'I haven't got a magic wand' - Edwards faces impossible job at Wolves

For a moment at Molineux there was optimism.

New boss Rob Edwards was introduced to the home fans to a roar and, briefly, Wolves had renewed hope.

Eventually, though, it was Crystal Palace celebrating in a subdued stadium as the they outclassed their hosts for a deserved win which underlines the size of Edwards' task to keep his side in the Premier League.

Winless after the first 12 games, no team has survived with just two points at this stage of a top-flight season. Everton stayed up in 1994-95, but the Toffees had four points after the same amount of games.

Edwards bristled a little on Friday, joking he could tell he was back in the dour Midlands when asked if Wolves would beat Derby County's record Premier League low points tally of 11 from 2007-08.

But it was a legitimate question to ask.

It is almost December and Wolves are bottom and have not won in the top flight for seven months.

They have lost 10 of their 12 games this season, have scored just seven goals, conceded 27 and are nine points from the safety line.

They are even eight points adrift of 19th-placed Burnley so there is little evidence to show they will be able to make history with one of the greatest of escapes.

This is Telford-born Edwards' dream job, one which the former player had been waiting for, but it also now looks an impossible one.

"We have got players who can produce the big moments. I know we have lost and everyone will be flattened by it, but I have been here five or six days and I haven't got a magic wand," said the 42-year-old.

"Emotion and the result will cloud - and take some people's emotions a certain way. I have to look at it with a bit of clarity.

"They were better in the first half, in the second half we were strong and got punished with the moments and that's why we are here. It's a familiar story to the game, there wasn't loads in it."

• Palace go fourth to ruin Edwards' Wolves homecoming
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How bad is it for Wolves?

• Wolves' two points from 12 games so far are the third-fewest in top-flight history after 12 games, behind Man Utd in 1930-31 [0] and Sheffield United in 2020-21 [1]
• It's their worst league winless run since a 19-game stretch in the second tier between December 1984 and April 1985.
• Wolves have lost their last five Premier League matches, with their last three coming under a different manager [Vitor Pereira, James Collins, Rob Edwards].
• They have now gone 16 consecutive top-flight matches without a victory [D3 L13] since a six-game winning run in March/April 2025.
• Wolves are the first team since Newcastle in 2021-22 [14 games] to fail to win any of their opening 12 Premier League matches of a season.

There is no doubting Wolves' endeavour, they worked hard for Edwards but there is a glaring lack of quality and belief in the squad.

That low confidence will sap the skill Jorgen Strand Larsen demonstrated by scoring 14 goals last season, or the energy and class which Andre and Joao Gomes have previously shown in midfield.

It will be up to Edwards and his staff to help them rediscover that belief, although he was not helped by forward Hwang Hee-Chan's wretched pass, just three minutes after coming on, which ultimately gifted Palace their second goal through Yeremy Pino's lovely finish and sent them fourth.

"Clearly there's one or two that are lacking some belief and confidence anyway, and that's understandable from the position that we're in," said the new boss, who played 111 times for Wolves from 2004-2008.

"You've got to be able to handle that, the expectation this crowd are going to put on us. You sense that little bit of frustration when the goals go in and you can hear it around the place. I understand it, the fans were brilliant.

"The heads did drop but I don't think the performance level dropped. I thought we tried to get back on the front foot and show some purpose."

Edwards wants Wolves to run more and, before the visit of the Eagles, they had covered 1194.6k this season in the Premier League.

They are in the bottom six on that particular metric, compared to others, and on Saturday's evidence, they need more than just miles in the tank to survive, despite Edwards' positive notes.

The former Luton manager added: "I was saying to the lads if we win more duels and run harder and faster than them [opposition], good things will come. It hasn't today but there are things you can take from it.

"We did win more duels, we did sprint with more intensity and I've got the results.

"We can work harder and do the basics better, the turnover for the second goal is frustrating, but there was an effort there.

"The boys did keep going. We got punished with a couple of the moments. That is why they are where they are and we are where we are.

"The Premier League is ruthless."

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