Respect? You need to earn it

An independent Regulatory Commission has today dismissed a claim from Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Nenad Milijas, following his red card for serious foul play in Wolves’ game against Arsenal on 27 December. 

Milijas has received a three match suspension starting with immediate effect.

What. A. Joke .

It's fair to say Stuart Atwell isn't my or any Wolves fan's favourite ref, he's cost us before, but he's made it ten times worse now. His failure to admit that he got this one wrong is ridiculous. We now miss an important player for three games, with no O'Hara and possibly no Edwards in the next game it leaves us with few options in midfield.

Time after time the FA promote their respect campaign, make captains at even Junior level where 'respect' armbands, but it needs to go both ways. He lost control of that game, and failed to admit it. He made horrendous decision after horrendous decision, and as a young ref he will hopefully learn from it, but why can't they reverse the decision?

Had Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United appealed against a red card for a tackle like this, do you honestly think it would have been dismissed?

How do the people also reviewing the appeal conclude that a one footed, sliding tackle that catches the ball is a red card offence anyway? Milijas hasn't got a dangerous bone in his body, and the footage shows that it isn't a dangerous tackle.

On video evidence, can they also not see that they missed two horrendous tackles by Song, which he only got booked for one of them? Both were stamps, and red cards in my eyes.

The FA really don't help themselves do they?

Wolves in 2011

It's been a year of ups and downs for Wolves, but overall I'd say I've enjoyed it!

We've defeated Chelsea and Man United, thrashed Albion and vitally, stayed in the Premier League. We've had some lows, like Stoke away, or QPR away but that is part and parcel of being a struggling team in the Premier League, something we need to move on from.

Our record in 2011

10 wins (plus three in cup)
8 draws (plus one in cup)
18 defeats (plus two in cup)

So in 36 league games, we lost half and won or drew the rest. 38 points over 36 games is not bad at all, especially considering the horrible run of form we had from September through to November. A win against Bolton could make it 41, I would imagine a huge improvement from 2010.

Team of the year.

Here are my picks for team of the year, and why I chose them:

Wayne Hennessey - What a year this man has had. Topped off by his performance on Tuesday, our big keeper has gone from strength to strength. He was a huge part in us staying up last year, and will be again (if we can keep hold of him)

Ronald Zubar - Even though he has only played around four months of football this season, I'm opting for Zubes. He always plays with great enthusiasm, gives us another dimension going forward and can be a rock for us when he wants to be. Consistency is needed from him, but his performances have generally  been okay.

Richard Stearman - Whether at right back or centre back, Stears has given us some great performances this season. He had a great game, keeping Bale quiet and he also had some great games at centre back, like the Man United game. I was hugely critical of him around this time last year, but he has really matured.

Christophe Berra - I'm starting to like Berra more with every game. He gets 'Berra' every game (sorry). He had a shaky period just before the run in at the end of last season but this year he has been one of our most consistent players and turned in some outstanding performances.

Stephen Ward - No brainer really, despite George Elokobi's heroics against United. Everyone was shouting for a left back, even me, but his standard of performance this season has been remarkable. I haven't seen him have a bad game yet, and with the fact that he was fantastic up front in the last four games of the 10/11 season means he has to be in this team.

Dave Edwards - Another one who had a long term injury, but has proved to be a huge player for us. He's played across the midfield for us, and always given us energy and willingness to get in the opposition box. Let's hope we see more of him because I don't think we've seen the best of him yet.

Karl Henry - Since losing his captaincy, has been rejuvenated. Put in some top, top performances and his late interceptions in the edge of our own area have become something of a trademark move of his lately.

Jamie O'Hara - Has generally been one of our better players, but from someone who is supposed to be a marquee player, we do need that bit extra from him. His quality does show, and I reckon once he gets fit again we'll see the O'Hara we saw when we first signed him.

Fletcher - our head boy

Nenad Milijas - Has been in and out of the team but I think, aside from a couple of wobbly performances, he had done well when he has played. It's a waste of a quality player when we don't use him, and we've seen how good he can be in the last couple of games.

Matty Jarvis - England call up, both player of the year awards, another Premier League season. You could say Jarvo has had a good year, and yet we haven't always seen the best of him. Lately he's been on fire and if he keeps it up, England will come calling again.

