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https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers/johnny-phillips-fosun-frustrations-forced-wolves-into-major-reset-5847464

MORE QUESTIONS FOR WOLVES HIERARCHY...

Will fans get the answers they need at the forthcoming fans forum?

Johnny Phillips (Latest Substack)

May 4

It should not have come to this but, who knows, perhaps part of the stadium falling apart will provide the wake-up call at the top that Wolves needs. As Rob Edwards’s team laboured against the ten men of Sunderland, supporters’ main concern was the dire offering on the pitch. But when part of a public address system speaker fell from the South Bank roof and hit a fan, who was treated for minor injuries, the lack of investment in the stadium was in the spotlight once more.

It may not have come as a complete surprise to Nathan Shi who, as part of his listening brief so far, has been made aware of the under-investment in the stadium over Fosun’s tenure. The temporary uncovered stand in the corner of the South Bank and Billy Wright stands is nearly as old as the new chairman. He may report back to the higher-ups in Shanghai but there are no plans for significant upgrades to Molineux any time soon.

More pressing to sort out the demise on the pitch and how a seemingly unstoppable downwards trajectory can change course. The success of the early Fosun era was down to elite coaching, heavy investment and strong recruitment. It was facilitated by a handful of figures and organisations, principally Nuno Espirito Santo and his coaching staff, Fosun chairman Guo Guangchang and Gestifute. It was a remarkable period but the meteoric rise concealed the lack of structure below the ownership in Shanghai. With no proper scrutiny, that space was never filled with individuals who could take the club forward, so once Nuno departed the downward spiral began. Decision-making at leadership level has consistently been found wanting.

This was perfectly illustrated by the events of last summer. The removal of sporting director Matt Hobbs paved the way for a reset and significant funds were made available for a rebuild following the headline departures of Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo. What followed was the most shambolic recruitment strategy imaginable as an unholy trinity of head coach Vitor Pereira, Valdir Cardoso (representing Gestifute) and the club’s own recruitment and scouting department dumped over £100million of largely unusable players into an already depleted squad.

Never demonstrated more than by Tolu Arokodare’s performance against Sunderland on Saturday. Here, the £24m recruit from Genk proved to be the visitors’ best defender, breaking up Wolves’ attacks with alarming incompetence. Edwards is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Criticised for his failure to give the 6’6” striker more time in previous games, now he faced further opprobrium for leaving him on the pitch for so long.

The reaction from supporters at full-time was understandable given the slow death by a thousand cuts this season. There is surely some buyers’ remorse from the head coach for getting involved in this sorry mess in November when he had made such a promising start at Middlesbrough. Not everyone will agree, given the insipid performances and haphazard playing style of late, but Edwards at least deserves a shot at the Championship. He will only stand a chance if he is given the space and support to make the necessary changes to the squad. As things are, this is a team heading further down. The problems go way deeper than those when Wolves were last relegated from the Premier League 14 years ago.

A video circulating on social media during the weekend showed a fan confronting Nathan Shi outside of Molineux after the match asking questions. That was never the time or place for answers but it did raise the issue about Jeff Shi’s continued presence. The former chairman will not go away and it is a cause for concern elsewhere within the club and amongst the fan base.

In recent weeks he has reportedly been conducting interviews locally for a Fosun Sports Group gaming start-up business and has no apparent intention of breaking ties with the Wolves brand. What influence he has over Nathan Shi is unknown by anyone other than the two parties and those higher up within Fosun. In a Football Unfiltered column back in December the point was raised about Jeff Shi’s role as chairman of Fosun Sports Group being an effective line manager to the new Wolves chairman. That matter has not gone away and Fosun would be advised to properly clarify the structure that exists.

Maybe the subject will be addressed at a BBC Radio WM fans’ forum, hosted by Wolves supporter and broadcaster Daz Hale, on Tuesday 12 May. Nathan Shi, technical director Matt Jackson and Edwards are due to face fans’ questions. It is a tough gig for Edwards who is not responsible for the deeper malaise, but can certainly be expected to outline a plan going forward and what he needs for that to materialise. The same can be said of Nathan Shi, but as figurehead for an increasingly opaque ownership he must front up to fans. The decision to reduce season-ticket prices has, at least, shown a perceptiveness of the mood.

Jackson is perhaps better placed to explain what has been happening behind the scenes on the football front, having been party to so much that has gone on in recent years. His stock is not particularly high with supporters right now, but he could prove sceptics wrong by at least enlightening fans on key questions about how this sorry chapter was allowed to unfold and what is being done to redress the situation. It would be instructive to hear all three of them individually tell supporters what will change in the coming months to ensure Wolves not just arrest the decline but start to move upwards again.

On current performances, the team will struggle to avoid another relegation battle next season. Many of these players will not be here, though, but that raises questions about how much money will be reinvested in a squad currently unfit for purpose. There is a concern from some within the club that if Wolves do not bounce back at the first attempt, the financial situation could become considerably worse than the losses already being incurred season on season. Fosun have at least funded that debt up to now but who knows what happens if a Premier League return does not happen? Saturday afternoon’s events encapsulated all that is going wrong at Wolves. This toxic season cannot end soon enough.