'They’ve got to go' - Rob Edwards fumes at 'embarrassing' Wolves stars and plans summer clearout after Brighton thumping

The writing has been on the wall for Wolves for some time, but the manner of their capitulation against Brighton left Edwards fuming. The visitors found themselves behind after just 35 seconds when Jack Hinshelwood headed home, and the lead was doubled shortly after when Lewis Dunk was left completely unmarked to nod in a corner. The lack of discipline and awareness left the manager questioning his players' professionalism.

"It's incredibly frustrating, it looked like we were still in our nice hotel for the first five minutes," Edwards said after the game. "The start of the game was atrocious. We find ourselves 1-0 down before we've really had a kick and then the defending for the corner was horrible. A couple of people not doing their jobs. Two-nil down after five minutes against a team that's already better than you, you've got slim to no chance."

One of the most glaring issues during the defeat was the sight of midfielder Joao Gomes attempting to mark Brighton’s towering captain Lewis Dunk during the set-piece that led to the second goal. Edwards confirmed after the match that this was not a tactical instruction from the bench, but rather an inexplicable error in judgement by the players on the pitch.

When asked about the marking mismatch, Edwards said: "It wasn't planned. It was a decision that they just decided to make at that moment. I can't [account for it] but we've had a lot of it and that's why we are where we are - crazy decision. There was a lack of focus there from the beginning, people not valuing doing their job."

With relegation already confirmed last month, Edwards is looking toward the future, and it appears many of the current squad do not feature in those plans. The manager, who took over from Vitor Pereira in November, admitted that he has reached the end of his tether with several members of the dressing room as he looks to rebuild for life in the Championship.

Asked if he has given up on some members of his squad, the 43-year-old coach replied: "Yeah, definitely. Some of them have got to go, we're bottom of the league. It's been embarrassing. They've got to go. We've got two more games, so suck it up, keep our head down, take whatever we're gonna have to take for the next couple of weeks and then we can really get to work. We know there's going to be a lot of change."

While Wolves were left to pick up the pieces, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler enjoyed a perfect afternoon after signing a new three-year contract. The Seagulls controlled the tempo from the opening whistle, with Yankuba Minteh adding a third late on to strengthen their European credentials, even if an injury to Kaoru Mitoma caused some late concern.

Commenting on his side's lightning start, Hurzeler said: "We didn't practise this but it's about attitude, it's about having the right mindset, having the right approach towards the game. We had the whole week the mind in the right spot and therefore in the game we had a great start and it definitely helped to control the game, to dominate the game. I'm really happy working with this group of players. I'm looking forward to the future because it can be very exciting and very bright."