TEAMtalk's Peter Hall thinks Stale Solbakken's appointment can breathe new life into Wolves - and believes there are exciting times ahead.

Life in the Black Country has been difficult of late. Results haven't been anywhere near good enough, poor old Terry Connor has looked like a deer in headlights and relegation came and went with a whimper.

I think we can all say without fear of ridicule that Steve Morgan and Jez Moxey got it horribly wrong regarding the dismissal of Mick McCarthy.

The outspoken Yorkshireman was handed his P45 back in February, after a section of the Molineux faithful turned on their long-serving gaffer following a derby demoltion by arch rivals West Brom, but the majority of those now wish they had left their opinions back at their local.

Connor, an excellent coach and number two, was handed the big gig on a temporary basis, but simply couldn't handle being the main man.

However, he is not alone in this genre. Brian Kidd, Sammy Lee, Alan Irvine, Colin Calderwood and to an extent Steve McClaren are all fantastic assistants, but leave a lot to be desired when taking over the managerial reins themselves.

Connor was given the opportunity to apply for the job, and was subsequently interviewed, but the under-fire chief executive Moxey has decided to gamble on Norwegian boss Solbakken - and not before time.

After the Alan Curbishley debacle in February, the last thing the club's decision-makers needed was to interview candidate after candidate, and be embarrassingly snubbed at the last minute.

Moxey and Molineux mogul Morgan have acted quickly to appoint the former Cologne manager, and taken the plunge on a somewhat unproven option.

People will remember Solbakken from his time at Wimbledon, where he was mightily impressive but suffered a major fall-out with Joe Kinnear, so was soon shipped out.

His last coaching job was at Cologne where he seemed to be given a raw deal after less than one season, and was replaced by his predecessor.

Otherwise he has an impressive CV as both player and manager, and can bring new ideas to a club that is crying out for someone to come in and shake things up a bit after several years of the McCarthy-Connor regime.

Often relegated sides have financial worries to contend with when dropping down any division, but Wolves have no such dilemma, with Morgan even claiming there is money to spend - a perfect scenario for any new boss.

The players don't seem to know who he is, but this can work even more in his favour.

If seasoned pros such as Steve Bruce or Billy Davies were to be given the post, they would impose their knowledge of championship mentality on the club.

The unknown Scandinavian can come in, wipe the board clean and start afresh, quickly helping the club forget about their poor top-flight showing.

The squad is unlikely to be decimated by departures, with only the likes of Steven Fletcher and Matt Jarvis likely to be courted by Premier League admirers this summer.

The Molineux hierarchy dropped a clanger with the McCarthy dismissal - but should be applauded for their swift appointment this time around. It puts a stop to all the gossip and uncertainty flying around and takes the pressue off Connor, who will still have a role at the club while Solbakken finds his feet.

Maybe the FA should note. The Harry Redknapp saga could have been avoided if they had had the kahunas to take the plunge and appoint Roy Hodgson sooner, rather than deliberating behind closed doors for months.

WIth the recent stadium develoment, a new face in charge, a financially-stable infrastructure, a loyal fanbase and a squad more than capable of holding their own in the Championship the future may not be so bleak at Molineux.

So fans can go on holiday, enjoy the Euros, and come back in August confident that the winds of change are sweeping through their beloved club.