Wolves are preparing to take on Newcastle at Molineux on Sunday, with Eddie Howe left impressed by Gary O’Neil for one key reason.
It’s been a difficult start to the season for Wolves and it isn’t going to get any easier for Gary O’Neil.
Following defeats against Arsenal and Chelsea, the Old Gold will play Newcastle, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City in four of their next five matches.
Wolves did secure a point at Nottingham Forest before the international break but in their upcoming difficult schedule, a home clash against Newcastle and a trip to Brentford are arguably their best chances of getting points on the board.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash at home to the Magpies, Eddie Howe has dropped some praise for the man in the opposite dugout.
Eddie Howe praises Gary O’Neil ahead of Wolves vs Newcastle
Howe and O’Neil are two promising English managers plying their trade in the Premier League.
Whilst Howe has dragged Newcastle into a side that regularly chases Europe facilitated by the Saudi riches, O’Neil has worked wonders at Molineux with tight purse strings.
The pair have huge respect for each other having played together at Portsmouth in the early stages of their careers, with Howe now praising his opposite number.
Lauding the challenge of playing Wolves a ‘difficult’ one, the Toon boss thinks that O’Neil has taken the step into high-level coaching ‘superbly well’.
Speaking to the Northern Echo, Howe said: “Team-mates’ is a loose term because I was always injured and he was always playing, so I’d be watching him play. And I admired him as a player, I thought he was a very, very good technical player and I had a lot of respect for him.
“It’s been great to see his coaching journey because it’s slightly different to mine. He’s been thrust into a very high level of coaching and he’s taken to it superbly well.
“He’s a real thinker of the game and I sort of knew that as a team-mate, a very deep guy, cares about the game, really tactically astute, so we’ll be ready for a difficult challenge.”
Gary O’Neil can reach Eddie Howe’s level
Once the PIF took control of Newcastle in October 2021, they hired Howe a month later and since then, his job has been secure.
Despite growing calls to hire a ‘top level’ manager such as Carlo Ancelotti, Howe has done an excellent job at St James’ Park and this season, they’ll be aiming to qualify for the Champions League once more.
O’Neil will perhaps look up to Howe as an inspiration to reach the top level. Of course, he’s currently settled at Molineux but there will come a time when he’ll want to test himself at a club with more ambition.
On Friday, O’Neil admitted that Wolves won’t be spending big money in the transfer window for a while, so he’ll have to work miracles with the squad he’s got and unearth gems from elsewhere.
That strategy implemented by the club due to growing concerns over PSR will perhaps frustrate the Wolves boss in the long term.
Therefore, if a bigger job crops up in the future, he’d be obliged to jump ship and take it, as it’s abundantly clear the Wanderers lack ambition.