Wolverhampton Wanderers

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Rob Edwards takes charge of his first game as Wolves head coach against a Crystal Palace side who have lost their past two Premier League matches on the road.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at Molineux.

New start for Wolves

The resumption of Premier League football following the international break offers struggling clubs with the chance to reset – particularly those who begin life under a new head coach.

Rob Edwards' return to Wolves was confirmed last week after a severance package was agreed with Championship club Middlesbrough and Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi subsequently underlined the need for a fresh start.

"We need to refresh the whole club with a new coach's philosophy, bringing his own identity and ideas, and we can build on that," he said.

The challenge for Edwards is that Shi's prescribed building job begins at rock bottom.

Wolves remain the only team in the top seven tiers of English football yet to win this season, while they could fail to triumph in any of their opening 12 matches for only the second time in their league history.

Can't score, always concede

Problems in attack and defence have persisted since last season – Wolves are bottom of the Premier League table for ever-present clubs across the entirety of 2025, while they are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

Edwards, a former Wolves defender and head coach of the under-23 side, has a raft of issues to address, including struggles in front of goal.

Wolves have scored just four times from open play in 11 Premier League matches so far, 10 fewer than at this stage last season – by far the biggest decline of any club.

The strategy under predecessor Vitor Pereira was clear, yet ineffective.

Wolves have recorded at least 20 more successful open-play crosses than any other top-flight team this season, while winger Hugo Bueno has created a league-high nine chances from open-play crosses – but Wolves have scored a league-low seven goals overall.

Much may depend on striker Jorgen Strand Larsen finding form in front of goal – the 25-year-old is yet to score from open play in the league this season – and Wolves must also tighten up at the back having conceded exactly three goals in each of their last three Premier League games.

The omens, though, are not entirely ominous, even if Wolves fail to beat Crystal Palace.

Of the seven teams who were winless after 12 Premier League games, three survived relegation (Everton in 1994-95, Derby County in 2000-01 and Newcastle United in 2021-22), while Edwards' first Premier League home win as Luton Town manager came against Crystal Palace in 2023-24, in the first match after the November international break.

Dynamic defensive duo

Saturday's visitors come into this contest on the back of two away defeats, which is as many games as they had lost in their previous 18 Premier League outings on the road.

Crystal Palace, however, have not lost three successive away games since February 2024 - and they love to win this fixture.

Palace have triumphed in 57% of their Premier League meetings with Wolves, their highest win rate against any side they have faced more than 10 times.

While Wolves have focused on crosses, Palace's approach is based on ceding possession and countering quickly, at pace.

The Eagles average just 41.7% possession this season, the lowest ratio of any side other than Burnley.

Playing in such a way is dependent on a solid base and Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi are currently the Premier League's most effective defenders in one-on-one situations.

Of players to have faced at least 20 opponent dribbles, Lacroix and Guehi have the highest tackle success rates, defined as a "true tackle" by Opta.

And Palace will be boosted by the availability of Guehi, who returned to training on Wednesday after recovering from a badly bruised foot.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

New boss Rob Edwards insists there is still enough time for Wolves to save themselves.

Rock-bottom Wolves are eight points from 17th-placed Burnley going into Saturday's visit of Crystal Palace.

Edwards has swapped the Championship promotion race after leaving Middlesbrough in second for a relegation battle at Molineux.

Wolves have not won in the Premier League since April and have just two points from 11 games, a record which resulted in the sacking of Vitor Pereira at the start of the month.

"I'm not looking at the table right now, just the next session and game," said Edwards. "I'll be clear with players this is what we are going to do to win games of football and get points.

"It's going to come from hard work. Lots of stuff comes underneath that, but I will be clear with the lads what that is and my non-negotiables. The players want that.

"We will support them as well and we believe in them. I have told them that. We can't look too far ahead and where we are with the gap at the moment.

"Every training session, we are living it every single day. There is still enough time. I understand we want to get results quickly as well as that will help with that belief."

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League will from next season move to a new system of Financial Fair Play (FFP) based on squad costs.

