Gary O'Neil could not had a tougher welcome to Molineux.
Wolves looked to kick on after a strong performance from Julen Lopetegui in the 2022/2023 season.
However, several disagreements behind the scenes led to the previous Spanish manager leaving the club three days before the season started.
It left the club in turmoil with the league season set to start and they turned to a surprising choice in appointing Gary O'Neil.
The former Bournemouth manager did a miraculous job with the Cherries and was harshly let go from them.
There was an air of excitement about what O'Neil could do in a manager's role but without a pre-season with his new team, the odds looked against him.
However, an opening night display of vibrant counter-attacking play at Old Trafford summed up their season.
There is so much potential without the crucial moment of quality.
Despite VAR's error denying Wolves a penalty against Manchester United, many positives were evident as the season went on.
It was a season of highs as the Wanderers put in some good performances and results against the top teams.
Yet there were lows with the biggest being their FA Cup quarter-final exit to Coventry City.
One win in their last ten Premier League games should not detract from an overall positive for O'Neil's side.
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Expectation vs Reality
Things looked bleak for Wolves due to the behind-the-scenes conflict.
Without a lot of investment and key players such as Nathan Collins and Matheus Nunes, there was an expectation Wanderers would be in a relegation battle.
Yet at Christmas O'Neil had his side placed 11th in the league table and ten points above the relegation zone.
The key for Wolves has been the tactics deployed by their manager.
Bournemouth under O'Neil absorbed pressure and hit teams on the counterattack.
This was evident as the Cherries completed the 18th most passes in the Premier League but had the ninth most shots in the 2022/23 season.
The 41-year-old has done the same at Wolves as he has utilised the pace in the forward players to hurt teams.
The counter-attacking has been the key to his side getting results against the so-called bigger teams who have left space behind.
With a limited squad, there was always going to be a drop-off at some point.
Performances have dipped and teams have now given Wolves more respect by limiting the room for counterattacks.
The biggest disappointment will be crashing out of the FA Cup to Championship opposition and missing out on going to Wembley.
It is a reflection of the outstanding job O'Neil has done that Wolves could afford for their season to fizzle out and not worry about dropping to the Second Tier.
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Moment of the season: O'Neil doing a job on Pep
The treble-winning Manchester City were bouncing into Molineux.
After winning their first six league games, there wasn't much hope for Wolves to pull off a shock result.
The West-Midlands-based club had a game plan that paid off.
Whenever the bigger teams such as Manchester United and Liverpool FC have given Pedro Neto space to exploit the exciting winger has looked dangerous.
The Portuguese international was placed on the right side and dashed past Nathan Ake before forcing Ruben Dias to deflect his cross into his net.
The home side did an expert job in marshalling Erling Haaland led by the excellent Craig Dawson.
Even when Man City equalised it didn't stop Wolves attacking play and they got their rewards as Hwang Hee-Chan scored the winner after another effective counterattack.
It seemed fitting for the South Korean international to get on the score sheet as Pep forgot his name during a midweek press conference.
O'Neil became only the second Englishman in 45 attempts to beat Pep Guardiola since Graham Potter in 2021.
The result injected a belief and confidence that their new manager was the man to take them forward.
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Signing of the season: Matheus Cunha
Wolves failed to do much business in the summer but one key bit of business was the permanent signing of Matheus Cunha.
The former Atletico Madrid striker has thrived in a golden yellow shirt with 12 Premier League goals and 7 assists.
The front three of Neto, Hwang and Cunha have all had flashes of quality but the latter has the ever-present.
Having an xG of 9.55 and coming out with 12 Premier Leagues shows an overperformance in front of goal.
Considering the Wolves have only had 429 shots which is the 19th lowest in the league for the Brazilian to have the season he's had is impressive.
The standout moment for Cunha would have to be his hattrick at Stamford Bridge and became the first player to do so since Sergio Aguero in 2016.
The 24-year-old has so much potential and has not even reached his peak yet.
Another season reaching double figure and Cunha will have interest from the bigger Premier League clubs.
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Flop of the season
This was a tough category as the Wolves hadn't done as much business as other clubs.
Yet the signing of Matt Doherty had the hint of gamble that would look like a stroke of genius or a waste of a signing.
On the wing-back's impact, it looks like the latter.
In Doherty's first spell at the club, he had a free license to roam forward on the right-hand side linking up with Adama Traore.
In his most efficient season for Wolves in 2019/20 he appeared in 36 league games and contributed 7 goal involvements.
This season the Irish international has only scored a singular goal and started nine out of 30 league appearances.
It hasn't been enough to disband Nelson Semedo at right back who has been known to be reckless.
It wasn't a strong candidate of underperformers but Doherty hasn't lived up to his first spell at the club.
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Player of the season
Despite Neto arguably being the Wolf's most talented player unfortunately have cost him the title for player of the season.
Instead underrated midfielder Mario Lemina was picked for this award as he has been part of a solid two-man midfield unit.
Joao Gomes may get the headline due to the freedom he has to go forward and contribute towards the attack.
This is because of the solidarity Lemina offers at the back which is shown by being in the top ten players for tackles.
The Gabon international has suffered an injury this season as the only three games he's missed for Wolves have been through suspension and a call-up to AFCON.
It shows the reliability Lemina has offered Wolves with his consistent performances throughout the season.
There have also been vital goals such as the late dramatic winner against Tottenham and the deciding goal against Chelsea.
Lemina is an all-rounded midfielder who has offered so much to Wolves this season.
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Expectations for 24/25
Wolves find themselves in a tricky position after arguably overachieving this season with a limited squad.
Therefore an expectation has already been set to survive and progress.
O'Neil has already confirmed they will likely have to sell players to fund incomings for the summer.
This means Neto, Cunha or Gomes could be on the move as their the most sellable assets.
There is a lot to build on with exciting talents such as Jean-Ricner Bellegrade and Nathan Fraser showing promise at times this season.
The worry is a repeat of a manager being restrained financially to build upon the squad.
O'Neil and his squad have a lot of potential it's just whether they can fulfil it.
