Another weekend of Premier League action, another managerial casualty.
Another weekend of misery with no Premier League 2025 highlights for the league’s bottom club.
Ultimately, few people were really surprised that Wolves decided to part company with Vitor Pereira.
After all, the Molineux club has failed to win any league game to date this term and has lost eight of its 10 games.
Perhaps he was on thin ice from the moment, just over a week ago, when a section of Wolves supporters turned on the Portuguese after the 3-2 home defeat to newly-promoted Burnley which ended in him being escorted away from heated discussions with fans.
The final blow was a comprehensive defeat at Fulham on Saturday when the performance was as underwhelming as the 3-0 reverse, although the Cottagers deserve credit for finally finding their scoring punch.
Is what has happened really Pereira’s fault though?
This is the boss who took over a side rock bottom just before Christmas last year and guided them to safety with plenty to spare, even winning six matches in a row between late March and the end of April as they stormed up the league to mid-table safety.
It was an impressive transformation but, to be asked to do it all over again with an even weaker hand, was one any manager would struggle with, especially after the summer sales of Matheus Cunha, along with Rayan Aït-Nouri and captain Nelson Semedo.
Given the position they find themselves in, and the fact they have lost to all three promoted clubs – Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley – in the first few months of the season, it is very difficult to see them becoming the first-ever Premier League team to survive relegation after taking two points from 10 games.
Fosun, the Chinese conglomerate that owns Wolves, accepts there are issues with the make-up of the squad as a result of the summer recruitment and should carry the can for much of their lousy start.
Wolves did not win any of their opening 10 games under Gary O’Neil (ironically, tipped to come back for a second stint) last term either leading to Pereira’s arrival, but lightning doesn’t tend to strike twice.
If you can find Premier League 2025 betting odds which convince you otherwise, you are a braver man than this SBOTOP writer.
The other two clubs currently in the relegation zone at the moment both have new managers and you could see improved displays as Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest shared four goals with Manchester United at the City Ground.
Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham chapter may have lift-off after a first victory of his tenure.
The 3-1 home success over Newcastle, coming from behind after just four minutes, was a display of grit, ability and, perhaps most importantly, belief, which cast aside any pre-match apathy as West Ham sealed a first home league win since the end of February.
Across the capital, the most surprising element for me was how one-sided Saturday teatime’s London derby was.
Given the Spurs-Chelsea clash was a meeting between rivals with a history of antagonism, I expected a compelling encounter which would be played right on the edge.
A solitary goal from Joao Pedro was enough to earn the visitors the points as they were, once again, inspired by the midfield tenaciousness of Moises Caicedo.
What surprised me, though, was how lacking in creativity the hosts were, registering just three shots on goal.
There is no doubt that Thomas Frank has improved the Lilywhites since taking charge this summer and they will likely bounce back with victory in the Champions League at home to FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.
The Dane though, admitted, he was nonplussed as to why his side had created so little.
Spurs have recorded some impressive results on the road since replacing Ange Postecoglou with Frank, so much so that they began the game in third place, but they were horribly short of ideas and never looked capable of conjuring an equaliser once Chelsea were in front.
That will hurt their fans more than the defeat itself. Losing at home to one of your bitter rivals is never good. To lose this easily is unacceptable.
The final game of the weekend showcased just how well Bournemouth are doing and how ruthless a finisher Erling Haaland is.
The Cherries never looked run off the park against their wealthy opponents and Andoni Iraola is working wonders on the south coast.
Yet on the day the trio of Antoine Semenyo, Marcos Senesi and Marcus Tavernier all made their 100th appearances for the club, they could not prevent their side’s eight-game unbeaten run, stretching back to the opening day, coming to an end.
That was, in no small fashion, down to Haaland whose double took his tally to 13 league goals for the season so far.
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