I hate to break bad news to you, but Wolves have not gone backwards - or not in terms of so-called quality, technique or effort.
The problem started when we were promoted and Mick bought-in a bucketful of cheaper players (by Prem standards). All bar a couple of these had never played for even one minute in the Premiership. With just a few exceptions (and there are some), Mick continued with this policy through year two and into year three (this year). Several of the players recruited through this time have left Wolves already and most of the rest could be sold off, if buyers could be found, without any loss of quality from the squad.
Mick appeared to be trawling fished-out oyster beds in the hope of finding an elusive black pearl or two on the cheap. It didn't happen. What Mick did do, however, was to create in his motley crew an incredible team spirit, where every player gave 120% every week. This was only just good enough to keep Wolves hanging on in the Premiership. Whilst this may have been laudable on Mick's part, it was also incredibly short-sighted because no squad on earth can ever maintain a 120% performance rate indefinitely. What has happened now is not that Wolves have gone backwards, but that the team has ceased to be able to maintain its level of over-performance. It is now the sum of its parts whereas it had previously been greater than that, for most of the time. What has happened, though, was always inevitable. It was never a question of IF - always just a question of WHEN. That WHEN is NOW.
Don't mourn for Mick. He had a net spend of £41 million in less than three years. Had he spent this on 4 or 5 decent, experienced Prem. performers we may have been OK. But he chose not to. And Morgan and Moxey let him. So no tears for any of the three please. Rank bad management in my book.
Welcome to the Championship.