Gary O’Neil is a rising star in football management who has impressed many people, but now he’s shared what has made him feel ‘uncomfortable’ at Wolves.
Gary O’Neil is surely in with a shout of winning Manager of the Season. After Julen Lopetegui left in the summer, the 40-year-old had to pick up the pieces of a damaged club.
Many felt that he was too inexperienced to take on a daunting challenge, especially when Wolves had sold £150 million worth of talent and were held back by the constraints of FFP.
For most managers, dealing with that backdrop would be a near impossible task as the Wanderers were tipped to be fighting relegation, but are instead pushing towards Europe.
That is down to the style and belief that O’Neil has implemented at Molineux. He’s significantly improved most individual players in his squad and took the scalps of a few top managers.
In September, Wolves were expected to be thrashed by Manchester City, but the former Bournemouth manager masterminded a 1-0 win.
Likewise, last weekend, his side went to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and claimed an incredible 2-1 victory over Spurs.
For all of the praise he’s received and the success he’s had in such a short space of time, O’Neil doesn’t want to get carried away and has now shared what makes him feel ‘uncomfortable’.
Gary O’Neil reveals what makes him feel ‘uncomfortable’
In an in-depth interview with Mail Sport that dissected many facets of his life as a manager, he spoke about his fear of failure and how the fear drives his attention to detail in management.
“That’s the way I am,” O’Neil said. “It makes me feel uncomfortable when people tell me I’m established and tell me what I’ve achieved in management, because I know how quickly it can change. I know how easily I can get things wrong on a Saturday or through the week.
“How hard you have to keep working to stay at the incredibly high level the Premier League demands of you. I have only been a head coach for 12 or 14 months and every weekend, you get tested by top-level coaches and I am always conscious of that.”
O’Neil doesn’t want to take his foot off the gas and accept he’s made it as that is when complacency can set in.
Fortunately, it appears the Wolves boss will never let his levels drop and his relentless attention to detail won’t allow him to slow down.
The only way is up for Wolves
Although they didn’t know it at the time, the Wanderers have a very special manager at the helm in O’Neil and he’s on the right path to becoming one of their greatest, at least in recent times.
The Englishman is a breath of fresh air to watch as a coach and his principles are what other managers should aspire to.
He knows the privileged position he’s in and working against some of the best coaches on the planet will only continue to bring the best out of him and Wolves.
His side indeed thrive more against the leagues, perhaps playing on the counter, as opposed to getting on the front foot and dominating possession.
The latter is what Wolves will need to do against Sheffield United on Saturday with O’Neil devising a plan to combat their low block.