Saturday 26 December 2015 16:41, UK
Back-to-back defeats have seen Wolves slump to 17th in the Championship. Having failed to build on last season’s encouraging campaign, the pressure is mounting on manager Kenny Jackett. Can he ride out the storm? Adam Bate examines the situation…
With Wolves on a run of one win from eight games, Kenny Jackett finds himself under the spotlight. For a low-key manager who prefers to go about his work quietly, it's not a comfortable place to be. It's also something he hasn't faced a lot of in his three seasons in charge at Molineux.
Jackett steered Wolves to the League One title in his first season, making light of the mess in which the club had been left following back-to-back relegations. Last season, he amassed the best ever points tally by a team not to make the Championship play-offs.
But this year has been a disappointment thus far and frustration is growing. So much so that a poll in the local newspaper has revealed that 57 per cent of voters feel the time is right to remove the manager.
If that appears impatient, it's also a reflection of a series of decisions that have grated. The dropping of a popular goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, in favour of loan signing Emiliano Martinez confused supporters, while the regular changes of formation and personnel have been criticised.
Many of the issues stem from a summer of perceived inertia. Jackett acknowledges that finding a direct replacement for Bakary Sako, whose contract expired at the end of last season, was always going to be a "big ask" but was the signing of Jed Wallace from Portsmouth ever going to be enough?
Instead the bulk of Wolves' transfer budget went on central midfielder Conor Coady from Huddersfield but the decision to remove academy graduate Jack Price from the team was not well received. Coady has found himself among the substitutes of late.
Meanwhile, the fact that the response to Nouha Dicko's cruciate injury was to belatedly bring in Grant Holt on loan from third tier Wigan Athletic, having already signed Adam Le Fondre on a temporary contract from Cardiff City, said plenty.
Most alarming of all was the sale of player of the year Richard Stearman. The move was justified by chief executive Jez Moxey for "football reasons" but that explanation seemed unconvincing at the time and less so with hindsight. Youngsters Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Kortney Hause have struggled.
Every Championship-winning side so far this decade has had a defender over 30 among the back-four. Wolves captain Danny Batth was oldest member of defence who lost 4-1 at Sheffield Wednesday last time out and he only turned 25 in September. Experience is lacking.
For Wolves, it forms part of a deliberate strategy to manage the wage-bill as they look to effectively utilise their investment in the academy - the club is rightly proud of its Category One status.
Jackett has always toed the party line on this matter - something that's likely to buy him time with the board - and it's understandable that there is little appetite for a change of manager while the club is up for sale. Saddling the next owner with a newly-appointed manager would not be ideal.
But with pressure building, Jackett's words increasingly hint at the sort of dissatisfaction that is emanating from the stands. Goals are being conceded because young players are failing to do the basics of defending.
"I think the character is there, the attitude is there in the group of players," said Jackett. "Sometimes making the right decisions or being out and out good enough is more appropriate than somebody with the right character." It feels like a delicate way of saying that some players aren't good enough.
The manager has admitted that the team's defence has looked "pretty frail" in recent weeks and the comment that he "can quite clearly see where we are lacking" will be seen as a reference to a defence that has struggled to deal with routine balls pumped towards its own box.
The prospect of Mike Williamson returning in January would be welcomed. The much-maligned Newcastle defender was recalled from his loan spell to cover for the Magpies' own issues, but has been missed at Molineux.
Indeed, Wolves conceded as many in 17 minutes in their last home game as they had in the five matches that Williamson played for the club. Jackett has said his side "needs help" in January, although the possibility of striker - and main asset - Benik Afobe being sold would appear as likely.
"The transition from one successful side to another can catch you out," said Jackett recently and the next month will test his managerial skills to the limit. The hope comes from the fact that he has a track record of solving problems during the course of a season.
In his first season, Wolves went into the Christmas period relying on young strikers such as Jake Cassidy and Liam McAlinden with promotion anything but guaranteed. They won 18 of the next 25 games to secure the title with room to spare.
Last season, Wolves were ensconced in mid-table with supporters watching the likes of Leon Clarke and Danny Graham toiling in attack, only for Jackett to rejig things and win 14 of the last 24 games. His post-Boxing Day record at Wolves has produced 106 points from 49 games.
With Jordan Graham emerging in recent weeks and Nathan Byrne getting his first Wolves goal, some of the talent is rising to the fore. With a couple of savvy additions, it's not inconceivable that things could fall into place once more. But for Jackett, the clock is ticking.
"We've had a winning formula for two years," he said this week. "This season I haven't found it enough and I understand the spotlight comes on myself." It's not an ideal stage for Jackett. But with Wolves live on Sky Sports on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, it's one he must deal with quickly if he's to turn it around.
