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Gary O’Neil takes responsibility for ‘worst’ Wolves performance after 5-3 defeat to Brentford

Gary O’Neil takes responsibility for the ‘worst’ Wolves performance of his tenure after suffering a 5-3 defeat to Brentford.

Nathan Collins put the Bees ahead in the second minute, Matheus Cunha equalised two minutes later.

Bryan Mbeumo scored from the penalty spot before Wolves levelled through Jorgen Strand Larsen, only for Christian Norgaard to restore Brentford’s lead just before the half hour mark.

Ethan Pinnock made it four as the first half came to an end. The tempo in the second eased. Fabio Carvalho got Brentford’s fifth on 90 minutes, and Ait Nouri getting Wolves’ third on 93 minutes.

The result means that Wolves stay bottom of the Premier League table, 1 point from 7 games played (W0 D1 L6 GF0 GA21, and are winless along with Southampton, Crystal Palace and Ipswich.

Some of those in the away end took aim at O’Neil during the second half and after the final whistle by booing, while also chanting “you don’t know what you’re doing” at one of his substitutions. Others hit out at the owners, singing “We want Fosun out”.

Gary O’Neil took full responsibility for Wolves’ poor defensive display. On defensive lapses against Brentford, he said, per the club website: “We were too open. Miles too open. We lost structure, lost shape when we had the ball, and we’re just too open, and we weren’t able to defend transition. There were some crazy, crazy moments for their goals and it was a real poor display.

“It was disastrous. A terrible performance. We didn’t play anything like us, not in shape, so open, so a lot to consider. Off the back of the other performances where I thought we were close, this shows me that we’re not where I thought we were and things need to change.”

On conceding straight after getting level: “They’re terrible goals, with bad decisions, bad positioning and so much wrong with them. Players of course make mistakes, but I need to find a way to put them in positions where they make more good decisions and less mistakes.

“We get into the game because we’re open and we lose control of the shape of the team. Then when you think we’re going to get in at half time, we’re going to be able to get hold of them. We then concede a fourth right on the stroke of half time, and it makes the game really difficult from there.

“But it was a really poor display and something that I now have a couple of weeks to digest and have a look at what we can do with this group to make sure that we’re more competitive than we were today.”

On a possible switch to a back five: “Back fives have obviously been discussed. It would mean every centre back at the football club playing, so we’d have no defenders on the bench, but we discuss it all the time.

“It’s never that we’re set on a four, but there is potential to play all three centre-backs.”

On the game not going to plan: “I’ve never seen us that far away from the game plan before. Whether the early goal – which we discussed – rocked us, but whatever it is, it’s not acceptable for that to be the level of performance.

“I’ve spoken in previous weeks around the level that we managed to reach against top sides in the league, but that today gives you no chance of winning a game if you go out and you give Brentford five goals – you have absolutely no chance. It was really poor, and a lot of work to be done together.

“Myself, the group, we’ve been trying to put things together in a way that we thought would help the group perform, but today is probably first evidence that it needs a rethink.”

On the reaction from the away support: “I would expect scrutiny. I understand how the supporters feel fully. I understand their frustrations. I’m absolutely furious but if I was a supporter and my team produced that, then I would be really disappointed as well.

“But they’ll get every everything I can give for the whole time that I’m here. I have no problem at all with their reaction to our performance because I agree with them. My feelings towards the fans will never, ever change because they’ve given us so much.

“But now we need to show that we’re going to fight and we’re going to put it right. At this moment in time, we’re seven games in, and we’re in the relegation zone, we’re bottom of the league, so you would expect the supporters of this club to be disappointed with that – as am I.

“As I say, we’ll get to work collectively, and I’m always willing to accept full responsibility for what was produced today. It lands on my shoulders. There are no excuses – we have to do better.”

He said to Sky Sports: “I didn’t hear all of the reactions so it’s difficult for me to comment on all of them. The reaction at the end, I fully understand. I’m absolutely devastated with the way the team performed today.

“There was no structure, complete loss of control as to what the team were meant to do and where the team were meant to be. The worst performance I’ve seen from the group since I’ve been here.

“Just far too open, no real understanding and gave ourselves no opportunity in the game at all because of the level of defensive shape and structure. Even when we had the ball, we were all over the place, so then transitions were a big problem to us.

“I look squarely at myself this afternoon around ‘can we give this group something that they can follow better than they did today?’ Because obviously the proof there today is that they weren’t able to carry out what we needed to. There needs to be a rethink around how we go about things.

“There were some crazy decisions made in some of the goals. But the fact that the players are making mistakes means there’s a disconnect somewhere in understanding of what’s being asked or where they need to be. The mistakes in the end are my responsibility.”

Brentford manager Thomas Frank, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “We’ve been practising winning the coin toss all week, and we lost it. That’s why it took us so long [to score].

“AIl jokes aside, we want to get forward as quickly as possible and put crosses into the box. After they made it 2-2, we scored 32 seconds after the kick-off.

“Offensively – wow! Unbelievable. We seemed to create a chance every time we went forward, and we were such a threat from set pieces. Defensively, I’m mostly angry about the first goal. The second one, we lost the ball – it was quite good play from them. For their third goal we could have done better.

“We gave less away compared to the West Ham game, but we still need to improve.”

Here’s how fans reacted as Gary O’Neil takes responsibility for the ‘worst’ Wolves performance after a 5-3 defeat to Brentford…

@MrLiamWillis: We’ve had a tough run of fixtures granted but the performance has warranted the league position no matter the opposition. Outplayed, out classed and out of depth

@CharlieWWFC37: Yeah Gary, Fosun, Hobbs. We’ve had enough.

@Rob_wwfc: Jeff Shi had a dream, to destroy a football team. We sold our good players so we had to sign some on loan. Good in attack but shit at the back. We Wolverhampton & were fucking crap.

@PortuWolves: He’s gotta go. Thanks for the first half of last season, Gary.

@Janderson1394: thanks for Albion Gary but 1 win since February is absolutely pathetic, time to go

@Darren22_WWFC: Sack tonight not tomorrow not Monday. Tonight.

@oliviashley: if you just hadn’t conceded 5 goals we could’ve won!

@LukeBowdler: £800 a season for the worst defence in English football. Get him gone. Fuck Shi off.

@RetaylRobert: Since the 25th February we have achieved 9pts from a possible 57. That equates to 18 pts from a full season. It’s not just about a tough fixture list for the start of this season. There’s a root & branch problem at this club.

@BC1877: Love Wolves hate Fosun. Gary out 🙏

@Gman2307: Absolute shambles of a defensive display. 21 goals conceded this season is not acceptable. Only positive is we scored three but this is not not good enough. Period.

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