Has Gary O’Neil’s Work at Wolves Gone Under the Radar This Season?
Gary O’Neil was appointed head coach of English Premier League (EPL) side Wolves in August 2023. Since signing a three-year deal, Wolves have played 24 league games and are currently sitting in 11th place.
Here is a closer look at O’Neil’s work so far at Wolves, which has largely gone under the radar but has also been praised by critics, fans, and other managers.
Has Gary O’Neil’s work at Wolves gone under the radar?
Gary O’Neil played in over 540 professional football matches, 214 of which were in the English Premier League. He had a successful career as a football player and had spells with several clubs between 2003 and 2016.
He fitted well into each team he played for, and although he has a modest legion of fans who fondly remember him playing for Norwich City, West Ham United, Middlesbrough, and Portsmouth, his career as a player largely went under the radar.
After spending time as an assistant manager for Liverpool U23s, he went on to join Bournemouth in the role of first-team coach in February 2021.
They were in the Championship at the time, and he was part of the staff under Scott Parker that helped them get promoted to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season.
Parker was eventually sacked, and O’Neill took over the reins as caretaker manager in late August 2022, helping AFC Bournemouth avoid the relegation drop at the end of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign. He remained in charge until June 2023, when Bournemouth released O’Neil and hired former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola.
He went on to join Wolves and had just four days to prepare for the new season. Since then, Wolves have played 58 games, and in that time as the Wolves manager, he has won 19 games, drawn 11, lost 28, scored 72 goals, and conceded 94.
These stats may not sound too impressive, but when you consider that they are currently 11th in the league, most will say he is doing a very good job and that his hard work has gone under the radar, just like much of his time as a player.
Is there a chance that Wolves will get relegated this year?
To find out if Wolves can get relegated this year, the best thing to do would be to keep an eye on the live odds on reputable iGaming sites like Unibet. This globally renowned online bookmaker is known for having some of the most competitive EPL odds.
For example, right now, the chances of Wolves getting relegated are around 100/1 in the fractional odds format, which is the same as saying +10,000 in the American/moneyline odds format and 101.00 in the decimal odds format.
Another way of looking at it with these odds is that Wolves only have a 1.00% implied probability rate of getting relegated at the end of the current 2023/24 campaign, which will bring a smile to Wolves fans.
Can Wolves win the Premier League with Gary O’Neil in charge?
Again, the best thing to do would be to look at the latest odds to find out their chances of winning the league. Based on the latest odds, it’s currently not looking great for Wolves to win the league outright. A much safer bet would be for them to finish in the top 6 or top 10.
Let’s take a closer look at the latest odds for these three markets:
- Bet type: Wolves to win the 2023/24 EPL outright – Fractional odds: 2500/1. Decimal odds: 2,501.00. American/moneyline odds: +250,000. Implied probability rate (IPR): 0.00%
- Bet type: Wolves to finish in the top 6 – Fractional odds: 66/1. Decimal odds: 67.00. American/moneyline odds: +6,600. Implied probability rate (IPR): 1.50%
- Bet type: Wolves to finish in the top 10 – Fractional odds: 2/1. Decimal odds: 3.00. American/moneyline odds: +200. Implied probability rate (IPR): 33.30%
In other words, a more sensible wager would be for Wolves to secure a top 10 finish. However, try to remember that sports betting odds are subject to change at any time and that no bets are guaranteed. Wolves may not win the league this year, but they should also avoid getting relegated to the Championship.
Final thoughts
For Gary O’Neil’s hard work to appear on everyone’s radar, he will have to do more than just secure them a mid-table finish. He would have to finish in the top five and qualify for a European competition, such as the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Europa Conference League.
If he could finish in the top 6 and then win one of these European tournaments as the Wolves manager, even the harshest critics would have to admire his achievements.
How far he can take his current team remains to be seen, and it will be interesting to keep a close eye on his progress as a manager. Wolves still have 14 league games left to play, so we’ll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.
