Wolves take on West Ham United tonight and potentially, it could be Gary O’Neil’s final game in charge.
The Wolves manager is under severe pressure after losing the last two games to Bournemouth and Everton, and the feeling is that he is very lucky to still be in charge.
He will almost certainly be sacked if Wolves lose to West Ham tonight, and some have even suggested he could go even if Wolves win the game.
It’s been an awful season so far, and fans’ frustrations have been totally understandable.
At times, the frustration has spilled out and some players have come in for serious criticism.
One such player is Hwang Hee-chan and ahead of tonight’s game, O’Neil has lept to the defence of the South Korea international amid his poor form.
Gary O’Neil defends Wolves squad and uses Hwang to make point
Ahead of tonight’s game, O’Neil has been speaking about the more experienced players in his squad, and how the spotlight falls on them.
Wolves are in 19th place in the Premier League table, and many Wolves fans feel that some of the more experienced players just haven’t taken enough responsibility this season.
Hwang was one of Wolves’ best players last season, but has really struggled this time around.
He came into the new campaign and couldn’t replicate the levels we saw last term, and then picked up an injury.
There was an uncomfortable moment at Brentford when supporters booed Hwang as he came on as a substitute for Andre. The booing was probably more aimed at the decision itself, but it must have been a bit awkward for Hwang.
When asked if there are enough leaders in the Wolves squad right now, O’Neil said (E&S): “We are a young group in terms of Premier League experience.
“Hee-chan comes under some criticism when I put him on the pitch at the moment, but when you look at Premier League calibre, he’s one of the ones that has that on our bench and he was our top goalscorer last year.
“Sometimes there needs to be a realism attached to the situation around some of the boys, what we signed them for and when they’re going to be ready.”
Wolves need much more from Hwang
It has been a highly disappointing campaign from Hwang so far.
He was brilliant last season and was essentially undroppable for O’Neil, as he shone in a front three with Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto.
But his form has been nowhere near good enough, and then of course he picked up that injury which set him back.
| Hwang for Wolves last season | Hwang for Wolves so far this season |
| Appearances – 31 | Appearances – 11 |
| Goals – 13 | Goals – 0 |
| Assists – 3 | Assists – 0 |
Wolves need a lot more from their £14 million signing at the moment. Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen are scoring the bulk of the goals, but it’s important for other attacking players to contribute.
We know Hwang has goals in him, and he needs to rediscover his mojo.
Hwang was the subject of a transfer bid from Marseille in the summer and one wonders if that was something that played on his mind heading into the 2024/25 campaign.