Sky Sports' Johnny Phillips: Fosun way may take some getting used to at Wolves

But this is also modern football. The days of local businessmen owning clubs, sitting back and leaving managers to get on with it are of the past. With the exception of Steve Gibson at Middlesbrough and a few others, our clubs are part of a global era.

Paul Lambert is a talented and respected coach who – if given total responsibility for team affairs – would have a very good chance of taking the club into the promotion places next season. His previous work at Norwich is proof of that. But he is at a different club now with owners who have a different structure in place.

Wolves fans haven’t experienced ownership like this before so I think it is worth looking at other models where comparisons can be made.

Watford are owned by the Pozzo family who also own Italian club Udinese and Spanish outfit Granada. I have spent a lot of time at Vicarage Road in recent years watching the team play and interviewing the many ‘head coaches’ who have come through what appears to be a revolving door.

The latest, Walter Mazzarri, was sacked this week, so I spoke to Mike Parkin of the well-respected ‘From The Rookery End’ podcast to get his thoughts on the club since the Pozzos took charge.

“The emphasis is very much on the role being that of a head coach,” says Parkin. “In essence this means that he will provide details of the type of player he wants and needs. It is then up to the senior management to see what they can do. The head coach can recommend players, but the basic premise is that he provides the attributes he needs, not the actual player.

“This is where the Pozzos’ extensive scouting network comes into its own. They have contacts and employees in all four corners of the globe and tend to focus their activity in locations where there is less competition for signings. It takes more work and patience to uncover players of the standard they want that aren’t already on the radar of others, but they’ve proved it can be done.”

This should be sounding familiar to Wolves, who have seen continental players arrive in their droves over the last year. Watford went down a similar route with a high turnover of players arriving on loan.

“The loans situation was controversial initially, with players coming in from other Pozzo-owned clubs and there were plenty of other clubs and supporters who felt this was unfair,” Parkin continues. “The system now relies on permanent transfers, with the aim being to sign young, talented players that can help Watford establish a foothold in the Premier League, while increasing their value for potential resale too. In short, Watford are benefitting from owners who have a tried and tested plan, vast experience and a model that has proved to be successful elsewhere.”

But what about the head coaches? Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked after taking the club into the Premier League and neither Quique Sanchez Flores nor Mazzarri were retained for keeping the club there.

“I suspect we’ll continue to see change and I can understand why those outside Hertfordshire are surprised that they (Sanchez Flores and Mazzarri) weren’t retained for a second season,” Parkin explains. “However, both men presided over dreadful second halves of the season, with neither able to arrest an alarming slump in form.

“There’s no denying it’s a ruthless approach, but they aren’t in the business of accepting second best. They are supportive in terms of providing funds and access to decent players, so it’s actually a fantastic opportunity for someone to come in and really make the role their own. Success will be rewarded, but a failure to show an ability to keep Watford on at the very least a steady footing is likely to meet with disapproval.”

Speaking to ‘From The Rookery End’ it was interesting to see how a very unpopular ownership model had been embraced by supporters. The Pozzos have also delivered tangible benefits off the pitch with the ramshackle old ground upgraded into an impressive arena.

“In addition they’ve done it while being respectful of the history – the ground retains plenty of references to those that came before them and the way the club continues to deal with the untimely passing of Graham Taylor has been a credit to everyone involved,” Parkin adds.

So what does the future hold for Watford, a once provincial club on the outskirts of London who have been turned into a well-connected globally-operating outfit?

“Under the Pozzo family stewardship, unfashionable Udinese qualified for the Champions League and while it’s unlikely they harbour such lofty ambitions for Watford, it does highlight the levels they operate at,” said Parkin. “The plan is almost certainly to establish Watford as a regular Premier League side. To the outside world, it may seem like chaos at Vicarage Road, but for those of us in the middle of it there is a quiet confidence. The current owners mean business, and this journey has only just begun.”

This maybe a wholly unfamiliar business model for supporters at Wolves but it is interesting to see how the tide of opinion has changed at Watford. Fosun’s challenge is to achieve similar success.