First, I must start with a wow. This team’s grit and determination are genuinely turning me into a fan. Despite me being an Arsenal supporter, the Wolves are becoming a joy to watch.
I have never seen such confidence from a newly promoted championship team in the English Premier League (EPL) before. My colleagues on my radio program made fun of me when I tipped Wolverhampton to beat Man City; I was laughed at and ridiculed.
Then the Wolves drew 1-1 with Manchester United in Week 6 and it was one of the most brilliant games I’ve ever watched, and the football world was in shock.
To be down against Man United at Old Trafford and come back in the fashion they did, caused me to break out in a nervous sweat. How the Wolves pushed back the United attack, fought for every ball, pushed for every inch, almost got me to buy a Ruben Neves kit.
This is a team that will make a lot of EPL managers nervous and the Wolves are going to be a tough team to break down this EPL campaign.
The Portuguese flair employed by the club is paying dividends and now with wins against Southampton, and Crystal Palace. The Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking like genuine Europa contenders.
To give our readers some context on why the Crystal Palace win was so important over the weekend, the last time Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton played in the English top flight was in January 1981.
This fixture has only been contested 12 times in the history of English football and the last time Wolves won was in 2009.
Plus, the last time Wolves won six straight in the English top flight was in April 1979. So, it proves just how important this fixture was for Nuno Espirito Santo and the Wolves.
The Wolves also managed to keep a clean sheet, keeping Crystal Palace scoreless at home again. Palace has remained scoreless for the last eight weeks and hasn’t scored at home all season.
Crystal Palace had 44 shots on target before the start of the game. Also watching defender Willy Boly shutting down Wilfred Zaha caused moments of nervous tension for me, I hate to think how real Wolves fans felt like.
A reader could be forgiven for thinking if I am sounding like a Wolverhampton fan giving a biased recap. But, I’m genuinely excited for the club as a neutral.
Sergio Aguero of Manchester City and Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
Even off the pitch, when you examine the purchasing, the Wolves completed in the transfer market.
They signed Portuguese legend Joao Moutinho, who is Portugal’s most capped international, for a mere 5 million pounds plus current Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio for 18 million pounds.
French Defender Willy Boly cost $10 million.
The Wolves are making smart moves on and off the pitch. All the attention was on West-Ham with the big money spending they did in the market and bringing in Jack Wilshere from Arsenal, nobody was paying attention to the Wolves smart purchasing.
Plus, the Wolves are behaving, and their attitude appears to be one of a Top 4 club.
I know it’s only early days in the campaign. A lot can happen from here till January, but, I feel the Wolves fans’ optimism, and you can see the bench’s jubilance every time they score, and it’s infectious.
There’s a real belief in that club now, and I think this international break has come at the wrong time for them, will they be the same when they return?
Can the Wolves squeeze into the top six this season? I certainly hope they do.
Adam Owsinski
Roar Rookie
PS. Also in relation to their agent, they may be exploiting an agents books, but, I don't think thier anything illegal, it's just smart purchasing. if they are doing something illegal I'm sure it will surface as it wouldn't be hard to trace these days.
Adam Owsinski
Roar Rookie
In the past, the Wolves have struggled to maintain their EPL Status, and yes in the Championship their back three have been a formidable force. However, most of the time the Championship doesn't translate into form in the EPL and a lot of promoted teams struggle. I've just been so impressed with the Wolves this time around, I was compelled to write about them and congratulate them. It wasn't long ago Birmingham City would have been considered the benchmark of the Midlands and I'm sure many West Brom fans would also want to throw their two cents in. But, who cares what they think huh :p
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Wolves have been a powerful club in the past and have always had a strong flowing in the midlands. If you saw any of the championship last year , it comes as no surprise that wolves are doing well. What wolves have , are incredibly close links with the most powerful agent in football, the Portuguese agent Mendez The suspicion is that wolves are Getting some unfair advantage through this agent . People who read a bit more about English football and watch the epl will possibly know more about it . In an ideal world, I would like to see the 4 West Midlands clubs , Birmingham, Villa , West Bromwich and Coventry to join wolves in the top flight , to take away the London and north west focus of the league. Variety is the spice of life they say