Gary O'Neil guarding against complacency with message to Wolves fans
Gary O’Neil insists Wolves can not yet call themselves a success this season – but the head coach has encouraged fans to keep dreaming.
Despite being one of the favourites for relegation after a tumultuous summer, O’Neil has guided Wolves to a remarkable campaign where the club are fighting for a European spot and are in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
But the head coach is eager not to get carried away and says Wolves are still to achieve something this campaign.
“It’s dangerous to call us a success at this moment, there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.
“We have done OK so far and have worked very hard at it.
“The club worked very hard to make sure in the summer we were OK financially but still had a fighting chance.
“But there is still a lot of work to do and it will be as difficult as it has been – even more difficult as the players start to get more tired as the season goes on and you’re more likely to pick up injuries.
“I am really keen on people not calling us a success.
“We haven’t done anything at this moment, so we have to keep pushing. We’re in a good spot but it only becomes a success if we can maintain it.”
However, O’Neil is happy to see fans get excited about Wolves’ prospects this season, with some important weeks coming up that will determine their campaign.
“Losing to Man United after fighting back means you can lose the momentum – and that came from not setting up properly at a throw in,” O’Neil added.
“Then you’re getting the lads to believe that being ‘perfect’ is worth it. That includes getting your recovery right after playing on a Saturday when you’ve had a Wednesday game.
“The impact of a small error or a piece of brilliance can be huge over the season.
“The players know you can lose any Premier League game if you don’t reach your levels, you have to keep going every single day.
“If we’re at 100 per cent, then we drop to 96 per cent, then we could lose every game between now and the end of the season. We have to keep pushing.
“But I’m definitely not trying to dampen everyone’s enthusiasm outside of here.
“I love that the fans are delaying booking their holidays until after the FA Cup final – I love they’re checking where their passports are.
“Carry on doing that, if you are then it means we’re still doing well .
“They can keep dreaming, we’ll see what we can achieve.”
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