O'Neil In, Out and Shaking it all about

[Tony Towner]

We are short quality wise in defence and in goal. I don't think any team goes 9 months without a clean sheet thought without looking at the manager. A competent manager would improve that and quickly. Whether it would be enough from the ditch we are in then who knows. We don't need to spend much in Jan outside of a decent centre half, we aren't getting a keeper

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We aren't going to repeat the 2022/23 trick. It happened once, why do people think it will ever happen again.

1) Last time we did, we lied to the manager and went to the brink of being sued for constructive dismissal as a result (never mind that he is a fucking prick)

2) Fosun don't have that level of interest. If we go down we go down, same as if we lose STHs through ridiculous prices then so be it

3) You don't need to. We have issues but there's nothing wrong with Semedo, Dawson, Ait-Nouri, J Gomes, André, Lemina, Cunha and Strand Larsen as Premier League players. As an absolute minimum. That's a level of quality that should have you finishing 17th or above without having to spend £100m+ in a mid-season panic.

 

[Wolftone]

We aren't going to repeat the 2022/23 trick. It happened once, why do people think it will ever happen again.

1) Last time we did, we lied to the manager and went to the brink of being sued for constructive dismissal as a result (never mind that he is a fucking prick)

2) Fosun don't have that level of interest. If we go down we go down, same as if we lose STHs through ridiculous prices then so be it

3) You don't need to. We have issues but there's nothing wrong with Semedo, Dawson, Ait-Nouri, J Gomes, André, Lemina, Cunha and Strand Larsen as Premier League players. As an absolute minimum. That's a level of quality that should have you finishing 17th or above without having to spend £100m+ in a mid-season panic.

Keepers are a liability. Ait Nouri is a liability and has no back up with the exception of Toti who is another liability. Semedo looks half arsed a lot of the time and has no back up save for Doherty and a kid. The other 'midfielders' as in Forbs, Bellegarde, Sarabia, are poor quality/attitude.
Keeper and full backs are the main issue for me, can be as shit as they like as there's no one better going to get their shirt.

 

[Mel Evo]

Semedo could easily be playing for a top half side and Ait Nouri likely will be soon. It’s crackers to contemplate it’s anything else but a management issue - even discounting for our ropey keepers and unbalanced squad.

 

[Wolftone]

Semedo could easily be playing for a top half side and Ait Nouri likely will be soon. It’s crackers to contemplate it’s anything else but a management issue - even discounting for our ropey keepers and unbalanced squad.

So with central defence who have been playing well and or two fantastic, top half full backs, Brazil's starting central midfielder, plus gomes Lemina and one other. Then up front JSL and Cunha.
Where are we going wrong? Sitting too deep? Wrong formation? Zonal marking? Players not giving enough effort?
What would the new imaginary manager do differently, do you think?

 

[Mel Evo]

So with central defence who have been playing well and or two fantastic, top half full backs, Brazil's starting central midfielder, plus gomes Lemina and one other. Then up front JSL and Cunha.
Where are we going wrong? Sitting too deep? Wrong formation? Zonal marking? Players not giving enough effort?
What would the new imaginary manager do differently, do you think?

Really? You don’t think leadership and organisation is an issue? If you watch the games you must see it’s glaringly lacking.

New managers come in and transform performance in every league all around the world.in all sorts of organisations for that matter. It happens all the time. We’re only not doing it due to a failing in governance, not because it’s a smart idea.

 

[slink]

So with central defence who have been playing well and or two fantastic, top half full backs, Brazil's starting central midfielder, plus gomes Lemina and one other. Then up front JSL and Cunha.
Where are we going wrong? Sitting too deep? Wrong formation? Zonal marking? Players not giving enough effort?
What would the new imaginary manager do differently, do you think?

There’s so much wrong with how we’re going about it at the moment. Little things change from game to game but we’re chaotic in pretty much every game which is why we’re so easy to play through and score against. Genuinely pick a game this season and i’ll tell you what the game was like and why Gary got it wrong.

 

[Alan]

We wouldn’t even need a new manager if Gary knew how to tweak the midfield. As it is he’s never shown he even understands that it’s a problem.

We’re literally one tactical change from being decent.

Also, Semedo deserves better than being labeled as half-assed. A lot better.

 

[Wolftone]

Crap recruitment is the issue imo.

Really? You don’t think leadership and organisation is an issue? If you watch the games you must see it’s glaringly lacking.

New managers come in and transform performance in every league all around the world.in all sorts of organisations for that matter. It happens all the time. We’re only not doing it due to a failing in governance, not because it’s a smart idea.

