Gary O'Neil fronts media ahead of West Ham clash - Liam Keen and Nathan Judah analysis - video Dailymotion

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Gary O'Neil fronts media ahead of West Ham clash - Liam Keen and Nathan Judah analysis

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00:00Hello, I'm Nathan Judah, I'm here with Wolves supporters, Mr Liam Keane, it's very dark,

00:13very dreary and that's not just outside Compton Park, it's inside as well.

00:18Bizarrely after last night, only a few hours after last night's defeat, we're back with

00:22a pre-match press conference for the West Ham United game.

00:26I don't think if Gary O'Neill and Wolves had the chance to change, I'm sure they would do,

00:30but this was the, they have to do it, it's obligatory.

00:35We knew what to expect from Gary O'Neill, he fronted up to the media,

00:38fronted up to a lot of questions, almost half an hour in there,

00:41Liam, and more of the same, look, he says that he's going to prepare the boys

00:46for Monday night so they'll be in the best possible position.

00:48He knows that they're in dire straits, he knows he needs to turn it around,

00:51but he reiterates that he is the best man for this job.

00:55Yes, absolutely. The first thing I want to say, I don't know whether this will go down particularly

01:00well with people watching and reading and listening, but Gary O'Neill deserves a lot

01:07of credit for the way he just took on these guys, I think, because his position's clearly

01:12under threat. We don't know yet whether he's going to be taking the West Ham game for certain,

01:17there's obviously suggestions that he may not, he says he will,

01:24as far as he's aware at the moment, he says he hasn't spoken to the hierarchy,

01:26but to have some bottle about you come in front of a lot of difficult questions

01:32and deal with it with, I think, a lot of grace and a lot of charm, I think it's really quite

01:36impressive. Now, fans won't like that, fans will want him out of the club, I think that's

01:40important for me to say, first of all. Secondly, it is a remarkably difficult position for him,

01:45because he's still training today. As far as we're aware at the moment, he is taking training

01:49going forward over the next couple of days, but there is a possibility that could change.

01:54We know that Wolves are looking at potential successors, they will be considering their

01:59options. He could still get the West Ham game, and that becomes a big game in the sack race,

02:03really, Velocity, Yand, O'Neill, but what Wolves have been left in is limbo. Whether he is here or

02:10not, short-term or long-term, Wolves need some stability, and they need that on the pitch as

02:14well as off it. It does feel, watching that press conference, watching how Gary O'Neill spoke,

02:20and he will always back himself, he'll always back his ability, and he's never,

02:24ever said that he wouldn't, you know, I think he's very strong on that, but we do get the

02:29impression, and like you say, with the story that broke this morning about the future, about him

02:34sounding out candidates, it does feel like it's when and not if, when Gary O'Neill will be let go.

02:41Yeah, yeah, it is starting to feel that way. I think, you know, he was asked directly about that,

02:46and I think he's quite keen to try and push the narrative away from him and focus on the

02:49players and what they can do, understandably so. He doesn't want to dig the players out,

02:54but it is, look, seeming to trend in that direction. Now, look, as we've made clear in

02:58our video this morning, as we've made clear in the story that we broke this morning,

03:03Gary O'Neill could still be in charge of West Ham. Now, let's speak hypotheticals for a second.

03:07If West Ham goes remarkably well, considering the last two results and performances, who knows,

03:14perhaps he's here for Ipswich, perhaps he's here for Leicester, but it feels like now that a lot

03:19would have to change for that to happen. It feels like something's got to give. It feels like

03:23something's got to give. Actually, sorry to cut you off, he did speak about that in the press

03:27conference, talking about things that, you know, you either stick with what you're doing and improve

03:34a lot, a hell of a lot, or you make a drastic change. He was talking about the team at that

03:39point, but I think it's actually a phrase that you can use really for Wolves as a whole, about

03:43Gary, about his future. Wolves have got, you know, a big decision to make and it will depend

03:50a lot on the next couple of days, particularly with how available certain candidates' names

03:57are, some that we're not aware of, how available they are. Yeah, Wolves have got a big decision to

04:03make. And look, like you say, Gary O'Neill could go to West Ham Monday night, they could win, but

04:09you do feel like the decision has been taken out of his hands with the manner of the defeat last

04:14night, with the way the players were, and you can look at the analysis video less than 12 hours ago,

04:18you can watch the video we did this morning about the candidates, but those players for the first

04:23time looked like they weren't playing for this manager, and I think that is what will change

04:28the hierarchy today to potentially make a decision whether that be before the West Ham game or after

04:32the game. I would say personally, watching that press conference, that regardless of the result

04:37that they will get at West Ham, whether Gary O'Neill is in charge or not, it looks like they're not making a change.

04:42Judging by Gary O'Neill's demeanour, I feel like he thinks that will happen too. Yeah, I think you're

04:48probably right. He's got a great relationship with the players, he says that publicly, I've got no reason

04:53to suggest otherwise. I've spoken to plenty of people and you'll always get different accounts,

05:01but for the majority, I've been told he's got a very good relationship with the players,

05:04but when things aren't working, the players will become frustrated, disillusioned, and that was

05:10the most alarming thing, as you say, worrying thing about last night is the manner in which

05:14Wolves lost that game, so it becomes a really difficult line to tread, doesn't it?

05:21I think Gary O'Neill will go and have a good career, I swear, if he isn't now at Wolves,

05:25it's a shame that a manager who came in at four days' notice is potentially going to end it like this,

05:29but I think if he does leave and it ends the way that we perhaps are expecting it to,

05:36I do think he can leave with a little bit of credit and his head held high in some regards.

05:39There's been mistakes made, he's, you know, I think disappointed at times with some decisions

05:46this season, but he's had himself a really sort of good grace, as I said earlier in this video,

05:54and that's going to be important moving forward, and in hindsight, I hope fans can appreciate that.

05:58But, you know, he's always been fair, he's always been accountable as well, and he said,

06:01look, the book stops with him, regardless, you know, he gets paid very well to do this job,

06:04and he understands the consequences when Wolves are 19th in the table, and look like they are

06:08slap bang in the middle of a relegation battle, and let's be honest, watching from last night,

06:12that they're a relegation candidate, a big relegation candidate, and at this moment in

06:16time something needs to change, and it could be Gary O'Neill. This situation is very fluid,

06:20it will change very quickly throughout the next hours, days, maybe even minutes,

06:24and we'll be there to bring you it all on ExpressAndStart.com.

Gary O'Neil fronts media ahead of West Ham clash - Liam Keen and Nathan Judah analysis

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