pavlosmacwolf
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Or simply blow the bollocks out of the club.
General Wolves News
- Thread starter Kenny
- Start date
Wolftone
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Well, if you put it like that, yes
AndyWolves
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It's like David Brent
Tony Towner
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Apparently Troy Deeney was taking the piss on the radio this morning, which annoys me, as a) he's a prick and b) he's correct
Wellen Wolf
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He's also a sad Brummie who played for Walsall and Birmingham City.
jd1981
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Under this ownership a current prospects are:
Come 16-17th in the PL or become a yo-yo club or and probably the most likely a nothing championship club that comes between 10th-18th every season never threatens the play-offs, never has a cup run and one you barely notice exists.
Come 16-17th in the PL or become a yo-yo club or and probably the most likely a nothing championship club that comes between 10th-18th every season never threatens the play-offs, never has a cup run and one you barely notice exists.
Lupo
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Called Shi's column 'nonsense'
Elephant Pyjamas
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sycophantia
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That alone increases his kudos imo.....he's still a twat though.
Wellen Wolf
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I wasn't at the match mainly because I live in Germany. I also couldn't watch it because of bad links.
Someone has said on the BBC comments that there were Honved celebrations at half time and the director´s box was empty. Is this true?
If that is the case someone needs to explain and longstanding board members John Gough and John Bowater can start by asking Jeff Shi.
Someone has said on the BBC comments that there were Honved celebrations at half time and the director´s box was empty. Is this true?
If that is the case someone needs to explain and longstanding board members John Gough and John Bowater can start by asking Jeff Shi.
GLASGOWOLF
You OK Hun?
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O’NEIL DEPARTURE THE START OF A LONG ROAD BACK?
Wolves have more issues to address in the months and years to come
Johnny Phillips
The replacement of Gary O’Neil is not the solution. It is merely the first step on a long and arduous ladder that can take Wolverhampton Wanderers back to respectability. The outgoing head coach played a part in wider issues that have enveloped the club in recent seasons. The long spiral downwards reached a nadir shortly before 5pm on Saturday evening. Matheus Cunha planting his palm into the face of an Ipswich Town member of staff. Rayan Ait-Nouri being carried off the pitch like a wailing toddler. Just when it seemed there was nothing left to squander, they found a way to lose their dignity.
The increasingly familiar post-match refrain from the head coach, seeking to put distance from his players’ mistakes and absolve him and his coaching staff from any blame, continued. Perhaps O’Neil was actively trying to talk himself out of the role. Who knows, one day he might find a more stable home to rebuild a coaching career that, for all the recent shortcomings, produced some memorable highlights this time last year.
With Fosun now turning to Vitor Pereira – barring any unexpected contract issues – that chapter in the club’s history has closed. Julen Lopetegui’s untimely departure left Wolves in a hole without a spade back in August 2023. Sporting director Matt Hobbs was entrusted with the job of securing the new head coach and, to a degree, the appointment was a success with a 14th-place Premier League finish. It has unravelled spectacularly but perhaps not unsurprisingly. The accumulative effect of another tough summer in the transfer market, a lopsided playing squad and an inexperienced British coaching staff left Wolves behind the eight ball from the moment the season kicked off at Arsenal.
Hobbs has had some strong moments in the recruitment department, particularly with his ability to exploit the South American transfer market. But were those entrusted with recruitment trying to be a bit too smart with the funds available this summer? There may be some decent prospects for the years ahead but there is an absence of experience and guile to navigate this immediate Premier league campaign.
The sporting director’s two managerial choices, Michael Beale - whose 11th hour decision to turn down the job remains a bullet dodged - and O’Neil, have not aged well. The four-year contract handed to O’Neil in August was an unnecessary indulgence that has come back to haunt Wolves.
Now, Fosun has bypassed the sporting director to get to this next appointment, returning to its Gestifute confidante Jorge Mendes. That, once more, highlights the unique structure that exists at Molineux. Hobbs has spent time since his elevation to sporting director seeking to establish his powerbase at the club. With an increasing dominance over the profile of players brought in and sole responsibility for the appointment of O’Neil, it appeared that influence had shifted away from Mendes. And, for a time, Wolves seemed slightly healthier for it.