Stephen Fletcher - The man who kept us up, and is doing his best again! 13 goals this calendar year, in limited appearances too. Now keeping Kevin Doyle out of the team, an impressive feat! His goal scoring record is insane, he is going to be a top, top player and I can't see us holding onto him for much longer.

Freshening things up

If there's one thing I've noticed this season, is that everything seems stale. Here I take a look into what I think we need to do to freshen things up.

The playing staff

The obvious one is the players. Is our squad good enough? Does it have enough depth? We've been heavily linked with centre midfielders, and back up forwards. In a previous blog I mentioned Frimpong and Maynard (the former could well be on his way here in January) but what we really lack is out and out pace, all over the pitch. I think we need one most urgently at centre back, and a really explosive winger would be another position I'd look at. 

Nedum Onuoha has been made available by Roberto Mancini, while looking for a speedy winger is a bit harder. We do have Kightly coming back, but I'm not sure him, Hammill or Hunt have the pace we need on the opposite wing to Jarvis. Albert Adomah of Bristol City is pretty rapid, very direct and positive. A foreign player may be the option, someone unheard of to give us something different.

The coaching staff

Crap pundit, good coach

When you look at our coaching background we have Terry Connor as assistant, at Mountain for the keepers and then Tony Daley for fitness. While lower numbers will create a tight-nit unit and a great spirit, I think we need some new ideas to help out. Is it possible that the players are bored, or lack motivation? Someone new, or a well respected face could help out big time. Someone like Sammy Lee, or Ray Wilkins are both coaches available with fantastic experience and great reputations as coaches.I still believe Mick has what it takes to take us forward, but I think he needs more help.

The System

In modern football, you don't get many teams nowadays who play 4-4-2, and get a huge amount of success from it. Even Manchester United have struggled lately and with the quality of their players, it shows that when you don't play it right, you give yourself problems. The two in the middle are key, and that's where we seem to be weakest. Karl Henry does a great job of tracking, battling and tackling but he's not the best on the ball, which is fine because it shouldn't be his job. We need two dynamic players in the middle, and our closest pair to that is Henry and O'Hara, both players who like to come deep to get the ball. They are two of our most important players, and we need to start using them better.

In my opinion, our best form has always come when we have gone with a more fluid 4-5-1/4-3-3 with two attacking wingers. The three in midfield give us enough to protect the back four and also give us impetus going forward.

Mick's biggest problem is, what do we do with Doyle and Fletcher then? Fletcher is too much of a goal machine to leave out and Doyle, when in form, is superman. The closest to a solution Mick has come to has been at Old Trafford when he shifted Doyle out wide. Play him and Jarvis as more forwards than wide midfielders and it gives us the pace and power we often lack when we attack.

I would suggest a midfield and attack of this:


Edwards
Henry
O'Hara

Doyle
Fletcher
Jarvis 

Man United v Wolves preview

I'm pretty sure everyone is thinking the same thing about tomorrow's game.

Backlash.

United crash out of the Champions League, facing Channel 5 football and missing Vidic and Young through injury. It's all set up for them to play Wolves at home in their next game. Like the Chelsea game a couple of weeks ago, I'm expecting a beating.

Mick faces a few interesting dilemmas, good ones I bet he would call them. First of all, Karl Henry returns from suspension. I think we missed him last week, our vulnerability to the counter attack showing it. While we were certainly a bit more positive on the ball, Karl gives us that security and cover for the back.

Secondly, no Jody Craddock. A shame because he put in a strong performances and with a few more games may have been at his best. It would look like Roger Johnson will be the direct replacement, but a fit again Richard Stearman may be a good option. At Old Trafford last year Stearman was fantastic at centre back and right now I'd take him over 'RoJo' in his current form. Finally, our other wide midfielder. Stephen Hunt looked lacking in confidence, and I can't see him starting tomorrow. Adam Hammill impressed when he came on last Sunday and played a part in the winning goal but I see us going with Dave Edwards on the right side of midfield. I think Mick is desperate for Edwards to get a run of games under his belt so that we can finally see him at his best.

I think we will go for this side:

Thanks for that goal george, but I hope you don't start

Hennessey

Zubar
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Edwards
Henry
O'Hara
Jarvis

Doyle
Fletcher

It's quite dangerous to play 4-4-2 at Old Trafford, but at least it's a bit positive and we shouldn't see us just defending the whole game. Man United will be eager to bounce back so I only see this going one way. 3-0 United.

