Gary O'Neil's return to AFC Bournemouth brings many narratives with it

Returning managers are a somewhat rare sight at Vitality Stadium, prodigal son Eddie Howe’s emotional reunion with the Cherries faithful in February the first in some time.

Over the last few weeks, this reacquaintance of club and coach has pinged the radar of the national media, some building the narrative of a popular predecessor facing his increasingly under-pressure successor.

It is an attractive storyline, the notion that if O’Neil and Wolves win on Saturday, Dean Court will erupt in regret and anger at removing the Englishman in favour of Spaniard Andoni Iraola.

The opposite outcome, a first Premier League win for Iraola against the man he replaced, is similarly a fitting story.

Another game without victory is likely to cause some reaction, of course, but there will be little pining for what once was.

The reality is, for whatever reason, supporters never quite took to O’Neil, nor his style of play.

It seems at best there was a gratitude for the job done, but no enamourment with the football on offer.

Howe’s legacy of brave, attacking football is still very much fresh in the memory, and will remain the benchmark for some time.

O’Neil’s counter-attacking football proved effective enough, but it did not win over many fans.

In all likelihood, O’Neil will receive a polite yet warm welcome from Cherries supporters, who were more than happy to move on in the summer.

He did not get the chance to say goodbye to fans prior to his departure, the traditional end of season applause shared between the crowd, players and staff in the final home game against Manchester United one of appreciation rather than farewell.

The final four games of the campaign had been forgettable, O’Neil taking the opportunity of early safety to tinker with a few things ahead of what would be his first full season in charge of Cherries.

But fast forward a month and there was a new man in the dugout, the club pouncing to sign Iraola when it became clear he was available.

The perceived lack of loyalty shown to O'Neil ruffled many feathers outside of BH7, the feeling that Cherries had gotten to big for their boots.

What O'Neil achieved should not be diminished by his dismissal.

Stalwart Adam Smith described achieving safety as “one of the biggest achievements” in Cherries’ history, the right-back a veteran of two promotion-winning sides.

Scott Parker, who started the campaign as boss, implied that survival was a tall ask with his defeatist attitude that led to his sacking in August.

But following the takeover by Bill Foley midway through the campaign, survival became almost expected by the Cherries fanbase, especially after an expensive January window.

Whilst appreciation for the job done by O’Neil has probably increased in the opening months of this campaign, it cannot be forgotten that the vast majority of fans were not too fussed about the former Portsmouth man being sacked in the summer.

The largest outcry was from members of the wider footballing world, seeing little old Bournemouth dispense with the services of the man who had kept them up after previously writing them off.

That same sentiment was not shared by huge swathes of Cherries’ fanbase. There was gratitude for securing a second season of top-flight football, but hardly any mourning.

With Iraola installed as O’Neil’s successor that same day, the general feeling became one of excitement.

Part of that excitement behind Iraola’s appointment was the attack-minded, aggressive approach that would be used no matter the opponent, be it reigning champions Manchester City or lower league opposition in the cup.

This ambitious football was in direct contrast to the method deployed by O’Neil, philosophy replacing pragmatism.

Steve Fletcher whips up an applause from the crowd for O'Neil after victory over Everton (Pic: Richard Crease) (Image: Richard Crease)

Coincidentally, this is not the first time a crowd’s reaction to O’Neil has been hyped up and analysed to death.

After defeating Everton 3-0 in the final game prior to the World Cup break, O’Neil embarked on a customary lap of honour to thank all four stands.

Nothing unusual, but this tour of the pitch lasted a little longer than the norm, as if it marked the end of the caretaker spell O’Neil had been tasked with.

It would not be for a few weeks later until a permanent successor to Parker would be identified.

After being linked to legendary Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, Cherries were sticking to what they knew. O’Neil would remain.

Instantly, the decision to hire the rookie head coach on a permanent basis was questioned, some fans viewing it as an underwhelming, almost lazy hiring.

The reception O’Neil received after the win over Everton was cited as a reasoning for his appointment, leading to debate on social media as to exactly what the applause had meant.

Although there is a proud history of promoting from within when it comes to Cherries managers, a Premier League relegation battle did not feel like the time and place to hand a relative novice their first job in management.

Further doubts followed due to a run of nine games in all competitions without victory when football returned in December.

For the first time that season, Cherries slipped into the bottom three.

Again the Cherries’ corner of the internet burst into flames, comments on the Daily Echo website calling for change, alongside a lot of stick on Twitter and Facebook.

But O’Neil managed to turn the ship around, picking up famous wins against Liverpool and Tottenham.

A purple patch in April all but confirmed another season of Premier League football, but the turnaround in form did not lead to an instant change in opinion.

However, with safety virtually secured with four games to spare, there was vindication to the decision to hire O’Neil.

The subsequent decision to replace the first-time boss in June currently lacks the same proof to retroactively validate it, with Iraola’s charges winless in eight Premier League games.

Outsiders that remember Cherries exist every few months have started to question how much longer the Basque head coach will have at Vitality Stadium, three points from eight fixtures in the top-flight both relegation form and proven basis for a manager to lose their job.

However, as demonstrated by the nine-game streak O’Neil’s permanent tenure started with, Cherries’ board are prepared to be patient.

The fixture list had already been generated and printed when Iraola was appointed, his bosses fully aware of the lay of the land.

From the corresponding eight fixtures last term, Cherries took a grand total of zero points.

Three points incurred via draws may not feel like progress, but a healthier points return from the first seven games was not expected considering the strength of opposition, combined with a new playstyle being implemented.

That is not to say Iraola’s slate is completely clean.

The month of October sees the fixture list ease up, although Cherries did not find that elusive first win away at struggling Everton.

In fact, the trip to Goodison produced the worst performance of Iraola’s brief tenure, an almost shell-shocked Cherries looking disjointed and toothless.

Concern now will come from that fact that after a run of games that saw performances increase week after week, progress has halted and started to slide in the wrong direction.

Defeat at home to Arsenal was not unexpected at the end of September, but the manner of the loss was not predicted.

Rash challenges inside the box, combined with loose marking, allowed the game to get away from Cherries, despite a relatively even start.

This regression in recent weeks has undermined any confidence that wins will flow freely against perceived weaker opposition.

When appointed Wolves boss, O’Neil was asked whether he was looking to prove a point to Cherries with his performance at Molineux.

Diplomatically, O’Neil shared that he was always looking to prove a point, every day and to no one in particular.

Still, victory for O’Neil and Wolves will inevitably lead to someone, somewhere in the national media saying “I told you so”, Cherries’ comeuppance for the harsh sacking in the summer.

On Saturday, Iraola desperately needs to prove a point – by taking all three available.