Dave Edwards: Cesar Peixoto feeling brunt of long-term Wolves fan frustrations

Even more so when you look at Wolves’ league position and consider how dominant they have been in a lot of games.

But when supporters are singing “you don’t know what you’re doing” when you are 1-0 up, it is going to make any manager a little anxious about his position and the relationship he has with fans.

I do feel for Peixoto a little bit. I feel like he is taking on the burden of what has gone on before.

Some poor seasons which culminated in relegation, coupled with how fans are feeling about the board and the lack of confidence they have in decision-making at the club, he is feeling the brunt of it.

Maybe after some of the bullish comments made heading into the season, which were then not really backed up in the transfer window, there is a frustration which has been building up off the pitch and it has landed at Peixoto’s door.

While he would agree his team could be better at times, be more entertaining and more clinical, he will be a little confused at the situation.

He will feel the job he is doing should be better received.

It is his first time in English football, managing a club which has just been relegated and a squad he has not been able to change around too much and he has them in a good position.

You look at what is happening at other clubs - Burnley now and then Leicester last year, what happened to Wolves all those years ago with the double relegation. He will definitely feel a bit hard done by with the atmosphere around Molineux.

The performances haven’t been stellar, by any stretch of the imagination. Neither have they been as entertaining as they were at the start of the season.

But Peixoto will say the way he sets the team up has them dominating games, creating more chances than other teams.

The trouble is they are not clinical enough in those moments and that is not something he can control.

Against Watford they had 24 attempts on goal, only three on target. Against Portsmouth it was 15 attempts, only two on target. They had 19 attempts against Bolton, just three on target.

The expected goals metrics are massively in Wolves’ favour in those games. They should have won all of them and it comes down to the quality in the final moments.

That is where they are lacking, in particular the creativity when Fer Lopez isn’t playing and the lack of real quality out wide, along with a genuine No.9.

The statistics also tell you Wolves should have the best defence in the league, as they limit opponents to the fewest number of quality chances. But they have conceded 16 goals because of mistakes and opponents scoring worldies.

In the expected table, Wolves should be second behind Middlesbrough.

Looking at all that you could understand why, internally, Peixoto will be quite happy.

Yet he also needs to answer the question of what Wolves team this is?

Is it the one which scored 13 goals in the first five matches and looked electric every time they went forward. Or is it the one which has scored seven in seven, where they have not been able to finish chances?

They need to get better at the top end of the pitch. If they do that and score more goals, naturally the fans will feel it is more exciting.

It’s difficult to know what to think. The numbers tell me Peixoto has made a very good start. But the eye test in the last few games will say something different.

Peixoto’s honesty in public is refreshing. He is saying what he thinks.

Others, however, may look at it differently knowing you need to do everything you can to get these Wolves fans onside.

That said, he will think he’s made a good start and the numbers suggest he has as well.

What he does need to do is find that balance between being attacking and exciting, without being too open at the back.