Doyle: Wolves "going down on a high" as Rob Edwards works his magic

It’s been a season of two halves for Wolverhampton Wanderers. After a disastrous start that saw them rooted to the bottom of the table, the arrival of Rob Edwards has sparked a transformation in spirit, if not in league position. While the threat of the Championship looms large, there is a sense of optimism at Molineux that hasn't been felt in years.

We caught up with Wolves hero Kevin Doyle to get his take on Edwards’ impact, the future of star men Mateus Mané and Joao Gomes, and why a season in the second tier might not be the disaster everyone fears.

The "Rob Edwards Effect"

Having experienced the pain of relegation at Molineux himself, Doyle knows exactly how poisonous the atmosphere can get. However, he believes Edwards has managed to achieve the impossible: keeping the fans onside while heading for the drop.

“The manager is the one who's stood out to me. I know what it's like at Wolves. I've been relegated with Wolves. With any club, it's not a good feeling.”

“They've been bottom of the league throughout a disastrous season and I was surprised he took the job, but he's stuck at it and he's improved them. They're gonna get relegated, but they're not going down in a manner where the whole place is in a negative mood. I think they're going down playing well. And that's going be the difference for them next season. They're going go down on a sort of a semi-high.”

Doyle points to the recent scalp of Aston Villa, the dramatic comeback against Arsenal and last night's 2-1 win over Liverpool as proof that the "Old Gold" are still fighting.

“When I got relegated with Wolves, we didn't have these wins. We got relegated to the Championship on a downer. He's going down, as funny as it sounds, in a good place. He's got them fighting. Those are big wins... To come back from 0-2 down against Arsenal, and then beating Aston Villa, a Midlands derby, they're big results.”

“Going into the summer preparing for next season, you'd now say they'd be favourites, possibly the one to come back up. I wouldn't have said that two months ago. I would've thought they'd struggle as the atmosphere would be too poisonous, but that's not the case now.”

The Futures Of Mané and Gomes

Naturally, a drop in division brings vultures circling for Wolves’ prized assets. Eighteen-year-old sensation Mateus Mané has been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, but Doyle is desperate to see the youngster stay put.

“Probably someone would like to sign Mateus Mané but I'd like him to stay. What I like about him and the others in that team, when you're in that relegation zone, everyone just worries about themselves and getting a move, and the team spirit goes out of the window. That hasn't been the case for Mané and Wolves; they're still a team.”

“I hope he stays and it's only recently he's shown what he can do, so there'd be no harm in doing it for another year. It's a big club, albeit being in the Championship. They could come straight back up and if they do, they'll be in a better place.”

Then there is Joao Gomes. The Brazilian midfielder has been a standout performer in a struggling side, attracting interest from Old Trafford and Napoli. Doyle admits that while the step up is huge, Gomes has the "X-factor" required for the top level.

“I really like Gomes. There's been a lot of turnover in that squad in the last year... He's one that I really like. Wolves is a hard place to play because there's a lot of expectations, sometimes maybe unrealistic. If you can play well at Wolves, like he's done in the situation that they're in, it shows you've got something about you.”

“He could go to Man Utd and be brilliant, but it's so hard to tell. It's a big jump coming from a relegated Wolves to going to Man Utd... Value wise he'll probably be a good signing for someone. While he'll be expensive, you know if it works out, he's gonna probably be around £50 million if they get relegated. For a central midfielder for a top-four team, that would be good value, which is mad to say.”

Kevin Doyle Looks To The Future

For Doyle, the priority is keeping this core group together to ensure the stay in the Championship is a brief one.

“Wolves will just want to keep him [Gomes] though. How do you replace him? I don't know the financial situation at Wolves and don't know if they have to sell, but Gomes has done himself no harm, has he?”

“I thought at Christmas that was it, they won't get a point between then and the end of the season. I was just thinking how tough a place it was going to be for those players, but they've knuckled it down and fair play to them. It shows they've got something about them, and the manager - it's impressive how he's managed to do it.”

“Rob Edwards has surprised me because I was wondering why did he jump ship from Middlesbrough in a good situation to come into this. But in the longer term, it could work out well for him.”Edwards' men meet Liverpool again after their last-grasp winner at the Molineux stadium this week. This time, it is their quest for the FA Cup. Before their surprise win, Wolves were priced at 5/1 to win and now they are 19/4. Liverpool have gone from 4/9 to 9/20 favourites, If you back Wolves to do another job or Liverpool to avenge their loss, you can have a punt with some free bets if you use the bet365 bonus code to sign up!

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