Source: Sports Interactive Community
The very name Wolves thunders from the pages of English football history. It is quite hard to believe that the newly promoted Premier League club is, in fact, one of the pioneers in making the English FA as well as the European competitions. But for the past 59 years, since the day captain Billy Wright under the management of the legendary manager Stan Cullis lifted the Football League first division( now the Premier League) trophy at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, the Molineux has been left silent with none of the predecessors yet to come close to emulating their success of their past.
The mid-60s saw the first fall of the mighty Wolves as Stan Cullis was sacked in September 1964 after a disastrous 1964/65 season that saw the 3-time league winners suffering relegation after finishing bottom of the league. The stay in the second tier was short lived as Bill McGarry ushered in a relatively successful 8-years for the Wolves.
Since that fateful day in Wolverhampton, the Wolves fans have never seen any of the successors to the team coming close to winning the title with a second place finish in 1959/60 season and a third-place finish in the 1960/61 season the closest they ever got. It is quite hard to believe that the founding member of both the European Cup competitions, as well as the FA, are yet to win a major trophy since 1980 Football League Cup defeating European champions Nottingham Forest (The Championship, League 1 and League 2 trophies are not considered as major trophies).
History
The story of Wolverhampton Wanderers can be summed up as the story of a once great team's fall from the grace and its efforts in trying to claw back to their once held perch. Wolves were the tops dogs of English football during the years under legendary manager Stan Cullis and Billy Wright with the Black countryside winning their only 3 Football League first division trophies, 2 FA Cups and 6 top 3 finishes in the First division, excluding the championships.
Source: Sports Journalist Association
The years under McGray saw Wolves finishing runners-up in the inaugural UEFA Cup in 1972 losing to English side Tottenham Hotspur 2-1, semifinal appearances in both FA Cup and League Cup before finally ending the 14-year wait for silverware by winning their first ever League Cup in 1974 with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Wembley. Inconsistent League performance was a hallmark under McGray which finally led to his sacking as Wolves went down again in the 1975/76 after finishing 3 points shy of safety, at 20th.The mid-60s saw the first fall of the mighty Wolves as Stan Cullis was sacked in September 1964 after a disastrous 1964/65 season that saw the 3-time league winners suffering relegation after finishing bottom of the league. The stay in the second tier was short lived as Bill McGarry ushered in a relatively successful 8-years for the Wolves.
Source: Colorsport
The years under McGray saw Wolves finishing runners-up in the inaugural UEFA Cup in 1972 losing to English side Tottenham Hotspur 2-1, semifinal appearances in both FA Cup and League Cup before finally ending the 14-year wait for silverware by winning their first ever League Cup in 1974 with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Wembley. Inconsistent League performance was a hallmark under McGray which finally led to his sacking as Wolves went down again in the 1975/76 after finishing 3 points shy of safety at 20th.
Once again the stay in the Second division was short as the 4-time FA Cup winners came back to the First Division in his first attempt after finishing runners-up in the Second Division. The arrival of John Barnwell saw Wolves finishing 6th in the League during the 1979/80 season as well as winning their second league Cup in 6 years as they beat Nottingham Forest in the final. 2 FA semi-final appearances was also followed before being relegated in the 1981/82 season that saw manager John Barnwell resigning from the job with the team placed rock bottom fo the table.
The 1980s saw the downfall of the once great team, financial crunches due to the rebuilding of the Molineux Stadium, ineffective replacements of star players and failure to invest sufficiently in the team saw the Wolves suffering relegation to the Fourth tier of English Football starting with the 1984/85 relegations from the First Division after gaining promotion in the first season back at the Second tier after suffering relegation in 1981/82 season. The stay in the first division was short and swift as Wolves came down again in the 1983/84season following it up with yet another relegation to the Third tier of English Football as they finished 22nd in the Second Division. The fall was far from over as the mighty wolves yet again suffered the heartbreak of relegation as they finished 23rd in the 1984/85 season to suffer their first ever relegation to the Fourth tier of English Football.
Source: Sky Sports
The 1986 season Wolves under receivership after the Wolverhampton Council bought their beloved Football club stadium and surrounding premise. It was also the first season for future Wolves legend Steve Bull and the first season under Graham Turner for the Wolves as they targeted a quick return back to the top tier. After losing the final of the playoffs to Aldershot in the first season, Wolves clawed their way into the Third tier in their second attempt as they finished top of the table. Promotion to the second tier followed immediately as they finished top of the table yet again in the Third Division. The 8-years under Graham Turner saw Wolves winning their first piece of silverware since the 1980 League Cup.
