Wolves Wandering into the Wilderness

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

An interesting and somewhat depressing read. Some assumptions littered around but most of it is on the money.

The future is looking bleak my friends.

Wolves wandering into the wilderness

 

[floydstreet]

As is the present

 

[Lou Pine]

That’s cheered me right up, thanks.

 

[Frank Lincoln]

That was depressing to read.

 

[brianm]

Copying my reply from another thread.

This chart points to what has been said re: the lack of a path to revenue. What they are doing clearly isn't working.



I'm kind of flabbergasted how the squad cost is basically even with last season.


This i think is at least realistic. Joao and Andre by themselves should more than cover it.

Given the revenue shortfall from being relegated I estimate Wolves could need close to £70mn in player trading profits (depending on players sold) in order to comply with Championship P&S rules in 2026/27 if they were relegated.

More than anything, this quotr re: future ownership and investment sounds about right to me. Who knows, maybe someone will want to give it a try. It's going to be quite a bit of money though.

Wolves is a club with some heritage and history, having won the First Division three times in the 1950s and the likes of Steve Bull netting just over 300 goals for the club. Its location in the West Midlands offers a reasonable catchment area and the area has budget for material investments into its public transport network.

However, the club has underinvested infrastructure, a leadership structure going through significant change and the threat of relegation. Incremental investment into the infrastructure, academy and ultimately playing squad (if they return to the Premier League) would be significant and potentially run into the £250mn+ territory.

That’s more than has been invested by the current owners so its likely another investor or owner would be required to drive a revolutionary transformation of the club. Wolves face the prospect of being at best a yo-yo club which will significantly reduce the value of the club.

 

[Alex Rae The Substitute]

I hope those who think next season in the Championship will be fun bother to read that.

Some of it may be speculation, but we’re facing a bleak period, unless something drastically changes at the top of the club. But even then we can’t just spend our way back to the PL.

 

[VancouverWolf]

That was depressing to read.

I didn’t read it.
Things are bad enough……I don’t need more lousy news.

 

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

The thing is having read this and with the Big Six Cartel running football it makes you wonder why anyone would want to own a football club

 

[Kennedy]

An interesting and somewhat depressing read. Some assumptions littered around but most of it is on the money.

The future is looking bleak my friends.

Wolves wandering into the wilderness

Just read and came on here to share.

Hard to argue with any of it.

FOSUN OUT

 

[Kennedy]

Sign the Petition

Urge Fosun to sell Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

www.change.org

 

[Adrian_Monk]

I genuinely believe there's more chance of us doing a 'Thomas Cook' and ending up in voluntary liquidation than making it back to the Premier League any time soon unless we can somehow force these ****s out before it really is too late.

 

[KnowNuttin]

I genuinely believe there's more chance of us doing a 'Thomas Cook' and ending up in voluntary liquidation than making it back to the Premier League any time soon unless we can somehow force these ****s out before it really is too late.

Yes, over time there is a chance that Fosun could become an existential threat to this great club. I don't trust them one bit. They clearly don't care about the football club, the city, or the people who follow it. They've got their nice branding for their e-sports ****e, that's all they seem to care about!

 

[VancouverWolf]

The thing is having read this and with the Big Six Cartel running football it makes you wonder why anyone would want to own a football club

I have wondered that many, many times but they are usually always very smart people who have accomplished a lot in business.

Yet, ever wonder why they don’t all have a silent unwritten understanding to have a salary cap?

 

[Big Saft Kid]

I read it (without understanding all of it) and the general message is that we are living on borrowed time. Going down would be an unmitigated total disaster. We need to be much choosier on the new players who we spend money on. The last window was more of a 1/10 not a 9/10. But Shi is incapable of achieving any better. It's what we have been saying all along.

 

[Flump]

Look how low our matchday revenue is compared to the others - Jeff clearly needs to be more aggressive with upping the ticket prices.

 

[DanishWolf]

I genuinely believe there's more chance of us doing a 'Thomas Cook' and ending up in voluntary liquidation than making it back to the Premier League any time soon unless we can somehow force these ****s out before it really is too late.

Not being an expert but wouldn't we be forced into administration first and in that process be put up for sale for cheap?
Either way you'd have to wonder why Fosun would let a (now) 400 million valued club run down the drain like that.
Not that it would surprise me. They've currently set us on course to a significant decrease in value

 

[wolfslair]

We didn’t wander into this position though!!!!!

We were and have been sprinting towards it willingly since our last 7th placed season!!!!

people were calling it out and getting pelters for doing so!

 

[Wolves Heathen]

Not being an expert but wouldn't we be forced into administration first and in that process be put up for sale for cheap?
Either way you'd have to wonder why Fosun would let a (now) 400 million valued club run down the drain like that.
Not that it would surprise me. They've currently set us on course to a significant decrease in value

This is what i can't get my head round either, why let something lose it's value like Fosun are doing, what is their long game ?.

 

[Wolf316]

This is what i can't get my head round either, why let something lose it's value like Fosun are doing, what is their long game ?.

