'It would take a miracle for Wolves to stay up now'published at 10:31 GMT 27 October 2025
10:31 GMT 27 October 2025
Image source, Getty Images
"No team has ever been relegated in October, but it would take a miracle for Wolves to stay up now," said Wolves fan Ryan Leister on BBC Radio 5 Live following Sunday's 3-2 home defeat by Burnley.
Rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table with two points from nine games, a section of supporters turned on manager Vitor Pereira after the Clarets' stoppage-time winner.
"He has been fortunate to get away with it this long," said Leister. "It has been six months and a day since Wolves last won a Premier League game.
"We are unorganised and there is no togetherness so it is looking really, really bad."
He added: "We had key players leave in the summer and all of those positions have now downgraded. Recruitment has been a disaster. They may come good but I can't see it because there doesn't seem to be any ball-carriers or anyone up for a one-on-one.
"It is just predictable football because they cross the ball into the box and just hope for the best. For a team that have been in the Premier League for so long, that is nowhere near good enough.
"I sound so doom and gloom but there has to be mass changes. The fans have lost patience with the owner, the chairman and the manager.
"The players are not pulling their weight, either."
Wolves 2-3 Burnley - the fans' verdictpublished at 09:49 GMT 27 October 2025
09:49 GMT 27 October 2025
This content isn't available anymore.
There was an error
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Wolves and Burnley.
Here are some of your comments:
Wolves fans
Richard: Wolves have identity, which the manager says we need. I'm not sure why people say we don't. We play, pick the ball out of the net and lose. That's an identity. I feel really bad for Vitor. He saved us last year, but things keep going wrong. Something has to change…but not sure changing the manager is always the best option.
Tony: Terrible match. Neither side were impressive, but Burnley deserved their win. O'Neil got the sack for less. Very unimpressive.
Anon: Lacking creativity and any real goal scorer. The Championship is the only destination now for Wolves.
Burnley fans
Neil: Excellent performance despite a highly dubious penalty; we stayed strong and deserved to win.
David: Apart from the win, the important thing is that they are consistently scoring goals, which has been missing in the past.
John: The game should have been over by half time. The finish from Flemming was incredible for Burnley's first. Wolves took advantage of that and looked much stronger in the second half. The Dubravka save right at the death was amazing.
Analysis: Fans out of patiencepublished at 17:31 GMT 26 October 2025
17:31 GMT 26 October 2025
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
It is the first time Wolves fans have turned on Vitor Pereira.
At the end of a disastrous defeat, the manager endured brief, but noticeable, "sacked in the morning" chants from the supporters who are out of patience with their club.
Pereira went to the local Wetherspoons after victories last season, coining the phrase "first the points, then the pints", and had a strong bond with the fans.
But after a ninth game without a win, supporters have had enough, having also vented their anger towards Shi and Fosun.
The executive chairman and owners are regular targets, and Wolves' decline this season looks like it could be terminal.
They are bottom and six points from the safety line, having failed to beat newly promoted Sunderland and Burnley in successive games.
Having sold Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri in the summer, they are devoid of spark, and after several near misses with relegation, there is a real fear this season will be the one when they finally drop.
Wolves 2-3 Burnley: What Pereira and Strand Larsen said published at 17:30 GMT 26 October 2025
17:30 GMT 26 October 2025
Media caption,
'The players cannot fight alone' - Pereira on fan reaction to Burnley loss
Wolves boss Vito Pereira spoke to BBC's Match of the Day after losing to Burnley: "A lot of frustration because we have worked a lot on the pitch to win the game, but football is football and sometimes it is very unfair.
"We need to understand that we lost this battle, but the next game is another battle. The three points would be very important for us to give confidence. We keep working to be better in the next game.
"The first half, we conceded two goals from the long balls in the back, and it's something we work on. When a team scores, it means the other team made mistakes, and we didn't control the balls.
"A very good reaction, which showed the mentality of the team. We scored two goals, and we talked [at halftime] about needing three points and doing everything to win the game. They did everything, even with Burnley in the low block.
On the interaction with supporters after the game: "It's normal with the frustration of the result in the last minute. They are frustrated. In my opinion, the team deserve the support because the players gave everything on the pitch. In the end, they must feel proud about the work of the players, but we understand that another defeat is difficult to balance.
