Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club
Author: Joe Kizlauskas
Last Updated: June 16, 2020
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club was originally founded as St. Luke’s FC in 1877, before a name change to the current club name took place in 1879. Known by many simply as ‘Wolves’, the club were a founding member of the Football League in 1888 and have played their home games at Molineux since 1889, which has a modern-day all-seater capacity of 32,050.
Throughout the majority of their history, Wolverhampton Wanderers have either played in the First Division or Second Division of English football, although they have also spent time in both the Third Division/League One and the Fourth Division. Wolves’ golden era came during the 1950s, with it being by far their most successful era in terms of silverware. In total. Wolves have won three First Division titles in their history, with their victories coming in 1953/54, 1957/58 and 1958/59. The team have also finished as runners-up on five separate occasions, with the team coming second three times during the 1950s decade, being one of the top two sides in England on six occasions in that time period.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Honours List
Wolves also have the rare achievement of having been crowned winners of all four divisions in the Football League. The Midlands outfit have won the Championship/Second Division four times in their history, League One/Third Division three times and have one Fourth Division title to their name. Wolves have also found some success in the domestic cup competitions, winning the FA Cup four times in their history alongside two League Cup successes. In 1972, the club also reached the UEFA Cup Final, but were beaten 3-2 by Tottenham Hotspur over two legs in an all-English affair.
Recent years have been something of a rollercoaster ride for Wolves fans, who have seen their team go through a succession of highs and lows. Promotion to the Premier League in 2009 was followed by relegation in 2012, while a further relegation to League One occurred in 2013. Since then, the club have rebuilt admirably, instantly winning League One before stabilising in the Championship. The summer of 2017 changed the club dramatically, with Nuno Espirito Santo arriving as manager alongside key signings Willy Boly, Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota, as Wolves won the Championship at a canter. They strengthened further the following summer with the signings of Jonny, Joao Moutinho, Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez as Wolves finished seventh in the Premier League and earned a place in the Europa League off the back of it.