‘First the points, then the beers’

Vítor Pereira is the man of the moment in Wolverhampton, an English city on the outskirts of Birmingham and who in recent years has been a home of numerous Portuguese footballers and coaches, compared to the club’s strong bet in Portugal.

Coach with extensive experience in several countries, Vítor Pereira was notable at FC Porto (2011/12 to 2012/13), already after passing through Sanjoanense, Sporting de Espinho and Santa Clara, having made a journey all over the world.

From the curriculum of the natural coach of Espinho are the Saudi Arabia (Al-Ahli Jeddah and Al-Shabab), Greece (Olympiacos), Turkey (Fenerbahçe), Germany (TSV 1860 Munich), China (Shanghai Sipg) and Brazil (Corinthians and Flamengo), before going to England and reaching the many that for many It is the best league in the world, the Premier League.

The 56 -year -old coach was announced as a new Wolverhampton coach on December 19, 2024 and, in just four months, ‘revolutionized’ the team and its results in the championship following a disastrous beginning of the season.

When Vítor Pereira arrived, the ‘wolves’ were in the deceased zone, in a worrying 19th and penultimate post, with only nine points and five of the maintenance places, even the team with the most conceded goals.

It would not last long. In just two rounds, Wolverhampton won the six possible points in an affirmative entrance of the coach in the English team.

Under the guidance of the previous coach Gary O’Neil, the club had only endorsed two wins until his resignation in December, a brand that was able to match only in a week under the position of the Portuguese coach. Went to arrive, see and win.

Despite a ‘break’ of four consecutive desires, all facing teams fighting for European places, and a new Wolverhampton passage through the descent zone, the squad did not reentry in a negative path and quickly the team recovered.

Since then, in the last nine hours, the ‘wolves’ have six wins – four of them consecutively – a draw and two losses (with leader Liverpool and Fulham, guided by Portuguese Marco Silva), and salvation is getting closer.

Counting on the squad with the Portuguese José Sá, Nélson Semedo, Toti Gomes, Rodrigo Gomes, Carlos Forbs and Gonçalo Guedes, Vítor Pereira took advantage of the workforce available to make immediate impact and win the fans.

Proof of this is the relationship that Portuguese is having with them, when this week was viral a video where you can see Vitor Pereira attending a town ‘pub, in close communion with fans, celebrating another historic frame.

For the first time in history, Wolverhampton reached four straight wins at the Premier League, against Southampton, West Ham, Ipswich Town and Tottenham, in a feat that may not have finished, as the sequence may continue.

After receiving and beating Tottenham, 4-2, Vitor Pereira moved to a local ‘pub, and the phrase « first points, then the beers » (First The Points, then the Pints ​​ »), which turned the Luso coach into a phenomenon.

The motto that adherents adopted for Vítor Pereira rests on his personality, knowing how to combine sports ambition with happiness and personal emotions for being realizing the dream of training in England and in a very his own culture.

What was perspective to be a fight for maintenance to the end, was eventually being obtained very quietly, in the face of the percentage of victories after the arrival of Vítor Pereira -eight triumphs in 16 meetings -and does not want to stay there.

In the next two journeys, Wolverhampton faces the first two rivals that Vitor Pereira defeated in the initial rounds: Rúben Amorim’s Manchester United, living a very turbulent season, and Leicester, at serious risk of descent.

It was unthinkable, until a few weeks ago, that Wolverhampton could visit Manchester United stadium with the possibility of matching them in the classification, but the truth is that the teams are now separated by three points.

With 35 points added, the ‘Wolves’ have the possibility of climbing beyond the current 16th position, in case of continuity of historical record compared to ‘Red Devils’ and ‘Foxes’, which are penultimate and can be unpromped in the next meeting.

The last four games of the Championship reserve receptions to Brighton and Brentford and visits to Manchester City and Crystal Palace strongholds, with hope to add more points to further increase the popularity of Vitor Pereira.

If, on the one hand, Vítor Pereira and Rúben Amorim arrived in mid -season to their clubs, Nuno Espírito Santo, in the second year of Nottingham Forest, and Marco Silva, four years ago in Fulham, have been living very positive seasons.

Nottingham Forest is even the Premier League’s sensation team, occupying a position for the next season’s Champions League, while Fulham is ninth placed and also dreams of European events.