Wolves step up search for new head coach - Liam Keen and Nathan Judah analysis
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00:00Hello, I'm Nathan Judah. I am here with Mr. Liam Keane. Liam, it's been a hot three
00:14hours since I saw you last at Shade Judah. Look, it's obviously a very difficult night
00:20for Wolves, a very difficult night for Gary O'Neill. We've kind of worked throughout
00:24the night and we have got some news, haven't we? Because on the back of that rizzle and
00:30of course the start of the season, things are starting to move and Wolves look like
00:36they could be set to replace Gary O'Neill sooner rather than later.
00:40Yeah, I think after a 4-0 loss to Everton, the manner of that loss in particular, which
00:44we can come back and discuss of course, is particularly prevalent in this case. Obviously
00:50the start of the season has been poor and that leaves Gary O'Neill in a position now
00:55where he is clinging on to his job this morning. The club, as we understand it, are sounding
01:01out potential replacements. They are doing their due diligence to see who would be the
01:07next person to take over as Wolves head coach if they make the decision to relieve Gary
01:13O'Neill of his duties. It is creeping closer towards him losing his job as it stands. That
01:21could be before Monday's game against West Ham. He could leave the club before that game.
01:29There is a press conference scheduled as it stands for this afternoon today for that game
01:35with Gary O'Neill as it stands taking that press conference. But he could also be given
01:40that game to avoid using an interim coach. I would imagine someone from further down
01:46the academy would step in with all of Gary O'Neill's coaches leaving with him if he was
01:50to leave before Monday's game. So to avoid using an interim coach he could be given Monday's
01:54game. Of course you then don't know if Wolves are going to get a good result. Things could
01:58change again and things can flip-flop quickly. But the feeling from last night from Compton
02:06was trending in the direction of Gary O'Neill being more likely to leave this club than
02:11steer it forward in the coming weeks and months.
02:14Yes, it's important to say Liam that on the back of this result last night, the developing
02:19story is that there has been movement from the hierarchy. There is active movement now
02:26to line up a replacement, find that replacement because things aren't working out. I think
02:33as we said in the analysis video last night, it's showing on the pitch now. The players,
02:40I don't want to say down tools last night, but at the same time it was anyone who was
02:45there, who was at Gunnarsson Park and bloody hell there were a lot of people there from
02:49a Wolves point of view who travelled to watch that. The dreadful showing is that a lot of
02:55these players had their heads down, they didn't want to know. It was the first time that we
02:59think that those players looked a little bit lost and didn't have the direction they
03:04needed and Wolves are looking to potentially move. This is serious now, Wolves 19th in
03:09the table and if they don't win the crucial games coming up against teams in and around
03:14them in that relegation zone, they could be cut adrift very, very quickly.
03:18Yes, spot on. I think from the club's point of view, from the hierarchy's point of view,
03:24there appears to be, to some extent, a loss of faith from the players. Gary O'Neill is
03:30still, as far as I'm aware, and has been for some time very fondly thought of by the players.
03:42They have a good relationship and I don't think they've turned on him, but losing faith
03:50in the methods, in the way that they are trying to get through and win games and get
03:55results because defensively, in particular, these last two games have been atrocious from
04:01Wolves' point of view. And we obviously highlighted some of the key important leaders that didn't
04:07step up last night at an opportunity at Goodison Park when they could have done so. That is
04:12the most alarming thing as well, I think, from the hierarchy's point of view and hence
04:17why they seem to be now moving very quickly to potentially replace Gary O'Neill. It becomes
04:23a difficult job for whoever comes in, but whoever does come in has to be pragmatic in
04:27ensuring that defence up.
04:28And in terms of replacements, Liam, what kind of names are we talking about here? What kind
04:34of names can Wolves fans expect? There's been a lot of conjecture, there's been a lot of
04:39thoughts from the fan base as to who should come in. It's never as easy as that of getting
04:46the number one target, but what are the realistic possibilities and what could we expect from
04:52Fosun's next hire if Gary O'Neill, of course, loses his job?
05:00I mean, it becomes more difficult to bring someone in based on the model that Wolves
05:05are using. This self-sustaining model of selling your best players, reinvesting and going again.
05:10It becomes sort of unattractive to certain levels of manager, hence why, and this is
05:18no disrespect to Gary O'Neill because he's a fantastic job in his first year at Wolves,
05:22hence why they had to bring in someone like Gary O'Neill, who was unproven, I suppose,
05:27at the time, having had a brief spell at Bournemouth. So Graham Potter is the number one
05:34choice, should be, based on his credentials, in my opinion. However, unfortunately for Wolves
05:42fans that would want Graham Potter to come in, it seems unlikely that he will take the
05:47role with exactly that self-sustaining model being the stumbling block for him.
05:54David Moyes is another name that fans have been speaking about, and it would be a similar
05:58situation for him. He becomes unlikely at this stage to take that job based on the movement
06:04and the promises that he would have in terms of leading the club moving forward in transfer
06:09windows. Things can change, of course, but as it stands, those two who are obviously
06:15big names at the top would be unlikely to take it at the moment, and that probably pushes
06:20Wolves in the direction of going for someone that perhaps we haven't heard of, perhaps
06:24we haven't spoken about, and perhaps the fans aren't thinking about. And that, again,
06:29makes it a particularly difficult decision to sack O'Neill in the first place, but to
06:33make a decision on who actually does come in, because you have to get that point right.
06:37If you don't, Wolves are in trouble.
06:40This is a developing situation. It's a fluid situation. Things could change in the next
06:45hours, minutes, but we will bring you all the latest as we are now at expressonstar.com.