A 14-year spell in the Second Division soon followed with Wolves failing to qualify to the Premier League in 3 playoff attempts before finally securing a spot back in the limelight as they defeated Sheffield Wednesday to win the 2003 Championship playoff. Getting to the top is one thing but maintaining it is a whole new challenge as Wolves went down once again, finishing rock bottom of the 2003/04 Premier League season. 5 more seasons at the Championship soon followed and ended with Wolves becoming one of the few clubs in England to win the league title in all the Four tiers of English Football as they finished top of the table in the 2008/09 season.
Source: Media Storehouse
A 3-year stint soon followed before Wolves went down yet again after finishing rock bottom in the 2011/12 season. The relegation from the Premier League caused a mini blip for the Wolverhampton based side as they suffered another relegation in the 2012/13 season to the League 1 after a second successive season at rock bottom, this time in the Championship League only to win back promotion the very next season after winning League 1 with record 103 points with Kenny Jackett at the helm.
The arrival of Fosun Group
The year 2016 saw Steve Morgan selling the Wolves to Chinese Investment group Fosun International for 30 million pounds, which almost immediately ended the 3-year reign of Jackett after his contract was terminated by the new owners. Former Inter shot-stopper Walter Zenga was signed in his place only to see the Italian sacked after just 14 games into the season. His replacement Paul Lambert lasted just 33 matches after terminating his contract on mutual consent after finishing 15th in the 2016/17 season.
Source: Sports Maniacs
2017 /18 season saw Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm of Wolves. With new signing Ruben Neves and loanee's Diogo Jota and Ruben Vinagreas as Wolves cruised through the EFL Championship, finishing 9 points clear of second-placed Cardiff City with 99 points from 46 matches with Diogo Jota scoring 18 goals for the Wolves, as they secured their 4th EFL Championship
Present State
Wolves have been involved in a busy transfer session for the new seasons with a host of players coming in as well as leaving the EFL Championship winners. Portuguese internationals Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Diogo Jota joining the Wolverhampton side while club legend Carlos Ikeme has retired from the club. With Wolves with the addition to their squad will be looking to enter into their first European season since the 1970s.
The Fosun group's close ties with Super Agent Jorge Mendes has seen several of the Portuguese clients joining the newcomers of Premier League with coach Nuno Espirito Santo and recent additions Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio coming from Mendes stable. The Wolves squad has a heavy Portuguese influence with 7 of the players coming from Portugal with star players Diogo Jota, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Ruben Neves having Portuguese nationality.
Transfer Activity
Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio, John Ruddy, Will Norris
Defenders: Danny Bath, Ryan Bennett, Willy Boly, Conor Coady, Sylvain Deslandes, Matt Doherty, Ethan Ebanks-Landell, Kortney Hause, Dominic Iorfa, Jonny, Phil Ofosu-Ayeh, Ruben Vinagre
Key Players
Ruben Neves
One of the first signings of the Wolves team under Nuno Espirito Santo, Ruben Neves was instrumental in the road to the championship for Wolves last season as they won the EFL Championship recording 99 points from 46 matches. The 21-year old who was signed from FC Porto last year recently signed a 5-year contract with the Wolves after speculations about the Portuguese midfielder started doing the rounds.
The Portuguese midfielder, who made 38 appearances and scored 6 goals for the Wolves, is a defensive midfielder who likes a good tackle and loves scoring breathtaking goals. The Wolves faithful will be hoping for the 21-year old to have a belter of a season as they aim for a place in Europe this season.
Source: Metro
Diogo Jota
Another vital cog of the Championship winning Wolverhampton Wanderers team, Diogo Jota joined the Wolves on loan from Atletico Madrid last season scoring career-best 18 goals last season before joining Wolves for on a permanent deal this season.The midfielder who is adept at playing both wide and centrally is judged by the pundits to be the best midfielder from the newly promoted teams. The Wolves faithful will be looking for their last season top scorer to fire their way into European competitions this season.
Source: Getty Images
Joao Moutinho
One of the new additions to the Wolves roster, the European winner will provide much-needed experience to the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfield. The third most capped Portuguese player who moved to Molineux from AS Monaco will need to be at his best to help Wolves finish in the European places. The midfielder was involved in 44 matches for Ligue 1 side Monaco last season.The 31-year-old may not have the legs compared to his younger compatriots but his ability to read situations and willingness to track back along with his immaculate passing range and an eye for the goal will prove to be very useful for the 3-time English Champions.
Source: Shropshire Star
Rui Patricio
Source: 90min
 |
| Source: Sports Interactive Community |
The very name Wolves thunders from the pages of English football history. It is quite hard to believe that the newly promoted Premier League club is, in fact, one of the pioneers in making the English FA as well as the European competitions. But for the past 59 years, since the day captain Billy Wright under the management of the legendary manager Stan Cullis lifted the Football League first division( now the Premier League) trophy at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, the Molineux has been left silent with none of the predecessors yet to come close to emulating their success of their past.
