At least the ‘supporter experience’ away from the pitch is slowly changing for the better, with a master-blaster missile launcher sending T-shirts high into the stands for fans to clamber over empty seats for.

Meanwhile, a couple of wolves (or huskies of some description) were paraded as the teams entered the pitch, in a precursor for the intimidating levels of menace that would surely follow.

The seagulls, supposedly crushed under their ravenous jaws as our bloodthirsty pack runs wild at Molineux.

Sadly, the script went to pot as soon as our eyes were averted from the canines and across to Steve Sidwell and Dale Stephens in the middle of the park, who made Romain Saiss and Dave Edwards – in particular – look like docile little pugs.

If the t-shirt operator could have just loaded his torpedo with half a dozen white tops for some of these woeful failures to wear instead of their gold shirts, we might not have endured such misery.

As it was, we were easy meat for Brighton, who possess every single virtue that no-amount of football coaches can ever instil into our bunch of hapless losers.

On this point, think on Paul Lambert. They cost Kenny Jackett and Walter Zenga their jobs, and if you don’t make remedial changes to this squad as a matter of absolute urgency, then you’ll be losing yours too.

They are lethal and scary in equal measure, but only in making you wonder how such levels of inconsistency can blight professional footballers of supposed Championship level.

Take Kortney Hause as an example, who has been regularly resolute and occasionally majestic at the back, yet puts in a performance which is quite incomprehensible. To watch him get bounced beneath a high ball for the first goal was the stuff of Brown Westhead Park and typified a performance that cannot be rationalised.

Andy Lonergan’s limp wristed effort to keep out Knockaert’s shot thereafter was pathetic, while his attempt to stop his second was little better.

Then there was Matt Doherty, who has looked so easy-on-the-eye as a converted left back at times this season, but was so bad, and so lacking in the basic prerequisites, that you wonder if it were the same player. His body language certainly suggested that he couldn’t give a toss.

And as for that midfield axis of Dave Edwards and Romain Saiss…

…It was the stuff of nightmares, as the undroppable Welshman consigns the Moroccan to the same scrap heap that Price, Evans, Prince, Saville and co have all been tossed onto, while he continues to blacken a Wolves shirt with no accountability and no-shows like this. Go figure.

To watch Dale Stephens cruise around in second gear – while his mind remained light years ahead of our Welshman’s flailing arms and feeble gesticulations – made it clearer than ever that Wolves will never reach the levels required to challenge for promotion while he is anywhere near the starting XI.

It’s not like we’re hankering after past glories with him either. He was a squad player purchased from Luton Town 10 years ago and has never been entrusted to mount a promotion challenge under McCarthy or Jackett (League One) because he is so painfully limited. (see Henry / Jones and McDonald / Price). Who said nice guys never win?

As the PA system weeped before kick-off: ‘You’ve got to get yourself together, you’ve got stuck in a moment, and now you can’t get out of it.’

We didn’t really need Bono’s reminder, but there was never a truer word said yesterday.

Unless we bring in seven new players – having circumnavigated Financial Fair Play rules which are seemingly applicable to only us – we’ll be stuck in the same moment alright, watching the next Brighton & Hove Albion breeze into Molineux to celebrate promotion next year as we all watch on in stoic lethargy.

Not so much the vision of feverish wolves that the club will want us to feast over next season…

…Just more of the same old tails, wagging the same old dog.

I think we’re safe from relegation. That’s the only big plus to come out of last weekend.

For Blackburn to make up 11 points on us with only 15 left to play for (18 in our case) seems unlikely.

Add to that all the teams between us and the bottom three, most of whom have to play each other and it would take a horrible combination of results to send us down.

It would be nice to take matters into our own hands though and maybe even power into the top half.

I’d like to see us beat last season’s tally of 58 points too.

Brighton

The Seagulls are close. Very close. A win tomorrow won’t mathematically guarantee promotion but probably as good as.

I doubt Huddersfield will manage more than 86 points anyway so they’re probably home and dry.

Good for them I say. They’ve chipped away at the top six for years and deserve their chance in the Premier League.

Chris Hughton has proven himself a very good manager and shrewd additions like Glenn Murray and Anthony Knockaert have taken them on a stage.

I’d like to see them win the league ahead of Newcastle, but any sentiment obviously goes out the window tomorrow.

Wolves

I think Jon Dadi Bodvarsson is worth a start, particularly if Helder Costa doesn’t make it back.

But hopefully our star man will return and give us the best possible chance in a difficult looking fixture.

Paul Lambert might be tempted into ringing the changes after last weekend’s limp showing, but I’d prefer to keep the nucleus of the side that won five in a row.

Predictions

It’s fair to say that Brighton have established themselves at the top with a staggeringly good home record and solid but significantly less impressive away form.

They’ve won 10, drawn 5 and lost 5, scored 25 conceded 23. It’s still the second best away record in the league so perhaps it doesn’t inspire that much confidence.

The bookies have us at 15/8 for the win compared to the Seagull’s 11/8. If you’re brave enough to take a punt on the Wolves against the Championship leaders, these football betting tips might come in handy.

That said, a lot of their away matches are tight so we should be in the game. Sadly though, I expect their Championship wherewithal will win out.

1-2.

Up The Wolves!

When Kenny Jackett had amassed 15 points from the opening 13 games of last season on a shoestring budget, the natives were restless.

Yet after an extraordinary summer of shenanigans and a storyline of Sky Dream Team proportions, here we sit, a solitary point better off under Walter Zenga, with two paltry wins since August 20.

While money can’t buy success, it’s about time it purchased a bit of accountability before this season – so full of promise – lurches into the laughing stock.

For 11 of our 13 results (Reading home, Newcastle away), Wolves haven’t bothered showing up for the first 45 minutes, in a maddening trend exploited this time by Brighton.

And of the 13 hastily assembled summer signings, only three were on the pitch when we kicked off (Costa, Saiss and Oniangue) to suggest there are more problems behind the scenes that many fans want to give credit for.

What became of Ola John, a wide player whose stating berth is filled by central midfielder Prince? Or Paul Gladon, who can’t even make our goal shy squad which only has two recognised strikers to its name?

Rather than heads being scratched and questions being asked, a devil-may-care attitude seems to pervade, with Fosun’s megabucks cushioning any questions that would otherwise be asked in any other given season.

Mine, were a chance to ever be offered to Walter Zenga, would be along the lines of:

· What do your teamtalks consist of in content and delivery? And at what point will you adopt a different tack to ensure we actually participate in games of football for the first 45 minutes?

· Why do you play a 4-3-3 formation, with players out of position, when it patently doesn’t work?

· Do you not rate Texeira or Caveleiro when neither can command a regular place in your side? (The latter a supposed match-winner worth £7 million who looks inferior to James Henry.)

· Come to think of it, did you have a single say on any of our summer signings when you are so reticent to play any of them? IE Do Ola John and Paul Gladon exist?

· Should we send Stearman back?

Thomas commented last night that he wasn’t surprised at this start, given the type of players we’ve accrued and the head coach in charge of them. Personally, I am staggered. I thought the days of Steven Mouyokolo and Tomasz Frankowski were a thing of the past, not to mention the penniless Birmingham City outperforming us once more.

After last night’s no-show, give or take a final few frantic pushes, we are what we are…

…Low on inspiration, high on squad numbers and two points above Aston Villa.