Gary O'Neil: Bournemouth sack head coach less than seven months after permanent appointment - BBC Sport
Close menu

Gary O'Neil: Bournemouth sack head coach less than seven months after permanent appointment

Last updated on .From the section Bournemouthcomments1010

Gary O'Neil
O'Neil became Bournemouth's permanent manager on a one-and-a-half year contract in November 2022, with the option to extended by 12 months

Bournemouth have sacked Gary O'Neil less than seven months after he was appointed as the club's permanent manager.

The 40-year-old took charge as interim boss after Scott Parker was sacked in August, then was appointed on a permanent basis in November.

O'Neil won 10 of his 34 Premier League games in charge last season, guiding Bournemouth to a 15th-placed finish.

"This has been a difficult decision," Bournemouth owner Bill Foley said.

"It has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.

"Gary will go on to have a long career as a head coach or manager, but we feel that, at this moment in time, a change is in the best interests of this football club."

Bournemouth have said they will announce O'Neil's successor "imminently".

O'Neil took the helm at Vitality Stadium after Parker was sacked following a 9-0 hammering by Liverpool - the joint biggest defeat in Premier League history.

It was the club's third successive defeat, but O'Neil went unbeaten in his first six games in charge.

He earned 13 points from 11 top-flight games in interim charge and signed a one-and-a-half year contract with the option of a 12-month extension when he was made the club's permanent manager during the Premier League's mid-season break for the World Cup.

That was before a partnership led by American businessman Foley completed its takeover of Bournemouth in December.

It was O'Neil's first managerial position after assistant coaching roles with Liverpool Under-23s and with Bournemouth from February 2021 when the club was in the Championship.

In the 23 Premier League games following the World Cup break, O'Neil's Bournemouth lost 14 and won seven, including a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in March and a 3-2 away win against Tottenham in April.

Foley said Bournemouth had identified "a number of significant targets in the transfer market" and O'Neil's departure would provide the club with "the best platform from which to build".

Former Bournemouth player and manager John Williams told BBC Radio Solent he was "totally shocked" by the decision.

"I thought the Cherries were moving along nicely and building for the pre-season coming up," Williams said.

"The first thing that springs to mind is, they must have someone lined up.

"Without a doubt Gary O'Neil will feel hard done by. I doubt he will be out of work for long."

How to follow Bournemouth on the BBC bannerBournemouth banner footer

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

1010 comments

  • Comment posted by TheHappyCanary, at 12:45 19 Jun 2023

    Well, that's everyone hoping Bournemouth get relegated then.

    Manager of the year material with where they were when he took over!

    Madness

    • Reply posted by JuliusCaesarWasASocialist, at 12:51 19 Jun 2023

      JuliusCaesarWasASocialist replied:
      Don't speak before you know the whole story.

      Something could have happened behind the scenes

  • Comment posted by Humph, at 12:45 19 Jun 2023

    He kept up a team that their ex-manager Scott Parker dismissed as not good enough for the Premier League, and that’s the thanks he gets.

    • Reply posted by Bendtner_52, at 12:49 19 Jun 2023

      Bendtner_52 replied:
      Won’t be short of job offers. That said, if they didn’t fancy him long term they’d have pulled the trigger at the first sign of trouble. Arguably better for both parties to do it this way.

  • Comment posted by The King of Birmingham, at 12:45 19 Jun 2023

    Is the this the first or final sacking of the season?

    • Reply posted by Mykyrdskynyrd, at 12:48 19 Jun 2023

      Mykyrdskynyrd replied:
      First with transfer window now open.

  • Comment posted by Mike, at 12:47 19 Jun 2023

    Anyone else falling out of love with football?

    and before anyone says anything, yes i know i'm commenting on a football thread, but the things that are going on in the game right now are just mental.

    I've even cancelled my BT sport subscription LOL

    • Reply posted by timbobaggie, at 13:01 19 Jun 2023

      timbobaggie replied:
      Been getting bored with it for some time now, especially the Premier League. Most of the football is just so negative. The further down the leagues you go the more entertaining the football seems to get. The most entertaining matches I saw during the world cup were 2nd round FA Cup games.

  • Comment posted by Champ20ns, at 12:44 19 Jun 2023

    Super Frank must be waiting in the wings. Bournemouth couldn't pass up this chance.

    • Reply posted by Allanon, at 12:57 19 Jun 2023

      Allanon replied:
      Guaranteed relegation then if Frank takes over, they deserve him given O'Neill's treatment

  • Comment posted by Uncle Badger, at 12:51 19 Jun 2023

    Madness. Look at the current Premier table! They are third!

    • Reply posted by afcbrossco, at 12:52 19 Jun 2023

      afcbrossco replied:
      Ha Ha. Nice one.

  • Comment posted by D73, at 12:50 19 Jun 2023

    Rodgers to leave Celtic for Bournemouth because the opportunity is too good to turn down 😅

    • Reply posted by pjdykes, at 13:00 19 Jun 2023

      pjdykes replied:
      And Big Sam to take over at Celtic...?

  • Comment posted by sam, at 12:45 19 Jun 2023

    Manager sackings never cease to amaze me.

    HAS to be something going on behind the scenes. Makes zero sense after the season they had.

