Liam Keen comment: Fosun need Gary O'Neil to succeed at Wolves

LIAM KEEN takes a look at new boss Gary O’Neil – and previous Fosun appointments

Gary O’Neil is the sixth full-time managerial appointment of Fosun’s ownership – and Wolves need it to succeed more than ever.

Wolves have enjoyed incredible success under the Chinese conglomerate, with a Championship title, two seventh-placed top flight finishes, an FA Cup semi-final and a Europa League quarter-final – all achieved by a group of players and a manager in Nuno Espirito Santo who earned hero status in Wolverhampton.

However, when you consider the previous five Wolves managers Fosun have employed, their record reflects badly on them – and club chairman Jeff Shi.

Nuno was a tremendous success, but the overall managerial success rate leaves a lot to be desired.

Walter Zenga, Paul Lambert and Bruno Lage have all been failures.

Julen Lopetegui was a success at keeping Wolves up, but it ended in tears and turmoil.

Now, as the permanent full-time appointment of Fosun’s reign, O’Neil needs everything to fall into place, which is easier said than done.

Before passing judgment on O’Neil himself, it is important to see how he fares, but it is fair to question the vision Wolves now have. When Lopetegui originally turned down the job last autumn, Wolves turned to Michael Beale, in the hope that a bright, fresh and exciting up-and-coming British manager could work wonders with the team.

In the end, he also said no, before Lopetegui eventually had a change of heart. As Wolves now return to that progressive vision under O’Neil, it is important that the new head coach outlines what to expect from his side.

What he will have from the outset is a group of players who liked Lopetegui and will need winning over.

O’Neil did an excellent job with Bournemouth last season, but he does not arrive with the vast experience of the former Spain and Real Madrid boss.

Some players may need convincing and O’Neil will need to do that on the training field ahead of the opening game at Manchester United. But what can Wolves fans expect from the new man in the dugout?

“He is hardworking and meticulous in his preparation,” said Jack Tanner, sports reporter for the Bournemouth Echo.

“There was a real affection from his players towards him, and it always felt like he was their biggest fans as well.

“Especially at Cherries, when they had been written off before a ball had been kicked, written off again after losing 9-0 at Liverpool, and then deemed dead a third time when they fell into the bottom three in February, maintaining that belief in the dressing room was key.

“He was also a realist and a pragmatist, but how much of that was simply to keep Cherries in the Premier League is hard to tell. After safety was secured, he tried to test out some new ideas, but with little time until the start of the Premier League season it will probably be back to pragmatism with Wolves, at least at first.

“He frequently looked to set his team up in a way that looked to match opponents, for example switching to three at the back if the opposition played in that style.

“It wasn’t overly cautious, but Cherries looked to get lots of bodies in front of a shot – the most in Europe’s top-five leagues.