Comment: Kenny Jackett has earned Wolves' patience

Probably for two years, all told.

The Wolves boss has enjoyed an almost unequivocally positive relationship with the club's supporters, with whom he gained deep respect for completely transforming the playing staff, writes Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers.

He ruthlessly disposed of the high-earning old guard, sticking to his guns when forcing the likes of, yes, Roger Johnson and Jamie O'Hara, but also less likely 'villains' such as Stephen Ward and Kevin Foley, to train with the kids and eventually depart.

Success with a new, young, cheaply-assembled squad was instant. Wolves stormed League One and continued their momentum into the Championship last season.

Not all of Jackett's decisions were universally popular – his substitutions often came in for criticism, as on occasion did his tactics – but any dissatisfaction was negated, quite simply, by results.

However after an underwhelming pre-season in terms of transfers and performances, dissenting voices began to make their voices heard, and an indifferent start to the campaign, to put it kindly, has placed Jackett in a hitherto unseen position as Wolves boss – under pressure.

And, goodness me, rightly so, for the man has worked a minor miracle in dragging the club from its knees to a position where it can realistically wish for Premier League football again. Success like that isn't, or certainly shouldn't be, undone after seven league games, even in the mad world of modern football.

After years of underachievement, Wolves managed the rare feat of overachieving last season, certainly in terms of surpassing pre-season expectations.

If Wolves had struggled for consistency in their opening seven league games of 2014/15 and found themselves 18th, few would have rang the alarm bells.

But the fact is that they accrued a points total good enough to win automatic promotion in some years gone by – and Jackett is now suffering for his success.

It's nothing that a win or two won't cure in the short-term, of course, and Wolves have three games in a week in which to start catching up the early-season pace-setters.

On the flip side, though, successive defeats in today's trip to Preston and Tuesday's visit to Fulham would put Wolves in an increasingly perilous position.

Throughout recent weeks Jackett has remained steadfastly upbeat, positive and cheery in his demeanour. Even immediately after the 3-0 trouncing in the Capital One Cup at Middlesbrough on Tuesday, Jackett refused to lay into his players, offering fairly mild criticism about them failing to take on Boro's defenders, but in the main choosing to praise the opposition.

In fact the only time he has truly admonished them in public was after the drab 1-1 pre-season draw at Burton, when he slammed his players' lack of 'hunger and desire'.

The head coach is by no means immune from critique, far from it.

His team selections have occasionally baffled, particularly in chopping and changing the goalkeeper, while failing to add experience to his youthful squad is a highly questionable move that may yet prove to be Wolves' undoing this season.

And Richard Stearman's sale (we are told no player comes in or out without Jackett's approval) has yet to look anything like a bad decision.

In mitigation, matters off the field, some out of his control, have certainly contributed to the current malaise.

Kevin McDonald's very public contract saga and Norwich's intense interest in Benik Afobe are factors which have undoubtedly unsettled the squad, while injuries to Nouha Dicko and Danny Batth have deprived him of two important players.

With Batth now returning, McDonald's future finally resolved and speculation surrounding Afobe off the agenda (until January), combined with the likely imminent impact of the likes of Jed Wallace and Nathan Byrne, there is light at the end of this particular Wolves tunnel.

And, whatever today's result, and Tuesday's, Jackett deserves patience and support as he bids to steady the ship.