A Relegation Review

Wolves fans give their opinion following relegation at Brighton

How times change. Two years ago this week, Wolves were celebrating beating West Bromwich Albion 3-1 as the club took their first steps towards a late-season survival push that saw the club eventually scrape Premier League safety on the final day. Fast-forward to 2013, however, and the preverbial darkness mentioned in the city's motto 'Out Of Darkness Cometh Light' has well and truly come home to roost.

The players must take the brunt of the blame

For a multitude of reasons, Wolverhampton Wanderers now find themselves staring ahead to a season of League One Football, the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, and even the First Round of the FA Cup. I could sit here and rant about how it shouldn't be this way (and let's be honest, when you look at the club, it simply shouldn't) but the simple fact is: Wolves finished 23rd in the Championship on 51 points, 3 points from safety and with a heavy minus weighing them down in the Goal Difference column. How they got there differs depending on who you speak to. Some blame Morgan, some Moxey. Some point the finger at McCarthy, Solbakken and/or Saunders. But anyone who has watched Wolves over the last 2 years unites on one common enemy - the players. The majority are overpaid, uncaring and have become stale having been together for so long. Whilst they may argue they have got "too used to losing", that is simply no excuse for what has been a lacklustre season where the so-called 'senior' pros just haven't put the effort in. Only when youngsters Matt Doherty, Jack Robinson, Danny Batth (briefly), David Davis and Bjorn Sigurdarson got an extended run in the team (one of the only good moves made by Saunders), along with the introduction of the finally-fit Stephen Hunt, did Wolves fans see any effort, passion or desire in the team. And sadly, even then it was overshadowed by the poisonous elements within the dressing room - namely Roger Johnson, Jamie O'Hara and Karl Henry.

Jamie O'Hara's disgusting sarcastic thumbs-up to the fans

The first two mentioned have been a real cancer at this club - leading the downward spiral from within and would be the first names out the door in most Wolves fans' books. Since Mick McCarthy's ridiculous decision to give Johnson the captaincy, the centre-back has found himself at the centre of many clashes with Wolves fans and, with three consecutive relegations to his name, will be hard to shift in the summer. He came in on big wages that, for some reason (this is where blame lays at Moxey's door), didn't contain any form of relegation clause, meaning he has spent a season in the Championship still 'earning' (using the term loosely) around £40,000 each week. The same with O'Hara, who looks nothing like the player he was during his successful loan spell at Molineux. It seems once he was given a 5 year contract on similar wages as Johnson (and again no relegation clause) he knew he could relax and has barely lifted a finger on the pitch - except to give a sarcastic thumbs-up to the travelling fans at Brighton on the final day of this season. As the final whistle blew at the Amex - surely bringing down the final curtain on the pair's Wolves careers - they differed in their actions. O'Hara, who had become very much the villain of the piece on the final day, went straight down the tunnel without any acknowledgement of the fans. Johnson, however, came over and clapped the travelling support, before offering his shirt to the fans - who quickly let him know just what they thought of him. The centre-back looked beamused, before shrugging his shoulders and walking off. His ignorance to his part in this is quite frankly embarassing and it is hoped he will never darken Molineux's doorways ever again.

Roger Johnson and Karl Henry - two of the worst culprits

But it is the attitude of club captain Karl Henry - Wolverhampton-born and a self-confessed Wolves fan - that is the most sickening. For someone who should care as much as the 20,000 in the stands each week, Henry instead looks disinterested and barely manages to scrape a performance together. He, too, has been a poisonous element in the dressing room and former manager Stale Solbakken has hinted at Henry being a ring-leader and a key element behind his disappointing dismissal. To top it all, when he was interviewed by the Express and Star the other day, Henry talked about his "disappointment" about relegation, despite wearing a smirk on his face the entire time. And then he went on to claim that Jamie O'Hara was "unfairly treated" by the fans at Brighton and that he's actually worked hard for Wolves. I don't know what our captain's smoking, but it sounds like heavy stuff! Two of the most ludicrous comments to come out of this season (and when Dean Saunders is your manager, that's quite an achievement) have meant that, having been Karl Henry's biggest fan, I never want to see him at this club again. I certainly never want to see him have the armband again.

