Kenny Jackett: Wolves must heal fans rift
New boss Kenny Jackett today admitted Wolves' players must heal the rift with fans for the club to move forward.
The head coach arrives admitting there is a problem between members of the squad and the Molineux masses.
It comes after the anger, embarrassment and frustration of successive relegations and huge under-achievement by the players.
Some of the big-name, high earners such as Roger Johnson and Jamie O'Hara have become symbols of the club's decline.
Wolves seem certain to cut their losses on the two big-money signings this summer and others such as Kevin Doyle and Bakary Sako.
O'Hara turned his back on the fans at Brighton on the final day of last season, when they perceived he wasn't putting in maximum effort and he waved at them.
Johnson couldn't give his shirt away at the Amex Stadium and has had numerous run-ins with supporters in a turbulent two years at Molineux.
And Jackett conceded there was plenty of work to be done to heal the wounds and become a united club again.
He said: "There is definitely a distance between the players and the fans. That's the key to a successful club and that has to be there.
"There is no doubt that adjustments need to be made because that link isn't there between the supporters and the players.
"We need to get that link back. It's key at any club and if you get it right, one can bounce off the other and it can drive you on to successful times.
"When it becomes a negative, the pressure builds up and it becomes very difficult to become successful so that link is an important one."
Jackett stressed the bridge-building must come from the players.
He said: "It is always player-led – players have to take the responsibility to put on a good performance and get good results.
"Then supporters will follow and give the encouragement they need to be consistently successful.
"It's like walking a tightrope but it has to be player-led. If it is and the players take responsibility by not leaving anything out there on the pitch, supporters will follow.
"If you can do that, you can get one bouncing off the other and particularly of a club of this size, you would be surprised at what you can achieve."