The clubs met in London on Friday to vote on three possible methods of replacing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) got 14 votes in favour and six against, which is the minimum number that is required to exact a rule change.

Overall squad costs from next season will have to be limited to 85% of a club's revenue, although teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to Uefa's maximum of 70%.

Squad costs comprise player and manager wages, transfer fees and agents' fees.

Rules around sustainability, which set out a club's financial spending plans over the medium and long term, were passed unanimously.

Read more about the news and what it means here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League has announced the start and end dates for the 2026-27 season.

The first round of fixtures will take place across the weekend of 22 August 2026 - a week later than previous seasons.

The later start allows rest time for players - 89 clear days from the end of this season, and 33 days from the 2026 World Cup final.

The Premier League said the delay was a "priority" for player welfare in an "increasingly congested global football calendar".

The final matches of the season will be played on Sunday, 30 May 2027, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously as usual.

The season will end a week before the 2027 Champions League final, which will be on Saturday, 5 June.

There will be 33 weekend and five midweek fixtures - the same as the current season.

For the festive period, the Premier League have said no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours.

It has not been confirmed if there will be any fixtures on 24 December 2026.

However, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the Premier League has said there will be more matches scheduled than this season, when there is only one.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

New Wolves boss Rob Edwards knows he let Middlesbrough down but insisted he had to move to Molineux.

The 42-year-old swapped promotion chasing Boro in the Championship for a return to relegation-threatened Wolves.

They are bottom of the Premier League with just two points from 11 games and have not won in the top flight for over six months.

Edwards left Boro five months after being appointed with the Riverside club second in the Championship.

But, having played 111 times for Wolves and coached the under-18s, under-23s and the first team, Edwards could not turn the move down.

He said: "This opportunity and this job is something I've always wanted and dreamed of. I'm well aware I was at a really good football club - I want to be really respectful to Middlesbrough and I know I would have let them down.

"I get it and I understand that. But this is something I've always wanted to do. I didn't want to live with regret. I've got to live my own life.

"I didn't know if this opportunity would come up again for me to be the head coach of this club. I didn't want to look back in 10, 15, 20 years' time [and see] that I turned down chance to manage Wolves in the Premier League.

"I've got to try to enjoy my life and take some risks. We're not around for long, are we? I didn't want to look back and think: 'Maybe I should have given that a go.'

"So yeah, that's why I've done it. I know it's going to be a big challenge but I'm just well up for it."

Edwards is preparing for his first game in charge at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday as Wolves look to win their first league game of the season.

He added: "There's no perfect job in football. I know the scale of the task. But I'm also really excited by the challenge and have got full belief in group."

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves boss Rob Edwards has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Molineux (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Edwards confirmed Matt Doherty is "not quite ready" to face Palace, with Rodrigo Gomes and Dan Bentley also unavailable, however, it is likely weeks they will be out for rather than a "sustained period".

• The new Wolves boss said it "feels amazing to be back" and he is "really, genuinely proud" as it has been "an aim of mine since I got the under-18s job - it is something I've always wanted to do".

• On what he has taken away from his 10 days in charge: "That they are up for it, that they are ready for the challenge themselves. Every one of them when I've spoken to them has been enthused by what we want to try and do and what we want to try and bring, which has given me a lot of belief and confidence. A lot of them have talked about those words - belief and more confidence. Those are things that no-one else is going to give us."

• Edwards said he "didn't see any of the reaction" after leaving Middlesbrough after five months but is "aware" he was in a great job at the club. He explained: "This was something that I've wanted to do for a long, long, long time and I didn't know if this job would ever come up again for me".

• He added: "I didn't want to ever look back in 10 years, 15 years, 20 years and think I'd turned down a chance to manage Wolves in the Premier League. That's it. I didn't want to regret that. Here I am now and I know the scale of the task but I'm really enthused by it, I'm excited by it. Now the games start, let's see."

