'Farewell Kenny' read one newspaper placard outside Molineux on Saturday afternoon, to advertise a tribute to Kenny Miller, who is leaving in the summer.

'Farewell promotion' more like and just how many more farewells are planned by Wolverhampton Wanderers once their failure to win promotion is finally confirmed?

The reaching of the Championship play-offs was said to be the minimum requirement last August. And, although that is still a mathematical possibility, even Glenn Hoddle admits it will take a miracle now.

Letting slip a two-goal lead to lose even more ground on Preston North End leaves Wolves with an easily under-standable equation. They have to win their last four matches, while hoping that North End lose all their last four.

The chants of 'Hoddle Out' at the final whistle were, it has to be said, sporadic. But the terraces are not the only outlet for feelings to be expressed in this day and age. And a read of the letters pages and website message boards and a quick listen to any of those endless radio phone-ins are a clear guide that the Wolves fans have had enough of Hoddle.

In fairness, they've never actually taken to him. That's largely because when he first arrived, he made it look as though Molineux was just a brief port of call on his footballing odyssey.

But, even this season, despite having signed his rolling one-year contract, he does not appear to have put down any lasting roots.

He still travels up from his Berkshire home and he won few friends only a week ago when, on the day his side lost at Plymouth Argyle, he was featured in a national broad-sheet still pouring his heart out about how he came to lose the England job.

If another dose of Hoddle's "I never said them things I said" speech gave the impression that he was distracted from the real task of winning Wolves promotion, at least he showed he still has some teeth for the Molineux job in Saturday's post-match press conference.

Faced with a broadside from disaffected striker Vio Ganea, calling Hoddle "the most difficult coach I've worked with in my entire career", the manager's response was impressive.

Wolves had previously managed to keep a lid on a training-ground scrap between Ganea and one of the club's young players three weeks ago, for which both players were fined.

But Hoddle turned it back in the player's face. "Maybe his attitude might have changed in the sense that he was fined a week's wages by me," said Hoddle.

"Perhaps he hasn't had a manager before who has the right discipline.

"There's a story behind the story as to why he said what he said. It was unacceptable for me as a manager but he can take it in two ways. He can take it on the chin or he can respond as he has responded."

Given that he has already been pursued by both Saturday's opponents Coventry City and his old Wolves boss Dave Jones at Cardiff, it is a safe bet Ganea will not be at Molineux next season.

It had seemed like Colin Cameron, another one of Wolves' many out of contract players, had also reached the end of the road at Molineux when he was allowed out on loan to Millwall in February.

But, after making an unexpected return on Friday lunchtime, he was drafted straight in, to a warm reception. And, to ironic chants of 'Are You Watching Glenn Hoddle?' and Sign Him Up', Cameron capped his return with Wolves' second goal, beautifully created by Jeremie Aliadiere.

Coming on top of Paul Ince's second-minute free-kick, which has to go down to a slipshod effort to stop it by Coventry keeper Marton Fulop, it created a two-goal cushion.

But within three minutes, the excellent Stern John had headed home Marcus Hall's left-wing cross to pull one back.

And, when Wolves wasted chances to put the game beyond doubt, notably from Frankowski and Mark Kennedy who hit the post, Coventry took the chance to get back in it.

Cameron's loss of control on the edge of his own box led to Joleon Lescott bringing down Stephen Hughes to concede a free-kick. And Gary McSheffrey took full advantage, curling home a beauty for his 16th goal of the season.

Had the Sky Blues converted one of a succession of late chances, carved out largely by lively substitute Dele Adebola, it might have turned the mood even gloomier for Hoddle.