Why Wolves Haven't Lost Their Identity in Recent Overhaul - They've Rediscovered it
What makes a big club?
Is it how many fans you get home and away every week? Is it your history and the amount of trophies you've won? Or is it more to do with your current playing squad, league position and finances?
There's no definitive answer, but there are some clubs who are big just because they are. Wolves are one of these clubs. The term 'sleeping giant' is thrown around far too often these days, but since relegation from the Premier League in 2012 Wolves have been the very definition of the cliche.
Frankly in recent times the club has been an embarrassment, up until this 2017/18 season. A cocktail of inept managers, terrible purchases, stingy owners and stale tactics have, at its lowest point, driven the club to League One. Even the takeover from Fosun didn't immediately have a positive impact. The bizarre appointment of Walter Zenga started well, but was over quickly and Paul Lambert was more of a stopgap before this season.
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Since the appointment of Nuno, his squad have reinvigorated a fanbase that for the last few years has fallen out of love with football. The foreign players such as Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, and Willy Boly weren't supposed to care about the club. They were mercenaries, only joining the club for a quick payday and as a way to show themselves off to Premier League clubs.
Members of the media were keen to push this narrative before the season, instead of being proven right, these foreign players led Wolves to the title and in turn the media created an 'us against them' mentality amongst the fans. It was exactly what the club needed, the last five years have divided fans but the scorn from the media and other clubs brought everyone together.
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Wolves are a club whose fans exist on the brink of total meltdown. When Cardiff reduced Wolves' lead at the top of the Championship to just three points, there was complete panic. "What if we bottle promotion like the 01/02 season?" "What if the players are tiring after 40-odd games?"
But Nuno didn't panic, not once did this squad look nervous, instead they did what Nuno set out in one of the first interviews he did after becoming manager, Wolves made their ideas stronger than their opposition's.
The city of Wolverhampton has been waiting for a team that is worthy of wearing the Old Gold and Black. For the first time in a long time, it has one.