Some for better some for worse. See Man Utd. See Chelsea.
Bad individual decisions on the pitch, not a factor then? Misplaced passes, carrying the ball when you should pass, playing other players into trouble. Taking an extra touch when you should shoot. Not closing players down individually and as a unit. Letting players run behind at set pieces. Not to mention the goalkeeping.
Guilty of all of the above in the last match alone.

 

[prawnking]

Bad individual decisions on the pitch, not a factor then? Misplaced passes, carrying the ball when you should pass, playing other players into trouble. Taking an extra touch when you should shoot. Not closing players down individually and as a unit. Letting players run behind at set pieces. Not to mention the goalkeeping.
Guilty of all of the above in the last match alone.

Shall we sack all the players then?

Even if the recruitment had been spot on, GON hasn't shown he can be trusted to manage resources to the required standard. He can't win games.

 

[sycophantia]

Semedo is a top class fb imo, he's not perfect but for a team in our position, he's as good as we're likely to get. He has his issues no doubt but doubt we'll get better (unless Lima turns out to be star). If that means I lack ambishun, so be it.

 

[Wolftone]

Shall we sack all the players then?

Even if the recruitment had been spot on, GON hasn't shown he can be trusted to manage resources to the required standard. He can't win games.

Not all of them, no.
Recruitment hasn't even been adequate. Its been shite.
Fosun and Hobbs dancing to their tune.

 

[prawnking]

I agree the recruitment has been poor, and focussed on the wrong areas, or with a profile that's not going to help us this season, but there's still a competitive team to be forged from the squad we have, however unbalanced it is

 

[AndyWolves]

The back 4 and DMs we've got should easily be able to shut games down when we need to.

 

[Wolftone]

The back 4 and DMs we've got should easily be able to shut games down when we need to.

They should, yes.
Our biggest problem is giving the ball away from good positions and not being able to recover as we've been pulled out of shape, usually through our own fault. Then there's set pieces obvs and goalkeeping errors.
Im not saying I want O'Neil there forever, but give him the Southampton game. Lose or draw then give him the boot. Win and some confidence might improve.
Maybe I'm kidding myself.
Ten Haags available.

 

[Tony Towner]

They should, yes.
Our biggest problem is giving the ball away from good positions and not being able to recover as we've been pulled out of shape, usually through our own fault. Then there's set pieces obvs and goalkeeping errors.
Im not saying I want O'Neil there forever, but give him the Southampton game. Lose or draw then give him the boot. Win and some confidence might improve.
Maybe I'm kidding myself.
Ten Haags available.

If you don't think at least 80% of the above stems from the manager then yes, yes you are.

 

[Mel Evo]

They should, yes.
Our biggest problem is giving the ball away from good positions and not being able to recover as we've been pulled out of shape, usually through our own fault. Then there's set pieces obvs and goalkeeping errors.
Im not saying I want O'Neil there forever, but give him the Southampton game. Lose or draw then give him the boot. Win and some confidence might improve.
Maybe I'm kidding myself.
Ten Haags available.

We are absolute garbage for months on end, with no discernible plan whatsoever, but beat a pitiful Southampton and give the solely accountable individual another batch of games to gamble with? Yup, you are kidding yourself.

 

[Alan]

Per ESPN's resident stats guru, who has O'Neil as the most likely "next to be sacked"...

O'Neil was put in a really tough situation.

In the micro sense: Lopetegui walked away from the Wolves job right before last season started, so O'Neil had to manage the entire season without getting a preseason with his players. And in the macro sense: It's never really clear what Wolves are trying to achieve in a given season. Are they just a weigh-station for players represented by a certain super-agent, or are they actually trying to win soccer games? And even if it's the former, they're no longer scooping up Jorge Mendes's star prospects like Rúben Neves and Diogo Jota.

That said, this team has been awful. They only have three points, one of which came from a freakish situation where 2-1 leaders Brighton somehow turned a 4-on-1 counter in injury time into a 2-2 draw.

The only positive for O'Neil, at this point, is that the schedule has been rough. Wolves have played six of the top seven teams in adjusted goal rating. With his team in last place and a home game against 19th-place Southampton coming up, O'Neil's job -- and maybe Wolverhampton's season -- is likely on the line.

 

[HanDoJin]

How many of our players bought under GON are "represented by a certain super-agent". Genuine question.

 

[Del Woppio]

Tbf he doesn't have to be their listed agent for him to get his oily paws on our money. The point that his usefulness from a pure footballing perspective is long gone is correct, they're just missing out the fact we're likely still syphoning him money whenever we go near a footballer who lives in a casa