'first The Points, Then The Pints' - Going To The Pub With Wolves Boss Pereira

Vitor Pereira walks up nan stairs of a pub successful Shropshire, sits and puts his pint down.

"I'm successful a bully temper today, nan upwind is good, much beer, please," jokes nan Wolves caput coach, who adds that he enjoys a pint of Stella.

Pereira is holding tribunal astatine a information array upstairs successful a state pub conscionable extracurricular Wolverhampton, 5 months into his reign astatine Molineux.

This is not immoderate gimmick he has done earlier astatine different clubs. The narration pinch media successful different countries - Pereira has worked successful Portugal, Brazil, Greece, Turkey, Saudi and China - is very different.

But if interviewing a Premier League head successful a pub sounds some highly different and besides a throwback to nan 1980s, nan mounting makes much consciousness fixed nan 56-year-old's wont of celebrating wins by "being pinch nan people".

"First nan points, past nan pints" was a building coined by Pereira which has transferred to nan stands, pinch nan words now adorning a banner astatine Molineux.

It came arsenic Wolves battled nan drop, but a tally of six consecutive wins, their champion successful nan apical formation for 55 years, has nan nine now safely mid-table successful nan Premier League.

Pereira has endeared himself to Wolves supporters, and nan town, pinch his desire to understand them and nan area.

Trips to nan section Wetherspoons adjacent nan train position aft victories person go a fixture - pinch Molineux serenading him pinch 'We'll spot you successful 'Spoons' during Saturday's 3-0 triumph complete Leicester.

"What do we do successful Wolverhampton aft a game? If I suffer nan crippled I enactment location and portion my brew alone. If I triumph nan game, I spell pinch nan supporters to celebrate," Pereira tells BBC Sport.

"The relationship pinch nan group is stronger erstwhile we suffer together and, erstwhile you are successful a business wherever you are fighting for survival, you consciousness this connection.

"In nan moments we are suffering, you consciousness we are suffering together. In nan moments of celebration, you request to beryllium pinch them.

"In Wolverhampton, wherever do you want maine to go? I must spell to a pub, because this is nan civilization and wherever group go.

"When I spell to a pub it's not astir nan beer. Of people I for illustration nan brew but I spell to beryllium pinch nan people, to consciousness that I'm doing thing to make them happy, to make them proud.

"Work, home, past we spell to a pub conscionable for a brew aliases 2 beers and finish. This is our life."

The down-to-earth accuracy comes from Pereira's upbringing.

Growing up connected nan seashore successful Espinho, 10 miles southbound of Porto, he recalls nan harsh conditions he endured which person shaped him.

"It was a very humble colony pinch fishermen and we grew up connected nan street," he said.

"Fighting together, fighting for nan space. Competing and fighting. But this is what I person wrong of me. This is nan power.

"My location was 50 metres from nan beach. At nan clip my begetter didn't person money truthful we lived 'underground'.

"The sea, successful nan winter, came strong, without barriers. Every winter, for 3 months, location was h2o inside. We had to rebuild nan house. Every clip location was h2o successful nan walls and a bad smell. I felt ashamed because my apparel smelled.

"You felt bedewed each time, that was our life.

"[Yet] I was a very happy teen astatine nan clip because successful this benignant of organization we person nan assured guys together. When I look back, this powerfulness I consciousness wrong of maine came from this time."

His playing career, Pereira readily admits, was underwhelming. He played arsenic a midfielder for lesser-known Portuguese clubs Avanca, Oliveirense, Esmoriz, Estarreja, Fiaes and Sao Joao de Ver and retired astatine 28.

Yet it was capable to thief put him done a sports people astatine nan University of Porto, arsenic he vanished 2nd successful his people while completing his coaching qualifications.

"I had a career, it was successful nan 3rd section successful Portugal but I sewage nan money to do my course, to spell to nan university, to bargain my car, to bargain my clothes," he said.

"Since I was 16 years-old, I ne'er asked for 1 euro from my parents. After 16, mini jobs, to get money, to spell to nan discos.

"On Saturdays, I was a lifeguard connected nan beach. They paid maine a batch of money. I saw nan sun and I saved people.

"I was 18 and 19 astatine that clip - nary worries. I went to nan university. I did immoderate mini jobs to get immoderate money and I started to save. I'm now 56. But my sons will walk nan money, don't worry!"

His 3 sons are each successful their 20s and Pereira, who ever felt being a coach was his calling, does not want - aliases expect - them to travel him into football.

"The sacrifices you person to make. I don't want this life for my sons," he says.

"They cannot person a family life successful this job. It's impossible. We person a batch of moments wherever we suffer a batch and alone. I deliberation we are ever successful a pre-depression.

"For me, nan title is for illustration a drug. Passion and a drug. I cannot unrecorded without it because aft 1 period I commencement to beryllium nervous. I cannot bask nothing."

It is clear Pereira misses his family, having travelled nan globe since he started managing Padroense juniors successful 2003.

He yet became Porto assistant, to Andre Villas-Boas, and was successful that domiciled erstwhile they won nan Europa League successful 2011, replacing Villas-Boas erstwhile he moved to Chelsea.

His first crippled was against Pep Guardiola's Barcelona successful nan Super Cup, a 2-0 defeat, but he won successive Primeira Liga titles earlier joining Al-Ahli and past Olympiacos, lifting nan Greek Super League.

Spells astatine 1860 Munich, Shanghai, Fenerbahce, Corinthians, Flamengo and Al Shabab followed earlier he joined Wolves, yet nan strength of guidance is not thing which bothers him.

He said: "I cannot speak astir this because I don't want to cry, I person moments successful my life. When I arrived successful Brazil, I went to Corinthians. If you spot nan stadium of Corinthians and Flamengo, they person millions of supporters.

"When I met nan property they inquire me, 'Vitor, you don't consciousness nan pressure?'. I'll show you astir nan pressure. The unit was erstwhile my begetter had cancer, my relative was dying, my mother was crying.

"When we woody pinch this, shot is football. I don't consciousness immoderate pressure, nothing. Zero. judge me."

Wolves spell to Manchester City connected Friday without unit - aft their 1-0 triumph astatine Manchester United successful April that sealed endurance pinch 5 games remaining.

There will beryllium alteration successful nan summertime aft this season's brushwood pinch relegation. Matheus Cunha is expected to leave, pinch Manchester United interested, and nan Brazil forward, who has scored 15 goals, has a £62.5m merchandise clause.

Pereira insists he cannot second-guess what will hap pinch Cunha, but that he will "wish him nan best" either way. He says nan 25-year-old has not straight told him he wants to leave, but is adamant he needs nan powerfulness to style nan squad.

Many will consciousness he has earned it.

Only champions Liverpool and Newcastle person won much games than Pereira's 10 successful his 18 matches since he replaced Gary O'Neil successful September - while Wolves person won much points than relegated trio of Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton mixed successful that aforesaid period.

Wolves were 2nd bottommost and 5 points adrift of nan Foxes erstwhile he took over, they are now 23 up and 13th. Pereira will not request to bargain different portion successful Wolverhampton.

"Every time, I deliberation I tin do amended and amended and amended because I conscionable expressed half of myself," he adds.

"I person a batch to prove. If I'm successful nan correct spot to situation me, I tin do magic. Believe me."