Blog: Déjà vu feeling as Wolves kick off new campaign

You know, dropping down a league ain't so bad, writes Wolves blogger Tim Spiers.

moreFor a start, we're bound to win far more games than we lose, right?

And instead of being a smaller fish in a big pond, we'll be a big fish in a small pond.

Ticket prices are cheaper, we get to visit some rare grounds on the away-day trail, plus our stadium will be the grandest in the division.

Richard Stearman's slapstick errors won't be punished as regularly and we can look forward to a likely promotion charge.

Hmm... am I the only one with 12-month-old déjà vu here?

The reality of League One has finally arrived with games against Oldham and Stevenage lighting up the fixture list like Noel Edmonds lights up Christmas.

For Wolves it's been the quietest, most low-key summer I can recall.

Whisper it quietly but the notion of humility may belatedly have been accrued by the Molineux hierarchy, as the shame of what they've overseen in three years hits home.

Steve Morgan hasn't been seen – even at the press launch of the new manager – while statements of intent such as 'we'll be challenging for the Champions League places in five years, you'll see' or even 'I'm certain our museum is going to be the best in the division this year' have been absent from Jez Moxey.

It's been left to Kenny Jackett to be the sole public face of what we all hope will be the start of our upturn in fortunes.

And it must be said he's been very impressive in everything he's said so far.

Jackett comes across as fiercely determined, humble and realistic.

At a pre-season dinner at Molineux last week he was given the opportunity to speak to supporters via a Q&A session.

During it he repeatedly spoke of the privilege he has been given as Wolves manager, of his respect for the club, its fans and its history.

He spoke of the importance of morals, of a good family background, of instilling a winning mentality and of not running before we can walk.

When asked what needed to change in order to turn us from a losing club into a winning one, he instantly replied with 'personnel'.

I believe he recognises that the playing staff had become rotten to the core and that it wasn't just the club's previous managers or the board – although of course they more than played their part – that chiefly led our decline.

To that end he has ostracised Jamie O'Hara and Roger Johnson and indeed shamed and embarrassed them by forcing them to train with the kids, omitting them from the pre-season tour and refusing the even acknowledge their presence with a squad number.

Good on you, Kenny.

Dishing out the same treatment to Karl Henry and Stephen Ward – two players whose commitment on the field could never been doubted, whatever their shortcomings in the talent department – was harsh, but perhaps there are off-the-field issues we're not aware of here.

Henry's departure was an end-of-era moment and, whatever you think of him as a player, I have absolutely no doubt that he loved playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers and that he was a great servant for us in the seven years he was here.

During those last two years his performance levels dropped alarmingly but before then he was a key, underrated defensive cog in our midfield and some of his displays in backs-to-the-wall away games in particular will long live in the memory.

Johnson and O'Hara will not be offered such glowing eulogies and it's important Jackett dispose of them permanently as soon as possible, if only to ease a crippling wage bill.

Likewise Ward, Bakary Sako and Kevin Doyle, who must all desperately want to leave and who we really don't have a need for anymore as Jackett looks to overhaul the entire playing staff.

Kevin Foley must be another on the endangered species list now that he appears to have slipped down the pecking order, which would pretty much leave the indomitable Stearman as pretty much the last of the old guard, the last man standing – who'd have thought it?

Anyway it's the future we're looking at now, not the past, and that means finally putting faith in a youth system, as Mick McCarthy did when he joined with us at a low ebb seven years ago.

For Mark Little, Daniel Jones, Kevin O'Connor, Lewis Gobern and Leon Clarke, read Danny Batth, David Davis, Lee Evans, Jack Price and Zeli Ismail.

The class of 2006 didn't last too long as McCarthy placed his faith in new signings as the season wore on and this year's youngsters will have to get up to speed quick sharp to make an impression.

I don't think we should expect too much too soon or think that we're going to sweep the league – Jackett has cobbled together an XI but it's by no means his ideal side.

They probably won't be the key to our success this season though – that mantle is probably afforded to Leigh Griffiths.

There will be many column inches written about Griffiths this season, perhaps not all of them complimentary, but for now let's just hope he's got his head in the right place and that Jackett can get the best out of him.

Sam Ricketts, too, has a big role to play as captain and like Jackett has dropped down a division to join us, which is a good sign of his character.

The fact we're sending a 5,000-strong army to Preston – a stern opening test for Jackett's boys – proves that the support and enthusiasm is certainly still there among our long-suffering fans.

One thing's for sure, as always with Wolves it'll be an interesting season.

In fact it might be quite fun. Might.