West Ham loss leaves Wolves entering 'period of footballing purgatory'

[PA Media]

Perhaps it was easier when they weren't playing.

In the three and a half weeks without a game, some sense of anticipation had begun to build up. There may have been only the most slender hope of survival but there was at least the prospect of some fun on the way to the exit.

After Friday's 4-0 loss at West Ham, and the careless mistakes in the second half, Wolves instead enter a period of footballing purgatory.

There will be a numbness about these final games. If they win, maybe even if they win them all, it will be too late to count. If they lose, after being bottom of the league for almost the entire season, they can be no worse off. They will be results without consequence.

But it is just this sense of futility that makes the remaining weeks of the season so dangerous. No doubt several members of the squad will be playing out their last few weeks with the club, at least in their own minds. Although there is apparently no immediate financial urgency to sell, Wolves will need to shift at least a few players out to press on with the renewal of their squad - the sooner the better to prepare for the Championship.

Whether the list of players Wolves intend to move on matches the list of those who think they should, to say nothing of the list of those likely to attract decent offers, will take some time to establish. There is a danger of drift now. For a player who thinks - or whose agent thinks - he is about to land a lucrative move away, what is the incentive to go for that tackle or to make that sprint? If Wolves expect a player to leave, is there any point in picking them now anyway?

There is some logic to leaving out a few stars. Giving young players a chance always appeals to the footballing romantics. But using the remaining games just as testbeds heightens the risk of another losing run. A string of defeats now may make no difference to the league table but would still sap morale, at a time when the club is trying hard - with more sensible pricing - to persuade fans to pay for another season.

As Wolves have found in recent years, the mood in May carries over to August. Exposing young players to the harsh spotlight of the last weeks in the Premier League, and a low moment in the club's recent history, is also a difficult thing to do.

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