It beggars belief that a multi billion dollar investment company can run the club in this way it’s just utterly crazy.

 

[wolfslair]

This is what i can't get my head round either, why let something lose it's value like Fosun are doing, what is their long game ?.

The brand is getting there in China….. look at the e-sports.

They set up Sudu now……

The parasite have sucked most of the blood and life from the body

The Chinese market is the long game.

Like me and others got incorrectly mocked for saying…….

They didn’t buy us for footballing reasons….. they have what they want and we as Wolverhampton wanderers (they hate that name) are a major inconvenience.

If they could offload us and keep the name and badge and IP in China they would do so in a heart beat.

Bhattis mark 2

 

[wolfslair]

It beggars belief that a multi billion dollar investment company can run the club in this way it’s just utterly crazy.

Because they are making chunks of that money back or projected to from the other avenues they have created using the name.

They will let us rot and operate in a vegitative state from now on! Look at the management and strategy while in the prem!!!!

It only gets worse from here

 

[Rangiora Wolf]

I wonder if Rob has read that and, after waking up from the hypnotic trance he was put under by Shi, thought to himself WTF have I done?

 

[Wolf316]

Because they are making chunks of that money back or projected to from the other avenues they have created using the name.

They will let us rot and operate in a vegitative state from now on! Look at the management and strategy while in the prem!!!!

It only gets worse from here

Surely those outside investments are better promoted with a premier league team?

 

[NEWolves]

Not looking good
No matter who the owners are major investment including a new stadium ( as the Molineux is past its sell buy date is needed
Like I said before Newcastle one city club like Wolverhampton same size catchment area NE 4 local clubs west mids 5
But Newcastle attract twice as many fans
But again it should be easier for wolves central location with a decent transport system
Wolves need a sugar daddy but are hampered by psr or what ever it’s called now

 

[jrpb-3]

Just highlights that Fosun have under performed in nearly all areas compared to other clubs

 

[Don Gloomshroud]

Surely those outside investments are better promoted with a premier league team?

Brand awareness in China has undoubtedly been helped by Premier League media coverage, but the brand is now established and I doubt if any of the brand audience would even notice if we were in the National League now.

We have served our purpose Fosun will be looking to minimise their total spend on the project so that it comes in below what they value the brand as. The club itself is now a millstone around their neck.

The problem is that Fosun and certainly Jeff Shi seem to think that cold-hearted business decisions are in some way macho. There is a serious risk that they do something stupid that irrecoverably damages the club, simply in order to massage their own egos.

Fosun have become an existential threat.

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

Surely those outside investments are better promoted with a premier league team?

Maybe those outside investments WERE better promoted with a Premier league team.

Served its purpose.
Help get them off the ground.
They can then continue under their own means.

 

[Wolf in the sun]

View attachment 57114

Look how low our matchday revenue is compared to the others - Jeff clearly needs to be more aggressive with upping the ticket prices.

not sure if to put a laughing face or angry face emoji

 

[Longford Wolf]

Bull **** Jeff is like a Bond Villain. I imagine him sat in his office stroking a cat while he hatches a plot to destroy our football club for his own gains.
He is a mixture of Blofeld and Odd Job, so we can call him Blojob, cos he is sucking the life out of us. **** off you odious cretin.

 

[Ginger Chimp]

View attachment 57114

Look how low our matchday revenue is compared to the others - Jeff clearly needs to be more aggressive with upping the ticket prices.

The non big six includes Villa, Newcastle, Leeds, Sunderland, Everton and West Ham - all teams with larger stadiums and attendances than us ... we should see what the average is of clubs with similar attendances to us otherwise it's a pointless comparison.

 

[northnorfolkwolf]

Not being an expert but wouldn't we be forced into administration first and in that process be put up for sale for cheap?
Either way you'd have to wonder why Fosun would let a (now) 400 million valued club run down the drain like that.
Not that it would surprise me. They've currently set us on course to a significant decrease in value

This is the million dollar question. No one understands why a business group would allow one of its arms to just wither away? It makes no economic sense at all. Until Fosun come clean and/or sell us we are all none the wiser but can only watch as our great club is demolished in front of our eyes.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

View attachment 57114

Look how low our matchday revenue is compared to the others - Jeff clearly needs to be more aggressive with upping the ticket prices.

To be honest I lost interest a bit at that point. They claimed that the match day revenues would have been increased with the big price rises the club wanted, but they reversed that policy after fan backlash. So they clearly don't really understand what's happened.

'Non big 6 match day revenue' includes West Ham, Newcastle, Villa, who actually has a smaller capacity than us now?

 

[Adrian_Monk]

Not being an expert but wouldn't we be forced into administration first and in that process be put up for sale for cheap?
Either way you'd have to wonder why Fosun would let a (now) 400 million valued club run down the drain like that.
Not that it would surprise me. They've currently set us on course to a significant decrease in value

I'm certainly not an expert either - it was more a parallel to what we've seen Fosun do elsewhere (albeit probably unlikely).

