Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Rob Edwards says he is “energised” about the future despite his side’s relegation and insisted the club’s desperate situation is “not my fault”.
In his press conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brighton & Hove Albion, Edwards sounded noticeably more defiant than in previous weeks after receiving personal criticism following last weekend’s 1-1 draw at home to 10-man Sunderland.
Asked whether he had sought advice from former colleagues about how to deal with the disappointment of Wolves’ season, Edwards insisted he is not downhearted and is excited by the chance to lead the club’s attempt at promotion in the Championship next season.
“I’m in this situation right now, this is not my fault,” said Edwards, who took over from Vitor Pereira in November. “This (Wolves’ malaise) is a thing that’s been going on for a long time. We (Edwards and his coaches) came into this situation.
“So I feel energised by what we’re going to be able to do and the difference that we’re going to make going forward.
“We’re going to have to ride out this difficult period now and stay strong. That was always going to be the case.”
Edwards said he was prepared for “short-term pain” when he took on the Wolves job in November with the club bottom of the table with just two points.
He oversaw an improvement in results and performances but never came close to saving the club from relegation. Wolves’ form has nosedived again in recent weeks with three defeats and a draw since they returned from a lengthy break from action.
They have still managed just three league victories all season and have yet to win away from home with just two games on the road remaining.
“We came in with the knowledge that things were going to be tough and there was going to be some short-term pain,” said Edwards. “But we are really excited about what we’re going to be able to do going forward and in the long-term.
“So I’ve got to stay quite strong at the moment and not take in too much.
“I’m aware that there’ll be a lot of opinions around, but in the end, us in the building are really confident that there’s a really good plan in place that means we’ll be able to have a really good summer.”
Edwards also responded to criticism from some supporters that has team have been too negative in the games since their relegation was confirmed mathematically.
Some supporters have called for Edwards to adopt a more positive approach to games in which his team have nothing to lose in terms of their league status.
“We’re bottom of the league,” said Edwards. “Every other team really is better than us as well.
“So it’s not that easy to just go and attack more. We always go into a game, the game plan will be right — ‘this is how we want to try and press’, ‘this is how we’re going to have to be when we’re low and defend transitional moments’, ‘these are the areas of space that we think we have’, ‘this is how we’re going to try to create’.
“But we’re up against a lot of good teams with a lot of good players.
“I can’t just go ‘right, I tell you what lads, today let’s just go and attack’. It’s not that simple. I’m not being facetious about it but it’s not that easy.
“The aim is always to try and do that (attack), but obviously with the group that we have at the moment, we’ve still got to try to ask the players to do what they’re comfortable doing.”