From the Lions' den to the Wolves' lair
Experienced manager Kenny Jackett has been entrusted with the task of putting Wolverhampton Wanderers back on track after two successive relegation campaigns have dumped the Midlands club into the third-tier of English football for the first time since 1989.
Having dispensed with the services of Mick McCarthy when struggling in the lower reaches of the Premier League, Wolves owner Steve Morgan oversaw a catalogue of disastrous decisions in relation to the managerial hot-seat at Molineux.
First assistant manager Terry Conner got the nod after McCarthy's harsh removal from his position, but he presided over a painful nosedive into the Championship. Then Norwegian Stale Solbakken took the reins only to leave a few months afterwards with Wolves sitting 18th in the league.
Cue Dean Saunders' introduction from Doncaster Rovers in a last-gasp bid to avoid another devastating demotion. However, he took ten games to find his first victory at the club and it was a constant battle until the last day of the season, when only an unlikely set of results could have saved Wanderers from the drop. Alas, it wasn't to be and Saunders got the boot before any opportunity could be granted to resurrect Wolves to their former glory.
Now, the much-maligned Morgan has turned to former Millwall and Swansea City boss Jackett to help drive the Black Country boys back up the league ladder. The former Wales international footballer knows the lower leagues intimately, having guided Swansea to promotion from League Two during his nigh-on three years there and leading Millwall up to the Championship from League One, before keeping them there for three consecutive seasons and taking the Lions to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in this season just past. After six years at the helm, Jackett stepped aside from his role having decided it was time for a new challenge and he'll surely feel confident that going down a division is only temporary. He's inherited a club in the depths of despair, but one with a huge amount of potential to bounce back.
The wage bill will need to be cut, young players will most likely get a chance to impress and Jackett will be out to sign a smattering of experienced players at bargain prices. It's a new beginning for Wolves in humbler surroundings than they've been used to, but other big clubs have suffered a similar fate and yet still managed to come back stronger for it.
The new head coach, as he's been termed, will be the steady hand that's required to put the ship back on course and get Wolves up to the Championship sooner rather than later. His experience in the division above has largely been limited to keeping Millwall out of the relegation scrap while working within a very tight budget. The 51-year-old will have to weave his magic wand again at Molineux to produce a team capable of promotion, as money to spend on additions to the squad will be scarce.
He may not be the most glamorous of appointments, but the former Watford man has the skills, knowledge and know-how to kick this Wolves side into gear - promotion will be his one and only target come the new campaign.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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