DANCES BY WOLVES AS THEY CELEBRATE PROMOTION
Nuno rubs it in to critics by crediting hate-figure Mendes for Wolves success
WOLVES have had their critics this season, but none could be heard yesterday as a packed Molineux celebrated promotion.
Managers Steve Bruce, Tony Pulis and Neil Warnock have all hit out over Nuno Espirito Santo’s exuberant touchline celebrations.
And the use of superagent Jorge Mendes to recruit top overseas talent recently led to Championship rivals complaining to the EFL.
Yet Wolves continue to deny any wrongdoing and Mendes (right) was looking far from sheepish as he took his seat at Molineux yesterday.
With his long-time client Nuno in the dug-out and his stars, like Ruben Neves, Helder Costa, Ivan Cavaleiro and Diogo Jota strutting their stuff, he must have felt right at home. Mendes’ experiment last season with Walter Zenga as coach was a disaster, when Wolves came 15th, but he has proved a quick learner for the club’s wealthy Chinese owner, Fosun, whose subsidiary own a stake in his agency.
It left even Nuno admitting Mendes deserves some of the credit for their promotion. “Everybody that loves the idea of Wolverhampton deserves credit,” he said.
“It is important to have people that believe in you and support you.”
For all the furore and questions over Mendes’ role, there has been no arguing with Wolves’ class on the pitch.
Coach Nuno has produced a swashbuckling side, who play attractive football in an adventurous 3-4-3 formation, which has seen them dominate possession.
New signings, like midfielder Neves from Porto for £16million, have been spectacular successes.
The astute free transfers of keeper John Ruddy and defender Ryan Bennett from Norwich have added promotion-winning experience.
Former Porto coach Nuno’s attention to detail and drive has commanded the respect of Wolves’ dressing room. And goals in each half from Jota and sub Benik Afobe (right) against Birmingham showed there were no signs of Wolves easing off, despite securing promotion the previous day when Fulham failed to win. Now Nuno is eyeing a total of 104 points, as he insisted: “We want to win the remaining games and build something special. We have 95 points but let’s have more.
“It has been a very hard season, but the players believed in something that was changing.
“First of all, what you have to
WOLVES: Ruddy 8, Bennett 7, Coady 7, Boly 7, Doherty 8, Saiss 7, Neves 7 (N’Diaye 70, 7), Douglas 7, Costa 7, Jota 7 (Afobe 74, 7), Cavaleiro 6 (Bonatini 16, 6)
BIRMINGHAM: Stockdale 7, Harding 7, Morrison 5, Dean 5, Grounds 6 (Maghoma 62, 6 ), Colin 6, Ndoye 5 (Gardner 78, 6), Kieftenbeld 6 (Roberts 54, 6), Jota 6, Davis 6, Jutkiewicz 7 conquer is the trust of the players, and they trust and they believe. It is the best reward someone can have that is working in football.”
Few have embraced Nuno’s ideas better than Scouse defender Conor Coady, who has excelled directing operations from the heart of Wolves’ three-man defence.
Coady, who came through the ranks at Liverpool, assessed: “A lot of people have had a lot to say about us this season, but the boys have played with a smile on our faces.
“We’re going to go on now, hopefully to bigger and better things.”