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'He ticks so many boxes' - how Edwards can 'galvanise' Wolvespublished at 08:48 GMT 27 November
Nick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source,Getty ImagesFormer Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards expects new head coach Rob Edwards to "galvanise" the stricken side.
Winless after 12 games in the Premier League, Wolves are propping up the table, eight points adrift of 19th-placedBurnley.
After losing his first game in charge againstCrystal Palace last Saturday, Edwards takes his side toAston Villa this weekend before hostingNottingham Forest on Wednesday, 3 December.
Dave Edwards made 307 appearances for Wolves, including playing under the new manager - the club's fifth in four years - when he took caretaker charge of two games in 2016, and believes he will make an impact.
"He'll be able to galvanise the football club from within," he said. Once you start to do that, and then get the players on board as well, that will naturally then feed outside of the building at Compton and Molineux and towards the fanbase.
"One of his first jobs is to lift the confidence because, with the start they've had, it'll be on the floor.
"He ticks so many boxes for what the fans want and need."
New boss Edwards leftMiddlesbrough second in the Championship to take over a relegation battle at Molineux that already looks lost, and there is concern about the lack of Premier League know-how within their squad.
"A lot of the players they've brought in haven't got that," Dave Edwards said.
"In the past, it's worked. We brought players in with a reputation in Europe or South America and they came in and did well - but they came into a team which already had that Premier League experience, whereas it has been wholesale changes this year."
Edwards' biggest opponent 'the sense of futility around Molineux'published at 12:51 GMT 26 November
Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source,Getty Images"We learned a lot," said Rob Edwards on Saturday night after his side lost 2-0 toCrystal Palace. "I suppose the result will send people thinking a certain way straight away."
It did, although not with any surprise. Many Wolves fans, not to mention much of the wider football public, have already assumed where their season will end.
Such is the level of despair that some have already contacted BBC Radio West Midlands to worry about the prospect of a "double dip" - successive relegations.
That anxiety feels like an overreaction just now, but is the product of bitter memory. A Wolves fan in their mid-40s has already experienced that dismal fate twice in their lifetime – coupled with a complete loss of faith in the abilities of the club's hierarchy to prevent it from happening.
None of that is Edwards' fault, and he stoically took the disappointment of finding there would be no new manager bounce. He found comfort in numbers that confirmed the naked-eye evidence that his players had given their best efforts.
It was also fair for him to note Wolves did create a few chances. Although they were denied more by their own hamfisted attempts to take them than any defensive brilliance from Palace, it was better than creating nothing at all.
Next weekend's selection, after his first full week with the players, may give a clearer indication of what style Edwards is likely to settle on, and which players in his squad he thinks are best equipped to carry it out.
He advised against drawing too many conclusions from his first XI, notable for being the first starting line-up to include both of the tall strikers, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Tolu Arokodare.
"What we have stressed, and said to the boys as well from day one is that we will change," said Edwards. "There'll be a clear plan. We'll explain why and we'll involve them in that process, but we've got to try and find a way to get results."
Nobody questions Edwards' commitment and there is no reason to doubt that the players are trying their hardest. His biggest opponent in the short-term - an even larger obstacle perhaps than the lack of quality in his squad - may be the sense of futility that was around Molineux by the final whistle last Saturday.
How do you keep players motivated to reach a goal that the rest of the world has already decided is unattainable?
Listen to full commentary of Aston Villa v Wolves from 14:05 GMT on Sunday on BBC Radio WM
And tune intoThe West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights
'A big positive' but has relegation 'set in'?published at 12:27 GMT 25 November
Emma Milton
Fan writer
Image source,Getty ImagesRob Edwards' first game in charge did not bring a new manager bounce, as Wolves lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace. However, there were clear signs of what he got right, along with some things he got wrong.
