Paul Merson was far from impressed by what Rob Edwards said about the Wolves supporters.placeholder image
Paul Merson was far from impressed by what Rob Edwards said about the Wolves supporters. | Getty Images
Paul Merson was far from impressed by what Rob Edwards said about the Wolves supporters after the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
Paul Merson has jumped to the defence of Wolverhampton Wanderers fans after Old Gold head coach Rob Edwards criticised the lack of support in the first hour against Arsenal.
The Molineux faithful were growing increasingly frustrated as their side looked down and out, 2-0 down after 56 minutes courtesy of goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie. There were groans all around, even when Wolves had possession, as the supporters grew sick and tired of what they were watching.
But then there was a response from the players, as Edwards’ side halved the deficit on 61 minutes when Hugo Bueno netted a stunner from distance. All of a sudden, Molineux began to believe again and the mood grew positive. The stadium then erupted when debutant Tom Edozie came off the bench to score a 94th-minute equaliser.
Rob Edwards lets loose on Wolves supporters
Edwards was thrilled with how the atmosphere ended at Molineux on Wednesday night, however the Welshman was disappointed that the level of support wasn’t similar when his side were in a trickier position. Edwards felt the need to address the topic during his post-match interview, and his comments have since prompted plenty of debate.
“I think nights like this, I just hope everyone has a little bit of realism and understands what we're up against,” Edwards told Sky Sports.
“I'm not just going to turn up and roll Arsenal over easily, so it's never going to be easy, especially when you go 1-0 down early on. I would have liked a little bit more backing at that point, if I'm being honest, but the way we finished, the energy was around and it was a brilliant feeling.”
When asked to clarify what he meant, Edwards added: “I just think we've got to realise what we're up against in that moment at that time as well. The lads are fighting hard, but Arsenal are really good, so it's not just a case of, come on, you can't just roll those teams over or step onto them straight away.
“We're three defeats in 11, we are showing a lot of fight. You trace it back a long, long time now, the lads are trying. We want to try and build some momentum and a connection and togetherness around the place.
“I can understand, I've said it from day one, I understand the frustration and the anger and everything else. It's been really tough. But yes, we've got to try and find a way to try and energise the team and the players when they're out there in difficult moments.”
Paul Merson fires back at Wolves boss
Former Arsenal and Aston Villa defender Merson, a long-serving pundit for Sky Sports, believes Edwards should have kept his feelings to himself. Merson suggests Wolves fans have every right to complain given what they have been through this season, and that Edwards should have just lapped up the praise when it was there rather than kick up a fuss.
“I hope that interview doesn’t come back to bite him,” Merson said. “You’ve got to keep those fans on side, they have been coming and watching a bad team all season. He’s just turned it around tonight but it doesn’t happen overnight, the fans are frustrated – it costs a lot of money to watch a Premier League game, it’s not free!
“They have their opinion. You just have to bite your tongue. You cannot say that. You’ve just had an unbelievable result, just take it, have a nice night. Now the fans will be on his back. It’s one of those moments, everyone says something they shouldn’t say. He shouldn’t have said that.”
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