Wolves 1 Newcastle 1: Two points dropped?

We wouldn't have deserved to win, but it don't half feel like we've dropped two points.

Get in

For the third game running, we were slow out of the starting blocks. The first half hour was all them, but like Everton they failed to finish their chances. Then when we get one chance bang, it's in.

That was a brilliant goal by Sylvan, and let's all hope the moaners shut up now because that's two in two and he's playing well. He should keep his place in two weeks time against Fulham.

It was a real battle. The tackles were flying in everywhere, starting with Karl Henry. He made two or three crunching tackles, trying to make his mark. Next to him, David Jones seemed subdued, and we were getting a bit overrun.

When switched to the left, Matty Jarvis caused Perch all sorts of problems. He should have had a penalty, but the referee let it go and then decided to give them a goal kick even though he thought Perch got the ball! He's in the England provisional squad, and with the rest dropping out with "injuries" he could get a call up. How amazing would that be?

One of the best players on the pitch for me was Stephen Ward. Like Sylvan, he is continuing to prove the doubters wrong. One or two times he gave Routledge a bit too much space but he made some good tackles and it was a great bit of defending when he cleared it off the line as the Newcastle player went to head it in.

Five points from three games is quite a good return. We have a difficult month ahead but we didn't lose to any of those sides last season.

Hahnemann - 6

Foley - 7
Craddock - 7
Berra - 6
Ward - 8

Jarvis - 7
Henry - 8
Jones - 6
Van Damme - 8

Ebanks-Blake - 7
Doyle - 6

Subs: Zubar - 6, Guedioura - 6, Fletcher - 6

We have a two week break to get ourselves ready for the away trip to Fulham, but in the middle of that let's hope we can see Jarvis in an England shirt.

Prediction League - Signed Wolves ball up for grabs!

It's that time of the week!

Well done to wolves1992 who tops the league for the second week running, he got the most points this week with 62. It's not too late to enter though, and if you want to try and win a signed Wolves football here is what you have to do.

Comment on this article below with your predictions for this match. Here is how you score points:

5 points for a correct result
10 points for a correct score
3 points for each correct scorer



Here are this weekends fixtures.

Blackburn v Arsenal
Blackpool v Fulham
Chelsea v Stoke
Tottenham v Wigan
Wolves v Newcastle

Man Utd v West Ham

Bolton v Birmingham

Liverpool v West Brom

Sunderland v Man City

Aston Villa v Everton

My predictions:

Blackburn 1-2 Arsenal
Blackpool 1-1 Fulham
Chelsea 3-0 Stoke
Tottenham 4-1 Wigan
Wolves1-1 Newcastle

Man Utd 2-0 West Ham

Bolton 1-0 Birmingham

Liverpool 2-1 West Brom

Sunderland 1-2 Man City

Aston Villa 0-0 Everton

What a shame

After hearing that Carl Ikeme had gone on loan, the thought of Matthew Murray in our 25 man squad seemed a real possibility. Five minutes later, I see the terrible, terrible news on the Wolves website that he has retired.

Murray with my brother

He is one of the unluckiest footballers ever, and who knows what could have happened with his career. To me, he would have no doubt been the No.1 at the World Cup for England on the back of a full season in the Premier League. He could have even been the No.1 at the 2006 World Cup.

It's terrible, because he obviously loves the club as much as the club loves him. He wouldn't have left us to join a bigger club because he would have wanted to repay the club.

Only this month was he telling fans, I need a few reserve games before I am fit. It sounded like he might even have a chance of making the 25.

He should have a job for life at Wolves, hopefully he'll eventually become the goalkeeping coach.

Thank you and good luck Matt.

To move on from the bad news, we have some good news. I was delighted when I heard yesterday that we had signed Michael Mancienne on a season long loan. He will add a lot to our squad, as he can play in a lot of positions.

Fighting spirit: Everton 1 Wolves 1

It wasn't always pretty, but that is a very good point.

