"You've sold the team, now sell the club," chanted the Wolves fans. "Sacked in the morning," they sung at manager Vitor Pereira. As soon as Zian Flemming opened the scoring for Burnley a flat Molineux threatened to turn toxic. After Lyle Foster's 95th-minute winner sealed a 3-2 win for the Clarets, it did. Fractures which have been under the surface for a number of years emerged as players and Pereira had heated discussions with fans in the South Bank - Pereira especially animated - at the end. It was the first time fans had turned on the Portuguese, who guided them to safety and drank in the local pub with them last season. Yet, executive chairman Jeff Shi and owners Fosun are regular targets with supporters upset at the running of the club, with Wolves on their fourth permanent manager in three years. The summer sales of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri also saw Wolves lose their best players, who have not been replaced effectively. The anger was mixed with apathy, though. Fans looking resigned to relegation and lacking the motivation to protest properly, worn down by a slow decline since Nuno Espirito Santo, who took them to a Europa League quarter-final, left in 2021.

Bottom of the league and winless in their opening nine games, Wolves are stuck in a timewarp after taking 11 matches to win last season. Pereira saved them after replacing Gary O'Neil in December but as history repeats itself, how does the Portuguese save Wolves' season and his own future? It is just 38 days since Pereira signed a new three-year contract and sources have told BBC Sport he is not in immediate danger. Shi and those in charge still feel his experience will be crucial in the survival battle, having taken them from second bottom to safety last season. Although, predecessor O'Neil signed a four-year deal on the eve of last season and only lasted another four months. Domenico Teti's arrival as director of professional football in the summer is also a sign of the position of strength Pereira held at the end of last season, the pair having worked together in Saudi Arabia at Al-Shabab. There is a hesitancy to change given the amount of managers the club have gone through recently and fan reaction will not sway Shi. The fact Wolves stayed up after failing to win any of the opening 10 games in 2024-25 shows it can be done again, although it is six months since their last Premier League win.

"It's normal in football, if we win two or three games in a row everything changes," said Pereira in his post-match press conference. "Two months ago they sing my name because of the work we did last season [means] we are competing in the Premier League and not in the Championship. Now they sing my name maybe to sack me.

"I'm not worried [about his job], it's not about me. It's about the team, the players. My work is to help them to come again, to be mentally strong for the next fight."

Pereira also tried to diffuse any tension with supporters, revealing what he said to the revolting fans. "What I said to them is we work a lot and we need to fight together," he said. "I understand the frustration. When you are there for 90 minutes trying to help the team and the team gave everything on the pitch to win but, in the end, you concede a goal, I understand the frustration.

"What I must say to them is if we fight with them, united, we can win games. If not, without them, it's impossible."

The tipping point for Pereira would come if he loses the faith and confidence of the players, which he has not done. There is an acceptance at Molineux results have not been good enough but the performance on Sunday as they fought back from 2-0 down, despite defeat, reinforced the players remain behind the manager. "Yes, of course, all of us are," said striker Jorgen Strand Larsen. "We know what we did last season. We're not blaming anyone here. Obviously, it's tough for a team with a lot of changes in the summer.

"There are a loads of new faces and it needs time to adapt. That's why I'm feel like in the last few games we're getting there."

Wolves' start last season saw them play all of those who finished in the top eight in their opening 10 games. Their first win came with a 2-0 victory over Southampton on 9 November, which was followed by a 4-1 win at Fulham. Performances and the difficult nature of the run were mitigating circumstances which saw O'Neil keep his job until the axe fell following a run of four defeats, culminating in a late home loss to Ipswich in December. Pereira, after six straight wins in March and April, guided them to 16th to finish 17 points above the bottom three.

Cunha and Ait-Nouri were then sold to Manchester United and Manchester City for a combined £93.5m and Wolves reinvested close to £100m in the summer, bringing in five players - six counting turning Strand Larsen's loan into a permanent move - from Europe but with no Premier League experience. It was felt the value was on the continent but they need time to adapt and the squad is missing the spark 15-goal Cunha and wing-back Ait-Nouri delivered. It has meant the squad is lacking the extra quality to turn draws into victories, conceding in the 86th minute to Brighton and injury-time to Tottenham to draw both games 1-1. The defeat to Burnley means they have lost to all three promoted clubs this season, beaten at home by Leeds and at Sunderland last week, with Pereira aware lessons need to be learned quickly.

"It's difficult to answer because I was not here the last season in the first games of the season," said Pereira, when asked if there was a deeper problem at Wolves after another winless start. "We need to learn with the experience, especially the experience in the market, experience in the pre-season, the way that we organise these things.

"We can learn every day, even me, we can do better. I think we can do better."