I guess their view would be that selling off the crown jewels is preferable to investing and losing even more, besides, I don't think they even have that option any more

 

[wolfslair]

Surely those outside investments are better promoted with a premier league team?

If/when e-sports takes off (as it looks like they are focused on non football ones as priority) our brand/name won’t be needed.

The job is nearly done IMO in terms of setting up and building the foundations on those business’ using our name and brand.

A prem club would be beneficial, but that is costing more and more to run, let alone just stand still in and around 4th bottom as they have found out. And now caught out. Look at their lack of investment in actual football structures and facilities that could have improved us and also the revenue generating opportunities.

Happy fans spend money….. looked after fans spend money.

They stole/stealing all hope and enjoyment for the matchday.

It shows where their priorities and focus are!

It is where it always was EVERYTHING but the the football team itself.

So if they spend what is needed it eats into their profits/money to use on the other projects.

Which are more mature and beyond the first year launch phase and getting local branding and exposure in their own rights.

I bet they think they can now move into the phases where they are less reliant on us being a premier league team. As they key start up phase where it was critical is passed/passing.

We will be induced into the vegetative state in the championship soon enough.

 

[SingleMalt]

The brand is getting there in China….. look at the e-sports.

They set up Sudu now……

The parasite have sucked most of the blood and life from the body

The Chinese market is the long game.

Like me and others got incorrectly mocked for saying…….

They didn’t buy us for footballing reasons….. they have what they want and we as Wolverhampton wanderers (they hate that name) are a major inconvenience.

If they could offload us and keep the name and badge and IP in China they would do so in a heart beat.

Bhattis mark 2

I can’t agree with any of that. Our badge ain’t worth **** to them even in the long run. They could easily rebrand their esports venture and no one would notice.

 

[wolfslair]

I can’t agree with any of that. Our badge ain’t worth **** to them even in the long run. They could easily rebrand their esports venture and no one would notice.

Our name, brand and exposure opened the doors at the crucial start up phase.

They needed us at the start 100%, they won’t need us in the future.

Without us that process for e-sports and sudu costs more money to advertise, to sponsor a team and to get initial investment.

That is all 100% undeniable

 

[Jefe]

"The club tried to solve that problem by passing through significant ticket price rises over the past two years. The cumulative impact of not having those price increases was £5mn (just 3% of total revenue)."

Shows just how heinous and myopic that cash grab by Shi really was. Had Wolves turned 1 point into 3 on the last day against Brentford, the additional prize money would have equated to more than the £5m he tried to rob from fans, many of whom have turned away from the match day experience as a result. Like most of Shi's decisions, this one backfired.

"However, I have Wolves 2025/26 Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) at just over 85% in part due to the cost to change their managerial structure."

In other words, the hiring and firing culture at Wolves has gotten so out of hand, it may put us afoul of the financial rules! Laughable.

 

[northnorfolkwolf]

As I read all this I can't help thinking about Sheffield Wednesday and without being alarmist could we drift into a similar situation? Fosun's interest in us has dropped off a cliff to the extent they have season on season pretty much sold all the quality in our squad whereby we in November already had one foot in the Championship. We have no communication from Shi or Fosun on their plans for the future. On relegation we will I expect rebuild a new, young and very cheap side (with little/no hope of promotion). I expect there will be big job losses within the Club. The ground will see only essential maintenance carried out. I'm trying not to think beyond this and where things could go - creditors not paid, taxes not paid, players not paid and then, of course, points deductions and the full Sheffield Wednesday. If you consider we have gone from Europe to relegation overnight who would say my fears are not unfounded?

 

[oldgoldheart]

An interesting and somewhat depressing read. Some assumptions littered around but most of it is on the money.

The future is looking bleak my friends.

Wolves wandering into the wilderness

this is an 80s re run. i said so in another thread i started and most thought i was hysterical. we are spiralling down rapidly

 

[oldgoldheart]

If/when e-sports takes off (as it looks like they are focused on non football ones as priority) our brand/name won’t be needed.

The job is nearly done IMO in terms of setting up and building the foundations on those business’ using our name and brand.

A prem club would be beneficial, but that is costing more and more to run, let alone just stand still in and around 4th bottom as they have found out. And now caught out. Look at their lack of investment in actual football structures and facilities that could have improved us and also the revenue generating opportunities.

Happy fans spend money….. looked after fans spend money.

They stole/stealing all hope and enjoyment for the matchday.

It shows where their priorities and focus are!

It is where it always was EVERYTHING but the the football team itself.

So if they spend what is needed it eats into their profits/money to use on the other projects.

Which are more mature and beyond the first year launch phase and getting local branding and exposure in their own rights.

I bet they think they can now move into the phases where they are less reliant on us being a premier league team. As they key start up phase where it was critical is passed/passing.

We will be induced into the vegetative state in the championship soon enough.

your last point is optimistic. we could easily be the next sheff w or worse