Former Wolves man Micky Gray has given his verdict on Wanderers’ chances of survival and whether Rob Edwards is the right man for the job.

Ex-England international Micky Gray believes Rob Edwards is a great hire for Wolverhampton Wanderers, but admits the club's chances of remaining in the Premier League are very slim.

Wolves have had by far their worst-ever start to a top-flight campaign, so that’s not exactly surprising. It’s so bleak for the Old Gold that it has now been 232 days since their last win in the Premier League. In that time, Wolves have had three managers, two sporting directors and one technical director.

Edwards has a mighty challenge to turn things around, then. But Gray, who played 47 times for Wolves between 2007 and 2009, thinks Edwards’ prior experience with Wanderers - one lengthy playing spell and several coaching stints - can boost his chances of succeeding.

‘Eyebrow-raising’ Edwards the right choice

Even though Edwards has lost all four of his opening matches as Wolves manager, Gray thinks the 42-year-old is the right man for the job. With a giant 13-point gap to safety after 15 games, relegation has almost become a certainty at this point, but there’s still a target that can be set. As brutal as that target is.

When asked if Edwards was the best candidate, Gray, speaking exclusively to Birmingham World via 32Red live casino, said: “Well, I mean, you've got to say yes. You look at his results and people might raise eyebrows is my answer there, but you need somebody who's been in the club and knows what it takes to battle to try and get out of a relegation fight.

“I think deep down, Rob's probably thinking to himself now, look, we're that far away from even getting out of the bottom three. It's going to be an uphill task throughout the whole of the season. But he's got to set targets for his team of not having the lowest points tally come the end of the season.

“I think it's Derby County at the minute. And it's one game at a time for Rob, and he'll know that. January's a big month for him, he's just got to try and freshen up that squad if he possibly can. Just get a point or a result from somewhere that just gives everybody that little bit of hope on and off the field. I think the club's just in a bit of a mess at the minute.”

Edwards’ choice to leave Middlesbrough was surprising

Gray, twice an England international during his playing days, crossed over with Edwards at Wolves for a brief period. The pair got on well, but that hasn’t stopped Gray from being brutally honest in admitting it was a surprise to see Edwards ditch Middlesbrough for the plummeting Old Gold.

“What a brilliant journey he's been on, to be fair to Rob,” Gray added. “I’m not quite sure what he was thinking, you know when he left Middlesborough to go to Wolves, but who can turn a job down in the Premier League, at a club that he's devoted to as well. It might only come round once, so you've got to take that chance.”

Edwards will be desperate to earn his first win as Wolves manager sooner rather than later, though it’s a particularly tough ask for that to come this weekend. Wanderers travel to the capital to take on Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday night before hosting Brentford in a more winnable fixture next weekend.