Fans were singing ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ when Wolves chief executive Jeff Shi made his appearance after Nuno Espirito Santo had said his tearful goodbye.
Nuno was serenaded by the Molineux faithful as he said his goodbyes to the supporters who had taken him to their hearts.
Wolves fans now face a summer of uncertainty after the departure of the man who brought them back from the wilderness to the land of milk and honey.
Emotions ran high as everyone realized the relationship was finally over. One had to be reminded that this was a man who had been sacked this week. In most other situations, fans usually are only too eager to see the back of a manager when that happens – but this Molineux crowd just could not bear to let him go out of their sight.
The man of honor bowed down in salutation to the fans, while the players formed a guard of honor in tribute as applause from 4,000 supporters reverberated thunderously across the grounds.
Although in the end the final scoreline wasn’t the ideal result he had been hoping for to bow out on, nevertheless – as the final whistle approached – the soundwaves swelled to the tune of “Nuno, we love you” and “Nuno Santo, he’s one of our own”.
There was also his one last punch of the air to fans – a regular symbolic feature at the end of matches, usually after a victory.
Nuno had earlier arrived to fans welcoming him before even entering the stadium, which was filled with a surreal atmosphere. Supporters were allowed in for the final home game of the season, only to discover they were actually saying goodbye to the manager who had so deservedly been bestowed folk hero acclaim since arriving in 2017.
Nuno lifted the club out of the Championship into the Premier League’s top seven and brought European football back to the club for the first time in 39 years, besides also bringing them within 90 minutes of an FA Cup appearance.
This season had fallen short Chinese owners’ lofty expectations, with injuries to key players such as Raul Jimenez – who suffered a fractured skull at Arsenal in November – not helping the team’s cause and Nuno at all.
Regardless, whatever the supporters’ reaction to this season has been at home, the overwhelming response when Nuno emerged from the players’ tunnel for the final time was of unequivocal approval.
“Nuno’s the Special One,” they chorussed in unison while simultaneously waving flags proclaiming “Nuno had a dream”.
Wolves’ chief executive Jeff Shi made his appearance just in time to catch fans singing “You don’t know what you’re doing” following the surprise news which had broken just 48 hours earlier that the Molineux boss was finally leaving the building.
Nuno had known he was leaving five days before the official announcement had been made. Ironically, the devastating news was somehow fluffed and did not synch with the match day program print deadlines that carried Nuno’s notes telling fans: “Next season, we’ll be back”.
Nuno gathered his staff for a customary group hug when Nelson Samedo equalised a first half goal from Manchester United’s Anthony Elanga.
Epiphanic emotions built up from the four wonderful years of Nuno’s stay cradled the stadium – with bewildered, disconcolate fans wondering what will happen next after the great man has left.