"We cannot fight alone, we need them United and together we can do it."
On chants of 'sacked in the morning': "I have a lot of experience in football. Months ago, they sang my name because when I arrived, the club was in a bad position. Together, we worked fantastically to be here.
"I understand it is football. If we win two or three games in a row, everything will change."
On concerns over his future: "I am concerned about the team and winning games. It is not about me, it is about the players and the club."
Jorgen Strand Larsen spoke to BBC Match of the Day: "It's not nice to be a Wolves player or fan right now, and I'm really sorry to everyone out there supporting us. That is why we love and hate this game, and right now we hate it. Sorry to the fans for not being able to give them what they deserve.
"After a slow start, we came back and played good football. We deserved to win today, and it's just the moment we are in right now.
"We are really sad, it's one of the worst feelings I've had in a long time. The only positive is that there are 29 games more to go, and we need to keep going and believing in ourselves.
"We need to look at each other, be positive and look where we can improve. That is especially for me - I haven't been at the same level as last season, and I'm trying to get there. It was nice to get a goal, but it doesn't really matter in the end."
On going over to the fans at the end of the game: "It's not nice. We don't want that, but it's what you need sometimes, to let the frustration out. I was just trying to listen a bit, and we can understand the frustration."
Did you know?
After losing this match, Wolves have become just the third side in English top-flight history to fail to win each of their opening nine games of a league season in consecutive campaigns after Bury in 1904-05/1905-06 and Sunderland in 2015-16/2016-17.
Wolves have failed to win any of their last seven home league games (D2 L5), their longest run within a Premier League campaign without victory at Molineux since a 12-match streak between December 2011 and May 2012 – a season during which they were relegated.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Crystal Palace" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Wolves v Burnley", for instance.
Wolves v Burnley: Team news published at 13:02 GMT 26 October 2025
13:02 GMT 26 October 2025
Two changes made by Vito Pereira from their 2-0 loss to Sunderland, as Ki-Jana Hoever comes in for Matt Doherty, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde replaces Joao Gomes.
Wolves XI: Johnstone, Hoever, S Bueno, Krejci, H Bueno, Andre, Bellegarde, Munetsi, Arias, R Gomes, Strand Larsen.
Sutton's predictions: Wolves v Burnleypublished at 10:30 GMT 26 October 2025
10:30 GMT 26 October 2025
Wolves have to win eventually and at home to Burnley feels like the game it really has to happen for them - their fans will definitely be thinking that.
Burnley will be eyeing victory too, though. They will take great encouragement from their win over Leeds last time out, and they could do Wolves a lot of damage if they beat them.
All things considered, it would be easy to go for a draw, but I am going to back Wolves to break their duck.
Wolves v Burnley: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 13:40 BST 25 October 2025
13:40 BST 25 October 2025
Sophie Trifonoff BBC Sport journalist
Bottom club Wolves host a Burnley team buoyed by their win over Leeds last weekend.
Despite sitting bottom of the Premier League table with just two points after the opening eight games, it is not all doom and gloom for Wolves.
Vitor Pereira's side are without a league win since April, when they defeated Leicester 3-0 in a run of six successive victories. Since then, they have lost to two of the newly promoted sides this season, with the third - Burnley - as their next opponents.
There is increasing pressure on Pereira, with the Portuguese currently the bookmakers' favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked - despite signing a new contract a month ago.
But this situation is nothing new for Wolves. At this stage last season, they had only one point in eight games under Gary O'Neil. They picked up eight more points in as many matches before Pereira was brought in, with Wolves going on to avoid relegation and finish 16th.
Since the start of the Premier League era, 13 teams have picked up two points or fewer in their first eight games of a season. Five of those avoided relegation - including Wolves last season.
The highest finish for one of those teams came in 2008-09, when Tottenham recovered to come eighth.
Pereira has called the Burnley match a "must win" for his side but he has continued to back his players - and himself.
"Honestly, if for one minute I feel my players are not with me, it's finished. For me, that's the end," he said.
"It's painful and I'm worried but I see a team connected mentally with good spirit, with character, trying their best to change the situation."