• Asked about the gap between them and the teams above them and how to bridge that, he said he was "not looking at the table right now" and added: "I'll make it really clear to the lads what that [hard work] looks like to me and what are our non-negotiables, what we must see every single day. So it will be very demanding, but the players want that. But we will also support them and we believe in them and I've told them that. We can't look too far ahead."

• On if he will get more time because of his connection with the club and fans: "Who knows? That's not something I've thought about right now. I hope that the supporters are on our side and my side but again, I'm not stupid. They are going to want to see good performances and results and there'll be some unrest because we've not had that for a while."

• Edwards also confirmed his backroom team are "assembling" and should be in place within the next week.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Hear more from Edwards on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

With Wolves desperate for points, there are growing concerns about the club's need for a consistent captain.

Wolves fan Manny Singh Kang criticised the lack leadership within the squad on a special BBC Radio WM discussion: "That's one thing we have lacked in our whole hierarchy from top to bottom.

"We had a plethora of leaders, [Connor] Coady, [Ruben] Neves, Joao Moutinho, and suddenly we've stripped everything apart, and we're left with nobody.

"It's not like you can go to the training ground and say 'Who wants to be a leader?' A leader is a natural person, someone who leads naturally."

Supporter Manny feels Mario Lemina's influence "has been missed" after he left Wolves to join Galatasaray but pointed to some encouraging signs from current players.

"Someone like [Ladislav] Krejci has shown signs, you can see visible signs on the pitch where he's pushing players into position and cajoling people.

"Maybe in the [January] window they identify leaders more than players."

On someone like Coady returning, Manny offered: "He can't get in the Wrexham team, but having someone like him about the place would certainly have an impact."

Former Wolves striker David Kelly says naming a captain at the start of the season and sticking with them instead of "passing the arm band around everyone" will be crucial for Wolves.

"Most successful teams, you can name all the really good captains across the regions from all the clubs.

"You want someone who you can go to, the one person, put your captain at the start of the season and stick with him."

Listen to the full episode here

Image source, Getty Images

As declining league positions leave Wolves "circling the drain", there is growing concern within the fanbase that owners Fosun may no longer be fully committed to the club they once promised to transform.

On a special BBC Radio WM discussion, The Wolves Report , externalpodcast host Ryan Leister said: "Have Fosun lost interest? It would seem so, unfortunately."

Leister says Wolves have become a self-sustaining brand for Fosun, with commercial benefits outweighing football priorities.

"They've made a lot of money in sales, advertising, promotional stuff, eSports, spinning off left, right and centre.

"Nobody else is making money in the Premier League. Whether the brand stuff balances it out for Fosun, I don't know.

"But they can't afford to lose interest. They're an investment company. So if their asset at the moment is losing value, it is most definitely going to lose value if they end up getting relegated. It's going to be a very expensive mistake if they just let the thing rot, so I do find it difficult to believe that they have written it off.

"As any owner whose taken over, they've got a responsibility. So if you don't want to continue to put your own money in, then you need to let someone else do it.

"Yes, we've had two or three really, really good years, which we're grateful for, but sliding down the table, Wolves fans are now paying for a really expensive product and getting very little in return."

Presenter Daz Hale added: "You can't have a club which is just constantly sliding down the tables, eventually it's going to come back to bite you and unfortunately, it could be this year circling the drain.

"I walk past the Steve Bull Stand and you look at the roof, it's rusty. Wolves talked about redeveloping Molineux, now they can't even be bothered to paint the roof of the Steve Bull Stand. That tells me they have lost interest."

However, Liam Keen, Wolves reporter for the Express & Star, says there is still some interest in Wolves from the club's hierarchy.

"Chairman Guo [Guangchang] does still have a fascination with Wolves," says Keen.

"He watches all the games. He owns all the merchandise. He's been to several matches, even a few this season."

Listen to the full special episode here

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

How can Rob Edwards save Wolves?

That is likely to be one of the first questions the 42-year-old faces when he speaks to the media for the first time since his appointment.

Ahead of his opening game in charge against Crystal Palace at Molineux on Saturday Edwards will be grilled on Friday at Compton.

