Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil says questions about his position are ‘the least of my worries’

Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Gary O’Neil says the prospect of losing his job is “the least of my worries” as he prepares for the game against Southampton and pressure mounts on his position.

O’Neil’s side went winless in their first 10 Premier League games of the season and have managed just one win in 20 league games since last season.

Failure to beat Russell Martin’s side tomorrow would result in strong pressure on Wolves to make a change, but 41-year-old O’Neil said in Friday’s pre-match press conference: “It exists the acceptance that this is the right job.

“If you shy away from it when the going gets tough and spend your whole life worrying about whether or not you’re going to lose your job, then you’re not going to perform very well,” O’Neil continued.

“So my job and my future are the least of my worries. We’re just focusing on the next three points for Wolves and trying to make sure we get them tomorrow.”

A large section of the home fans turned to O’Neil when he made a triple substitution in the second half of last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, although he says he expects a supportive crowd tomorrow.

“I would expect them to be fully behind the team,” he said. “Nothing will change my attitude to the support I have received here, because we have been through some difficult moments and they have had to endure them with us.

“I just really want to make sure we give them a good day tomorrow.”

Defensive issues increase the attention on O’Neil

O’Neil has had some memorable moments in his relatively short time as Wolves manager, from the win against Manchester City at home last season to the late goals that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 home win against Tottenham Hotspur transformed, right up to the…victories at Spurs and Chelsea.

He gave the Wolves a player identity that they had lacked under their two previous head coaches.

He has also been troubled by the injuries that wiped out his entire forward line in the latter part of last season, the fixture list that saw them face seven of the current top eight in the first ten games of this season, and the club’s failure to to fill players in the positions he had prioritized in each of his transfer windows.

But there comes a point when even such strong remedies can no longer offset the sheer magnitude of a terrible series of results, and in the case of Wolves and O’Neil this is exacerbated by their inability to find a way around a chronically leaky defence to stuff.

Immediately after the upcoming international break, they face six more games against some of the league’s weaker teams, which will determine the success or failure of their season.

If they fail to record that elusive win against Southampton tomorrow, a brave club would not have to seriously consider a move.

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There are a crucial few months ahead for Wolves, but will Gary O’Neil be at the helm?

(Top image: Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)