In the previous two Premier League seasons, all three promoted sides went on to get relegated each time. But there is a different feeling around this season's newcomers, who have the highest combined points tally (29) of any promoted trio in the past 10 seasons.
Sunderland began this round of fixtures in seventh, with Leeds and Burnley earning two wins each.
Burnley may only be 17th with seven points, but Scott Parker's side have faced some heavyweight opposition in Liverpool,Manchester City,Manchester United and Tottenham. They have also beaten both of their fellow promoted sides with 2-0 wins at Turf Moor.
Their record on the road, however, is another matter. Burnley have lost all four of their away matches this season, conceding 13 goals.
Pereira on team news and 'everything changing' with first winpublished at 15:35 BST 24 October 2025
15:35 BST 24 October 2025
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Burnley (14:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On squad availability: "Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is back with us [after illness], Hwang Hee-chan also is and Jorgen Strand Larsen is better, he has improved his level."
Asked about the quality of midfielder Joao Gomes, Pereira said: "He has a lot of qualities but he knows he needs to improve his shooting outside the box, the long passing and tactically he can be better."
Pereira is not concerned about being bottom of the league in October: "It is impossible to be champion in October and to be relegated. Each game is a chance."
On a slow start to last weekend's defeat by Sunderland: "We cannot be a different team in the first half to the second half. Mentally we need to be ready to start games."
Pereira said he is "confident" that after a win "everything will change" as "that is blocking something inside of us".
He added: "I don't have any doubts. If I have the players with me then we will increase our mental and tactical level."
Will Wolves be relegated this season?published at 16:13 BST 23 October 2025
16:13 BST 23 October 2025
Sophie Trifonoff BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Whether Wolves will get relegated after their poor start to the campaign has been the subject of several questions sent in via our 'Ask about Wolves' form, which you can find here.
We have taken a look into the data to see what the likelihood of Vitor Pereira's side staying up this season is...
Despite sitting bottom of the Premier League table with just two points after eight games, it is not all doom and gloom for Wolves.
This situation is nothing new for the club. At this stage last season, they had only one point in eight games under Gary O'Neil. They picked up eight more points in eight matches before Pereira was brought in, with Wolves going on to avoid relegation and finish 16th.
Since the start of the Premier League era, 13 teams have picked up two points or fewer in their first eight games of a season. Five of those avoided relegation - including Wolves last season.
The highest finish for one of those teams came in 2008-09, when Tottenham came eighth despite starting the campaign with two points from their first eight matches.
'A patch-up job will not do this time'published at 16:27 BST 22 October 2025
16:27 BST 22 October 2025
Mike Taylor BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty Images
On an escalation ladder of troubles at football clubs, the moment when the away fans turn on either the players or the manager is usually a late-stage, Defcon 2-sort of indicator.
Sometimes these stages are run through very quickly. The change of mood at Wolves has not been as drastic as events at Forest, but it is not so many weeks since Vitor Pereira's name was being sung loudly by the same fans. Now, at Sunderland on Saturday, taking that name in vain.
The man himself saw hope in the second half, at least in the first 30 minutes in which his team did create a few chances, although very few of them were on target.
"We missed one chance, two chance, three chance, but with quality, quality, quality," Pereira told me. "But… 15 minutes before the end, we decide to take risks to try to score a goal.
"Unfortunately, we started to put long balls in the box because we had Tolu [Arokodare] and [Jorgen] Larsen and this was misunderstood by our team."
You didn't want them to do that, Vitor?
"Of course not. I want the team to play and create, to assist the strikers but in a proper way. It's not just to put long balls in the box, and, OK, we'll see if in the second ball we can score a goal. This is not our game."
Some time before the end, it became one of those matches that is less about the actual game in progress than a wider commentary on the medium-term fortunes of the two clubs.
Sunderland, a side with limitations but smart enough to work to its strengths, have energy and momentum. Wolves have energy too, but the gears to turn it into useful product now all seem misaligned.
Pereira's account was that of an operator pulling at levers to find, alarmed, that none of them work.
In previous seasons, changing one part of the machine – the manager, a few players in the transfer window, the sporting director – has made things work well enough to get by.
At Sunderland, the feeling took hold that this time a patch-up job will not do, and the sound of that feeling was what the players and coaches heard from the third tier of the stand.