This season has been a different story. When the decision was made to remove O’Neil after the 4-0 defeat to Everton, the lack of a clear recruitment plan was evident. Enquires were made to several senior figures at home and abroad as well as a couple of relatively novice coaches, but all to no avail. Wolves limped on with O’Neil – essentially a zombie manager – for two further defeats before chairman Jeff Shi, on Sunday morning, could wait no longer to make a change.
Mendes, with almost three decades of elite football experience and contacts, knows how to get deals done. Respected by managers, players and clubs alike, events move swiftly when he is presiding over them.
The first thing Pereira – if appointed - must do is bring some professionalism and positivity back into a talented squad that has recently been shorn of any structure and discipline. It was hardly O’Neil’s fault that the players kept making individual mistakes but the tiresome excuse for some behaviour as “emotional” will no longer be accepted. It is a coaching staff’s job to ensure emotions are channelled properly. Pereira will not stand for the nonsense of the past week.
By identifying the 56-year-old Portuguese, there is a return to the gravitas of an experienced European coach that accompanied the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo and Lopetegui. Given the composition of the squad, that represents a positive step. Fluent in several languages, Pereira will need to communicate quickly with all his players to build trust. There is no harder managerial job than one that begins in a relegation zone, mid-season. Yet despite the precarious league position, Wolves are not cut adrift. There is a way forward.
The current playing staff has been exposed to mixed messaging. Pre-season, Wolves trained with four in defence before desperately returning to a three once the campaign began. On Saturday, O’Neil admitted that he had tried just about every player in every position to find a solution to problems all over the pitch, which suggested confused thinking. Instead of taking a step back, the sight of O’Neil and assistant Tim Jenkins disappearing further and further into the ipad screen during games hinted at an over-complicated dissection of every touch of the ball. If Pereira can bring some clarity of structure to the role then a gifted playing squad will surely benefit.
January strengthening is of paramount importance and there are funds available for this. Fosun recognises that this is a squad in need of reinforcements. That will reassure supporters, who were beginning to wonder if the owners were simply overseeing a managed decline. With Chinese ownership of European football clubs all but extinct, Fosun represent a vessel sailing against the tide. Despite assurances to the contrary, fears that the gradual depletion of the playing squad indicated a loss of interest and ability to properly finance the club remain amongst the fanbase.
By acting now, Fosun can prove otherwise. O’Neil unquestionably suffered in the transfer market. If Fosun is still serious about its role as custodians of Wolves, rather than merely attempting to keep the club in the Premier League on the lowest margins possible, then this is the opportunity to recapture the edge that once had Wolves punching above their weight.
Shi rarely attends games these days, preferring instead to focus on contests in the e-sports world. That is fair enough if his role is to increase brand awareness and alternative revenue streams in far flung global destinations, but if Wolves want to succeed in a Premier League environment there must be a strong hand on the tiller in a traditional football chief executive role.
Such an appointment is unlikely in the current executive structure but there has been a template for success previously which circumnavigated the post. Kevin Thelwell was a sporting director in name only by the time Nuno was leading the revolution of Wolves seven years ago. The Holy Trinity of Fosun, Mendes and Nuno took the club to places supporters could only have dreamt of. Unconventional, yes, but at least everybody knew where they stood, and Thelwell eventually moved on to pastures new. Wolves today represents a halfway house. When Pereira’s appointment is rubber-stamped, will the strong link with Mendes return and where will that leave Hobbs? That is a question for another day, but it needs addressing.
Supporters want their team to climb the table as quickly as possible and pull back from the brink once more. There have been too many flirtations with relegation in recent seasons. Clubs cannot busk their way through a Premier League season. The demands and standards are just too high. It would be interesting to know exactly why so many managers apparently eschewed the approaches of Wolves in the past fortnight. The impression of a club not taking the task in hand seriously enough must be overcome. Managing Wolves should be a top job. But it is only that if the support mechanisms are in place for everybody to thrive. A new dawn on Monday morning must not be another false one.
