Wolves needed TLC, not TC

It is hard to see a way out for Wolverhampton Wanderers from the relegation mire they find themselves in. Rooted at the foot of the table after four defeats from five games, a run that has seen them concede 19 goals, Wolves are without a full-time manager and are being led by the former assistant of the man they sacked a month ago.

Add in the toxic cloud of supporter dissatisfaction that hangs over Molineux, manifested by fan confrontations with players and all the ingredients of certain relegation appear to be in place. But it didn't need to be this way. www.betvictor.com

Jez Moxey and Steve Morgan obviously felt that their team was more likely to survive without Mick McCarthy as manager than with the experienced Yorkshireman in charge. The fact they did not have a clear plan for after McCarthy's dismissal proves how keen they were to change manager, perhaps hoping that any change would help.

Roberto Di Matteo has proved at Chelsea that an assistant manager can step into the shoes of his former boss to good effect, although this perhaps suggests it is hard to tell when a manager has taken his team as far he can; the sacking of Andre Villas Boas was greeted with widespread condemnation as fans of Bet Victor will remember.

In fact McCarthy was the man most likely to get Wolves out of trouble, not the least likely. His team were on a four match unbeaten streak away from home and as painful as the team's second half collapse against derby rivals West Brom was, the man who has been in charge for nearly six years was not going to lose the support of the players, all of whom had been recruited by McCarthy.

McCarthy was best placed to rejuvenate his players, knowing that some careful encouragement was the order of the day, not the 'hairdryer' treatment Morgan saw fit to administer after defeat by Liverpool. Wolves might not have survived under McCarthy, but their future would have been brighter than it is now.