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“It’s completely absurd; I honestly don’t care about my own position,” Gary O’Neil responds after the controversial post-match incident, sharply criticizing his Wolves players following their loss to Ipswich as the threat of relegation intensifies.
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has dismissed speculation regarding his future after a last-minute loss to Ipswich, placing the blame squarely on his players and pledging to hold them accountable.
A stoppage-time goal by Jack Taylor handed Wolves a 2-1 defeat at home, marking their fourth consecutive loss. Defensive mistakes were glaring, with Matt Doherty scoring an early own goal and allowing Taylor to convert from a corner in the dying seconds. Although Matheus Cunha equalized, tensions escalated after the match, with Rayan Ait-Nouri receiving a second yellow card and Cunha needing to be restrained. This followed similar post-match incidents, including Mario Lemina being held back after a loss to West Ham.
O’Neil responded: “When players step out of line, I heavily punish them. I haven’t seen it yet, but Rayan knows how I feel—getting a second yellow card and being unavailable for next week’s game could have serious consequences.” He added, “Regardless of the stress and pressure we’re under, we must maintain control. We saw a lapse when we went down to 10 men and our central midfielder pressed Ipswich’s goalkeeper. It was an absurd decision. Then, with 30 seconds left, two players swapped positions to defend a corner. They need to make better decisions.”
When asked about his own future, O’Neil said, “I’m not concerned about my position. I know the work I do every day and understand the situation we’re in. Getting the team to perform like they did today took significant effort. People can point fingers at me, but the players must take responsibility in crucial moments. When we make simple mistakes like sending the ball out of play, I can’t help with that. It’s the Premier League—come on, guys.”
He continued, “I’m confident in my coaching and the standards I set. I’ll continue fighting for this team. As long as I’m needed, I’m here. If results don’t improve, my job may be at risk, but that doesn’t concern me. It drives me to improve and get more out of the group.”
O’Neil didn’t hold back in his assessment of the defeat: “The first goal was unacceptable for Premier League football. Liam Delap might have scored that goal in youth football, but not at this level. We’re struggling with physicality in key areas, both in defending and dealing with powerful opponents.”
He added, “The harsh reality is that when we’re close to our best, we still fail to win games we should easily dominate due to basic defensive mistakes. We need to be honest about where we are—either you improve or you’re replaced. That goes for me and the players. It’s a competitive industry, and change will come if performance levels don’t rise.”
Ait-Nouri’s booking in the first half already ruled him out of next week’s trip to Leicester. Ipswich’s Liam Delap also received a booking after the whistle, which will see him miss the Newcastle game next week due to his fifth card of the season.
Ipswich, who have experienced several late defeats this season, were delighted to secure a last-minute win. Manager Kieran McKenna said, “It’s fantastic, of course. We’ve had our fair share of late defeats, but we’ve had plenty of positive moments in recent years as well. We’re a competitive team, and every match is decided by fine margins. We’ve worked hard on the details that turned the tide in our favor today.”
