Dean Saunders vows to rid Wolves of flops
Manager Dean Saunders today warned Wolves' under-performing players he will boot them out before they put his job on the line.
And the Molineux boss admitted he must keep Wolves in the Championship to have any chance of bringing in his summer targets.
Saunders is experiencing discontent from the fans as he seeks his first win after eight games in charge which have brought just four points.
Supporters are hugely frustrated at the alarming decline of the club after 12 matches without a win plunged Wolves into the bottom three and left them facing a second successive relegation.
Saunders can't confirm a mass clearout as so many players have more than a year left on their contracts on big money, but vowed those who continue not to perform won't be allowed to get him the sack.
He has already dropped an entire back four in Kevin Foley, Roger Johnson, Christophe Berra and Stephen Ward, although he brought Johnson back for Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Cardiff.
"This is how I work - I'll have a look and I can have an effect on you but if you don't respond, I'll get someone who will, before I suffer," said the boss.
"If they don't play the way I want, I'm going to have to get someone else because this isn't just a bad patch.
"And it's a difficult situation because some players are earning lots of money, with years left on their contracts, so it's not easy."
Saunders admitted relegation will mean his summer targets will go elsewhere.
Asked if Wolves had to stay up for him to sign the players he wants, he said: "Yes – because otherwise we won't be able to afford them.
"I'll have a team in July ready to challenge for promotion. I've got a list of who I want to get us promoted and the rest of the squad was going to come from whoever impresses me.
"Part of my plan was to put some young lads in and see if they could save us some salaries for next season. But our situation stops me doing that."
Wolves have won just three of their last 25 games and nine in 47 since the sacking of Mick McCarthy just over a year ago.
Saunders said: "They've conceded far too many goals – 80-odd in 40-odd games.
"So when you look at that, if you were the manager, what would you do?"
