If Wolverhampton Wanderers are only playing for pride, then they can indeed stand proud after a proper fightback against relegation from the Premier League.
Rob Edwards has certainly whipped this group into shape, Wolves losing only four of their past 14 Premier League outings and picking up wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool.
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Rob Edwards applauds fans after the match
But there's only so much that the 43-year-old can do after years of poor transfer decisions at Molineux. Too many superstars have been shipped on and inadequately replaced, and it's going to see the Old Gold down into the Championship.
Wolves' poor recruitment
Earlier in March, Edwards said that Wolves need to "lift the cloud" from Molineux and refresh. The reality is that this club is headed for the Championship, and a reset is likely overdue.
Poor recruitment has led to this, and it's gone on for a while. However, last summer's transfer window proved fatal for the Midlands side, having failed to replace Matheus Cunha after his £62.5m move to Manchester United.
matheus cunha-1
At left-back, Hugo Bueno has impressed throughout the campaign, but Rayan Ait-Nouri's creativity and dynamism down the left channel have been sorely missed.
Jackson Tchatchoua's errant, wasteful distribution proved a consistent and tiresome theme until Christmas, and his replacement Jhon Arias, lasted until January before he fled back to Brazil following a toothless half-term in Cunha's place.
But the cracks run deeper, in truth. Ruben Neves' presence in the middle of the park is still missed, as is Pedro Neto's glittery magic on the ball and Max Kilman's leadership in defence.
Lots of poor decisions, all culminating in relegation. It's crucial that lessons are learned when Wolves fall down, rising back up and reaching a level set under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Nuno-Espirito-Santo-Wolves-Premier-League
They've done it before, but it's not just the stars Fosun and co will need to keep hold of, but the prospects who have bright futures ahead of them too.
Wolves must regret selling the new Neves
Neves is one of the most unforgettable stars of modern times at Wolves, and it's already been nearly three years since he left England and signed for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia for £47m, a club-record sale.
Ruben-Neves-Wolves-record-timeless
An all-action midfielder and a leader besides, Neves has been difficult to replace, but Wolves might have already had the perfect successor in Morgan Gibbs-White, who was sold to Nottingham Forest for £42.5m in 2022.
Obviously, he left the club he rose to prominence with a year before Neves departed, but he was 22 at the time and seasoned only as a loanee in the Championship, thriving under Steve Cooper at Swansea City.
To have sold him was a mistake, for Gibbs-White is now considered one of the most athletic, all-action players in England, humorously hailed as the "Aldi Jude Bellingham" by football analyst Raj Chohan.
Morgan Gibbs-White - Premier League Form
Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
Goals
Assists
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Big chances created
Key passes*
Dribbles*
Ball recoveries*
Tackles + interceptions*
Duels won*
There's no question that Gibbs-White is one of the most coveted attacking midfielders in the Premier League. After all, his standout 2024/25 campaign led to the vested interest of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but Evangelos Marinakis played hardball and he stayed put.
Forest are struggling against relegation this year, but the Three Lions star is still performing at a high level, and it's sadly a case of what might have been for the Old Gold.
Given that Gibbs-White has grown into a leader at the City Ground who was priced at £60m last summer, Wolves have clearly missed a trick here, and it's the kind of decision whose ramifications have played into the inevitable axe from the top flight.
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Wolves' resurgence under Rob Edwards continued with a well-earned point at Brentford.