© 2024 Johnny Phillips
Read this on Facebook. Interesting read leaving a few questions un answered
Wolves have more issues to address in the months and years to come
Johnny Phillips
The replacement of Gary O’Neil is not the solution. It is merely the first step on a long and arduous ladder that can take Wolverhampton Wanderers back to respectability. The outgoing head coach played a part in wider issues that have enveloped the club in recent seasons. The long spiral downwards reached a nadir shortly before 5pm on Saturday evening. Matheus Cunha planting his palm into the face of an Ipswich Town member of staff. Rayan Ait-Nouri being carried off the pitch like a wailing toddler. Just when it seemed there was nothing left to squander, they found a way to lose their dignity.
The increasingly familiar post-match refrain from the head coach, seeking to put distance from his players’ mistakes and absolve him and his coaching staff from any blame, continued. Perhaps O’Neil was actively trying to talk himself out of the role. Who knows, one day he might find a more stable home to rebuild a coaching career that, for all the recent shortcomings, produced some memorable highlights this time last year.
With Fosun now turning to Vitor Pereira – barring any unexpected contract issues – that chapter in the club’s history has closed. Julen Lopetegui’s untimely departure left Wolves in a hole without a spade back in August 2023. Sporting director Matt Hobbs was entrusted with the job of securing the new head coach and, to a degree, the appointment was a success with a 14th-place Premier League finish. It has unravelled spectacularly but perhaps not unsurprisingly. The accumulative effect of another tough summer in the transfer market, a lopsided playing squad and an inexperienced British coaching staff left Wolves behind the eight ball from the moment the season kicked off at Arsenal.
Hobbs has had some strong moments in the recruitment department, particularly with his ability to exploit the South American transfer market. But were those entrusted with recruitment trying to be a bit too smart with the funds available this summer? There may be some decent prospects for the years ahead but there is an absence of experience and guile to navigate this immediate Premier league campaign.
The sporting director’s two managerial choices, Michael Beale - whose 11th hour decision to turn down the job remains a bullet dodged - and O’Neil, have not aged well. The four-year contract handed to O’Neil in August was an unnecessary indulgence that has come back to haunt Wolves.
Now, Fosun has bypassed the sporting director to get to this next appointment, returning to its Gestifute confidante Jorge Mendes. That, once more, highlights the unique structure that exists at Molineux. Hobbs has spent time since his elevation to sporting director seeking to establish his powerbase at the club. With an increasing dominance over the profile of players brought in and sole responsibility for the appointment of O’Neil, it appeared that influence had shifted away from Mendes. And, for a time, Wolves seemed slightly healthier for it.
This season has been a different story. When the decision was made to remove O’Neil after the 4-0 defeat to Everton, the lack of a clear recruitment plan was evident. Enquires were made to several senior figures at home and abroad as well as a couple of relatively novice coaches, but all to no avail. Wolves limped on with O’Neil – essentially a zombie manager – for two further defeats before chairman Jeff Shi, on Sunday morning, could wait no longer to make a change.
Mendes, with almost three decades of elite football experience and contacts, knows how to get deals done. Respected by managers, players and clubs alike, events move swiftly when he is presiding over them.
The first thing Pereira – if appointed - must do is bring some professionalism and positivity back into a talented squad that has recently been shorn of any structure and discipline. It was hardly O’Neil’s fault that the players kept making individual mistakes but the tiresome excuse for some behaviour as “emotional” will no longer be accepted. It is a coaching staff’s job to ensure emotions are channelled properly. Pereira will not stand for the nonsense of the past week.
By identifying the 56-year-old Portuguese, there is a return to the gravitas of an experienced European coach that accompanied the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo and Lopetegui. Given the composition of the squad, that represents a positive step. Fluent in several languages, Pereira will need to communicate quickly with all his players to build trust. There is no harder managerial job than one that begins in a relegation zone, mid-season. Yet despite the precarious league position, Wolves are not cut adrift. There is a way forward.
The current playing staff has been exposed to mixed messaging. Pre-season, Wolves trained with four in defence before desperately returning to a three once the campaign began. On Saturday, O’Neil admitted that he had tried just about every player in every position to find a solution to problems all over the pitch, which suggested confused thinking. Instead of taking a step back, the sight of O’Neil and assistant Tim Jenkins disappearing further and further into the ipad screen during games hinted at an over-complicated dissection of every touch of the ball. If Pereira can bring some clarity of structure to the role then a gifted playing squad will surely benefit.
