Wolverhampton Wanderers’ dreadful campaign continues apace and while this season is a near-mirror image of the last, the impending sense of doom is far greater among supporters. As is the feeling they have missed out on the man they really need.
The Midlands club were bottom with three points after 10 games last season. This term they are bottom with just two points from 10 after losing 3-0 to Fulham on Saturday.
It means the “first the points, then the pints” mantra under Vitor Pereira has essentially turned the club teetotal, for they have nosedived under the Portuguese and sit eight points adrift of safely already.
Nothing seems to be working. A change in goal and tweaks in formation have only further unsettled a club reeling from the departures of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nelson Semedo and Matheus Cunha in the summer – the trio among their seven most used players last season.
The ugly scenes at Molineux last month, where Pereira confronted the Wolves fans after defeat to Burnley, added an air of inevitability to a reign that did not last much longer after defeat to Fulham. “Two months ago they sang my name,” he had bemoaned, and now Wolves will be dancing to a different tune entirely.
But who answers this SOS call? Undoubtedly missing out on Sean Dyche is a blow to their survival chances, and otherwise there appears to be a “firefighter” shortage in the Premier League, the list of usual suspects linked with struggling clubs having declined in recent years.
It is ironic therefore that at a time where set-piece football is back in vogue, some of the main proponents of this direct style have long been out of work.
Or at least away from the dugout, with Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew and Tony Pulis all gracing our screens while advertising Uber Eats, sunning it up on holiday in reference to the fact their services are seemingly no longer required.
Last season was proof clubs are taking a different route. Wolves themselves gambled on Pereira, offering him his first job in England, as was the case when Southampton turned to Ivan Juric.
Both Juric and Pereira were December appointments and while their fortunes initially spiralled off in different directions, Wolves now look destined to follow the Saints in going down.
Getting Allardyce on the blower feels like one predictable outcome – he’s from Dudley, bab! – but the stark reality of Wolves’ predicament is that they are better off thinking long-term with the Championship in mind.
Could Ole take the Wolves wheel?
Time and understanding have sweetened the view of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s three years at Manchester United.
Solskjaer steered United to third and then second in his two full seasons in charge, as well as a Europa League final in 2021, and he boasted a better win rate there than David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, and only narrowly worse than Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag.
Firmly in the middle of this post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, Solskjaer has been singled out for praise of late from current United players.
Marcus Rashford, on loan at Barcelona this season, said he “loved” playing under the Norwegian, adding: “I can speak for many of the players at Manchester United when I say that we enjoyed playing for him. We played good football under Ole.”
Harry Maguire meanwhile said in August that losing Solskjaer was “disappointing”, and teased the full story of the manager’s stint is yet to be known: “I feel like Ole did an unbelievable job, I’ll probably speak more about Ole when I’m retired.
“The way that he set us up in the first two years is probably the best I’ve felt in a team, under Ole and Kieran [McKenna] and Carras [Michael Carrick]. Those three, they had us so well-organised. And like I said, we didn’t have the best team about. We were just well-coached, tactically brilliant.”
Solskjaer has since only managed Besiktas; hired in January 2025 and then fired in August after they missed out on Europe.
The Turkish club have gone through managers like a dog chews through toys, however – five since 2022 – meaning Solskjaer’s brief stint has hardly dented his credentials.
Nor has a return to England yet swayed him. He has been spotted at Arsenal and Salford since leaving Besiktas, yet he rarely features on managerial shortlists – it appeared to be the hat-tip from former teammate Paul Scholes that led to links with the Rangers role since filled by Danny Rohl.
So quite what appetite Solskjaer has for a return to the dugout remains to be seen, but staying away from the Premier League has almost enhanced his reputation.
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And while Wolves would be the ultimate rescue mission, there may be an acceptance that hiring a manager that is willing to stay with them in the Championship is required.
One cautionary tale will be how spectacularly this backfired for Leicester City when appointing Solskjaer’s old striker pal Ruud van Nistelrooy last season, but should the former be up for a restoration project he may find his name is in contention.
Wolves may find few better options out there.