Nothing could sum up Wolves’ miserable predicament better than the chaotic scenes at the final whistle that saw under-fire boss Vitor Pereira appearing to lose his rag in front of furious home supporters.
Seconds after the home defeat by Burnley that has Wolves fearing relegation and puts coach Vitor Pereira’s future in serious doubt, Jorgen Strand Larsen walked towards the South Bank. The forward’s body language was calm and he seemed to want to engage.
Yet officials noted the mutinous mood behind the goal and to stop a potential escalation, they stepped in. By then Pereira and several players joined Strand Larsen and as they dispersed and footage has since emerged on social media of the Portuguese looking particularly angry. As he walked away, Pereira was told he was ‘getting sacked in the morning’.
Really, though, it no longer really matters whether Wolves sack Pereira or stick with him. Nor does it matter that they were desperately unlucky not to claim at least a point from this match, as Burnley struck in stoppage time after being pinned back for most of the second half.
Until the Wolves ownership show their supporters that they are prepared to change, they will not regain their backing or trust. ‘We want Fosun out’ bellowed the South Bank, and while the Chinese conglomerate cannot simply click their fingers and sell the club, they should probably think carefully about whether to keep executive chairman Jeff Shi in place.
Shi has been in charge for some of the greatest days in Wolves’ modern history but those are long gone. Now he oversees a regime that gave Pereira a new deal in September and signed off a transfer policy that would make even the worst Football Manager player blush.
Wolves manager Vitor Pereira appeared to lose his rag with the fans after losing to Burnley
Fans chanted ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ after a late defeat left them bottom
Lyle Foster broke Wolves’ hearts with a 95th-minute winner after the hosts had battled back from an early 2-0 deficit
It might not stop Wolves hurtling into the Championship but if nothing else, the removal of Shi would at least buy back a little goodwill from those in Old Gold.
Not even a minute was on the clock when fans were targeting him with their chants and throughout the match, they made their feelings known about Fosun – as they have for much of this season and before.
Burnley rode their luck here. After Zian Flemming’s double put them two clear, late first-half goals from Strand Larsen (from the penalty spot) and Marshall Munetsi brought Wolves level.
After the break, Jhon Arias hit the bar with a free-kick and Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka made excellent saves from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Santi Bueno. Seconds before Bueno’s effort, substitute Lyle Foster had rolled in Burnley’s winner.
Unlike Wolves, Burnley look like a club with a plan. It might not be enough to keep them up as they will not always be as fortunate as they were here. Signing players like Kyle Walker is a pretty good start, though. Having a man like that in the changing room shows the squad the standards required to compete at this level. Who plays that role for Wolves?
Recruitment at Molineux has been baffling. When key men Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo departed, they lost a huge amount of Premier League experience and quality, and replacing them with players who had never worked in England felt an unnecessary risk.
Wolves were effectively asking players to learn on the job in a weakened team and it is no wonder they have struggled. Daily Mail Sport understands Wolves were offered the chance to sign David Brooks from Bournemouth, while other solid Premier League options like Harry Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters were also available. Transfer policy cannot be dictated only by re-sale value, because few things damage a player’s worth more than relegation.
There was nobody on the pitch who understands the Premier League like Kyle Walker. For many seasons Walker was regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world until he started to struggle for Manchester City and then had a fruitless loan spell at AC Milan.
Ziam Flemming scored an early double to send Burnley on their way to victory
Wolves got themselves back level thanks to Jorgen Strand Larsen and Marshall Munetsi (pictured), but threw it away at the end
Kyle Walker was influential and looks well up for the relegation battle aged 35
Despite winning 17 trophies including the Champions League, Walker still decided to embrace a likely relegation battle with Burnley and he played well here. The highlight was a fabulous dash across from right-back to stop Marshall Munetsi setting up Rodrigo Gomes for a clear shot at goal, proving that at 35, Walker has lost none of the hunger that kept him among the elite for so long.
No wonder Walker roared with delight and pumped his fists after making that intervention.
At this stage, the only thing that could make Wolves supporters celebrate like that would be if Shi were to call it a day.
