'Shame': Wolves captain Mario Lemina argues with his own staff after throwing Jarrod Bowen to the ground
Wolves captain Mario Lemina sensationally clashed with assistant coach Shaun Derry as tempers flared at the London Stadium.
Lemina started for Wolves in their 2-1 loss to West Ham United on Monday, with the defeat putting even more pressure on beleaguered manager Gary O'Neil.
The frustration of a tenth league defeat evidently got to the Wolves captain as his emotions boiled over in ugly post-match scenes.
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen attempted to shake Lemina's hand but the Wolves midfielder appeared to reject him.
Lemina's handshake snub sparked Bowen's fury as the pair grabbed each other's shirts and ended up on the grass, with players from both teams running to break up the fight.
West Ham's Jean-Clair Todibo was the man who kept Lemina away from further harm, with the Wolves captain also receiving a yellow card for his troubles.
O'Neil and his coaching staff were soon on the field in an attempt to calm the situation, but it only got worse.
Wolves' Toti Gomes tried to act as peacemaker, but Lemina wouldn't allow it.
In some pretty amazing scenes, Lemina then confronted assistant coach Derry as the two put their foreheads together.
Lemina throws a few more words in Derry's direction before Toti manages to get him away from more trouble.
Speaking after the match, O'Neil defended the “passionate” Lemina and felt it spoke to the pressure some of his players are under amid Wolves' poor form.
“It took him a little bit to calm down but now everything is fine,” O'Neil said.
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“Everyone understands that things like that can happen in the heat of the moment.
“It speaks to the amount of pressure that the senior players are under and the situation they are in at the moment. It has been difficult for them to try to help the younger players catch up. Everyone at the club football are under a lot of pressure. of stress and pressure right now.
“I'm sure when Mario sees him again there will be things he would have done differently. But everything Mario does comes from wanting to do well for the football club.”
Although O'Neil jumped to his captain's defense, one Wolves fan criticized Lemina's conduct in the post-match brawl.
Wolves fan Dale took aim at Lemina on talkSPORT's Sports Bar and felt the way he behaved after the contest was not the way a club captain should act.
“The writing has been on the wall since the end of last season, but the biggest thing I want to talk about tonight is Mario's embarrassment,” Dale said.
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“The captain of the club must be our leader. The one that the players admire and the one that the fans admire. He lost his head at the end of the game. He pushed and had a fight with Bowen, pushed one of the Wolves players and then approached the assistant manager, got into a fight with him and pushed him.
“Let's do it right guys and you have to agree with me on this. If it were Bruno Fernandes, Jim White and Simon Jordan would be killing him in the morning because what he has done is a disgrace.
“You can't do that on the pitch, especially with what's happening at the club. What about the manager? We can't win games. It's a shame.”
Sports Bar co-host Jamie O'Hara responded: “He's lost his mind. I understand. It's frustration, right? The entire world of players and has overflowed.
“I should do better. I should lead by example, but I guess this also shows a bit of passion.”
Dale added: “I knew he was going to say that. “I like the passionate side of things, but surely that is the wrong kind of passion to portray about the club and what is happening and bring more attention to the club in this situation.”
The 2-1 defeat against West Ham left Wolves in 19th place and four points from safety.
However, O'Neil's side can move a step closer to safety when they face 18th-placed Ipswich Town next Saturday, followed by a trip to Leicester City on December 22.