First, the shape was a big positive. Wolves looked compact, organised, and refused to be rolled over. Palace needed a huge slice of luck for Munoz's tap-in and a brilliant strike from Yeremy Pino. Apart from that, we did not give up many clear chances, which has not been the case for most of this season. There was real fight, grit, and hunger in the way we defended.
Edwards also did what many fans have been begging for. He started Jorgen Strand Larsen and Tolu Arokodare together. That was the right call. The pair linked up a few times and gave us a real presence at both ends, especially when defending set pieces. The idea of the partnership is promising.
The big problem was what they had around them. We used two strikers without a real creator behind them. Tolu and Strand Larsen want balls to feet and good crosses, not hopeful long balls and scraps. Marshall Munetsi works hard, but he does not have the vision or passing to unlock a defence. Leaving a more creative option like Fer Lopez on the bench felt like a mistake, and the result was simple. We did not create enough.
Then came the changes, and these did not add anything to the game. Taking Tolu off was probably down to fitness rather than performance, but Hwang's sloppy giveaway before the second goal summed the day up. If we were chasing a goal, bringing on someone like Fer Lopez or Hugo Bueno made far more sense. The truth is, the answer to our creativity problem may not be in this squad at all.
I worry we will be so far adrift by January that the board will not invest, and that quiet acceptance of relegation has already set in. Wolves are averaging 0.16 points per game. If that form continues all season, we finish on six points. That is damning.
Overall, the performance showed more steel, but the attack is still blunt. Edwards needs time, and a full week on the training ground before Villa away should tell us more. The base looks better. Now he has to find a spark.
These problems did not appear overnight, and they will not be fixed overnight. Our custodians have failed to plan or invest properly, and it is difficult, maybe impossible, to overcome this.
Find more from Emma Milton atAlways Wolves, external
Wolves still believe in survival - Arokodarepublished at 11:16 GMT 24 November
Nick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source,Getty ImagesStriker Tolu Arokodare insists Wolves still have belief despite being cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League.
New head coach Rob Edwards lost his first game in charge afterCrystal Palace earned adeserved 2-0 victory at Molineux on Saturday.
It left Wolves bottom, winless from their opening 12 games and nine points from safety - eight behindBurnley in 19th - ahead of Sunday's trip toAston Villa.
"I'm not going to say it could turn but I'm saying it will get better," said Arokodare, who has scored twice for Wolves, both in the Carabao Cup, this season.
"It's a long season, 12 games have gone, we haven't get the results we wanted but we can't hold onto that. We have to focus on the next ones. There is the belief – we cannot lose hope now. We cannot doubt ourselves.
"We have to stick together, stay focused and confident and go into every game and try to win it."
An ex-Wolves player and coach, Edwardsreturned to Molineux earlier this month after leavingMiddlesbrough.
He has swapped the Championship promotion race with Boro for a relegation battle with Wolves and Arokodare,who signed from Genk for £24m in the summer,expects changes at Molineux.
"I don't think he would have taken the job unless he thought he could help us, want to win and change how the results have been," he said.
"I think he took the job to bring positive change here. We all want that – me, Rob, all the players and the fans. Hopefully we will get there.
"It's been pretty good. I cannot say too much because I also have respect for the previous manager as it was a tough period for him.
"It's not going to be easy for Rob because we're in a very difficult period. He has handled it pretty good. He has brought a lot of positivity, which we saw in this game.
"I believe there will be changes and I hope those changes come as soon as possible. The changes are in the playing style and tactics and in how he wants us to work."
Wolves 0-2 Crystal Palace - the fans' verdictpublished at 08:45 GMT 24 November
Media caption, We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Wolves and Crystal Palace.
Here are some of your comments:
Wolves fans
Richard: I just can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Sorry, but Championship football next season.
Colin: Played well considering we have no Premier League quality players. These are League One level lads getting taken apart week in, week out by genuine Premier League talent. We won't score another point this season.
Dairve: Christmas miracle? We would need the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy as well to get out of this. At best, we are a mid-table Championship side.