With just two points from 11 games and eight points from the safety line it already looks an impossible task for Edwards.

He walked away from Middlesbrough after just five months - angering Boro and inviting questions over why he would swap a promotion race for a relegation battle.

Yet with his family based in the Midlands and a return to a club he made over 100 appearances for there are more reasons than just footballing ambition.

Wolves wanted someone to unite a club which had become separated from its fanbase with the fractures growing bigger ever week as supporters aired their feeling about owners Fosun and executive chairman Jeff Shi.

They now have someone different to get behind and Edwards must instil some belief and identity at Molineux if they stand any chance of avoiding the drop.

Former Wolves player Dave Edwards believes the club must sign players with Premier League experience in January if they are to turn their season around.

Wolves are bottom of the table, eight points adrift of 17th-placed Burnley after just 11 games.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Edwards said: "When you keep selling your best players, not knowing the replacements will be able to step into that void, then you might get a season like this.

"The players we've brought in, while I think they will be good players, none of them have Premier League experience.

"In January, if they are going to back Rob Edwards, that's the issue they will have to address."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Wolves have identified Manchester City's 23-year-old English goalkeeper James Trafford as a prime January target. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

It has been eight days since Rob Edwards signed a three-and-a-half-year contract to join his former club Wolves, so he will be well in the flow of meeting fresh faces around Molineux.

With players returning from various international duties, the hard work starts now for the head coach, who will be aiming to get a first league win of the season on the board against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

In the build-up, BBC Radio WM are bringing you a special Wolves programme on Thursday.

Mike Taylor and Daz Hale will be joined by a host of special guests, including former Wolves striker David Kelly, Talking Wolves' Dave Azzopardi and football finance expert Kieran Maguire, to debate whether owners Fosun can turn the club back around.

Listen live from 18:00 GMT here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

One of potentially the biggest moments in English football is coming on Friday, but precious few people understand how important it could be or even know about it.

The Premier League is considering 'anchoring' wages, which would cap the amount any club could spend on their squad at five times the smallest central Premier League broadcasting and prize money payout.

It is a complex argument. The league and some clubs are considering it because they want to ensure wage inflation does not continue to rise endangering their long-term financial security. From the other side - the players and their union, the PFA - this unnaturally limits the amount they can earn in what has until now been a free and open market.

Any changes to that position foisted upon the players without their prior consultation and agreement will not go down well. Remember, the players are the people that the paying public, the TV companies and the advertisers want to see, not a bunch of chairmen, executives and directors arguing over accounts, dividends and profit margins.

The game has increased the number of games played per season without consulting those who are physically doing it. No studies on how that will affect their health in the short and long term were considered, and so the PFA in England looks like it is finally ready to take a strong stand for its members.

Strike ballots are not unknown, I should know, as chairman of the PFA my name was on the bottom of every ballot paper when we last considered strike action over changes in working conditions. The modern owners may have forgotten, but we had 99% backing from our members.

Owners may think of footballers as ultra wealthy, mercenary, thickos who can easily be controlled - well they thought that last time and they lost.

It is time for serious and meaningful negotiation between equals and not a master and serf attitude from one side towards the other.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season so far is the decline of goals scored in open play and how teams have been scoring more from set-pieces instead.

When we compare how goals have been scored to the first 11 games last season, there have been 39 fewer scored in open play and 26 more from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer overall.

If we look at the bigger picture and the number of shots teams are taking, there have been an incredible 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last time out.

So which teams are most responsible for this change in how goals are scored this season?

The above graph compares how teams have gone up or down in numbers of set-piece and goals from open play compared with the same stage last season.

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolves have seen by far the biggest decline, scoring just four in 11 games and that is 10 fewer than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's decline in open play goals is very much a London thing, with five of the capital's seven sides scoring at least five goals fewer from open play than last season.

In fairness, that is largely down to them scoring lots of goals at the start of last season rather than them really struggling to score in open play this campaign.

Meanwhile Manchester City have seen the biggest increase, with all but one of their 23 goals scored this season coming in open play.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (excluding penalties), Arsenal and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with both sides replacing the five fewer goals that they have scored in open play with the same number from dead-ball situation.

