Blog: Wolves are redressing the balance

The talk coming out of Molineux this season has altered quite drastically but what should Wolves really be aiming for this season?

Days before the season began, the then seemingly on-board owner Steve Morgan was quoted as saying something.

Wolves,'one of the bookies' favourites for promotion, were "in as good a shape as anybody" he reasoned, writes blogger Tom Tracey.

After being the only side to lose to strugglers Bolton Wanderers, on-loan goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez suggested that "if we go on a good run, we can look at automatic promotion."

Indifferent form continued as mention of a top two finish dwindled to hopes of going one better than last season and reaching the play-offs.

This indifferent form has continued up until now, with owner Morgan putting the club up for sale and resigning at the end of September.

The uncertainty off the field will not have helped stability within the squad, which is mirrored by the mood in the targets of the Wolves' camp.

Having won back-to-back matches 3-0 over Fulham and Huddersfield, Jackett pinpointed a succession of upcoming games.

They will come against Derby County, Brentford, Middlesbrough and Birmingham as "a measuring stick" for the rest of the season.

These three losses and a win at St Andrew's saw Wolves head into the current month firmly in mid-table.

These more recent comments are a far cry from the ambitious statements earlier in the season that only looked in one direction - upwards.

The disappointing start to Wolves' season has quelled early mentions of lofty season-long targets, with Jackett's preference to group games together into short-term segments.

His interviews now often feature three-game objectives with far less mention of the season-long goals.

What some see as an over-achievement last season has affected supporters' expectations this time around.

The interviews coming out of the club throughout the pre-season and the early months of the Championship campaign certainly seemed ambitious.

Moxey's statement of intent to replace Sako never materialised. The squad depth and quality decreased rather than increased.

The long-term injury to Nouha Dicko and the sale of Richard Stearman completed the loss of all of the top three in the votes for the Player of the Season award last season.

In recent memory, Wolves have never relied on as many loan players to supplement the squad as they do now.

Most loans in recent seasons have been with a view to a permanent transfer, whereas now Wolves are being used as a development team for Arsenal's Emiliano Martinez and Liverpool's Sheyi Ojo.

The club have to take the blame for a large proportion of supporters' discontent at the moment, as they hyped up the season but have so far failed to deliver on much of this.

While it's obviously a hindrance that the club is up for sale, they still failed to improve the squad that was expected to improve on the performance of last season prior to Morgan's announcement.

If the club already knew of Morgan's decision before the season began, the ambitious comments that came out of Molineux were somewhat deceiving and unsubstantiated.

While Kenny rightly has to aim as high as possible, especially in public, it would be interesting to know what those in charge at Molineux honestly think Wolves can do this year.

Unless there is some improvement in performance and results, mid-table looks like their realm until May.