Matt Maher: Time running out for Wolves to back up words with action

Only when the window closes on Tuesday week will it finally be time to start assessing the outlook for the months ahead.

Yet at this point, you can’t blame supporters for being worried. We are a long way from what was promised.

“There’s definitely going to be a lot of new faces this year,” was the confident prediction of chairman Nathan Shi back at May’s fans forum.

So far, there have been four, two of whom are now injured, the lay-off facing Kieran Trippier somewhat knocking the gloss off this week’s arrival of Jordan James.

What on earth happened to the big Molineux rebuild?

“We are trying very hard to solve this problem about buying players late in the market and this is definitely not acceptable,” declared Shi.

And yet, here we are, again.

As technical director Matt Jackson rightly observed on the same night, actions will always be judged more than words and there is still time for the former.

But once more supporters are being asked to put their faith in a regime which has a track record of failing to deliver. If they couldn’t get it right before, what makes you think they can do so now? The onus remains on them to prove you wrong.

“You’re right to be cynical,” said Jackson.

For Cesar Peixoto, these may prove a testing few weeks. The Portuguese was never going to turn down the chance to manage in England but this will prove a difficult baptism, at the helm of a team with huge expectations, where fans want rapid results, in one of the most unforgiving divisions in football, all while the playing squad is continuing to shift under his feet.

One week into the season, we still can’t even say with any confidence who Wolves’ goalkeeper will be for the nine months ahead. It won’t be Dan Bentley, we know that for sure.

Peixoto’s challenge is for positive results to lift the mood but the big onus lies on his superiors to prove, over the next week-and-a-half, you were wrong to doubt them.