The appointment of Vitor Pereira was the obvious turning point in the strange season of Wolves, but there was another. The Portuguese had lost four Premier League matches in a row to still leave Wolves in the relegation zone when the end of January was approaching.
A meeting was called before January 28. The inn in Shipley – a pub, appropriate, given the preference of Pereira for a pint – hosted a full and frank discussion between chairman Jeff Shi and four of his familiar lieutenants. Informal Shi called it the war committee.
Together with sports director Matt Hobbs, head of football activities Matt Wild, head of high performance Phil Hayward and communication director Max Fitzgerald, they discussed what went wrong and how it could be placed. It felt like therapy.
Private would describe Shi this winter as the lowest point in his nine years at Wolves. For Hobbs, who remains grateful to O'Neil because he removed wolves from a hole on the eve of the previous season, it was a modest experience due to his own recognition.
Both men started straightening the mistakes and resetting the culture of the club.
This is the story of one big decision – the appointment of Pereira – but also dozens of little ones who have contributed to the turning of Wolves' fortunes, which means they are on their way to picking up six wins in a row in the top division for the first time in 55 years.
The first task was to set up the discipline that was lost in those alarming last days under O'Neil. The most striking was the sight of Mario Lemina – the captain – in an open dispute with colleagues on the field after a defeat against West Ham.
Against Ipswich, Matheus Cunha's bizarre loss of control, the removal of someone's glasses, led to a suspension. “At the end of the previous regime it felt quite negative, pretty chaotic,” says a Wolves Insider. “That is a good environment for no one to work.”
It was that negativity that had to change. O'Neil, perhaps in an attempt to protect his own reputation, suggested that Wolves had only three proven Premier League players. Even unconsciously, some wondered, how would such a conversation influence the team?
Pereira brought another mentality and confirmed those above him that recruitment had not been so bad and that this could be a Tophal team. The focus was about what players could not do what they could do and how they can best present those skills.
“Maybe we didn't have to change formation every week, adjust the press,” says another Wolves figure who saw the preparations change. “We spent so much time focused on the opposition and how they could stop them, we eventually had no identity.”
This mentality shift was completely Pereira, but the committee decided to lean in it and worked to remove the negativity that had gone through in thinking. The plan was to create a no-excuses culture, problems eliminating problems so that players could not all give it all of them.
Some changes were small and those responsible would admit that they should have been tackled earlier. The need for a new coffee maker in the canteen for example. Others were imaginative because Wolves did everything to change the mood.
On the training field, players are greeted by the sight of their latest goals and the celebrations that go with them, inspiring images that are updated much more regularly because there is a dedicated content -maker for the players, not just the fans.
Birthday graphics can be seen when players walk into the building, something that Yerson Mosquera, which recovers from long -term injury, is known to be appreciated. The focus of the images even shifts to those who do rehabilitation when those who play have a day of rest.
The lighting in the dressing room is now specially designed to move the body clock for evening games, so that the wavelength of the light is optimized. Science behind the initiative was set up by Head of the Hayward version and embraced by Pereira.
The small touches are repeated in Molineux, where screens above the pins in the exchange room clips of the goals played by the time the players left the field after their 3-0 win over Leicester recently. Players can even choose the music they warm up.
Nelson Semedo, the captain of Wolves since the Lemina debacle, is not only a quiet head, but also an active figure to ensure that the details are good. He works with the club as part of a recovery of efforts for taking care of players, organizing different grills and parties for the team.
A pop-up event from Louis Vuitton is planned for partners of players. This may all sound like pampering, but internally it is seen as an attempt to create the feeling that the club is aimed at helping players – and it comes with more demands than before.
Pereira has seriously made the preparations, re -introducing hotel enclosures for home games, instead of the relatively relaxed routine of players who report individually. That too has demanded a reaction in kind, which increased the attention to detail.
The mattresses in Wolves' Hotel of Choice had improved, while a lounge was set up to ensure that there would be no boredom. In addition to dart boards and pool tables, the IT team increased the broadband speeds in the hotel so that gaming was an option.
One insider summarizes it. “Vitor just came in and knew what everything should look like.” He increased expectations and understood that it wasn't just about football. It is no surprise that there is more discipline and connection on the field, now there is more.
Within the club there is a conviction that the impact of a more constructive dialogue is already felt. There was a point of care when Emmanuel Aggbadou was injured against Liverpool for which he had initially chosen to play, which may make the problem worse.
Players were quickly encouraged to speak in such situations, to communicate better and to have an open dialogue with each other. Marshall Munetsi then marked a trunk after scoring Everton and came off during the break. Problem averted.
The similar thing happened with Joao Gomes, who stood on staying on the field while he was on a yellow card against Arsenal and was then sent. Pereira was blamed for that one and has since been particularly proactive in removing his booked players.
“We all try to be more proactive, don't wait for the problems to happen,” says a Wolves director. With that in mind, it is intended that the management meetings continue and the ambition is that this cultural change in Molineux is here to stay.
The furore about Wolves women, and the call not to register them for the championship if promoted, was a reminder of its importance. The feeling is that if this culture of openness would have been appropriate a year ago, it would have been handled very differently.
Similarly, the club looks at how the departure of popular players is managed. It still ranks with supporters that there was no chance to say goodbye to Joao Moutinho. More recently, the outputs of Lemina and Craig Dawson were far from ideal.
It is a subject that will soon be in the spotlight, since Semedo no longer has a contract in the summer and Cunha is expected to be a target for large clubs. After a year that one long exercise has been in crisis management, they must be prepared.
There will of course be more challenges. But there is now a conviction that wolves are a more robust entity because of their travails this time and a concept that it is those clubs that can tackle their problems in the midst of the storm that it can endure.
As a key figure says: “Sometimes you need some problems to make you realize that you have to evolve.” Symbolically, SHI will give up its office on the training field this summer to allow extra space for the lounge of a new players. Lessons, it seems, have been learned.