Wolverhampton Wanderers are a club who have been through it all in their 139-year history. From the highs of titles and victory to the lows of failure and defeat, fans of the club have been to hell and back and yet they continue to stick by their side through thick and thin. This is the story of how a small Midlands-based club truly went from rags to riches, journeying from the edge of extinction to becoming one of the most famous teams throughout English football.
Initially founded as St. Luke's in 1877, the club gained its famous name just two years later before moving to the current home Molineux in 1889. From the early days it was obvious that they were a popular side, garnering high crowds for the majority of their games.
After being one of the 12 teams that helped to form the Football League, the Wanderers went on to have great success in the first half of the 20th century as they won the FA Cup twice, reached the first ever UEFA Cup Final and even managed to pick up a few league titles along the way.
One of the pinnacles of this era, however, came when Wolves toppled the great Budapest Honved squad 3-2 in one of the first games of football ever broadcast on British television. The victory saw the club be declared "Champions of the World" which is a tagline that stuck throughout much of the 1950s and the years beyond. It seemed as if they could do no wrong, however little did they know that there were some bitterly dark days ahead.
A combination of poor performances and financial mismanagement in the 1980s led to the club being on the verge of liquidation after they dropped all the way down to the fourth division. With attendances declining and the team in freefall, Graham Turner stepped in as manager to help lead the old gold and black into the light.
With star striker Steve Bull also leading the line, the duo played an integral part in leading them back up into the Second Division. As the finances began to steadily year by year, the dream of a return to the top flight didn't seem too far away.
Then in 2003, after 19 years of hurt, Wolverhampton Wanderers returned to the Premier League after a 3-0 victory over Sheffield United in the play-off final. A sea of gold celebrated at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as Sir Jack Hayward raised a thumb to the crowd, indicating that the good times were back at Molineux.
The tenure didn't last long however, as they returned to the Championship just one year after their glorious triumph. The next promotion in 2009 saw a more successful stay in the top division that lasted three years and included headline victories over the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.
Despite this, another patch of despair was looming as they suffered not one, but two relegations which led to them dropping down to the third tier of English football. Big stars such as Matt Jarvis and Steven Fletcher moved on, with the uncertainty among fans and media unlike creating havoc in Wolverhampton.
Jez Moxey and Steve Morgan were two of the big names that fans put at the forefront of the blame for not investing in players and being more interested in the extension of Molineux, as opposed to preserving the club's Premier League status. They remained in power, however fans continued to let their opinions be known every Saturday.
Another big problem was the fact they had gone from a successful six-year reign under Mick McCarthy to enduring five managers in just over twelve months. The constant coming and going left the Wolves faithful with some serious trust issues, until hope was somewhat restored with the hiring of established manager Kenny Jackett.
The former Millwall boss helped to steady the ship with the trio of Nouha Dicko, Benik Afobe and Bakary Sako helping to raise the spirits of the club with Dicko in particular being instrumental in Wolves' instant promotion back into the Championship.
With the Wanderers being back where they started in the second tier, it's no surprise that alot of fans were happy with the progress that was being made. But then again, it's also no surprise that the other half of the fanbase wanted more. They wanted more than mid-table mediocrity and they wanted more than owners who would be satisfied with preserving their status in a league that wasn't the top flight.
Their wishes and their prayers for change were finally answered in 2016, and in some style.
Chinese company Fosun, worth over £5 billion, purchased Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club and turned them into a financial juggernaut overnight. With a new influx of money and foreign talent, the future has never looked brighter for this once doomed club.
With a legacy as long and storied as Wolves, the expectations for new horizons are always going to be high. The fans have been put through the worst of times over the years and now they're being rewarded with a new era of hope. It could prove to be a disaster, or it could prove to be a masterstroke.
