Bournemouth sack manager Gary O’Neil despite miraculously keeping Cherries up

Bournemouth have parted ways with manager Gary O’Neil despite him miraculously leading the club to Premier League safety.

The decision has left fans scratching their heads after he saved the club from the drop after replacing Scott Parker, with the Cherries finishing in 15th place.

O’Neil won 11 of his 37 games in charge before and after being named as permanent boss, drawing six times and losing the remaining 20.

The club have pledged to announce a new manager imminently, with owner and chairman Bill Foley offering a comprehensive statement after cutting short the 18 month deal agreed by O’Neil back in November.

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He said: “Gary’s achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for. This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.

“As a club, we have put plans in place for long-term success with improvements being made to infrastructure, most notably the development of a new state-of-the-art training facility and the ongoing discussions around upgrades to our stadium.

“We have also identified a number of significant targets in the transfer market this summer and believe this change in direction will provide us with the best platform from which to build.

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“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. I would like to place on record my thanks to Gary and wish him all the best for the future.”

Memorable wins came against Liverpool and Tottenham, with Bournemouth climbing as high as eighth during the early weeks of his tenure.

The 40-year-old was even tipped by some to be named as manager of the season, but that wasn’t deemed enough to keep him in the role.

One Premier League fan said of the decision: “That might be the worst decision I’ve seen from a football club in a long time…”

A second added: “What’s going on over here? This is a strange decision. Especially after keeping you guys.”

A third posted: “There were shouts for him to be nominated for PL manager of the season, incredibly harsh.”