January strengthening is of paramount importance and there are funds available for this. Fosun recognises that this is a squad in need of reinforcements. That will reassure supporters, who were beginning to wonder if the owners were simply overseeing a managed decline. With Chinese ownership of European football clubs all but extinct, Fosun represent a vessel sailing against the tide. Despite assurances to the contrary, fears that the gradual depletion of the playing squad indicated a loss of interest and ability to properly finance the club remain amongst the fanbase.
By acting now, Fosun can prove otherwise. O’Neil unquestionably suffered in the transfer market. If Fosun is still serious about its role as custodians of Wolves, rather than merely attempting to keep the club in the Premier League on the lowest margins possible, then this is the opportunity to recapture the edge that once had Wolves punching above their weight.
Shi rarely attends games these days, preferring instead to focus on contests in the e-sports world. That is fair enough if his role is to increase brand awareness and alternative revenue streams in far flung global destinations, but if Wolves want to succeed in a Premier League environment there must be a strong hand on the tiller in a traditional football chief executive role.
Such an appointment is unlikely in the current executive structure but there has been a template for success previously which circumnavigated the post. Kevin Thelwell was a sporting director in name only by the time Nuno was leading the revolution of Wolves seven years ago. The Holy Trinity of Fosun, Mendes and Nuno took the club to places supporters could only have dreamt of. Unconventional, yes, but at least everybody knew where they stood, and Thelwell eventually moved on to pastures new. Wolves today represents a halfway house. When Pereira’s appointment is rubber-stamped, will the strong link with Mendes return and where will that leave Hobbs? That is a question for another day, but it needs addressing.
Supporters want their team to climb the table as quickly as possible and pull back from the brink once more. There have been too many flirtations with relegation in recent seasons. Clubs cannot busk their way through a Premier League season. The demands and standards are just too high. It would be interesting to know exactly why so many managers apparently eschewed the approaches of Wolves in the past fortnight. The impression of a club not taking the task in hand seriously enough must be overcome. Managing Wolves should be a top job. But it is only that if the support mechanisms are in place for everybody to thrive. A new dawn on Monday morning must not be another false one.
© 2024 Johnny Phillips
Read this on Facebook. Interesting read leaving a few questions un answered
KiwiWolf61
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I saw this on Always Wolves (I tend to find the site a bit of a happy clapper) re comments to Jeff Shi's message (which hasn't aged well has it):
DECEMBER 12, 2024
I have been a fan for 65 years and, whilst this message is welcome, if long overdue, I have to say Mr Shi still doesn’t get it.
He says Wolves operate under a model of “prudent funding … and is not yet fully sustainable” with “investment … when necessary … based on business rationale”. I can’t disagree with the sentiments and have no real issue with the concept of self sustainability, which is possibly achievable in principle, but only if the club is geared up to operate in that way, which it currently is not. Unfortunately, he offers no insight into how that utopia can be achieved and maintained.
It seems to me the proposal is to be self sufficient is based purely on player trading at the expense of sporting ambition, ie buy young players, with potential, to develop for resale hopefully at a profit, irrespective of whether they can have an immediate impact on the team (Lima, Rodrigo Gomes etc) or that are not required at the time, at the expense of strengthening where required (eg Andre v a CB). Player trading should only be part of the model.
To be self sufficient the club needs multiple income streams, heavy weight sponsors and commercial partners, a conveyor belt of talent from the academy either for sale or, hopefully, that are good enough for the first team, and sporting success to generate prize money and make the brand attractive to suitable sponsors and partners which, in turn, requires continual improvement to the first team squad. This I would suggest would be a sound business rationale for investment by the owners.
In other words you move towards self sustainability by success on the field and by success in making the club something companies want to be associated with and invest in. Also investment in stadium development to increase match day revenues by increasing capacity. To rely on prudence and player trading alone will not make the club self sufficient it will only crease the problems the club are facing.
Perhaps Mr Shi would care to expand on his comments and explain how he sees the club becoming self sufficient.
He nails it re the Shi's mantra of having the club fully sustainable in highlighting the utter fraud such a policy is when it is just limited to player trading.
A properly run club or business that wishes to be fully sustainable needs to have multiple avenues of income which shouldn't include alienating your local fanbase by jacking up the ST prices beyond what is fair and reasonable.