After being battered for forty five minutes, Mick did well to steady the ship and bring us back into it. We pushed further forward and in the end got the goal we deserved for being more adventurous.

Stephen Ward continues to make himself undroppable. Again, he played in both the left positions and in both he looked comfortable. The tackle at one nil on Beckford all on his own was phenomenal, Bobby who?

Kevin Doyle came back into the side, partnering Ebanks-Blake and he was of course his usual self. Selfless work chasing the ball and on the ball he made things happen. His cross for the goal was superb. His partner wasn't to bad either. Sylvan got a fully deserved goal, he worked his socks off and held the ball up. Who will Mick play next week, Fletcher was excellent last week but neither of the two who played yesterday deserve to be dropped.

The person who swung the game in our favour was without doubt Adlene Guedioura. He added a much needed bite into the midfield, his two tackles leading up to the goal were perfect and that was typical of him.

Hahnemann - 7

Foley - 7

Craddock - 7
Berra - 7
Elokobi - 6

Jarvis - 8
Henry - 7
Jones - 7
Ward - 7

Doyle - 7
Ebanks-Blake - 8


Subs: Guedioura - 8, Halford - 6, Stearman - 6

I know Newcastle have just hammered Villa, but I think we are more than a match for them. Seven points from three games, how incredible would that be?

Everton v Wolves: Preview

We head to Goodison on the back of a win, the return to fitness of Kevin Doyle and finally a chance to fully see the partnership of that man and Steven Fletcher. Nothing can go wrong, surely?

Actually, it could. As possible as it is that Doyle and Fletcher could start, it's also possible that neither of them will. Fletcher is still recovering from an ankle injury and Mick doesn't want to rush Doyle back. That would leave us with Ebanks-Blake on his own. That's not as worrying as it would have been six months ago, but playing with someone else to do the dirty work usually brings the best out of Sylvan. Last week was one of his best performances for a while, he look fitter however he also had the Fletcher up there with him. This could be another chance for him to stake a claim for his own place in the team, and imagine how much good a goal would do for his confidence.

Someone else who might not be playing is Jelle Van Damme. He too went off injured last week after an impressive debut at left midfield. This could mean Mick will bring Matty Jarvis back out to the left, or could it mean Stephen Ward there with George Elokobi at left back?

It's getting more likely that we will be playing 4-5-1. Unless he brings in Keogh, which would mean we have no fit reserve forward, we will bring someone in like Guedioura who will add bite to the midfield. The trio of Henry, Jones and Adlene worked well last season against teams like Everton.

Doyle scored here last October.

Everton will want to bounce back from their defeat against Blackburn, and no player will want to forget that game more than Tim Howard. His clanger cost Everton a decent draw at Ewood Park. There are many we will have to watch out for. Saha is a top class striker, Cahill is a threat from set pieces and Pienaar can unlock any defence. They don't have any real pace on the wings though, so if we can keep it tight we can really frustrate them.

I expect this team (I could be very wrong):

Hahnemann

Foley
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi

Jarvis
Guedioura
Henry
Jones
Ward

Ebanks-Blake

Hopefully we will see Fletcher or Doyle at some point, maybe even both because if they are playing they are a threat to most defences.

Unfortunately, I can't see us winning this game. It will be close. 1-0 Everton.

If you haven't already, you can predict this weekends Premier League results. A signed Wolves football is up for grabs. CLICK HERE

Premier League Predictions

It's that time of the week to make your predictions.

Last week we had eight entries and so far
wolves 1992 tops the league. Well done.


It's not too late to enter, you can catch up. The winner wins a signed Wolves football!