They will hear it louder still if the game against Burnley, now suddenly a fixture to fear, takes the same course.
Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Burnley at 14:00 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio WM 95.6 FM and DAB
Atmosphere 'mirrors end of O'Neil's reign'published at 11:58 BST 21 October 2025
11:58 BST 21 October 2025
Dazzling Dave Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Deja vu hangs over Wolves - and you could feel it on Saturday.
The mood, the murmurs, even the songs. Fans drifted through a back catalogue of memories, calling out the names of Conor Coady, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez. Then further back to Bakary Sako, Nouha Dicko and Benik Afobe.
It felt warm, but also worrying. This is what happens when belief in the present starts to thin. We reach for the past.
It mirrors the end of Gary O'Neil's reign, almost beat for beat. A bit of early optimism, a few gritty performances, then a slide that felt slow and inevitable.
Last season, the crowd at Everton away sang the same songs, for the same reasons, shortly before the axe fell. Supporters were searching for identity and joy, and they found it in memory rather than on the pitch.
Vitor Pereira's start has flickered with similar tones. A plan that looks tidy on paper, moments that hint at control, but a team still stuck between ideas.
The atmosphere told its own story - not rage or apathy, but longing. Fans were not just singing; they were placing a marker. This is what Wolves can be. This is what Wolves felt like when belief was shared by the players and the supporters.
That is the reflection that matters now. The songs are a love letter and a warning. The fanbase is still here, still loud, still ready to back a team that gives them something real - but they are also telling the club what they miss: leaders, conviction and a clear way forward.
Alan Shearer had just three words to say about Wolves on BBC's Match of the Day and I will finish with those: "Must beat Burnley."
Ronnie: Haway Sunderland! Resolute in defence and able to break forward to threaten. That 'nailed on' relegation doesn't loom as large as it once did. Regis le Bris is a tactician who can also drill a defence into becoming a brick wall. Long may it continue!
David: A solid defensive performance against a poor but unlucky Wolves. We rode our luck too much and it was uncomfortable viewing. We really do need to find out how to finish teams off earlier. But I'm still very happy with the win. Haway the lads!!
Milo: I thought we didn't play our best brand of football today and yet still looked really impressive. We let Wolves look more dangerous than they deserved to but we're not the Sunderland of old and we didn't really even look like conceding. All that's left to say is watch the gap, Newcastle!
Wolves fans
Mark: Lacklustre, clueless and uninspiring. How many times can you try crossing without looking? Long balls to a striker who can't be bothered to jump! Whatever Vitor Pereira looks at on his screen is not the answer!
Richard: A must-win game was a very lame display. It saddens me to say but the Championship seems inevitable. I just can't see any other outcome.
Giorgio: The players are afraid of their own shadows. Same scenario as the end of the Gary O'Neil era. From outside, it's always hard to judge, but I am not sure the squad likes and understand what Pereira wants. Too defensive, no creativity and not enough forward threats. In my opinion, the players could be good enough for a decent season but something is not working. We are in big trouble.
Wolves analysis: Toothless attacking display leaves visitors in danger of being cut adriftpublished at 18:41 BST 18 October 2025
18:41 BST 18 October 2025
Steve Sutcliffe BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Wolves may have been unfortunate not to take maximum points in their two previous matches against Tottenham and Brighton after conceding late equalisers.
Yet there are few positives they can extract from their trip to Sunderland.
Vitor Pereira's side were second best for long periods, remain the only winless team in the English top flight and now appear in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom of the table.
Despite the season being only eight games old, they are already five points from safety and have the worst goal difference in the division.
The travelling supporters may have expected more against opponents who were still in League One in 2022.
Jorgen Strand Larsen is yet to score a Premier League goal since Wolves rejected bids of £50m and £55m for him from Newcastle in the summer.
The Norway international's 24 touches also represented the lowest number by any visiting player to feature for the full game and was emblematic of an attacking display that lacked inspiration.
And the tactic of repeatedly lofting the ball into the Sunderland area, sending in 31 crosses in total, when the home side were always well set to repel danger was fruitless.
Wolves have now failed to score in four of their eight games with only managerless Nottingham Forest (five) faring worse this term.
Image source, Getty Images