    • Reply posted by Abu, at 12:46 19 Jun 2023

      Abu replied:
      maybe ambition. Hes still an inexperienced manager and if they have money to spend then they want someone with a better track record

  • Comment posted by JahLion, at 12:45 19 Jun 2023

    Absolutely outrageous, he was arguably manager of the season just gone. What more could he have done?

    • Reply posted by abracadabra, at 14:12 19 Jun 2023

      abracadabra replied:
      It might be surprising decision but as the new announcement is supposedly imminent; means it was a process and not a sudden change of hearts.

      Gary did his job very well, let's see who they got in line. They must have someone better or a bigger/established name.

  • Comment posted by Graham Dutton, at 12:46 19 Jun 2023

    is this a joke unless he's done something naughty outside football I can't imagine why they would do this

    • Reply posted by Raedwulf, at 13:16 19 Jun 2023

      Raedwulf replied:
      Gobsmacked, frankly. Ludicrous!

  • Comment posted by Killingholme_Clay , at 12:45 19 Jun 2023

    This makes no sense! O’Neil performed a miracle keeping Bournemouth up last year and this is his reward? Shameful!

    • Reply posted by Billy B, at 12:48 19 Jun 2023

      Billy B replied:
      Should go for unfair dismissal

  • Comment posted by SJH, at 12:49 19 Jun 2023

    Chris Hughton mid table after promotion, Mourinho a week before a final, Patrick Vieira mid table with an easier run in, with the exception of Ranieri at Leicester, this has to be the most ridiculous sacking in PL history.

    • Reply posted by LHPS , at 12:55 19 Jun 2023

      LHPS replied:
      Leicester were hurtling towards the bottom 3 under Ranieri in the second season. He reverted to type and starting tinkering. It was the right call. This one, not so much.

  • Comment posted by The Truth is, at 12:49 19 Jun 2023

    Absolutely bonkers - sack the Board! The guy did brilliantly last year in the circumstances. I feel sorry for the supporters who deserve better!

    • Reply posted by AFCB_Dave, at 13:16 19 Jun 2023

      AFCB_Dave replied:
      Us supporters mostly wanted a more experienced manager though. GON is a decent coach but could you really see him taking us higher?
      The board we now have are fantastic,

  • Comment posted by Jeremy, at 12:44 19 Jun 2023

    He kept Bournemouth up and they've sacked him? I wonder if there has been disagreement behind the scenes on the way forward.

    • Reply posted by A Flock of Albions, at 12:54 19 Jun 2023

      A Flock of Albions replied:
      I’m guessing disagreements about transfer spending. Still……it’s a dead cold sacking.

  • Comment posted by The gospel according to Dan, at 12:47 19 Jun 2023

    No class doing this . If this was any of the so called bigger clubs doing this . the media would be calling this out as being out of order etc .
    But when the smaller clubs constantly
    Sack their managers it’s ok .

    • Reply posted by redgringo, at 13:00 19 Jun 2023

      redgringo replied:
      Frankly, that's not true. The media generally get their panties in a bunch when any manager gets the bullet. I would think it is a pretty safe bet some sort of drastic disagreement or incident has prompted this. Wait and see.

  • Comment posted by A Plea For Common Sense, at 12:45 19 Jun 2023

    He did so well to keep them up this year when most people had them down to drop. I guess most will now say the same for this year.

    • Reply posted by The Spin Doctor, at 14:42 19 Jun 2023

      The Spin Doctor replied:
      An absolute nonsense move by the Bournemouth ownership. He did well to take Bournemouth from second bottom to mid table.
      I guess the Bournemouth owners told him there would be no investment in the squad and he would have to make do with what he has and this likely resulted in disagreement and he was shoved out.

      Just hope they don't bring in Mr. Lampard or Mr. Allardyce.

  • Comment posted by vanlargertop, at 12:47 19 Jun 2023

    That’s just nuts, he kept them up and they played decent football to boot.

    • Reply posted by AFCB_Dave, at 13:17 19 Jun 2023

      AFCB_Dave replied:
      Yes, he kept us up. No, we didn't play good football in most games.

  • Comment posted by Wiltshire Pompey, at 12:47 19 Jun 2023

    Why? That’s the thanks you get these days for keeping a club in the Premiership - total madness…

    • Reply posted by Lets Agree To Disagree, at 14:47 19 Jun 2023

      Lets Agree To Disagree replied:
      A bad move. Bournemouth must think he will not be good enough to keep them in the Premier league next season. They better hope whoever they bring in does, or Bournemouth will have egg on their faces come May.

      Looks like Bournemouth have now become the team that all non Bournemouth fans would like to see relegated next season.

  • Comment posted by sam, at 12:44 19 Jun 2023

    What on earth.

    • Reply posted by Gaz sometimes right, at 15:25 19 Jun 2023

      Gaz sometimes right replied:
      No doubt the Bournemouth board expect to be challenging for a Champion's league place next season so GON was never going to achieve that hence the change in manager. Several top coaches currently available who couldn't wait to take over a club of Bournemouth's heritage.

  • Comment posted by G-Mo, at 12:48 19 Jun 2023

    Pep is obviously manager of the season but the job Gary O'Neil did with that squad at Bournemouth, keeping them in the PL is nothing short of a miricle. I can only assume something has happened behind the scenes for this to happen.

Elsewhere on the BBC

Also in Sport