Scoring goes:

5 points for each correct result (e.g. Wolves win)
10 points for each correct score (e.g. Wolves 3-0)
3 points for each correct scorer (e.g. Karl Henry)

Here are the weekend fixtures:

Arsenal v Blackpool
Birmingham v Blackburn
Everton v Wolves
Fulham v Man Utd
Man City v Liverpool
Newcastle v Aston Villa
Stoke v Tottenham
West Brom v Sunderland
West Ham v Bolton
Wigan v Chelsea

My predictions:

Arsenal 2-0 Blackpool
Birmingham 0-0 Blackburn
Everton 1-0 Wolves
Fulham 0-2 Man Utd

Man City 1-1 Liverpool

Newcastle 1-2 Aston Villa
Stoke 0-1 Tottenham

West Brom 1-3 Sunderland
West Ham 1-1 Bolton
Wigan 0-3 Chelsea

Predict away!

Off the mark: Wolves 2 Stoke 1

To beat such hard opposition without a full team is encouraging for Wolves. Any team we start without Doyle is weaker, but minus Zubar as well who was such a figure in our survival was another blow.

I wasn't confident before the game, as I said in the preview but the guys who came in were excellent and the first half performance in particular was won of the best we've had since winning promotion. We played some very good football, keeping the ball and waiting to pounce.

The left wing partnership of Ward and Van Damme was superb. Van Damme was everywhere winning his battles and attacking whenever he could. Ward apart from one moment of madness was solid in defence and when he moved to left midfield was a real threat. The save from Sorensen was fantastic, and in that scramble we were denied a clear penalty.

It also makes me feel better that in the absence of a key forward, the one that came in proved that he is good enough. Ebanks-Blake had one of his best games for a long time, and sent out a message. He's not just going to sit on the bench. The man he partnered justified his £7 million fee from Burnley. Many people thought that was over priced but these days you have to splash out to get a decent forward.

Kevin Foley well was just Kevin Foley. Rarely makes a mistake and adds something to the team going forward. He should deservedly keep his place where he was our player of the year in 2009. The centre backs were as usual solid, and only through one lapse of concentration at a corner did we concede.

David Jones was again influential. There were question marks over him in a 4-4-2, that him and Henry would get overrun but the two of them did there job and Jones ran the show from the middle. His goal was brilliant, probably the first time he has got that right after many failed attempts during last season.

Hahnemann - 7

Fletcher gets a debut goal

Foley - 7
Berra - 7
Craddock - 7
Ward - 8

Jarvis - 7
Jones - 8
Henry - 7
Van Damme - 7

Ebanks-Blake - 7
Fletcher - 8

Subs: Keogh - 5, Elokobi -6, Halford - 6

A well deserved victory, next we go to slow starters Everton and we could get something. For now, we can celebrate being in the final champions league spot.

Following on from last season, I was part of 'The Verdict' on the Observer. To see it click here (scroll right down) or buy it.

Wolves v Stoke: Preview

Battle of the throw ins? Let's hope not

Here we are, the moment we've all been waiting for. Finally the season gets underway.

There has been a lot of optimism amongst fans. We had a good end to the season (losing twice in ten), spent sixteen million pounds before pre-season had even started and in our early friendlies the new boys looked the part.

But then it went a bit wrong. Van Damme, who had been solid in his first couple of games was torn apart by Max Gradel at Leeds. Zubar got injured, as did our talisman Doyle. Neither of them are likely to play tomorrow. Van Damme was unconvincing again in the friendly game last Saturday. I'm not particularly confident about this game.

Stoke have done a great job of keeping themselves in the Premier League. Nobody has given them a chance but both years they have stayed up comfortably. They haven't been in any relegation battles, which is some achievement.

We know what they are about. Both games last season we drew, so I'd like to think it won't be much different tomorrow. Rory Delap, unfortunately, should be fit so we know exactly what he will bring. I don't fear his throw ins, it's just that they ruined the game at Molineux earlier this year.

The signing of Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland has made me feel even more worried. He scored both times against us last season, and is a strong player who will play to their strengths.But perhaps our defence has learnt something from playing against him.