Steve: Players are getting the experience in the Premier League, but at the same time being taught a lesson in finishing. Once they start to learn to finish and score, they will come through.
Crystal Palace fans
David: I simply couldn't be prouder of Oliver Glasner and our incredible team. They seem to be able to overcome every obstacle they encounter and keep moving forward and upwards. They deserve every success, every win. Brilliant.
Paul: A very disciplined performance with every player putting in a shift and capped by a superb goal by Pino.
Al:Gritty, professional and hardy performance. Defensively solid, and this team works as a complete unit. Always satisfying bringing three points back from a difficult away trip.
Paul B:Good times for Crystal Palace, who look as if they've been able to do whatLiverpool so miserably haven't and seamlessly integrated new players. The club looks very stable just now.
Wolves 'barely made an imprint on Crystal Palace'published at 08:00 GMT 24 November
Adam Cottier
Final Score reporter at Molineux
Image source,Getty ImagesRob Edwards' grimace at the end told a story on its own - and his regular post-match 'lap of appreciation' bore the hallmarks of a club in deepest peril.
So few Wolves fans stayed behind to clap back at Edwards that there barely seemed any point in doing it. A chastening end to a day he dreamed of. It would have hurt.
The new Wolves boss must harbour hope that better days lie ahead, but that might mean a drop into the league from which he came.
Those supporters are deeply disgruntled with events on and off the pitch. Wolves are only the eighth team ever to go the opening 12 games of a Premier League season without winning, which is abysmal.
If this game was to be taken in isolation, it stands alone as a damning indictment of where Wolves are at. Their squad does not appear to have the minerals and they do not look good enough to even finish higher than bottom.
The limited chances they had resulted in wild swipes or miscalculated final balls. Decision making and tactical discipline was poor. Jorgen Strand Larsen - up top and bereft of goals this season - looked alone.
Wolves barely made an imprint onCrystal Palace. Oliver Glasner said it was hard work for his team. That was untrue in many people's guises as the evening mist descended on Molineux.
January cannot come soon enough for Wolves if - and it is a monumental if - there remains any vestige of hope. And even then they must get things right.
On this evidence, they have not got recruitment right in recent times and it has left Edwards with a task that would be beyond even the most experienced managers.
Wolves analysis: An impossible job for Edwards?published at 18:35 GMT 22 November
Nick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source,Getty ImagesHow does Rob Edwards keep Wolves up?
The new head coach has clear confidence in his methods, but a 12th game without a victory and nine points behind fourth-bottom West Ham, his side's survival prospects remain bleak.
Edwards spoke with conviction at his first press conference on Friday, and his side clearly worked for him, but came up very short of quality.
Substitute Arias' late miss, as the hosts chased a way back into the game, summed up Wolves perfectly, all huff and puff but little class or end product.
There seemed to be some rare optimism from the Molineux terraces at the start, an improvement on the angry and frustrated atmosphere of the previous few weeks.
But the game ended in subdued fashion, with the scale of the task clear to Edwards - as if it was not already.
Midlands derbies againstAston Villa andNottingham Forest are next and there is little evidence to suggest where or when their desperately-needed first league win will come.
Follow Saturday's Premier League games livepublished at 11:30 GMT 22 November
There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Burnley v Chelsea (12:30)
Bournemouth v West Ham
Brighton v Brentford
Fulham v Sunderland -listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest -listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Wolves v Crystal Palace
Newcastle v Manchester City (17:30) -listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Nottingham Forest" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Man City", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds
Wolves v Crystal Palace: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:11 GMT 21 November
Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalistRob Edwards takes charge of his first game as Wolves head coach against a Crystal Palace side who have lost their past two Premier League matches on the road.
BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at Molineux.
New start for Wolves
The resumption of Premier League football following the international break offers struggling clubs with the chance to reset – particularly those who begin life under a new head coach.