The mid-60s saw the first fall of the mighty Wolves as Stan Cullis was sacked in September 1964 after a disastrous 1964/65 season that saw the 3-time league winners suffering relegation after finishing bottom of the league. The stay in the second tier was short lived as Bill McGarry ushered in a relatively successful 8-years for the Wolves.
Since that fateful day in Wolverhampton, the Wolves fans have never seen any of the successors to the team coming close to winning the title with a second place finish in 1959/60 season and a third-place finish in the 1960/61 season the closest they ever got. It is quite hard to believe that the founding member of both the European Cup competitions, as well as the FA, are yet to win a major trophy since 1980 Football League Cup defeating European champions Nottingham Forest (The Championship, League 1 and League 2 trophies are not considered as major trophies).
History
The story of Wolverhampton Wanderers can be summed up as the story of a once great team's fall from the grace and its efforts in trying to claw back to their once held perch. Wolves were the tops dogs of English football during the years under legendary manager Stan Cullis and Billy Wright with the Black countryside winning their only 3 Football League first division trophies, 2 FA Cups and 6 top 3 finishes in the First division, excluding the championships.
 |
| Source: Sports Journalist Association |
The years under McGray saw Wolves finishing runners-up in the inaugural UEFA Cup in 1972 losing to English side Tottenham Hotspur 2-1, semifinal appearances in both FA Cup and League Cup before finally ending the 14-year wait for silverware by winning their first ever League Cup in 1974 with a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at Wembley. Inconsistent League performance was a hallmark under McGray which finally led to his sacking as Wolves went down again in the 1975/76 after finishing 3 points shy of safety, at 20th.The mid-60s saw the first fall of the mighty Wolves as Stan Cullis was sacked in September 1964 after a disastrous 1964/65 season that saw the 3-time league winners suffering relegation after finishing bottom of the league. The stay in the second tier was short lived as Bill McGarry ushered in a relatively successful 8-years for the Wolves.
 |
| Source: Colorsport |
Once again the stay in the Second division was short as the 4-time FA Cup winners came back to the First Division in his first attempt after finishing runners-up in the Second Division. The arrival of John Barnwell saw Wolves finishing 6th in the League during the 1979/80 season as well as winning their second league Cup in 6 years as they beat Nottingham Forest in the final. 2 FA semi-final appearances was also followed before being relegated in the 1981/82 season that saw manager John Barnwell resigning from the job with the team placed rock bottom fo the table.
The 1980s saw the downfall of the once great team, financial crunches due to the rebuilding of the Molineux Stadium, ineffective replacements of star players and failure to invest sufficiently in the team saw the Wolves suffering relegation to the Fourth tier of English Football starting with the 1984/85 relegations from the First Division after gaining promotion in the first season back at the Second tier after suffering relegation in 1981/82 season. The stay in the first division was short and swift as Wolves came down again in the 1983/84season following it up with yet another relegation to the Third tier of English Football as they finished 22nd in the Second Division. The fall was far from over as the mighty wolves yet again suffered the heartbreak of relegation as they finished 23rd in the 1984/85 season to suffer their first ever relegation to the Fourth tier of English Football.
 |
| Source: Sky Sports |
The 1986 season Wolves under receivership after the Wolverhampton Council bought their beloved Football club stadium and surrounding premise. It was also the first season for future Wolves legend Steve Bull and the first season under Graham Turner for the Wolves as they targeted a quick return back to the top tier. After losing the final of the playoffs to Aldershot in the first season, Wolves clawed their way into the Third tier in their second attempt as they finished top of the table. Promotion to the second tier followed immediately as they finished top of the table yet again in the Third Division. The 8-years under Graham Turner saw Wolves winning their first piece of silverware since the 1980 League Cup.
A 14-year spell in the Second Division soon followed with Wolves failing to qualify to the Premier League in 3 playoff attempts before finally securing a spot back in the limelight as they defeated Sheffield Wednesday to win the 2003 Championship playoff. Getting to the top is one thing but maintaining it is a whole new challenge as Wolves went down once again, finishing rock bottom of the 2003/04 Premier League season. 5 more seasons at the Championship soon followed and ended with Wolves becoming one of the few clubs in England to win the league title in all the Four tiers of English Football as they finished top of the table in the 2008/09 season.
 |
Source: Media Storehouse
|
A 3-year stint soon followed before Wolves went down yet again after finishing rock bottom in the 2011/12 season. The relegation from the Premier League caused a mini blip for the Wolverhampton based side as they suffered another relegation in the 2012/13 season to the League 1 after a second successive season at rock bottom, this time in the Championship League only to win back promotion the very next season after winning League 1 with record 103 points with Kenny Jackett at the helm.