GON (now gone) is simply a symptom of the inept management of the club by Shi/Fosun that won't be properly addressed until Shi is replaced by someone who actually understands how to run a successful football club (albeit very very unlikely) or Fosun sell up (we can only pray they don't resort to a fire sale that guts the club).
BY GARETH HALE
DECEMBER 12, 2024
I have been a fan for 65 years and, whilst this message is welcome, if long overdue, I have to say Mr Shi still doesn’t get it.
He says Wolves operate under a model of “prudent funding … and is not yet fully sustainable” with “investment … when necessary … based on business rationale”. I can’t disagree with the sentiments and have no real issue with the concept of self sustainability, which is possibly achievable in principle, but only if the club is geared up to operate in that way, which it currently is not. Unfortunately, he offers no insight into how that utopia can be achieved and maintained.
It seems to me the proposal is to be self sufficient is based purely on player trading at the expense of sporting ambition, ie buy young players, with potential, to develop for resale hopefully at a profit, irrespective of whether they can have an immediate impact on the team (Lima, Rodrigo Gomes etc) or that are not required at the time, at the expense of strengthening where required (eg Andre v a CB). Player trading should only be part of the model.
To be self sufficient the club needs multiple income streams, heavy weight sponsors and commercial partners, a conveyor belt of talent from the academy either for sale or, hopefully, that are good enough for the first team, and sporting success to generate prize money and make the brand attractive to suitable sponsors and partners which, in turn, requires continual improvement to the first team squad. This I would suggest would be a sound business rationale for investment by the owners.
In other words you move towards self sustainability by success on the field and by success in making the club something companies want to be associated with and invest in. Also investment in stadium development to increase match day revenues by increasing capacity. To rely on prudence and player trading alone will not make the club self sufficient it will only crease the problems the club are facing.
Perhaps Mr Shi would care to expand on his comments and explain how he sees the club becoming self sufficient.
He nails it re the Shi's mantra of having the club fully sustainable in highlighting the utter fraud such a policy is when it is just limited to player trading.
A properly run club or business that wishes to be fully sustainable needs to have multiple avenues of income which shouldn't include alienating your local fanbase by jacking up the ST prices beyond what is fair and reasonable.
GON (now gone) is simply a symptom of the inept management of the club by Shi/Fosun that won't be properly addressed until Shi is replaced by someone who actually understands how to run a successful football club (albeit very very unlikely) or Fosun sell up (we can only pray they don't resort to a fire sale that guts the club).
Derby Wolf
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Agreed. We haven't got the people in place to provide a self sustainable football club either.
We need succession planning in place for every position, ideally you need the successor in the building getting minutes from the bench etc or they're already identified playing elsewhere and a move to Wolves is considered a logical step.
We know all too well that some young players stall like Ruben Vinagre, don't settle like Goncalves, or the manager doesn't fancy them (Vintinha) theres myriad other reasons too.
You only achieve that by having a football department with autonomy following a coherent strategy. You also rely on your Academy to unearth a player or two. Its naive to think the academy will pump out PL player after PL player but there's got to be a joined up strategy.
We have none of these things, and I worry never will while Shi is overseeing things, we'll continue to see haphazard transfers on perceived resale, we'll see players signed more for their commercial value than their footballing value (Hwang) and do we really believe a club letting the paint peel off the stadium is investing anything into the academy?
Self sustainable requires investment in people, infrastructure and process. It doesn't yield immediate results.
Shi bleating about self sustainability is like a farmer stood in front of a barren field talking about "living off the land" opposite a barn full of seed he's refusing to use.
The Saturday Boy
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Self sustainability by means other than player trading was dead in the water the moment Fosun ruled out moving away from Molineux. There are clubs of a similar size who have had a decent effort…Brighton, Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham and Palace are all facing the same challenges as Wolves…relatively low income streams. Add Everton (new stadium coming) and Forest and you have a group of clubs who are always going to be at a disadvantage compared to the rest. The saving grace has been that promoted clubs in recent years have not been up to the levels required in the PL. Molineux is too small and even immoral price hikes barely makes a dent in the financial disparity.
darlowolf64
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Had Fosun pushed through with the ground expansion there wouldn't have been the need to move and the chance for more cash stream
