Gary O’Neil admits he is loving being in charge of Wolves as he attempts to juggle both the Premier League and FA Cup during the final few months of his first campaign at the helm.
The head coach has been praised by sporting director Matt Hobbs this week for the work he has done in turning Wolves’ fortunes around in just his second managerial role, but with the important task of another crucial top flight game at Molineux coming up on Saturday, O’Neil insists he is only focused on picking up three points against Fulham.
On Sa and Neto’s injuries
“They’re both fine and trained really well today. They came in on the lad’s day off yesterday and I was in with them and did some really good work with them when the rest of the boys were off to try and make sure they got enough work into them both this week. They’ve done really well and I obviously wouldn’t take a risk with either of them, but they’re both feeling 100 per cent and will be in the squad tomorrow.
“Craig Dawson has a sore groin, so there will be a late check on Daws. He may not make it, but we’ll see. We know what he’s like, he’s always desperate to put himself forward, but Daws has got a slight groin issue.
“Joao’s [Gomes] fine. He was disappointed last week because we played on the Wednesday against Brighton and his hamstring was a bit sore, but he wanted to come out and train on the Friday because he thought he’d be ok for Newcastle. He trained, but when he woke up on Saturday he was sore and missed the Newcastle game, but he’s trained this week and he’s been 100 per cent fine.
“It’s a big positive for us to have Joao back. He’ll be back involved and Tommy’s been great every time he’s come in and played as well, so it gives me that decision to make, which is what I want. I want tough decisions to make around which one of our good players needs to miss out, so we’ll try to find the right blend to give us the best chance tomorrow.”
An elite game of keepy ups 😍
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On Coventry quarter-final affecting selection decisions
“The Coventry game doesn’t get a consideration in tomorrow’s team selection. Not all people would think that way, but it’s a Premier League game tomorrow and we need to make sure we go full tilt to try and win the next football match.
“The FA Cup game is going to come around when it comes around and whoever is or isn’t available is what we’re going to go to war with. Every game between now and the end of the season is huge, but I know cup games when they come around will feel bigger, because when you lose 3-0 to Newcastle, there’s still 11 games to make up for that, but if you lose a cup game it’s done.
“So, I understand it, but we’re fully focused on tomorrow and then we’ll have a week to make sure we’re ready for Coventry.”
On Adama Traore returning with Fulham
“I can only speak from personal experience, I don’t know Adama, but I know how highly he was thought of here, but when you go back to your old club you can have some extra motivation to try and prove a point and try to prove that you can still do it, but Fulham have got a lot of good players.
“They’re in a really good moment and have a lot of their players available to them and are in a real good vein of form. They’ve played the same way even before Marco took them on, but he’s took them even further, and they have the same structure they’ve been in for many years now, and you can see the players have a good understanding.
“Adama is one of their threats, but they have a lot so we’ll have to be very good tomorrow to make sure we come out on top against Fulham.”
On Matt Hobbs’ comments this week
“I love it here. I’m obviously really happy and love everything we’re trying to do. Even the challenges that we’ve had to face with how we try and do things and changing the model financially, but I love it here. I’ve loved the reception that I’ve had off the fans, the relationship I have with the fans, the playing squad, the staff, so when the times comes to discuss things like that [a new contract] the discussions will take place.
“Me and Matt get on really well and I’m sure when it comes to it there will be no problems. I wouldn’t be here without Matt, firstly. When I first met him to discuss the role we got on really well, and the support I’ve had from him has been something I’ve not really experienced in football before, as a player or as a manager. The amount of support he gives me is incredible, and as with most of the people here and the playing squad, he’s just a really good guy.
“We have really honest, deep conversations about things and I really appreciate everything he’s done for us. The recruitment that the club managed to do last January as well, they signed some fantastic players who have allowed us to be in this position, so it’s a very good relationship with Matt and I’m thankful that he’s spoken nicely about me.”
On being linked away from Molineux
“I shouldn’t be linked with any jobs because I’m unavailable. I’m doing the job that I love doing and I love what we’re trying to achieve. There’s a long way to go and I’m only 16/17 months into my career and there’s still an awful lot I want to do.
“I still feel like I’m an awful lot behind where I need to be, I’m a long way behind some of the top people who have been doing it a lot longer and have achieved a lot more. I still feel like an apprentice who is working really hard to try and earn my stripes, but I am enjoying it and the Premier League is a tough place to start because you have to learn very quickly.
“But there’s still a lot of work and a lot of learning still to do. There’s a lot of work that still needs doing with the team and we’re in a really difficult part to the season, which I’ve already spoken about, that I’m really excited to get stuck into.
“I’m really excited about tomorrow, despite some of the players we’ll have missing, I’m looking forwards to working with the ones we get to play and the ones we get to see. I really want to keep the focus on the group and what we’re trying to do this weekend.”
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— Wolves (@Wolves) March 8, 2024
Celebrating the women within our club and community who #InspireInclusion in sport. pic.twitter.com/mrrCCutW2w
On possible summer transfers
“I saw the accounts were released and the figures in it, but that’s only a reflection of where the club were and we’ve managed to correct that and the new model is only because of the accounts and where we knew they would be.
“Now, what we’re trying to do and what we’ve been able to do this year is to still be competitive without spending loads of money, and I’ve spoken to Matt about the player situation [this summer] and we don’t need to sell anybody. We have enough assets within the football club that we’ll be able to do some stuff in the summer.
“But if we also want to be really active and sign loads of players, then we will have to sell some. It’s not that we have to sell, but if we want to do business then there will be people who will have to go in the summer.”
On helping to turn around the club’s fortunes
“I don’t see it as my success. The success of the group should be applauded because they’ve done an incredible job of coming together in a difficult time. If I put myself in their shoes and the turbulent summer they had with an elite manager leaving so close to the start of the season and me arriving having been sacked by Bournemouth, very new into management, it could have been an uneasy place to be as a player, when you’ve signed somewhere and things have changed and maybe on the face of it haven’t changed for the better.
“But we worked really hard on improving the togetherness and changing the way of how we worked and how we would get through the tough moments and what it was going to take this year, and what it looks like to be a team. We were able to do a little bit of business around improving the feel of the team and the feel around the place and they’ve done an unbelievable job to get us to this point in the season.
“But I do standby the fact that this spell is going to be the toughest. I said Newcastle away was going to be out toughest test of the season and it was, just because of where we’d been and where we are. I don’t want to be the team where people think we’ve done great and then start to tail off. We need to find a way to keep pushing.”
