So, yesterday afternoon, Wolves terminated the contract of the club’s first ever foreign manager just six months after his appointment, following a frankly embarrassing defeat to non-league Luton Town in the FA Cup third round. It has been reported that Chairman Steve Morgan and Chief Executive Jez Moxey had made the decision to relieve Solbakken of his duties before yesterday’s match, although the team’s inept performance will have done nothing to cast doubt upon their minds.
The Norwegian’s record has been indisputably poor since taking charge, Wolves sit 18th in the championship with just 31 points from 26 games, and it would be hard to argue that his departure is a shock. Just 9 wins so far in the league, and none in the last three, is not an acceptable return for a club aiming to return to the top flight at the first attempt (in comparison, league leaders Cardiff City have notched twice as many victories so far this term). Despite the clear suggestion from the stats that the paucity of positive results under Solbakken is simply not good enough for a manager looking to keep his job, the departure of the 44 year old will be greeted by mixed feelings from the Molineux masses. Wolves have invested heavily in Solbakken. In his six months at the club they have reorganised the structure of the club to bring in Kevin Thelwell in the new post of Head of Football Development and Stuart Webber as Head of Recruitment, a post which essentially entails co-ordination of the wolves scouts. All in all the footballing structure of Wolves is now very much in a European mould, even though they no longer have the European manager to go with it.
There is a feeling around Wolves that this restructuring is an acceptance from the board that recent transfer strategy, and therefore the calibre of player bought in by the club, has not been good enough to fulfill the goals of the chairman/owner, i.e. to establish Wolves as a Premier League side. Right now they are closer to League One. If this is the case, Solbakken has taken the bullet for the failures of previous regimes without being given chance to establish his own. The squad members brought in by Mick McCarthy et al looked as likely to win games at Championship level as they did in the Premier League. Of the signings the Norwegian has made, only Bakary Sako and Tongo Doumbia have had the opportunity to establish themselves in the side however both have become key figures in the team. Of his other recruits, Boukari and Peszko have both suffered long term injuries after initially impressing, whilst Sigurdarsson has shown enough to suggest he has the ability to excell at this level and above. In other words, it is not what Solbakken has brought to the club that has scuppered him, it is failure to form a successful squad with what was already here.
So to succession and, after the debacle of 11 months ago when Morgan and Co placed courtesy towards the outgoing McCarthy above the Premier Leauge status of their club, Wanderers fans will be hoping for a much smoother transition this time around. Since the sacking of “Super Mick”, Morgan’s decision making has been thoroughly critiqued and, frankly, been found wanting. If Wolves’ approach to Doncaster Rovers for their boss, and close friend of Wolves owner Steve Morgan, Dean Saunders is anything to go by, nothing has changed in that respect. What Wolverhampton born, Wolves fan, season ticket holder and proven Championship manager Sean O’Driscoll has to do to get an interview in Old Gold and Black Towers is anyone’s guess. O’Driscoll had lead his Nottingham Forest side to 8th before being controversially removed to make way for Alex McLeish, whilst in comparison Saunders’ only managerial experience in the Championship is leading Doncaster to relegation last term.
If Saunders gets the gig Morgan will once again be condemned for taking the cheap option, and Wolves fans will be more than forgiven for staring despondently into the bottom of their pint glasses.
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