January Targets

Over the last couple of seasons the most we have spent is £500k in the January transfer windows, so it's silly to expect us to go out and splash the cash. There are however young players available who need games and would be a good addition to our squad. The loan signing of Jamie O'Hara should encourage the three Ms to look for more of that type. The following are players who I think we either should, or are trying to bring in.

Emmanuel Frimpong: A couple of weeks ago a friend told me we had enquired about this guy, and then a few days ago said it was a done deal. The papers seem to have picked up on it and now it's everywhere. he would be a certainty to be a crowd favourite with his all action style. He's strong in the tackle, fast and good on the ball like any Arsenal player would be.

Nedum Onuoha: I quite wanted us to go for him in the summer. It's a real waste of a good player for him to be rotting in the reserves at City. He's limited to the odd League cup appearance, he would surely be interested in a move to us. Whether it's on loan or a permanent signing, he's exactly what we need. Can play right back or centre back, a good defender and rapid.

Nicky Maynard: This is a very unlikely one, seeing as it's unlikely we'd pay 4-5 million for another forward or that he'd want to come and be back up (at first). I've watched him a few times and he's always looked class. Skillful and an eye for goal. A very good goalscoring record for a team that has struggled in the Championship over the past few years.

Michael Kightly back from his loan spell: Okay, not a signing but someone who should be back in a Wolves shirt when his loan spell at Watford ends. Hornets fans have been impressed, raving about him at times and saying he'll be back playing Premier League football soon. I'm glad to hear it, and with a run of games over the next few weeks he should be ready for first team action at Molineux. A fit and firing Michael Kightly would be a real bonus.

Got any suggestions? Think my targets are a load of rubbish? Comment below with who you think we should be going for next month!

Missing Mr.Reliable

Looking at the Wolves 2011 calender, it reminded me that we were missing an important first team member. Our Mr.Reliable, our most consistent player over the last few years when he has played.

While I appreciate the efforts of Richard Stearman and Ronald Zubar at right back, they just don't come close to Kevin Foley. His calmness, footballing ability and defensive capabilites are something we have missed at the back. Only Stephen Ward has really shown these attributes this season consistently, and with Foley on the opposite flank it would make our defence seem a lot safer.

Not to forget his efforts in midfield. In our first season he had the role of right midfielder, giving protection in front of Zubar and helping us on our way to survival. The next he got more time in his strongest position, getting a good run of games at right back and shining. When Karl Henry got injured, he also showed what a capable defensive midfielder he is.

Injury has stopped him from playing a part this season, when we have really missed him. In our five game losing streak our team looked devoid of confidence and lacking a calm head at the back. Foley gives us that. His composure on the ball would give us a nice balance with Stephen Ward on the opposite flank and Roger Johnson and Christophe Berra in the middle. Two stoppers, two players.

He's a few reserve games off full match fitness but personally, I can't wait for Mr. Reliable/Consistency to come back into the side.

Chelsea v Wolves preview

When John Terry says you are one of the best teams they've played this season, you know you've done alright.

Unfortunately that means Terry, and Chelsea, will certainly not be underestimating us.

AVB prays Stephen Ward will be rested

This is a huge game for Andre Villas-Boas, anything less than a home win and well, I think he will get the sack. Luckily for him, they are playing the right team...

Except! Maybe, just maybe Mick will remember our performance last year at Stamford Bridge, and try to replicate that this time against a more fragile Chelsea? That game is one of my favourites, we may have lost the game two nil but we gave them a right scare and also played some brilliant football at the same time.

With O'Hara and Hunt suspended it means we have to make changes and who knows, they could be blessings in disguise. Hunt hasn't played particularly well for a while now, whereas O'Hara has been caught between two positions. It all depends on the formation we play. I think Mick may go with 4-4-2, and bring Fletcher in which is a good thing, but also leaves us likely to be overrun in midfield. Then again, it worked for Liverpool last weekend.

You'd expect Matt Jarvis to come in at left midfield. I was surprised he didn't start last weekend, we badly needed his pace and with him likely to come up against Ivanovic you'd expect him to cause a few problems. In the middle, it's a question of who goes with Karl Henry? Nenad Milijas you'd think lacks the mobility, though we have seen some top performances now and then from him there. Adlene Guedioura may give us the legs there, but does he have the discipline? Tough decisions.

