On the list of best to worst caretaker coaches in football, Gary O’Neil is glad he’s at the Roberto Di Matteo end of the scale than the John Carver one.
He’s taken charge of Bournemouth for six games and remains unbeaten. It is testament to the side’s turnaround since losing 9-0 to Liverpool that they left Craven Cottage disappointed with only a draw after twice taking the lead against Fulham.
O’Neil has got Bournemouth playing brave football, with Dominic Solanke his most important player. Leading from the front, Solanke scored inside two minutes after a fine one-two with Philip Billing, then assisted Jefferson Lerma for his goal.
Bournemouth started the season as the favourites to go down and looked like dead meat after that 9-0 loss, which saw Scott Parker sacked. Yet this draw left them in the top half of the table.
Until American billionaire Bill Foley’s takeover is finalised, we’re unlikely to have a decision on the next permanent Bournemouth boss. But O’Neil cannot do much more than he is now.
‘While I’m speaking to you I’m thinking I need to get my laptop open and watch Southampton with a cup of tea,’ O’Neil said of Wednesday’s opponents when asked how far ahead he is thinking. ‘That’s it. I know this group will give me everything. They fully commit to the game plan and won’t stop until someone tells them to. That’s a quality we’re going to need.
‘I want to try to get as many points on the board for Bournemouth as I can and give ourselves and the club the best chance of spending another season in the Premier League.’
A smiling Solanke added: ‘We love him. If he gets the job it would be fantastic.’
Fulham denied Bournemouth the win with Issa Diop and Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring their goals. Mitrovic’s equaliser arrived after he won a penalty when grappling with Lerma. O’Neil described that as a ‘terrible decision’.
Foley has attended previous Premier League games and, if he was watching this one on Saturday, he would have heard the supporters singing O’Neil’s name. He’s got their vote.