It didn’t work out for Gary O’Neil at Wolves – but the former Molineux head coach could be about to seal a swift return to management.
Gary O’Neil was in charge at Wolves for 15 months, having arrived just days before the start of the 2023/24 season after Julen Lopetegui walked away.
O’Neil did brilliant work in the first half of his first season and by the start of 2024, Wolves fans were daring to dream about potential European football.
But injuries took hold of the squad, and momentum then really halted. Wolves ended up finishing 14th.
Given what happened with Lopetegui, most would have taken that before the start of the club’s Premier League campaign.
In his second season, O’Neil found life tough. He had a really hard start with the fixtures, but he just couldn’t get the results he needed. By mid-December, Fosun finally sacked him.
But now, O’Neil could be set for a swift return to management.
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Blackburn have shortlisted former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil
It has been reported this morning by Alan Nixon via his Patreon that Blackburn Rovers have shortlisted Gary O’Neil as they search for a new manager.
Derby County approached Eustace before Blackburn played Wolves in the FA Cup on Sunday, which was a surprise development given the timing.
Eustace is set to go to Pride Park, with Blackburn disappointed over the development.
But they are now moving to appoint a replacement – and O’Neil is on their shortlist.
It’s stated that O’Neil has impressed if he fancies dropping down to the Championship.
Following all the talk about Eustace going to Derby, some Blackburn fans did actually call for the club to go for O’Neil.
This will now be one to watch. That said, Blackburn have several other foreign coaches on their shortlist.
Blackburn would be a good opportunity for O’Neil
It’ll be interesting to see if an approach is made by Blackburn for O’Neil, and if it’s an opportunity he’d be keen to explore.
It didn’t work out for him at Wolves for a number of reasons.
| Gary O’Neil record at Wolves |
| Games managed – 63 |
| Wins – 20 |
| Draws – 11 |
| Losses – 32 |
| Points per game – 1.13 |
He ultimately wasn’t good enough, but there can be sympathy for him as he wasn’t backed as well as he could have been.
Blackburn are pushing for promotion right now, so it’s a gig O’Neil may well fancy.
It could be a really good chance for him to rebuild his reputation.
Going there and sealing promotion to the Premier League with Rovers would certainly be very satisfying for him after his sacking by Wolves.