On the first day of the new year, Wolverhampton Wanderers' greeting was restrained, but returning fans' reactions were tinged with sadness.
Wolverhampton Wanderers on the 1st (KST) delivered a New Year's message through the club's official social media saying "Wishing a happy and healthy 2026 for our fans, staff and everyone in the Wolves Family," but the comments section reflected reality more than blessings.
Local fans left responses such as "We lost too many games last year. Undefeated this year!", "If we win more games we'll be happy. Come on wolves", "Please win even one game this season", "It would be really great to win just one game." Behind the humorous lines lay a prolonged winless period and expectations that had fallen to the floor.
The background is clear. In the 2025-2026 season, Wolverhampton sits at the bottom with 3 draws and 16 losses in 19 league matches and 3 points. They suffered the ignominy of 19 consecutive winless matches, the first such streak in 123 years in top-division history. That's why "it would be nice to win just one game" does not sound like a joke.
The team's slump coincides with Hwang Hee-chan's (30, Wolverhampton) season. The statistics were ruthless. The British outlet Football365 selected each club's lowest-rated player based on the average rating from the statistics site WhoScored.com at the end of last year, and Wolverhampton's Hwang Hee-chan was identified with an average of 6.07. The outlet drew a line saying "the whole season has been terrible. You can't place all the blame on one player," but the result was painful.
There were at least opportunities early in the season. Under manager Vítor Pereira, he started consecutive matches and tried to find a role through pressing and work rate. But shortcomings in finishing and decision-making were repeated, and against Tottenham, despite being assigned a tactically key role, he was substituted at the end of the first half in a scene that became symbolic. After the managerial change, his playing time itself decreased, and even when given another starting opportunity a rebound was not easy. The mistake he made in the Manchester United match at Old Trafford on the 31st of last month led to harsh criticism.
In this context, Wolverhampton's New Year greeting is closer to a message of "let's hold on" than a declaration of hope. Fans' comments have lowered expectations and are facing reality. Now the goal is not grand. A single match victory, one result that breaks the flow.
For the team and players who endured 2025, 2026 should be a time of turnaround. To make it a "healthy and happy year" as Wolverhampton's greeting wished, above all the numbers on the scoreboard must change.
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