Wolverhampton Wanderers have been through the mill in the last five years to say the least.

After surviving relegation by the skin of their teeth in 2011, the club subsequently dropped back down to the Championship a year later, after finishing bottom with just 25 points in 38 games.

Under new manager Stale Solbakken, the Midlands side were hoping that they could bounce back at the first attempt but instead they were relegated for the second successive season to League One.

Kenny Jackett was the new man at the helm for Wolves' League One adventure and he steered the club to 103 points - a new record for the third tier.

He continued to be successful with the club narrowly missing out on the play-offs despite a 4-2 win over Millwall on the final day.

Now, the club is once again struggling, lying in a disappointing 15th place with only 13 games of the season to go.

In those five years, a lot of change has happened - not least in the squad where many players have come through the Molineux doors whilst others have exited the club.

Football League World writer Alex Grove takes a look at the best Wolves XI from the past five years in a traditional 4-4-2 formation.....

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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE BEST WOLVES XI!

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GK - Carl Ikeme

It was a tough decision between current shot-stopper Ikeme and Welshman Wayne Hennessey but I opted for the former.

A lot of Hennessey's great performances in a Wolves shirt came prior to 2011 as he was ravaged by injuries prior to his departure from the club in 2013.

After years of waiting on the sidelines, Ikeme finally got his chance to his prove himself in a Wolves shirt after the club were relegated from the Premier League in 2012.

However in what was a diabolical season for the Midlands side, he failed to keep the club in the Championship and missed the final eight games of the season in bizarre circumstances after breaking his hand punching a tactics board.

Not to be defeated, Ikeme came back better and stronger in the 2013-14 season as the club sailed through League One to secure an immediate return to the Championship.

He was influential again the following season, playing 34 out of a possible 46 league games as the club narrowly missed out on promotion.

This season, he has struggled along with the rest of the team to string together results with the club lying in a disappointing 15th position.

However we mustn't forget his exploits in the previous two seasons which have enabled him to forge an international career for Nigeria.

LB - Scott Golbourne

Bristol-born Golbourne arrived at Wolves in 2013 as he dropped a division to leave Championship strugglers Barnsley for the League One side.

The left-back berth was his for the taking after the departure of Stephen Ward and he claimed that position for his own, as he made 40 league appearances in the title-winning season.

With heaps of energy, Golbourne was never afraid to surge forward and support the attack as Wolves scored 89 goals - the highest in the division.

He forged a great partnership with Bakary Sako on the left wing and the two often supported one another on the overlap to get the ball into the box.

In the Championship, the dynamic left-back was hampered by a foot injury but still made 27 appearances as the club missed out on a place in the top six.

This season, he fell out of favour with Jackett and was surprisingly sold to his first club Bristol City in January 2016.

In total, he made 92 appearances for the club and I think he deserves a lot more credit than he gets because he is a reliable player to have in defence.

CB - Danny Batth

Wolves' home-town boy is now captain of the side which he joined in 2000 aged 10.

After nine years in the academy, Baath was elevated to professional status in 2009 but was forced to go out on loan to teams such as Colchester United and Sheffield Wednesday to get first-team action.

He didn't feature for the club in the Premier League years but made 12 appearances as the club were relegated to League One in 2013.

However his crowning season was the 2013-2014 League One campaign as he shored up the rickety defence to help the club cruise to the title.

He was an ever-present that season and was rewarded for his consistency and reliability in defence with a place in the PFA League One team of the year.

Following promotion, Batth continued to excel and was subsequently made regular first-team captain by Kenny Jackett.

He only missed two games all season as he helped the club to 78 points over the course of the season.

As someone who clearly loves the club that he plays for, he always gives it 100% when he puts on a Wolves shirt and for that he should be commended.

He has come under criticism of late, along with the rest of the team for under-par performances but he was influential in helping stabilise the team and bring the good times back to Molineux following relegation.

 

CB - Richard Stearman

Like Scott Golbourne, Stearman's exit to Fulham in the summer transfer window was a peculiar one considering that he had only missed 10 league games in the last two seasons and had played the first four games of the 2015-16 season.

He had also formed a strong partnership with Danny Batth, with fans eager to see the two back in action at the start of the season.

Stearman was with Wolves for seven years, and helped the club to promotion to the Premier League in his first season at Molineux.

His versatility meant that he could be shifted into right-back if required but his desired position was in the centre of defence and there's no denying that prior to his sale he was an important player who was nailed on for a place in the starting XI every week.

RB - Dominic Iorfa

Another academy product, Iorfa made his debut for Wolves only two years ago in a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth, but then played for the next 10 games as the club went unbeaten throughout that stretch.

As a result he was awarded with the Football League Young Player Of The Month award in January 2015 and established himself as a fan-favourite.

At 6ft 4, he isn't your typical right-back but his height and his athleticism enables him to stride forward to support the attack.

Sam Ricketts was another contender for this position after a solid season as captain in League One but at 20-years-old, Iorfa is a young, exciting player who has come on leaps and bounds since signing on youth terms five years ago.

