Fan column: A fitting Wolves tribute for a marvellous player

But never have I experienced such an imaginative and appropriate tableau as that presented to honour Diogo Jota. 

The design and the choreography were quite stunning, climaxed by the breathtaking unfurling of a magnificent tifo of Jota depicted in suitably ecstatic pose. The visual display in all its delightful subtlety was awesome. 

At the conclusion, the image seemingly drifted serenely away towards the heavens and the ephemeral tragedy of a life fleetingly cut short was poignantly evident. 

A clearly emotional Jose Sa who like the rest of the Wolves’ team had been facing away from the Hayward Stand during the ceremony, turned his head determined to eye one final glimpse of an unforgettable colleague.

There’s much that Wolves don’t get right these days, but for those at the club who painstakingly constructed this outstanding tribute, nothing but the greatest credit. So too the Wolves’ fans; the incessant singing of Jota’s name during the late stages of the match made for the most appropriate of tributes to draw to a close.

With the emotion still raw, a short walk down Waterloo Road to take in the striking Jota mural depicting three separate images of his career at Wolves. Just like the Molineux send-off, it’s brilliant; and more to the point, so was Diogo Jota.

No doubt, Manchester City will rout far better outfits than Wolves as this season progresses; their resources, their burning ambition and the blue-chip quality of their squad all geared for restoring their dominance both here and in Europe. Theirs is a very different philosophy towards the game than ours and it was emphasised on opening day. 

Since promotion, Wolves have rarely failed to compete well against City, not least during the two matches last season when we were desperately unfortunate to lose both games by a single goal. This time, we couldn’t offer much resistance beyond the first half hour. 

Watching their debutant Reijnders dominate so brilliantly exposed our own underwhelming recruitment so far this summer. The head coach must be as impatient as the rest of us; sceptical reservations regarding the club’s overall policy regarding its aims and objectives can only lead to disenchantment or worse still apathy.

Whisper it; Diogo Jota wasn’t always afforded the most generous of welcomes from a minority of our fans when he reappeared back here in a Liverpool shirt. Thankfully, Rayan Ait- Nouri, excellent for Wolves, was respectfully accepted on his return on Saturday. 

Have to say, I found the abuse directed at Matheus Nunes tedious and outdated. He disrespected Wolves, but he was wholly underachieving and anonymous during his stint at Molineux. He hasn’t turned too many heads up in Manchester either; he doesn’t merit the attention in my eyes. 

Look how Alexander Isak is reacting at Newcastle; just a few months ago he was a hero fit to rank alongside Milburn, MacDonald and Shearer. That’s football nowadays, pointless harbouring worthless grudges.