It has been a while since Vítor Pereira ventured into The Moon Under Water, the Wolverhampton city-centre Wetherspoons where last season he savoured victories with supporters. Now Wolves are at risk of drowning in the Premier League, bottom after taking two points from their opening nine games and without a win in six months. Supporters have made their anger plain but the Wolves head coach insists he is au fait with the pressure. “I remember in Porto after a draw it was impossible to go into a restaurant to eat with my family,” Pereira says. “This is football.”
For Wolves supporters, this campaign has descended into one big, fat told-you-so. Wolves have been stuck in a negative cycle and after another slow start fans are worried this will be the season they fail to escape and spiral into the Championship. Pereira rescued them after arriving last Christmas but much of his credit has evaporated. With every game comes increased pressure. “I’m a fighter,” he says. “The pressure is what I put on myself. I don’t feel the pressure, believe me. The pressure is important to be alert … if you don’t feel anything, you’re too relaxed. If you don’t accept the criticism or pressure, you must go to another job.”
