Liam Keen comment: A year on and the wolf pack is happy and united

As well as working on tactics and fitness, every head coach strives for harmony among their group and for players and staff to be working towards the same goal.

Gary O’Neil and his coaches were not afforded the luxury of a pre-season camp last summer, as they arrived just four days before the start of the campaign, yet they still achieved many impressive feats.

Now, in O’Neil’s first pre-season at Wolves, the difference in the atmosphere among the group in comparison to last summer is night and day.

In Portugal and Ireland last summer, Julen Lopetegui’s pre-season was a disaster in many ways.

The demand for player sales was hanging over Wolves, several players wanted to leave and Lopetegui could not hide his frustration as the summer rumbled on – before eventually quitting.

The pre-season interview with Spanish journalist Guillem Balague was unsanctioned and unruly. Frankly, the situation was out of control and it was evident during the camp.

The atmosphere around the group was toxic and uncomfortable, but the writing was also on the wall.

Joao Moutinho was frozen out by Lopetegui at the end of the previous season and did not even turn up at Molineux for his final home game, while Raul Jimenez was denied a chance to say goodbye on the pitch when Lopetegui refused to bring him on.

Jimenez stormed off during the game at the time. Both players then left Wolves last summer.

The contrast to this summer is stark. Wolves are not forced into sales and have also signed three players.

The ambitious new faces combined with the culture O’Neil and his coaches have created has resulted in the harmonious group every coach wants.

In an interview with the Express & Star in Marbella this week, defender Hugo Bueno summed it up in one sentence, saying: “All the players are 100 per cent with the plan and with the coach.”

That atmosphere, culture and togetherness did not come overnight. Wolves had to work on it and they have now got to a place they want to maintain and develop.

“It’s been really important,” assistant head coach Tim Jenkins told the Express & Star.

“A real focus when we first came in was to try and bring everyone together, a combination of the playing group and staff, to feel like they were pulling in the same direction.

“We worked hard on that. A lot of thought and care went into that process.

“Helping to bring a group of players together, particularly with what had happened previously, we worked hard to get that right.

“We’re pleased with where it is and obviously it needs to continue to grow.

“You can see it quite clearly now with the boys who are coming into it new, whether they’ve been on a loan or are a new signing, you feel the basis of everything is there now.

“They’re adapting to that rather than it being something collective without any direction. That’s been pleasing to see.

“It’s taken some time to get there but it feels more like our group now.”

O’Neil is taking no prisoners either. If you are not on board, you are out and the omission of certain players this week proves that.

Training in Marbella this week has showcased a happy and united squad who are ready to work hard at the right times but also have fun with the process.

At the end of yesterday’s session, O’Neil refereed seven-a-side games and the players’ competitiveness shone through before a penalty shoot-out.

The players seem happy and although it is impossible to achieve a 100 per cent satisfaction rate – as there will always be one player wanting a loan or unhappy with game time – O’Neil has been able to move this club forward.