The team? The only position I'm not sure about is right midfield. Ward played on the left with Jarvis on the right but he got injured. Halford played there when he came on and was impressive. What about Guedioura? I thought he had made the position his own after his display against Sunderland but he hasn't been starting there much. Here's what I think the team will be:

Sylvan's golden chance

Hahnemann

Foley
Craddock
Berra
Van Damme

Halford
Henry
Jones
Jarvis

Ebanks-Blake
Fletcher

I'll go for a one all draw, with Sylvan getting our goal. This is a big chance for him, but if it's not working he'll be the one taken off if we make a change of players or system.

If you haven't made your predictions yet, click here to make yours. A signed Wolves ball is up for grabs!

Wolves v Stoke stats and predict this week's results

League form (last five matches)
X=Score draw, D=No Score draw, W= Win

Wolves: DDXLW
Stoke: LLDWL

Top goalscorer last season (league): Doyle 9,  Etherington 5
Most assists least season (league):  Jarvis 5, Etherington 9
Most appearances (league): Henry 34, Delap & Whitehead 36
Average Attendance: Wolves 28365, Stoke 27162

Head to Head: Last ten games

Wins: Wolves 2, Stoke 2
Draws: Wolves 6, Stoke 6
Goals: Wolves 12, Stoke 11

It's been very even in recent years against Stoke, we have the slight advantage with one more goal than Stoke but expect Saturday's game to be very even. At most I see either team winning by a single goal.

Prediction League:

For this season I will be running a Premier League prediction league. Anyone can enter, at any time of the season. Obviously to have more of a chance you will want to do this regularly. Here is the points system:

5 points for correct result
10 points for correct score

We know who to watch out for.

3 points for each correct scorer


Here are the fixtures

Aston Villa v West Ham
Blackburn v Everton
Bolton v Fulham
Chelsea v West Brom
Liverpool v Arsenal
Man Utd v Newcastle
Sunderland v Birmingham
Tottenham v Man City
Wigan v Blackpool
Wolves v Stoke

The prize for the winner of this competition is a signed Wolves football!

Here are my predictions (My predictions will be made into a league to see how it looks compared to the real league)


Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham
Blackburn 1-2 Everton
Bolton 1-0 Fulham
Chelsea 2-0 West Brom
Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal
Man Utd 1-0 Newcastle
Sunderland 3-1 Birmingham
Tottenham 1-1 Man City
Wigan 1-0 Blackpool
Wolves 1-1 Stoke

Who's that handsome fella?

Last Thursday, Wolves let Young Wolves members into the ground to see the players at the photo shoot. Afterwards the players would come and have pictures with the players. I was there, and got a picture (with my brothers) with a few of the players and Mick McCarthy.

Mick also announced his four new signings

My youngest brother Charlie got a little telling off by Mick for not holding his t-shirt out straight when he was signing it. A story he will probably tell everyone for years.

Matt Murray is the nicest bloke you've ever met. They were calling him back for ages but he kept saying 'Let me just do these last ones' and would go on for another five minutes. Stephen Hunt is a scruffy looking git, and Greg Halford kept sneaking into my pictures!

It was a good day, as I was able to get my football signed by quite a few . Murray, Kightly, Van Damme, Halford, Ikeme, Foey and Mick signed it. I'm hoping to use it as a prize for a competition. I have one or two ideas but if you have any don't hesitate to comment and tell me!

Wolves 2 Athletic Bilbao 1

Not a bad way to finish off pre-season.

It was good to see Foley playing in his real position, he put in a typically assured performance. Christophe Berra had a solid game along with Craddock which isn't a surprise. Fletcher looks worth every penny of the fee we paid Burnley for him. He's good in the air and linked up with Ebanks-Blake on numerous occasions.

It wasn't all rosy though. There were unfortunately, a couple of negatives. I came expecting to see a proper left back playing for Wolves, but Jelle Van Damme wasn't very convincing. Too often he would watch as the Bilbao winger would cross it and he gave him way too much space. It was worrying that we looked better defensively after he was pushed up to left midfield and Big George Elokobi came in at left back. Jelle was however, unbeatable in the air. He won almost every high ball, when attacking and defending.

