'Unbelievable' - Wolves defender honestly wades in on Gary O'Neil sacking debate

Wolverhampton Wanderers would be worse off without O’Neil as manager according to Old Gold right-back Doherty.

The Republic of Ireland international is unsure why the results aren’t coming for Wolves as he believes O’Neil is an ‘unbelievable’ coach who deserves better. Doherty reckons that opinion is shared by all of his teammates too, even with Wanderers four points deep in the relegation zone.

“He’s a great coach, unbelievable on the training pitch all week,” Doherty told Sky Sports after the 2-1 defeat away at West Ham United.

“For whatever reason it’s not resulting in results. I think you can ask all the players, they wouldn’t have a negative to say about him. We’re disappointed for ourselves, our fans. There’s a lot of outside noise but we’re disappointed for him,” Doherty said.

There was a lot of talk before the West Ham trip that a defeat would end in O’Neil’s dismissal but the head coach looks set to remain in charge for this Saturday’s hosting of Ipswich Town. It’s the first of back-to-back relegation six-pointers as Wolves then head away to the rejuvenated Leicester City.

If O’Neil doesn’t lead his team to wins in both of those fixtures, the writing is probably on the wall regardless of what Doherty and the rest of the players think. It’s a great shame as the manager hasn’t exactly been dealt the best cards - especially in the transfer market - but it’s ultimately a results business.

Looking ahead to the Ipswich game, O’Neil said: “I hope the supporters are still proud of what they see from the players because they want to win football matches and get out of the position we’re in.

“They won’t hate it any more than me, I’m right there with them if they know it or not in this moment. We won’t give up, we’ll keep pushing and get to work for a big game against Ipswich.”