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley said: "Gary's achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for.
"This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.
"Gary will go on to have a long career as a head coach or manager, but we feel that, at this moment in time, a change is in the best interests of this football club."
Taking over at Wolves
On August 9, 2023, O'Neil was installed as Julen Lopetegui's replacement as head coach at Wolves, becoming the club's first British coach in six years.
He signed a three-year deal after Wolves and Lopetegui came to an "agreement to part ways" after disagreements over recruitment and the direction of the club.
"We're delighted to welcome Gary to the club," said sporting director Matt Hobbs.
"He's a highly-motivated young coach with strong principles and very well thought of by everyone he has worked with, and we're excited to see what we can achieve together at Wolves.
"Our players have shown their quality during pre-season, and I believe Gary and his team will continue to coach and improve them and will have success working with this group.
"Everyone at Wolves is looking forward to welcoming Gary, offering him their full support and working collaboratively to help the club to keep pushing forward together."
Part of the reason for appointing the former Portsmouth midfielder was his suitability to the squad which is already at Molineux - and Hobbs hopes O'Neil arrives with added motivation after the nature of his departure from Bournemouth.
"He's very forward thinking, very driven, like he has a point to prove because he did a great job at Bournemouth," he added.
"He showed good knowledge of our squad and how it works within his principles.
"Part of our decision was if he fits to our squad, because we don't want to rebuild a squad, we want to keep our principles going forward now, so we can have a long-term strategy."
O'Neil was unlucky to lose his first game in charge, a 1-0 away defeat to Manchester United.
Gary O'Neil personal life
O'Neil married his wife Donna Guerin in 2006, and the couple have three children, Summer, Carter-Jae and Mila.
Gary O'Neil net worth
O'Neil is reportedly worth between £1-2million.