The year 2016 saw Steve Morgan selling the Wolves to Chinese Investment group Fosun International for 30 million pounds, which almost immediately ended the 3-year reign of Jackett after his contract was terminated by the new owners. Former Inter shot-stopper Walter Zenga was signed in his place only to see the Italian sacked after just 14 games into the season. His replacement Paul Lambert lasted just 33 matches after terminating his contract on mutual consent after finishing 15th in the 2016/17 season.
 |
| Source: Sports Maniacs |
Present State
Wolves have been involved in a busy transfer session for the new seasons with a host of players coming in as well as leaving the EFL Championship winners. Portuguese internationals Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Diogo Jota joining the Wolverhampton side while club legend Carlos Ikeme has retired from the club. With Wolves with the addition to their squad will be looking to enter into their first European season since the 1970s.
The Fosun group's close ties with Super Agent Jorge Mendes has seen several of the Portuguese clients joining the newcomers of Premier League with coach Nuno Espirito Santo and recent additions Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio coming from Mendes stable. The Wolves squad has a heavy Portuguese influence with 7 of the players coming from Portugal with star players Diogo Jota, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Ruben Neves having Portuguese nationality.
Transfer Activity
Transfer In: Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio, Diogo Jota, Ruben Vinagre, Wily Boly, Leo Bonatini, Benik Afobe, Adama Traore, Leander Dendoncker
Loan in: Raul Jimenez, Jonny
Transfer Out: Duckens Nazon, Ben Marshall, Prince Oniangue, Barry Douglas
Loan out: Christian Herc, Aaron Collins, Benik Afobe, Harry Burgoyne, Sherwin Seedorf, Roderick Miranda, Rafa Mir, Ben Goodliffe, Aaron Hayden
Squad
Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio, John Ruddy, Will Norris
Defenders: Danny Bath, Ryan Bennett, Willy Boly, Conor Coady, Sylvain Deslandes, Matt Doherty, Ethan Ebanks-Landell, Kortney Hause, Dominic Iorfa, Jonny, Phil Ofosu-Ayeh, Ruben Vinagre
Midfielders: Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Graham, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Connor Ronan, Romain Saiss
Forwards: Leo Bonatini, Ivan Cavaleiro, Helder Costa, Bright Enobakhare, Paul Gladon, Raul Jimenez, Diogo Jota, Joe Mason, Michal Zyro
Key Players
Ruben Neves
One of the first signings of the Wolves team under Nuno Espirito Santo, Ruben Neves was instrumental in the road to the championship for Wolves last season as they won the EFL Championship recording 99 points from 46 matches. The 21-year old who was signed from FC Porto last year recently signed a 5-year contract with the Wolves after speculations about the Portuguese midfielder started doing the rounds.
Ruben Neves
One of the first signings of the Wolves team under Nuno Espirito Santo, Ruben Neves was instrumental in the road to the championship for Wolves last season as they won the EFL Championship recording 99 points from 46 matches. The 21-year old who was signed from FC Porto last year recently signed a 5-year contract with the Wolves after speculations about the Portuguese midfielder started doing the rounds.
The Portuguese midfielder, who made 38 appearances and scored 6 goals for the Wolves, is a defensive midfielder who likes a good tackle and loves scoring breathtaking goals. The Wolves faithful will be hoping for the 21-year old to have a belter of a season as they aim for a place in Europe this season.
 |
| Source: Metro |
Another vital cog of the Championship winning Wolverhampton Wanderers team, Diogo Jota joined the Wolves on loan from Atletico Madrid last season scoring career-best 18 goals last season before joining Wolves for on a permanent deal this season.The midfielder who is adept at playing both wide and centrally is judged by the pundits to be the best midfielder from the newly promoted teams. The Wolves faithful will be looking for their last season top scorer to fire their way into European competitions this season.
 |
| Source: Getty Images |
Joao Moutinho
One of the new additions to the Wolves roster, the European winner will provide much-needed experience to the Wolverhampton Wanderers midfield. The third most capped Portuguese player who moved to Molineux from AS Monaco will need to be at his best to help Wolves finish in the European places. The midfielder was involved in 44 matches for Ligue 1 side Monaco last season.The 31-year-old may not have the legs compared to his younger compatriots but his ability to read situations and willingness to track back along with his immaculate passing range and an eye for the goal will prove to be very useful for the 3-time English Champions.
 |
| Source: Shropshire Star |
Rui Patricio
One of the coups of this transfer window, Rui Patricio's decision to join newly promoted sides Wolves in place of a host of other Champions League clubs was one of the most bewildered decisions made. The 31-year-old joined Wolves on a free transfer after terminating his contract with boyhood club Sporting CP due to a training ground altercation with the fans, is one of the most consistent and experienced goalkeepers around.
A very commanding goalkeeper, Rui Patricio is capable of making jaw-dropping lightning quick saves most recently seen in Portugal's matches against Iran and Morocco. The strong mentality and his vocal communication with defenders will be needed to keep the Wolves defence on their toes.
 |
| Source: 90min |
Comments
Post a Comment