BBC NEWS: ‘Context helps to understand’ – Gary O’Neil finds Wolves support from surprising source.

Wolverhampton Wanderers should continue with Gary O’Neil for the time being, given the circumstances.

ESPN Brasil blogger Mário Marra says O’Neil deserves more time to improve his performance at Molineux.

Wolves are now 20th in the Premier League, having suffered seven losses in eight games and earning only one point from a draw with Nottingham Forest in late August.

They have had a chastening start to the season, with a poor summer and major injuries to players such as Yerson Mosquera leaving them looking undermanned.

The heat is already on O’Neil, whose decision to move to a back four from a previously successful back three has been heavily criticised.

O’Neil is now seen as the third most likely to be fired, after only Southampton’s Russell Martin and Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag, although Marra feels this is incorrect.

He contends that ‘context helps to grasp’ the scenario and is essential in any evaluation of Wolves. Anything else is’more like something based on emotion’ than on facts.

Mara reminds out that O’Neil’s best defender, Max Kilman, has left, and Mosquera has suffered a significant knee injury. The Colombian was believed to be the top choice to replace Kilman.

That’s significant because O’Neil’s club had a quality back three full of alternatives last season but is now left with Craig Dawson, Santiago Bueno, and Toti Gomes. Alfie Pond, a youngster, has also been placed on the bench.

Marra also believes the Wolves board overstepped its bounds in deciding to fire Jack Wilson. He was someone O’Neil intended to sign from Manchester City to help with set pieces, but he has been blamed for the team’s set piece deficiencies this season.

That move’may shatter confidence’ for the remainder of the season and draws focus away from the reality that Wolves have lost key players such as Kilman and Pedro Neto without replacing them.

With that setting, it appears that O’Neil is operating in an unfair scenario, and, according to Marra, the solution’still resides with Gary O’Neil’.

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