AFC Bournemouth’s Ben Greenwood backs Gary O’Neil to stay on as Scott Parker’s heir in an interview with HITC Football. He also opened up on how Adam Smith is an inspiration.
Parker afforded Greenwood his senior debut as the Cherries edged Norwich City in the EFL Cup in August. The left-back started the second round affair at Carrow Road and could not thank Parker enough for the trust he placed in the club’s talents during his time in charge.
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Bournemouth sacked Parker in August following a 9-0 Premier League loss at Liverpool and appointed O’Neil as his interim successor. Parker had guided the south coast club back into the top-flight last term. O’Neil has won four and drawn four of 12 games since taking over.
But while three of O’Neil’s wins have come in the Premier League to rank 14th in the table, his tenure may soon end. TEAMtalk claims the Cherries’ prospective new owners are set to pursue a foreign name. Yet Luton Town admire O’Neil as a replacement for Nathan Jones.
Greenwood backed O’Neil to ‘do a great job’ at Bournemouth in our interview
Greenwood noted in our interview that he is confident O’Neil would be a success if given a chance to stay on as Bournemouth manager. The Cherries sit three points clear of the drop zone at the break for the World Cup. They will return to action at Chelsea on December 27.
“Each gaffer is different in their own way,” Greenwood said. “I think with Gary O’Neil being already part of the staff, made the transition and the change a lot easier to deal with with all the boys because it’s not an unfamiliar face as such.
“O’Neil has a lot of qualities as a gaffer and who knows if he gets the job full-time or not. But I’m sure if he does, he’ll do a great job.
“Yeah, [I’d like to see him stay on]. I think Gary’s a great manager and he’s obviously got a lot of experience from playing. Still got a bit now, actually. Maybe if he had the legs, he probably could [get in the side now]. But technically, he’s unbelievable.”
O’Neil joined Bournemouth as Jonathan Woodgate’s assistant in February 2021 and stayed on as Parker’s number two that summer. He was Liverpool’s U23 assistant manager before moving south after spells playing with Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and West Ham United.
Parker was a ‘great gaffer’ for Greenwood after trusting the Cherries’ prospects
Greenwood also paid tribute to his former coach, Parker, who gave the full-back his senior bow in the EFL Cup. The 19-year-old started the second round tie at Norwich in August and played 91 minutes. His only previous senior action came on loan at non-league Weymouth.
“He was great,” Greenwood told HITC Football in our interview. “He was a great gaffer. Obviously, he gave me my debut, so I couldn’t thank him enough for that, he had loads of us young ones involved.
“He brought a couple through like J-Z [Jordan Zemura], Jaidon [Anthony] – who are now pretty much first-team starters. He was a really good gaffer, I enjoyed his style of play.
“It was a great experience for me to play under a different gaffer for such a prolonged part of a season that was so special for the club, where we was fighting for promotion pretty much from the first game. So, being around it was a great experience.”
Bournemouth signed Greenwood to their academy in 2019 after trials at Chelsea, Watford and Arsenal. The full-back had never previously been a part of a professional set-up before joining the Cherries. Yet he secured his first professional contract at the club during 2021.
The youngster is also now Bournemouth’s U21 captain and is pushing for further first-team opportunities. Zemura, 23, meanwhile, made his senior debut under Jason Tindall in 2020 and now has 51 senior appearances. Tindall also debuted Anthony, 22, who has 67 games.
Greenwood backs Bournemouth to avoid relegation ‘quite comfortably’ in our interview
Bournemouth beat Everton 3-0 last Saturday in their final Premier League game before the World Cup break. The result moved the Cherries up from 17th to 14th place after entering the weekend just a point above the drop zone and with the second-worst goal difference.
The Vitality Stadium natives also improved their record to hold the third-worst at minus-14 after scoring 18 to 32 goals conceded over 15 games this season. But Greenwood does not expect Bournemouth will be in the relegation fight all the way down to the wire next May.
“I think we’ll stay up, I think we’ve got enough quality,” he said. “We’ve shown, especially against Everton, that we’ll be safe and then it’ll be about pushing on from there.
“I think we’ll be properly safe. I feel like there’s such a good feel around the place, especially when you’re in it. At the moment, I can’t see that changing even if we take some tough results.
“I feel like the reaction to the next game is so well done that I can’t see us going on such a bad streak that would put us in jeopardy. So, no, I think we’ll be safe quite comfortably.”
Greenwood: ‘Love looking up to’ Cherries hero and stand-in captain Smith
Greenwood adds that “every single” player in the dressing room has helped to keep spirits high at Bournemouth this season. But one player, Smith, has stood out after he took over the club’s captaincy from Lloyd Kelly following the centre-back’s ankle injury in September.
“Adam Smith, I was at the game on Saturday and he probably had the best game I’ve ever seen him play against Everton. So experienced,” Greenwood said in our interview.
Smith is also a source of inspiration for Greenwood with the 31-year-old now approaching the nine-year anniversary of his move to Bournemouth. The Cherries signed the right-back from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2014. He has since played 320 games in red-and-black.
“Yeah, definitely, even the way he plays the game,” he said. “You try to take bits from pros like that. As well as him being a full-back and so am I, he’s someone that I really do like to watch, like to analyse.
“Because, obviously, he’s captain now while Lloydy’s out, he’s really stepped up to the plate. So, he is one that I do like to monitor… I try to look at everyone because as a footballer, each quality you have is a strength.
“Smith, love looking up to him, the way he defends, his tenacity, his aggression. J-Z, also, the same, and he’s got an attacking threat, as well. If I can put both of them together into my game, I think I’ll be putting myself in the best way for the future.”
Norwich midfielder Cantwell was ‘a good lad to be around’ whilst on loan
Greenwood also had praise for a player no longer on the south coast, Todd Cantwell. The midfielder spent the second half of last season on loan to Bournemouth from Norwich but returned to Carrow Road during the summer after 12 appearances across all competitions.
Cantwell helped the Cherries clinch promotion as runners-up to Fulham after starting eight of his 11 Championship appearances. But the 24-year-old – who Greenwood also names as one of the toughest players he has faced – failed to score or provide an assist for the club.
So, Bournemouth decided against taking up an option to buy Cantwell for over £10m, per Dorset Live. The Cherries and Canaries had agreed on the framework for a move as part of his loan deal. But Greenwood saw no harm in keeping the midfielder on the south coast.
“I think he done well while he was here,” Greenwood said. “He’s a good lad to be around in the changing rooms. He’s still quite young but he has so much experience in football, I don’t think anything bad would have come around from him staying.”
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