The inevitable has happened, and the scythe has remorselessly swung for Vitor Pereria. Quite why it was decided that our worst start to a Premier League season should have been rewarded with a three year contract is still unclear, but Vitor’s stay has come to end, some two years and ten months early.
The how, the what, and the why of the wheels falling off will continue to leak out over the coming weeks and months. However, it almost defies belief that this is the same manager that found himself drinking in the spring sunshine with an adoring public, is the same one that has found himself being jeered and booed in recent weeks.
Ultimately, there was no way back for Vitor. The way back disappeared a long, long time ago. The team selections, the tactical confusion and the general apathy towards the current situation was compounded by yet another pallid defeat on the road.
A shame, really, considering that at one point last season, Wolves were the most in form team in the top flights of Europe. Like watching Barca? On paper, it was even better. A statement result against Manchester United at Christmas brought cheer to Wolves fans, and let us know that maybe, just maybe, it was going to be alright again.
Though one of the symptoms has been dealt with, the illness still remains. A board that at best, doesn’t care or at worst, is actively trying to dismantle one of their assets. A club that has around a 10% chance of staying in the Premier League, and really, very little hope for an already suffering fanbase.
Wolves will need to prepare for life in the Championship. Though the tree isn’t up, and the chance of a great escape remains until the ominous _**R**_ appears next to our name, it doesn’t exactly feel tangible.
So, who comes in to sort this mess out? A relegation specialist, or someone with one eye on a Championship rebuild? Perhaps Big Sam comes out of retirement to finally live his dream of managing his boyhood club?
By now, most Wolves fans have abandoned hope, and would be grateful for total nuclear war before kicking off against Chelsea. So you don’t have to be Jose, and you don’t even have to be good at your job.
With that in mind, let’s examine some of the runners and riders who are in line for the hottest seat in European Football.
Brendan Rodgers
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One of the bookies’ favourite to take over, Rodgers brings plenty of Premier League experience to the table with him after previous stints at Swansea, Liverpool and Leicester, as well as an attacking style of football.
Newly available after resigning due to a lacklustre start to the season with Celtic, it must be said that this a slightly peculiar pick.
Firstly, he’s literally just resigned for doing a poor job at a team where, yes, success is mandatory, but success usually comes from fielding eleven living players. He also expressed dissatisfaction at a lack of investment from the Celtic board, so would be jumping out of the frying pan, and into an even worse frying pan.
Secondly, his PL history is sketchy at best. He defied the odds to keep Swansea up, was ultimately forgettable at Liverpool, and won the FA Cup with Leicester. He then also got Leicester relegated. A mixed bag with some question marks for sure, but the right manager for Wolves at this moment in time is the one that signs the contract.
Michael Carrick
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A pretty interesting pick, and one that has certainly piqued the interest amongst the Molineux faithful. Despite having zero PL experience, Carrick has proven his credentials of raising the dead and turning water into wine after taking Middlesbrough from relegation candidates to playoff hopefuls.
Any Wolves fan above the age of eight will tell you the Championship is an incredibly hard league to manage in, and a harder one to escape, so failing to take Boro back to the promised land shouldn’t be seen as an albatross around his neck.
If relegation is as sure as it looks right now, the rest of this season could be a suck it & see for Carrick, with eyes to a full rebuild next season. Bringing in a relegation specialist, only to find ourselves back in the same position next season feels like a fool’s errand, so taking a longer term view feels like a sensible choice.
So it won’t be Carrick.
Rob Edwards
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On the list of “former Wolves players you’d like to see managing Wolves”, Edwards has to be in the top three, possibly the top one. You think you want to see Bully in the dugout until you see Bully in the dugout.
Currently jostling for the top of the Championship with Middlesbrough, Edwards has both experience of getting out of there with Luton, and also has experience of fighting a relegation battle with the Hatters.
Though ultimately, they found themselves sent back down after a season, it also didn’t feel unimaginable that they could have stayed up either. His time at Luton did end in tears, but Edwards could realistically be a man for all seasons with experience of Championship rebuilds and relegation scraps.
Gary O’Neil
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Like inviting a David Brent impersonator on your mate’s stag, this feels like one of those jokes that grew arms and legs, and is only funny in theory. Once the door opens and Brent walks through, it’s funny for about five minutes, then it’s just sort of awkward.
Basically, that’s how a GON comeback would play out. Some Wolves fans have immediately shot down the idea, others have had a fit of the vapours and wondered what life would be like if they married their high school sweetheart.
It goes without saying that O’Neil brought some feelgood factor to Molineux. His first season wasn’t awful, and anyone who manages to stick one on our illustrious neighbours earns a bit of good credit.
However, the wheels fell off after Coventry, and never came back. Dreams of a Wembley return shattered, and nightmares soon followed.
He’s apparently well thought of amongst the Wolves higher ups, which makes you question if anyone within our senior leadership could describe what a football is to you, and also, he was sacked less than a year ago, but there you have it.
A message to the Talking Wolves readers: do not text your ex, do not re-employ Gary O’Neil.
Other names like Kevin Muscat and Rui Borges have been whispered, but both come with the additional obstacles of being employed by other clubs. Muscat would be a laugh, and on reflection, where has Borges come from? Who’s leaving the title fight in Libson to come to Wolverhampton? You’ve also got your Oles, your Anges, your Ten Hags.
Ultimately, the next Wolves manager may not be popular, may not have a good time, and may not be here by the end of May. You may also raise the dead and find the Man on the Oss being melted down to make a statue in your honour.
But if you think you’ve got what it takes to work with a demoralised squad, fans without hope, and an ownership that have lost interest, please write to:
J. Shi
Molineux Stadium (next to big Asda)
Waterloo Rd,
Wolverhampton
WV1 4QR
[_Written by Oliver Butler_](https://x.com/notoliverbutler)