Gary O’Neil was the candidate Wolves approached when to find the ideal man after Julen Lopetegui stepped down from his post earlier in the season. O’Neil (40) is one to watch as he is part of pack of home grown men to take on the life of top flight management.
In this circle you have others at present, such as Eddie Howe, Sean Dyche, Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson, not really building a career of football management on a top life as a player, but still at a level that made them able to find the path to top clubs of the football pyramid.
O’Neil was surprisingly sacked by Bournemouth after last season, securing their position in Premier League with a number of great results towards the end. He was placed in command when Scott Parker earlier in the campaign had to walk, O’Neil making the most out of his months in charge.
O’Neil had his travels as a player in English football, representing nine different clubs in a 20 year professional career. Tony Pulis gave Gary O’Neil his debut at Portsmouth, later having Harry Redknapp as a manager at Fratton Park as well being reunited at QPR. He had Gareth Southgate as his manager at Middlesbrough. Gary O’Neil had Sam Allardyce as his boss at West Ham, so in all being around people who have done their trade, not being the best players of their time, but all of them a mirror of O’Neil as they did the most out of their management career, being at the top and long term leaders of Premier League clubs and in England management.
He went from playing at Bolton in 2019, to in 2020 become the assitant u.23 coach at Liverpool, before moving to Bournemouth appointed Jonathan Woodgate’s assistant. The path to the job at Wolves has been on a fast track, but with his type of “rucksack”, he looks to have the background that should see him a long trader in the Premier League circus.
While O’Neil experience success in The Midlands with Wolves, other more legendary names have seen their struggles. Steven Gerrard took charge of Aston Villa in November 2021 and had to walk just 11 months later, without getting any momentum and must have missed a lot, with his successor Unai Emery, with almost the same group, have trolled most as Villa are flying at the moment.
Wayne Rooney is another legend with a life in The Midlands that looks grim and difficult, being placed in charge of Birmingham in the most odd version, looking to be chasing a play-off position under John Eustace, but with just 2 wins in 13 games, Rooney has not been able to find the best tricks in the book, as few points are landed so far.
One other massive player from the Gerrard / Rooney generation is Frank Lampard, currently out of the game, after being held as one of the best and most exciting manager prospects, when in charge of Derby, but not having the same success at Chelsea and Everton.
Gary O’Neil is one to watch as his work is based on a culture that in a way has been talked of as “passè”, but in real football is and will always be about attacking and defending, so for those who knows it all, please take a carefull look on how things are done at Wolves at the moment, could be an interesting investigation.
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