He still of course has a lot left to learn, but in the last five years I don't think that the club has seen an exciting a prospect as Iorfa.

LM - Bakary Sako

Wolves fans would do anything to see the Malian in a Gold and Black shirt again after he left for Crystal Palace in the summer of 2015, after his contract expired.

Although sometimes played behind the striker in an attacking midfield position, he joined the club as a left-winger from Saint Etienne in 2012.

After scoring nine goals for the club in his first season, he suffered a hamstring injury which forced him out for the rest of the campaign as the club were relegated to League One.

Sako tore the third tier apart as he scored 12 goals and was named in the PFA League One Team of the Year.

By now he had created a formidable partnership with Nouha Dicko as the two complemented each other to score a bagful of goals for the club.

With the arrival of Benik Afobe from Arsenal in 2015, the attacking trio of Dicko, Afobe and Sako were a constant menace to Championship defences.

Now, only Dicko remains of the trio but he is injured, and it's clear to see that the club are struggling without their three key attacking players.

Sako's trickery on the wing often dumbfounded the opposition as well as the fans inside Molineux who were often in awe at the skill he possessed on the ball.

Kenny Jackett has never signed anyone since who could replicate what Sako could do in a Wolves shirt and I'm sure most fans would have him back in a heartbeat.

 

CM - Kevin McDonald

An ever-present in the Wolves team that narrowly missed out on promotion last season, Kevin McDonald has become one of the most crucial players on the pitch for Kenny Jackett's side.

A lot of Wolves' play goes through the 27-year-old Scot as he anchors the midfield to eventually set up those in attack with killer passes.

Sheffield United will be frustrated that they sold him to League One rivals Wolves for only £750,000 because they could have got a lot more for him.

He hasn't been as consistent this season but he is still an integral cog in the Wolves machine and one of Wolves' best signings in the past few years.

CM - Dave Edwards

Not the most exciting player perhaps, but a reliable player to have in your Starting XI is Welshman Dave Edwards.

After joining from his hometown club Shrewsbury in 2008, Edwards has made over 200 appearances in a Wolves shirt, including 44 in the promotion-winning season of 2008-2009.

He wasn't as successful for the club in the top-flight but in the 2013-2014 campaign he scored 6 goals and the following season he scored 8 and only missed four games for the club.

This season he has continued to work tirelessly for the team and his dedication to doing well in a Wolves shirt is second to none.

RM - James Henry

Henry is a player who I believe doesn't get the credit that he often deserves.

Although perhaps not as skilful as the likes of Sako, he is capable of whipping a decent ball into the box for the attackers to feed off.

As well as that, he often pops up with a goal or two of his own - this season he is the club's top scorer with seven following the departure of Benik Afobe.

Prior to Henry's instalment in the Wolves starting XI, the last player to really excel on the right wing was Michael Kightly and 26-year-old Henry has scored one more than goal than Kightly for the club despite only being at Molineux for two years.

He isn't exciting but he is consistent and has helped Wolves to regain confidence following relegation to League One.

ST - Benik Afobe

He may have only been with the club for a year but in his short time at Molineux he grew into one of the most dangerous strikers in the second division.

It was a gamble on Bournemouth's part to spend £10m on the 23-year-old but it's clear to see the potential that the England under-21 star has within him.

In 46 games for the club, he scored 22 goals as he created a formidable partnership with Nouha Dicko and Bakary Sako to frighten the living daylights out of of the opposition's back four.

He is an instinctive goalscorer who has a bright future ahead of him in the game and with Wolves currently faltering, the fans would love to have him in the team firing in some much-needed goals.

ST - Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Athough his best years came prior to 2011, I'm including Ebanks-Blake in this starting XI because he was a great player for the club who will be held in high regard by the fans for years to come.

Wolves aren't usually one to splash the cash but in 2007, they activated a buyout clause in the then Plymouth striker's contract to bring him to the Midlands.

Two years later he had fired the club to the dizzy heights of the Premier League once again, fittingly scoring the winner against QPR on Saturday 18th April to spark scenes of delirium at Molineux.

He never managed to replicate the same form in the top-flight but he did score seven goals in the 2010-2011 season as Mick McCarthy's side avoided relegation on the final day of the season.

Upon the club's return to the Championship, Ebanks-Blake fired in 14 goals in 40 games but was injured in the win at Birmingham which ended his season.

With six games to go, the club struggled without the 29-year-old's presence in the box and only managed to get one win in their final five games as they were relegated to the third tier.

If Ebanks-Blake had been fit for the rest of that season then they may well have avoided relegation but unfortunately we will never know.

Nouha Dicko's contribution to the club should also not be underestimated but Ebanks-Blake will go down in history as the striker who got Wolves back to the Premier League when many feared that it would never happen.

If anything he will at least also be remembered for his outrageous solo goal in a 3-2 win at Charlton in 2008 which left McCarthy and the fans both shocked and amazed at his talent.

Do you agree with my picks? Are there any other players who you think deserve to be in this starting XI?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below!