'Why is he in charge?!' - Wolves in dissaray as unpopular chairman Jeff Shi admits he's 'not an expert' with club hurtling towards Premier League relegation

Rob Edwards’ side sit rock bottom of the Premier League with just two points from 15 matches. Their eight-game losing streak has matched an unwanted club record dating back to the 1981-82 season, and they have not tasted victory in the top flight since April. With Wolves already 13 points adrift of safety and travelling to league leaders Arsenal next, the mood on terraces and social media has reached breaking point. Much of the frustration stems from a summer that saw the spine of the side dismantled. Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri were sold to Manchester United and Manchester City for a combined £92.5 million ($123.8m), while captain Nelson Semedo walked away on a free transfer.

In return, Wolves signed six players, Fer Lopez, Jhon Arias, Tolu Arokodare, David Moller Wolfe, Jackson Tchatchoua and Ladislav Krejci, none of whom had kicked a ball in the Premier League before. The only arrival with prior experience at the club was Jorgen Strand Larsen, whose loan move was made permanent for £23m ($30.8m). The Norwegian forward, however, has scored just once in the league this season after netting 14 times last term.

Shi acknowledged the scale of the upheaval, admitting to the BBC: "I am not an expert. Maybe we sold too many players in one window. You can see the squad and compare it to last season, maybe we changed 40 or 50% of the key players. It's a task to rebuild a team but the Premier League is very tough. If you can't control the tempo and need a longer time to rebuild the team the games will punish you."

Protests gathered momentum on Monday night as several supporters’ groups organised a boycott of the opening 15 minutes of the 4-1 home defeat to Manchester United. Their message was clear: that Fosun’s stewardship has steered Wolves into a state of "managed decline". The dismantling of the team that achieved continental highs continues to haunt supporters. Raul Jimenez, Diogo Jota, Joao Moutinho, Adama Traore and Pedro Neto have all departed without adequate replacements. 

Shi, who has long been targeted by fan frustration, said: "It's a very natural feeling from the fans. Five or six years ago we were at some heights, the semi-final of the FA Cup and quarter-final in Europe. When you have reached those heights fans don't want to let it go. I feel it myself. When you lose something like that it's a tough blow - for this I have empathy. I'm not only a fan, I'm the CEO and chairman in the club. I have to think about how to judge the last decade in a more factual way and think about the next 10 years."

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Shi's comments did little to appease fans, many of whom responded online with disbelief that the club’s top executive would admit to lacking expertise while Wolves spiral toward the Championship.

@kylecoyle_ asked: "If he’s not an expert, WHY IS HE IN CHARGE?!"

@LTCwolf wrote: "Genuinely unbelievable that this man is in charge of a Premier League football club. Completely disconnected with the reality around him. #wwfc"

@adamgj03 lashed out: "He loves playing the “I don’t know football” card but he’s been doing the job for the best part of a decade and getting paid handsomely for it, that excuse just doesn’t wash now."

@phibel69 wrote: "Jeff shi and Jackson have just confirmed why wolves are rock bottom. It's a bloody car crash every time they're interviewed."

And like many fans, @BennettDar89036 too wants Shi to be thrown out: "Get this delusional guy and Fosun out of our club. That interview was simply bizarre."

Edwards, appointed in November as Wolves’ fifth permanent manager in four years, has lost all four of his matches in charge since joining from Middlesbrough. Yet Shi insists the club remains committed to a long-term project under the former defender, who played 111 times for Wolves and later coached their youth sides.

When asked if Edwards will keep his job, Shi insisted: "No-one can guarantee 100%, but I can say 95% [for] at least two or three years. It's a long-term project with Rob."

Wolves face league leaders Arsenal next at the Emirates, and barring a miraculous turnaround in form, the bottom-placed side should prepare themselves for a rough evening in north London.