The Fosun company took over Wolves about 14 months ago and boy a lot has happened to the club since then...
When they first bought Wolves they openly admitted they knew jack shit about the game, but for a club that employed the clueless Dean Saunders as manager not long before the takeover that statement seemed to be a step up.Fosun also own Cirque du Soleil and maybe they thought they'd purchased their second circus.Many football fans thought so...
That feeling was further enhanced when they employed the lovable,but hapless,Walter Zenga as their head coach.To say this decision was left field would be like saying Kim Jong Un is a bit of a wrong un'.Zenga's managerial record was patchy at best,something like sixteen clubs in as many seasons.His style seemed to consist of picking the team out of a tombola before every game then booking a flight to the middle east for a weekend break...he was the errant uncle who turns up at the family wedding,cops a feel of the bride and leaves with a bottle of brandy under his coat...
I'm guessing he was employed on the say so of Jorge Mendes.The so called super agent who has close ties with the Fosun group.It seemed to be a case of "Give him a go,it might work" it did'nt...
Come November and we were in danger of getting dragged into a relegation dogfight by an incompetent boss.We had the players to fight for a play off place at least but the man piloting the ship was basically a drunken deckhand...we needed stability and you can't get more stable than Paul Lambert.
Look up "Dour Scotsman" in the dictionary and you'd probably get a picture of Paul Lambert.The club had gone from cool,crazy uncle to Rev Ian Paisley in one bound.Dare i say it but that's what was needed.We avoided relegation but the general feeling was that Lambert was too shackled by fear of losing to take the club forward.When he could let lose without fighting for league points he presided over two pretty easy wins at Stoke & Liverpool and ran champions elect Chelsea close in the FA cup run...he had it in his locker but the dour pragmatic side of him always came to the fore...but thanks PL you saved us from relegation and gave us a cracking day out at Liverpool.
It now appears that both Zenga & Lambert were makeweights while Fosun waited for Nuno Espirito Santo to be available and in time honoured soap opera style it seems the previous nine months had all been a bad dream...Not only has NES come in like a breath of fresh air but he's also been instrumental in recruiting young players,mostly from Portugal,backed by Fosun's money and ambition,who are not only more skillful than most players we have seen down Molineux for many many years but also have the drive,ambition and team ethic demanded by a club with the goal of promotion this season,and more beyond...
Yes we have spent money,you have to if you want to compete,but the fact that we have been able to attract players with champions league calibre is mostly down to NES.They know him and want to play for him...even in Wolverhampton!
But it's not just money.look at many clubs who have wealthy new owners and are in a total mess.Yes you have to spend but you also have to make correct decisions and spend wisely.Fosun may know jack about the game but they're quick learners clearly...We've also had the added bonus of pissing off all our rivals fans and the national media alike.Despite the occasional puffed up article about plucky lower div clubs versus the big guns in cup games many in the national media love a cartel and woe betide any upstarts who attempt to smash their way into the Premiership top six party...
NES has changed our formation to fit the players at his disposal rather than the other way round.He's also shown his ruthless side by quickly dropping those deemed not good enough for his squad.By the same token he has taken established players like Coady,Doherty & Batth and improved them by leaps & bounds.All in a handful of games...
Much has been made of our recruitment of Portuguese players.The old "but can they do it on a wet tuesday night in xxxx" cliche abounds.Of course that's bollocks.Every title winning team for the last twenty years has been crammed to the brim with foreign fancy Dans who've managed to do it on a cold wet tuesday night in xxxx...I work with a Portuguese lad who's a tough little bugger and works like a dervish.If he's any indication then we're in good hands...
The old stager in me should be wary of all this new found optimism surrounding Wolves but y'know what? Fuck it,i'm just gonna enjoy the ride while it lasts.The fact that i am eagerly anticipating todays game versus Barnsley says it all.Eager,anticipation & Barnsley are not three words that normally sit together easily...
Thanks Fosun,thanks Nuno and thanks Wolves.
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