Wolves boss Nuno: "I'm proud of our work"
"It's more than a football pitch – it's a club, it's a city...it goes beyond prizes."
The words of Nuno Espirito Santo, who was in philosophical mood ahead of Wolves' top-two clash against Cardiff tomorrow.
The Wolves head coach rarely opens up to the media, eschewing the chance to praise individual players or utter a single word about Wolves' promotion prospects, let alone becoming embroiled in press-based spats with other managers.
But on Thursday he was in engaging form as he spoke about the manager of the year award, which Neil Warnock won this week.
The award is voted for by the Championship's 24 head coaches/managers and Nuno voted for Fulham's Slavisa Jokanovic.
When asked if it was unfair that he hadn't won it, given the work he'd done at table topping Wolves, Nuno said: "When this award is given it's based on the (managers).
"I have my personal vision, my vote was not for Neil Warnock because I believe football is an idea and the way teams play is the idea of their managers.
"I prefer another kind of approach and ideas on football.
"It's well deserved, people voted for him because they like and appreciate Neil Warnock. My congratulations for him, my vote was not for him.
"Mine was for (Slavisa) Jokanovic.
"I don't know what were the thoughts of the managers but if they voted it's because they believe it's what they like and prefer."
Nuno speaks weekly of caring little for results, instead placing a relentless focus on his philosophy, on building a team and on developing players.
"My work is not for individual prizes, it goes much beyond that," he added.
"When I came here – and I'm delighted to be here – it was to build something and create an idea and a philosophy, to build an identity.
"This is built through time, year one, year two and so on.
"It's more than a football pitch – it's a club, it's a city...it goes beyond prizes. They don't mean anything to me at all.
"I'm very proud (of what we've done) and I'm proud of the way the players have developed themselves.
"The work of a manager is not only the result. It's the performance, the way he develops his own players, the way the players grow under your work.
"And it's about developing young players and putting them in the best teams in the world. This is very valuable for me and my technical staff."
It's clear the 44-year-old is enjoying his work at both Compton Park and Molineux, where he has pieced together one of the finest teams the Championship has seen in many years.
And he gushed when asked if, given he's worked at huge clubs like Valencia and Porto, Wolves were a special club.
"Wolves is a special club, it's my club," he said.
"It's the club I work for and the club. I have the enormous pleasure to be involved in something I believe is really important on building something we want to become a big club.
"A club that was in the 1950s and 60s big around the world – we have a long way to achieve that.
"This club has history. History is what makes clubs big."
Will he allow himself a smile should Wolves finally cross the finishing line?
"I smile every day of my life, I'm very happy."
