Wolves boss Nuno: Wolf pack making us stronger
Nuno Espirito Santo says his Wolves team are 'stronger' for their increasingly buoyant fanbase.
Attendance figures have shot up at Molineux and a crowd of more than 27,500 is expected for today's visit of Barnsley.
That's higher than any home league attendance in the past two seasons and follows on from another big crowd for the opening-day sell-out against Boro last month.
Wolves have also sold out for three of four away games so far. Burton away a week today is a sell-out and as of yesterday just 200 tickets remained of a 2,200 allocation for Wednesday's trip to face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
The Wolves boss thanked the club's fans for their great support.
"Molineux's going to have a big crowd (today)," he said. "This support is important – them being there and enjoying the team and being united with the team.
"At the same time we have the respect that every game is difficult. It should make us proud of being a Wolves fan."
What has Nuno made of Championship atmospheres since he moved to England?
"The stadiums are almost full, the spirit around the game is good I think," he said.
"The respect for the game is the most important thing."
Previous Molineux bosses have spoken of the need for the bond between the team and the fans to be as tight-knit as possible to give Wolves a better chance of success.
Nuno's opinion is no different. He said: "It's very, very important. We know that having a pack behind you makes you stronger.
"This is the spirit that we know. We need them and they need us so it creates a bond that has to reflect enjoyment first and also achieving good and successful things together."
In his experience as a player and a manager, does having a noisy and large fanbase behind you improve the team?
"We tend to say it's not important, that the players should focus on what's on the pitch," Nuno replied.
"But when you hear people singing and pushing you, of course that gives you an extra mile, an extra jump, an extra interception, always it's important.
"We are very, very thankful for the support we've been having."
Barnsley visit Molineux today on the back of a 3-0 loss at home to Villa last weekend, although a much-changed Tykes side put in a good performance in losing 1-0 to Spurs in the Carabao Cup at Wembley in midweek.
Despite their lowly position Nuno knows it'll be a tough test.
"They had a bad result in the league but did well in the cup against Tottenham," he said.
"We have to be really focused – it's about us. If we want to win we have to work harder than them."
