What’s Wrong With Wolverhampton Wanderers?

I think it’s pretty much universally accepted that, again, Wolverhampton Wanderers have painted themselves into a corner. The result being that we start yet another the season on our knees. There’s plenty of suggestions and speculation as why that might be the case, is it the coaching, is it the recruitment policy, is it due to the owners starving the club of the required levels of financial support?

In reality, it’s probably a bit of all of those working together to create a perfect storm of failure. I know if the squad is imbalanced or missing key components, then irrespective of the quality of players, it will underachieve. Exactly the issues GON is struggling with as well as trying to implement a style of play. A ridiculous mandate, dictated by those above him, imo. When we’re losing in a game all that tippy tappy sidewards and back passing, is that GON’s instructions or the players just going through the motions knowing they’ll still get picked to play next week anyway?

So, is there’s something else – culture, a word you hear a lot coming out of the club. Are they making life too easy for the players? Do they truly understand the work ethic and the demands that playing at this level puts on them to satisfy their fans? Does the club make that clear or do they sugar coat it?

I know team cohesion is important. Everyone needs to get on with everyone else and that’s fine but this is a football club, not a social club. Looking back at the successful sides over the years (even us in the ’50s) they all had strong management at the top, strong boards that relied on a strong manager to focus and imprint the club’s thinking and policies on their teams. I don’t think we have that these days given that our owners (understandably) won’t have a clue what I’m talking about, that inbred, ingrained passion that we fans’ possess and indeed demand from our teams. Are we as a club just too nice?

I know Fosun have spent a lot over the years, not always wisely, lead by others thanks to their own lack of knowledge. Everything has basic rules, the do’s and don’ts that history and past experience has taught us to adhere to. They don’t instinctively know about those things. Why would they? They lack our upbringing.

So without having a pop at Fosun, I’ll re ask the question I posed on the Wolves Rumours web site several years ago, Are they the right kind of owners for a Premier League football club or any sporting club for that matter? Because there’s much more to it than just…