Stephen Ward played left wing. He wasn't much use there to be honest, and I was glad when he was taken off at half time. He hasn't got the pace to play out there, and looks more comfortable at left back. Van Damme was much better than him there, a lot more positive on the ball and getting behind the full back.

Karl Henry and David Jones didn't have very good games. Henry gave the ball away in terrible positions and Jones looked more interested in having a fight than playing. Matty Jarvis was our bright spark on the right, although he didn't look quite as confident as he does on the left he was still the focal point of all our attacks.

Some of the players who came off the bench did much to catch Mick's eye. I already mentioned Elokobi, he balanced out the defence but he did his usual 'mis-control the ball and let it out for a throw in'. Greg Halford was impressive. He looked eager to receive the ball, kept it moving and of course caused some problems with his throw ins. Andy Keogh provided the work upfront and had a part in Sylvan's winning goal.

Overall, we were ok. Much better in the second half, with a very good goal in the first half.

Hahnemann - 7

Foley - 7
Craddock - 7
Berra - 8
Van Damme  - 6

Jarvis - 8
Henry - 6
Jones - 6
Ward - 6

Fletcher - 8
Ebanks-Blake - 7

Very special mention to the forty odd Bilbao fans who were brilliant. The Mexican wave they started went on for ages and they were surprisingly loud.

Hoff he goes

Stefan Maierhofer has joined German club Duisburg. He joins them on a season long loan which could turn permanent if he impresses.

He found chances in the Wolves team hard to come by last season, only starting once in the league in that match at Old Trafford.

Given a fair chance?

He scored on his Wolves debut at Blackburn, and in his next appearance was unfairly sent off. He went on loan to Bristol but hardly played, having to play in goal in one of his few appearances for them.

I never thought he was given a fair chance. At 6ft 8in, he was brought in as a big man but Mick found out soon that he wasn't really an aerial threat. Hard working, and could have become a cult hero but never played a full game. In the one appearance I saw him at a game, when he came on against Everton I was impressed. He got stuck in, was positive on the ball and annoyed the hell out of the Everton defenders, getting  punched by Tim Howard. In the game when Mick made ten changes I thought he did ok, holding up the ball well but Wolves fans had by then agreed he wasn't good enough.

His Wolves career isn't completely over, but it doesn't look like he'll be playing for us again. I'll be looking out for how he does.

4-4-2 or 4-5-1?

It's always been hard to tell what is going on in Mick McCarthy's head. I guess Merlin has his own spell to stop anyone finding out.

A lot of debate between Wolves fans has been about what formation Wolves will start with against Stoke. Many point out that it's 4-5-1 that kept us up, taking a more solid look. If we were to use that formation we would probably have a three man forward line of Fletcher, Doyle and Jarvis which does seem very tasty as they would be given licence to attack and with three centre midfielders behind them not have to worry too much about the defensive side of their games.

However, a 4-4-2 would mean Doyle and Fletcher up front together. We have seen glimpses of a partnership and with these two playing with each other we might see quite a few goals.  Would that mean restricting Jarvis though? It would mean he would have to track back more than we might want him to. But, 4-4-2 is what got us to the promised land in the first place and we scored so many goals that year.

I have a feeling he will go with 4-4-2, to start with. After his comments about Foley playing midfield I think he will start right midfield. He would be a more defensive option and would mean that most of our attacks would be based around the left hand side until Kightly is fit as he's not likely to run at his marker. When Kightly is fit that 4-4-2 is very exciting, with two proper wingers I don't think many defences will be able to cope with them.

 If you think about it, a 4-4-2 with Foley is a bit like a 4-3-3. Foley will tuck in more and Jarvis will be further forward almost making him a third forward along side Fletcher and Doyle. Jones likes to play slightly left anyway.

On paper, I think we will start with something like this:

Jarvis - Will be key again this year

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Van Damme

Foley
Henry
Jones
Jarvis

Doyle
Fletcher

Who knows though, I could be very wrong. What team do you think we will go with, comment!