Dean Saunders has rightfully lost his job after relegation

Wolves now face a difficult summer. With fans still hurting, the club must handle the difficult task of laying off staff - the 'little people' who work behind the scenes at the club - and also losing key players. The biggest earners will have to go, as no club can survive League 1 with a wage bill of £25m. There will also be a new man in the hotseat for the new season, as Dean Saunders (rightly, in my view) got the sack on Tuesday morning. The Welshman had more than enough time to keep us up - given that we were not in danger when he took over - but thanks to some frankly clueless tactics and team selections, as well as some strange substitutions, Wolves were relegated and a large part of it is down to Saunders.

Jackett has won promotion from League 1 with Millwall

The bookies favourites for the Molineux hotseat are Kenny Jackett (who resigned from Millwall on Tuesday morning, a pure coincidence), Steve Davis of Crewe (who is a Wolves fan) and Darren Ferguson of Peterborough United (and is also an ex-Wolves player). Most fans are split between three candidates - Jackett, Davis and former Bolton manager Owen Coyle. Whoever takes over, however, will have only one brief - to get this club back to the Championship at the first time of asking. I would personally be delighted to see Kenny Jackett get the job - he got Millwall promoted on a shoestring budget and kept them comfortable in the Championship on further tight budgets. He also focuses on defensive stability and will ensure Wolves would be tight at the back and build from there. He has the experience necessary to get us back on a level footing in the Championship. But whoever comes in, it is vital that Morgan backs them for more than the 6 months he gave Solbakken's long-term project. If he doesn't, this club will go nowhere fast.

Batth has captained Wolves Reserves in the past

An immediate return to the Championship should be possible too. Despite the fact a lot of key players will leave, the up-and-coming youngsters have shown at lot of promise and the team will be built around the likes of Batth (who I would give the armband to), Doherty, David Davis, Bjorn Sigurdarson and Liam McAlinden. The new man will be titled 'Head Coach', meaning Wolves are the latest club to embrace the foreign style of having a Director of Football (Kevin Thelwell) manage transfers with the Head Coach focusing solely on the first-team. It is a system that has worked so incredibly well down the road at The Hawthorns and Wolves fans will hope that is can have similar results at Molineux to bring the good times back to the club.


'Out Of Darkness Cometh Light'. This is Wolves' darkest hour since the mid-eighties and it is up to those at the top to lead the club through it and find the light at the end. For Steve Morgan, Jez Moxey and Kevin Thelwell, this is surely the biggest summer of their careers as their professional reputations are firmly on the line. If they get it right, it could lead to great things for the club. Get it wrong, and the clouds overhead will continue to get forever darker.

Over to you gentlemen.


Now, as the season is over, I shall hand out my own personal 'awards' looking back over this season. All just my own opinion, but it's just a final chance to look back on the better parts of this Championship season.

Highlight of the Season: Leading 3-0 at half-time against Birmingham City. None of us could believe what we were seeing and, despite Blues' second-half fightback, the feeling of winning so convincingly against our rivals was fantastic.

 

Low-point of the Season: Hard one, given our poor season, but it has to be Charlton's 90th minute winner at The Valley. In a game we deserved a point from, that goal told me that we were going down. A heartbreaking feeling.

Player of the Season: Bakary Sako. One of the few bright sparks in a very dark season. There's very little chance of Wolves keeping him, but he's been a delight to watch at times this year.

Best Away Day: Surprise choice, but Watford in November 2012 for me. We lost, but the atmosphere in the away end truly was incredible. One of the best I've ever experienced

Worst Away Day: Middlesbrough in December 2012. We deserved a point at least, and then had an appalling 89th minute penalty decision go against us, before conceding a second in the 92nd minute. The 5 hour coach journey home was painful

Best Opposition Fans: Brighton and Hove Albion by an absolute mile. Brought a fantastic following to Molineux who had a good atmosphere, then in the return fixture, they created a great atmosphere at the Amex. Also sang "You stupid b*****ds you've let your fans down" to our players on the final day. Great touch.

Out the door in the Summer: Where do I begin? There's so many who must go, but O'Hara and Johnson must be the first two, given their destroyed relationship with the fans. After that... well, take your pick.

Perfect Summer Signing: A manager who can get us playing good football and get us promoted would be great. Failing that, Alan Judge has just left Notts County and is frequently at the top end of the League 1 assist charts. If we can persuade him to join us, he might just be the perfect replacement for the creative talents who will undoubtedly leave the club.

Have a good Summer everyone.