Manchester United have scored twice as many goals from set-pieces as they did in the 11 games before Ruben Amorim took charge last season.

On the flipside, Manchester City do not seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces because they've scored three fewer than last season, as have Nottingham Forest, although that might be down to the change in style they have tried to implement.

Read more about this season's scoring trends here

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Saturday will be a big day. However, the next few days might be the most important in Wolves' season as Rob Edwards' full squad finally assembles and many of them meet him for the first time.

First impressions count, especially when there is no time to waste.

Former Wolves winger Matt Jarvis said on Tuesday's Radio WM Football Phone-In that Edwards will have to establish which players he can rely on at speed.

"You can work this out pretty quickly when you meet the players and can see what their training is like," Jarvis said. "In that first training session, although it's not the be-all and end-all, you can really start working out which players are going to be on board with what you're thinking.

"So that will be a massive part of what he has to do."

The least important hour of Edwards' week will be when he gives his first news conference as Wolves manager on Friday lunchtime.

So far, the only comment from the club since his appointment has been through their official channels, but they still contained a lot of interesting strands worth noting - not least executive chairman Jeff Shi indicating that this change of head coach would not be the standard fire-and-hire job but a more profound reset.

"After the takeover in 2016, it has been almost 10 years, we are at a new chapter," Shi wrote. "Rob will bring new things to the club and I think we truly have the base to work as a whole club - every member of staff will be linked to the first team and the whole club will support the first team to perform."

We need to hear more about that.

Shi has become so unpopular that you could almost hear thousands of Wolves fans simultaneously rolling their eyes though.

However justified the cynics might feel after a few seasons of decline, they should park those feelings if they can because, in this instance, Shi is right.

This perilous period does present an opportunity to remodel the club. If they trust Edwards' judgement as much as Shi says, they should allow him to be the chief architect and not just the occupier - but that is not a job for right now.

The most direct route to a successful and renewed Wolves still remains through Premier League survival. All of Edwards' time and ingenuity will be required for that right now, if they are to stay in the race.

The important work on the future can follow, but Edwards will need time to give the present a go first.

Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Crystal Palace at 15:00 GMT on Saturday on BBC Radio WM (95.6FM)

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Wolves content on BBC Sounds

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off earlier than usual this year, with up to 17 Premier League clubs set to be affected by players jetting off to host country Morocco.

The tournament runs from 21 December until 18 January.

There has been no official announcement about which date clubs will have to release their players by - and it could vary depending on agreements.

Players could miss up to six, or in some cases seven, Premier League matches - plus FA Cup and Carabao Cup games - if they reach the final.

The group stages end on 31 December, so quickly eliminated players may only miss half that amount.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds do not have any players due to play in the 2025 Afcon - with Sunderland and Wolves losing the most players.

• Aston Villa - 1

• Bournemouth - 1

• Brentford - 2

• Brighton - 1

• Burnley - 3

• Crystal Palace - 1 to 4

• Everton - 2 to 3

• Fulham - 3

• Liverpool - 1

• Manchester City - 2

• Manchester United - 3

• Newcastle United - 0 to 1

• Nottingham Forest - 1 to 4

• Sunderland - 7

• Tottenham - 1 to 2

• West Ham United - 2

• Wolves - 5

Read the full article here to know which players will feature at Afcon

Dazzling Dave
Fan writer

Which player is flying? "Flying" feels a bit strong for our current form. It would be great to see anyone really hitting those heights right now because even a small spark of brilliance would help our situation. If I had to name one, I would say Ladislav Krejci has handled the switch to the Premier League the best. He has settled quickly, looks composed and rarely hides when things get tough. Joao Gomes also deserves a mention. He always shows heart and fight and he never stops working for the team, even if he has not quite reached his usual high standards this season.

