Gary O’Neil says players need to take responsibility after anger boils over at Molineux - ‘Catastrophic consequences’

Rayan Ait-Nouri was sent off late for Wolverhampton Wanderers and was involved in a touchline fracas as the home side lost late on to Ipswich Town in a Premier League relegation battle. The controversy betrays a tense atmosphere with the out-of-form side, and midfielder Tommy Doyle said after the defeat that there were clear problems, with the players needing to work out how to improve.

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has said that his side "need to keep control" after another full-time altercation broke out after their 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town. 

Rayan Ait-Nouri was sent off after Jack Taylor’s 94th minute winner, and that led to a fracas on the touchline with the Moroccan being held back, as he seemed to be restrained by team-mate Craig Dawson. Forward Matheus Cunha appeared to be caught in a scuffle with a member of Ipswich’s security team and their striker Liam Delap. 

The controversy came just days after Mario Lemina was replaced as captain by manager Gary O’Neil, after the Gabonese player apologised for a scuffle with Jarrod Bowen in their 2-1 defeat to West Ham.

Premier League

How to watch Forest v Arsenal on TNT Sports and discovery+

10/09/2025 at 16:42

Speculation is mounting on the chances of O’Neil being replaced at Molineux in the near future, and the defeat sees them in 19th spot in the league.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, O’Neil said that Ait-Nouri’s suspension could have "catastrophic consequences" and that the wing-back can expect to be "heavily punished". 

• How to watch Southampton v Spurs on TNT Sports and discovery+
• Werner performance 'wasn't acceptable' - Postecoglou

"When the players step out of line they are heavily punished by me," the former Bournemouth manager said. 

"Rayan will know how I feel already because getting a second yellow card and being unavailable for next week can have catastrophic consequences.

"However much stress we are under, we need to keep control. I didn't see what it was for.

"We deal with things like that very seriously as you saw last week [with Lemina losing the captaincy]. It's annoying. The players need to understand the importance of making good decisions under pressure. We have enough to do or enough to fix without dealing with this."

Asked about the nature of the goals that his side conceded, O’Neil said that his players were to blame having "decided to change roles late in the game". 

"The set play goal I will take responsibility for if the players are stood in the right place," he said. "For some reason two of them have decided to change roles late in the game.

"That is the players' decision making under stress. They will try to find fixes for things all the time but it was a poor decision."

The under-fire manager brushed off any speculation about his immediate future at Molineux, but acknowledged that the sack is a valid option when results "keep falling below the level".

‘Couldn’t have asked for more’ – Slot ‘very happy’ despite dropped points against Fulham

Video credit: SNTV

"You either find a way to be good enough or you get replaced," O’Neil said.

"That goes for me and the players. It's the nature of the business. It's a very competitive industry. Change will come if you constantly keep falling below the level.

"I'm not interested in my own position. I know the work I do every day and I know the situation we are in.I know getting this group to perform the way they did took a lot of work. People can point the finger at me but some of the responsibility has to land on the players.

"I'm comfortable with myself as a coach, my standards and what I ask of the group. I also embrace this difficult moment. That group downstairs needs me this week to help get them into a place where they are ready to go. I will keep fighting for them and with them until I'm told not to.

"It doesn't mean I don't think I'm going to get sacked. For every [poor] result which comes the chances of me losing my job heightens. It doesn't concern me, the situation drives me to want to do better."

'THE DRESSING ROOM IS A DIFFICULT PLACE TO BE' - DOYLE

Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle said the "dressing room is a difficult place to be" after tempers boiled over again after the defeat to Ipswich.

Speaking to Premier League Productions, Doyle did not deny there were obvious problems, saying: "I can stand here and say we deserved more, but we have some issues we have got to sort out. It has to be improved, and we will give 110 percent but it has to be better than that.

"The be all and end all is that we are not winning football matches. It is difficult for me to stand here and put a finger on it. Hopefully, tonight the fans will see the effort was there.

"It has to be better and we understand that. But yeah, it is another defeat which is not good enough, and we apologise to the fans for that."

Referring to stress felt by the players, he continued: "The dressing room is a difficult place to be at this moment in time. We have to be honest with each other and figure out ourselves why we aren't getting three points. Honest conversations need to happen. Our mood is reflected by if we win or not and when we aren't doing that, it is difficult. We have got to be a lot better. A lot better.

"I want the fans to know that we will give 100 percent every single day to try and put this right for them."

---

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

Premier League

Man Utd complete signing of teenager Leon from Cerro Porteno

05/07/2025 at 12:03

Premier League

Leverkusen sign Quansah from Premier League champions Liverpool

02/07/2025 at 11:10