Wolves fell to a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace, but Andy Thompson was left enthused by something Rob Edwards was doing.
There was to be no dream start for Rob Edwards at Molineux on Saturday as Wolves continued their shocking form to make it 16 games without a win in the Premier League, going back to last season.
There was optimism before the game, with many subscribing to the ‘new manager bounce’ theory.
But Wolves’ lack of quality saw them come up short.
It wasn’t an awful performance, but Wolves did not have any cutting edge in the final third, whereas Palace did. Their first goal was fortuitous, but the strike from Yeremy Pino was superb.
It was another frustrating afternoon, but Andy Thompson did praise Edwards for one thing he was doing.
Andy Thompson praises Rob Edwards’ touchline showing for Wolves against Crystal Palace
There is no overstating how big a job Edwards has on his hands.
Wolves are in a world of trouble, and are already nine points from safety as we approach the festive period.
But as we know, the Wolves gig was a dream job for Edwards, who admitted he wouldn’t have left Middlesbrough for any other club.
He cares about this club, and wants to try and mastermind a safety mission despite that looking very unlikely.
And Andy Thompson could see how much he cares on Saturday.
He said on Matchday Live Extra: “I’m watching Rob down there… he didn’t give up shouting and trying to get his team up, after the two goals had gone in.
“He was still going, still trying to get his team right. And that’s the important bit. that the manager is still going. You’re hoping that sooner or later, that’s going to rub off on his team. That effort, that confidence that he’s got in his team that he’s selected. To keep going, never give up and keep going.”
Edwards’ passion is welcome, but Wolves need quality
There is no doubt that Edwards is all-in at Wolves and cares a lot about the club. And it was recently claimed that Wolves feel Edwards will be able to unite the club.
The passion from him on Saturday was great to see and long may it continue. And the players will surely welcome that too.
But of course, while helpful, Wolves’ season cannot be saved by this – the squad just isn’t good enough at the moment.
It is going to be the biggest January window in many years for Wolves, and there is no overstating how important a job the recruitment team and Matt Jackson have.
Wolves’ approach to January will be interesting. If the club somehow keep within reach of the teams above them, there will be a desire to spend big to hand Edwards the tools he needs to keep Wolves up.
But of course, there is the notion of top players still not wanting to come due to Wolves’ position.