Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has shared a surprise verdict over Premier League referee Stuart Attwell after the Old Gold’s defeat to Bournemouth yesterday evening.
It was a bleak Wednesday evening for Wolves at Molineux as Gary O’Neil’s side lost 1-0 to Bournemouth after putting on a below-par display.
The Midlands club extended their run without a Premier League win to six games, picking up just two points from a possible 18 in that time, to reinforce the difficulties the squad is enduring.
Key absences have plagued O’Neil’s side, with Wolves having little depth due to the financial restrictions of last summer, putting pressure on Fosun to support the manager in the upcoming transfer window.
After last night’s defeat, the boss fired another warning at the club owners by sharing his understanding of why Julen Lopetegui walked away from his post at Molineux last summer, hammering home that a repeat of 2023 cannot happen.
There were plenty of stern words spoken by O’Neil, who was far from satisfied with his team’s performance however, the Englishman opted not to comment on one key moment of the fixture.
Gary O’Neil offers sympathy to Stuart Attwell despite Wolves VAR controversy
In the second half, Wolves thought they’d levelled the scoring through Hwang Hee-chan, whose header was then ruled out following VAR intervention.
Stuart Attwell was called to the monitor to investigate a foul that occurred in the build-up, as Matheus Cunha was seen with a high arm which eventually saw the referee disallow the goal, despite no Bournemouth players appealing in play.
READ MORE: What Wolves fans chanted during 1-0 Bournemouth defeat
It was a decision that split the opinion of many however, O’Neil shared a surprising approach to addressing Attwell’s call to the media after the game, offering his sympathy for the 41-year-old.
As relayed by Express and Star, the Wolves boss was asked whether he was concerned about Attwell being appointed as the referee, to which he said:
“No, no qualms at all, I hope he is OK. A tough few days for him. I hope he is doing OK.
“I don’t have any thoughts on the decision, I think it is really important I focus fully on my team and Wolves.”
Why Gary O’Neil was sympathetic towards Stuart Attwell
O’Neil has had his fair share of displeasure when it comes to VAR this season at Molineux however, the boss was unexpectedly calm over last night’s call.
READ MORE: Premier League without VAR: How Wolves’ season would be different
It’s understandable why the 40-year-old shared some words of support for Attwell, who has been at the heart of controversy over the past week in the Premier League as he left the City Ground at boiling point during Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat to Everton.
Forest remarkably accused Attwell of being a Luton Town fan due to the Reds’ beliefs that they should have had three penalties, a fixture that saw the Premier League official appointed to VAR.
It’s been a terrible week for Attwell, who after being blasted by Forest has become the subject of another controversial VAR call in Wolves’ defeat to Bournemouth, explaining O’Neil’s subdued approach to being quizzed on the disallowed goal.