Which player is floundering? You could argue that many of them are floundering because we were clearly lacking leadership and direction. We need a settled captain, a settled team and a settled management structure. Ideally, Rob Edwards will sort the on-pitch leadership issues quickly. He has already said in his early interviews that he wants every player to step up and be a leader, whether they are on the pitch or on the bench.

Jorgen Strand Larsen is probably the most disappointing player so far. After scoring 14 goals last season, many expected him to kick on and develop even more. Instead, he is struggling. The service to him has been limited, but ever since those summer offers came in, he has not looked like the same player.

Tactically I think we... are naive. We have conceded some very soft goals and made unforced errors that have gifted the opposition chances. We need focus and mental strength for the full 90 minutes, not just in patches. It will be interesting to see what Edwards does here. For me, I would like to see players in their natural and preferred positions, instead of trying to squeeze them into a rigid managerial idea.

I want my manager to give me more... consistency. Vitor Pereira made 31 changes to his starting line-up in the first 10 matches, the most of any club. He often said players had to earn their place and subsequently he kept rotating. But the constant changes created inconsistency and uncertainty. He also shifted systems several times. I want Edwards to give us more stability in selection and system, so the players know their roles.

Our fans seem obsessed with... the Championship. Many fans were convinced we will go down and were packing their bags for a Championship tour.

But they should be thinking about... getting behind Edwards. He put himself forward for a very tough job. He is one of our own and deserves - and will get - our full backing, even if the odds are not in our favour. He has committed to us, so he deserves the same commitment in return.

My expectations for the season were... not very high but I never thought we would be rock bottom and cut adrift after 11 games. Honestly, I had major concerns about Wolves' preparation in pre-season. Now I am hoping for a relegation battle and, against the odds, to pull off the greatest of great escapes.

Score out of 10 for the season so far: It is very hard to give a score. I sadly cannot give it any more than a 1/10 for the season to date. Wolves' problems run much deeper and start with how the club is being run.

One sentence on how you are feeling right now: Depressed, but ready to back Edwards and the boys until the end. After all, the club motto is: "Out of darkness, cometh light."

Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves, external

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here's BBC Sport's Wolves fan writer Dazzling Dave's effort.

And you can ask us about Wolves using the Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves, external

Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes is open to joining Manchester United with a fee of £44m enough to prise the 24-year-old Brazilian away from Molineux in January. (Record - in Portuguese), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

It could be 2017 with the squad it has turfed out, with many of you commenting about Nuno Espirito Santo's side and the stalwarts that are now long since departed.

In many ways, we already know how much this group of players can achieve and with the addition of the irrepressible Joao Gomes, there is no chance they would be scrapping at the bottom of the league.

If Rob Edwards can assemble a side half as good as this one, he is on to a winner on his Molineux return.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves legend Mel Eves has been reliving his time playing at Molineux between 1975 and 1984, having signed his first professional contract at 18 years old before going on to make 214 appearances and score 53 goals for the club.

The former striker and left-sided attacker, who is now 69 years old, was born and bred in Wolverhampton and has been a life-long supporter of the club.

"I first went to Wembley Stadium in 1974 to watch Wolves beat a star-studded Manchester City team," Eves told BBC Radio WM. "We won 2-1 with goals from Kenny Hibbitt and John Richards, two of the greatest Wolves players ever.

"One year later, I joined the club as a young professional because I had just turned 18 years old. It took me a few years to actually get into the first team though because the quality of the players I was up against was immense.

"The club had just come off the back of winning the League Cup, they had finished fourth in the league, and they had reached the final of the Uefa Cup.

"I keep pinching myself at how fortunate I was to actually achieve becoming a professional footballer and to do it with my club. Playing for the club you support is the cherry, the icing and the cream on top.

"In terms of the most important goal I've ever scored for Wolves, the overhead kick against Swindon in the League Cup semi-final has to be number one.

"If I hadn't scored that, literally five minutes later we would've been out of the competition and we wouldn't have gone on to win it."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Real Madrid are considering offers in the region of 20m euros (£17.69m) - from Sunderland, Aston Villa and Wolves for 21-year-old Spanish forward Gonzalo Garcia. (Fichajes), external

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