OLD ALLEGIANCES will be set aside this Saturday when former Cherries manager Gary O’Neil visits Vitality Stadium with Wolves, according to veteran Adam Smiths, who claims “there won’t be any friends.”
Wolves visit town on Saturday (3pm), with O’Neil’s replacement, Andoni Iraola, looking for the Cherries’ first Premier League victory in the ninth attempt.
O’Neil, who took over as caretaker manager before being promoted permanently, led Cherries to Premier League survival last season in his first stint as a head coach.
Despite securing a second season in the top tier, O’Neil was fired in June as Cherries sought to introduce a new style of play under Basque manager Andoni Iraola.
O’Neil was given another chance in the Premier League on the eve of the season, becoming Wolverhampton Wanderers manager on a three-year agreement following the surprising departure of Julien Lopetegui only five days before Wolves’ season opener away at Manchester United.
Veteran Smith has already described O’Neil’s work last term as “one of the biggest achievements” at Cherries.
Last season, Smith played 35 times for O’Neil and was given the captain’s armband 14 times while acting as vice-captain.
Even though the former head coach was popular in the dressing room, the 32-year-old stressed that there would be no sentiment expressed on the pitch, with Cherries fully focused on securing their first league victory of the season.
Speaking to the Daily Echo, Smith shared: “He’s done well with us, and the lads got along well with him.
“But on the game against Wolves there’s not going to be any friends or anything like that.
“So we’re there to win the game.
“That’s what we have to focus on.”
During his time in charge of Cherries, O’Neil developed a pragmatic and adaptable approach to management, often altering his starting line-up to counteract opposition tactics.
At Wolves he has replicated a similar style, recording a famous 2-1 win over reigning Champions Manchester City in September.
At Wolves he has replicated a similar style, recording a famous 2-1 win over reigning Champions Manchester City in September.
After eight games, Wolves are five places and five points above Cherries in the league table, the Midlands outfit currently sat in 14th with eight points.
Asked if Cherries would have an idea of how O’Neil will set Wolves up, Smith responded: “Yeah, roughly, but he can change certain things.
“So we don’t really look too much into that.
“Just try and focus on our own tactical side.
“Hopefully we can train hard these next few weeks and get a few results.
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