Rob Edwards' return to Wolves was confirmed last week after a severance package was agreed with Championship club Middlesbrough and Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi subsequently underlined the need for a fresh start.
"We need to refresh the whole club with a new coach's philosophy, bringing his own identity and ideas, and we can build on that," he said.
The challenge for Edwards is that Shi's prescribed building job begins at rock bottom.
Wolves remain the only team in the top seven tiers of English football yet to win this season, while they could fail to triumph in any of their opening 12 matches for only the second time in their league history.
Can't score, always concede
Problems in attack and defence have persisted since last season – Wolves are bottom of the Premier League table for ever-present clubs across the entirety of 2025, while they are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
Image caption, Wolves are bottom of the Premier League table over the entire calendar year
Edwards, a former Wolves defender and head coach of the under-23 side, has a raft of issues to address, including struggles in front of goal.
Wolves have scored just four times from open play in 11 Premier League matches so far, 10 fewer than at this stage last season – by far the biggest decline of any club.
Image caption, Wolves are struggling to score from open play this season
The strategy under predecessor Vitor Pereira was clear, yet ineffective.
Wolves have recorded at least 20 more successful open-play crosses than any other top-flight team this season, while winger Hugo Bueno has created a league-high nine chances from open-play crosses – but Wolves have scored a league-low seven goals overall.
Much may depend on striker Jorgen Strand Larsen finding form in front of goal – the 25-year-old is yet to score from open play in the league this season – and Wolves must also tighten up at the back having conceded exactly three goals in each of their last three Premier League games.
The omens, though, are not entirely ominous, even if Wolves fail to beat Crystal Palace.
Of the seven teams who were winless after 12 Premier League games, three survived relegation (Everton in 1994-95,Derby County in 2000-01 andNewcastle United in 2021-22), while Edwards' first Premier League home win as Luton Town manager came against Crystal Palace in 2023-24, in the first match after the November international break.
Dynamic defensive duo
Saturday's visitors come into this contest on the back of two away defeats, which is as many games as they had lost in their previous 18 Premier League outings on the road.
Crystal Palace, however, have not lost three successive away games since February 2024 - and they love to win this fixture.
Palace have triumphed in 57% of their Premier League meetings with Wolves, their highest win rate against any side they have faced more than 10 times.
While Wolves have focused on crosses, Palace's approach is based on ceding possession and countering quickly, at pace.
The Eagles average just 41.7% possession this season, the lowest ratio of any side other thanBurnley.
Image caption, Crystal Palace duo Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi are among the most effective Premier League defenders in one-to-one situations
Playing in such a way is dependent on a solid base and Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi are currently the Premier League's most effective defenders in one-on-one situations.
Of players to have faced at least 20 opponent dribbles, Lacroix and Guehi have the highest tackle success rates, defined as a "true tackle" by Opta.
And Palace will be boosted by the availability of Guehi, who returned to training on Wednesday after recovering from a badly bruised foot.
Wolves still have time to survive - Edwardspublished at 18:26 GMT 21 November
Nick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source,Getty ImagesNew boss Rob Edwards insists there is still enough time for Wolves to save themselves.
Rock-bottom Wolves are eight points from 17th-placed Burnley going into Saturday's visit ofCrystal Palace.
Edwards has swapped the Championship promotion race after leavingMiddlesbrough in second for a relegation battle at Molineux.
Wolves have not won in the Premier League since April and have just two points from 11 games, a record which resulted in the sacking of Vitor Pereira at the start of the month.
"I'm not looking at the table right now, just the next session and game," said Edwards. "I'll be clear with players this is what we are going to do to win games of football and get points.
"It's going to come from hard work. Lots of stuff comes underneath that, but I will be clear with the lads what that is and my non-negotiables. The players want that.
"We will support them as well and we believe in them. I have told them that. We can't look too far ahead and where we are with the gap at the moment.
"Every training session, we are living it every single day. There is still enough time. I understand we want to get results quickly as well as that will help with that belief."
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