Wolves first-team coach Ian Burchnall has been dishing the dirt on Gary O’Neil, and revealed something that shows just how serious a coach he is.
It has been a great start for O’Neil at Molineux since he came in as Julen Lopetegui’s replacement just days before the new season.
Many expected him and Wolves to really struggle in the early stages of the season given the chaos of Lopetegui leaving and the financial situation.
But he’s pulled some really good results out of the bag, and has got the team playing some cracking football and it’s been clear to see that the players all respect him.
The fans are very much behind him now having been initially skeptical.
He clearly works extremely hard, and Wolves coach Ian Burchnall has been speaking about the way O’Neil strives for perfection…
What Gary O’Neil sometimes does even if Wolves have won
Burchnall has given an interview with The Athletic about what it’s like working under O’Neil.
He admits it has been a seamless transition for him personally, after coming in as the final member of his backroom staff. Wolves had initially wanted to headhunt Mark Robson from West Ham United, but they were unsuccessful and Burchnall then took the vacancy.
Burchnall has thoroughly enjoyed his time at the club so far, and has been really impressed with O’Neil’s style of management, which can sometimes be obsessive.
He said: “What stands out to you first of all is that the gaffer is just a great guy. Coming in every day to the office environment that we’ve got feels good and positive.
“He’s a really good human, then the depth of detail and intensity in his work is like nothing I’ve seen before and to work under that is challenging.”
Burchnall also revealed that O’Neil sometimes hits up his coaches as late as midnight asking them to brush up on Wolves’ next opponent – even if Wolves have just won
“It demands every day that you’re on it but I enjoy that, he added. “We’ll spend an evening together while we’re staying up here and that can easily reach 11pm.
“And then he’ll say, ‘Right, shall we watch another Fulham game?’. My eyes might be closing, but I’ll say, ‘OK, yeah!’.
“We’ll win a game and by midnight he might have sent out a text asking us to have a look at the build-up of whoever we’re playing next.”
O’Neil work ethic can get Wolves back to where they need to be
It is fascinating to read such comments from Burchnall about O’Neil, who is clearly a seriously hard worker and someone who’s obsessed with preparation.
It is seemingly not lost on him that he is at a huge club in the Premier League and he wants to succeed.
There are going to be bumps in the road but somehow it feels Wolves are now back on the path they need to be. O’Neil has proven he is tactically astute and with a little backing – he reportedly wants a wide player and a central striker – he could really get this team to fly.
Wolves were amazing in their first two seasons back in the Premier League and there is potential here for O’Neil to restore the good times at Molineux.