It all looks set for Ronald Zubar to come in at right back. Assuming he's fully fit, he could be a real bonus for us. We've lacked his enthusiasm lately and his pace and power is something we lack at the back. If he's not, Matt Doherty would be the second in line. He definitely looks like a future first choice right back for us, yes he had some problems against City in the cup but he was left isolated out there by Doyle.

Fletch could return

Expected line up:

Hennessey

Zubar
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Edwards
Henry
Milijas
Jarvis

Doyle
Fletcher

Like Everton last week, we have a good chance to frustrate the home crowd and put their players under even more pressure than they are under right now. If we try and keep the ball, and work it forward we may have a slight chance but sit back and give them the confidence to attack us and I fear for the worst.

I'll go for a 3-0 defeat, us containing them but getting tired and conceding a couple of late goals.

Talking sense

 "We will have to go down there and try and keep the ball and there's no point just punting it forward because if we do we'll end up chasing it for long periods.
"Last season I think we actually had about 50-50 possession down there and had a lot of shots on goal. We need to go there and try and pass the ball and keep it because if we don't, with their quality, we'll find it difficult to get it back.

This quote comes from an unlikely source, a man who has had his grapples in the box with strikers and head butted a post, but Christophe Berra is talking a lot of sense here!

Tactical genius

When we went to Chelsea last year, it was the first time we had really tried the possession game. We were patient and it worked a treat. We gave Chelsea a scare and could've come out of the game with something. 

If we were to do that this time against a low confidence Chelsea side then who knows what could happen. 

With Berra saying the above, you have to wonder why we don't go into games with this plan more often. Our best performances and results have generally come from us keeping the ball and playing to our strengths, it's my biggest frustration with Wolves. We have players like Nenad Milijas, who oozes class on the ball and Matt Jarvis, when gives the right service can give any full back a run for their money. 

If results were good with the style Mick seems to want us to play at the moment, you could argue a point for saying they are playing well, or that we should stick with it but we're not, it's hard to watch and we in very poor form. 

Hopefully Mick remembers that game at Stamford Bridge, or Old Trafford or against Blackpool at home because they were some great performances that we should be trying to emulate. 

Everton 2 Wolves 1

While I remain one of the most optimistic Wolves fans around, even I am now having my doubts.

The display against Everton was one of the most negative performances I have seen by a McCarthy team. Everton were nervous, playing without confidence but we basically handed them the three points.

The inclusion of Milijas made me think we were going to try to play football, with Edwards and Hunt out wide it seemed the focus would be working it through the middle. I felt sorry for Nenad out there as he seemed the only one trying to keep hold of the ball, but with so little movement he was restricted to giving it back to a defender.

When our best attacking threat is our left back, I think you need to recognise something is wrong. The question is, will Mick see this? We've had ten games of it. No urgency, no movement and no pace at all. Stephen Ward wa superb again, and with the efforts of Wayne Hennessey and Christophe Berra, the only thing looking likely to keep us above the bottom three. Once again he showed his adaptability by being a better right back than Richard Stearman.

Our wide men were anonymous, offered no support and the result of that was Doyle losing it every time he gets it. In Doyle we have a fantastic footballer, but when he is so isolated he looks average. Another player I feel sorry for out there.

And when Fletcher was finally brought on, we suddenly had another option and found small amounts of space. Two minutes into his arrival we had our first shot on goal, it was a rubbish shot but unlike the rest of the team he looked like he wanted to score.

We would have been lucky to get nil, let alone one.

Hennessey - 8

Stearman - 6
Johnson - 7
Berra - 8
Ward - 7

Edwards - 5
Henry - 7
Milijas - 6
O'Hara - 6
Hunt - 5

Doyle - 6

The most worrying thing is that this time last season we were on a very similar run, but we remained upbeat because of the way we were approaching games. There is no reason this time round to suggest our form is going to change.

Everton v Wolves preview

Wolves go to Goodison Park hoping to kick on after the win against Wigan last time out.

And I feel strangely confident about it.

Everton are a strong side, no doubt about it, and have some fantastic Premier League footballers, but it hasn't clicked for them this season. They lie in 17th, four places below us.

Then again, this may be a good time for them to get going. We have a habit of doing that don't we?

Despite the return to full fitness of Steven Fletcher, I'd expect us to continue with 4-5-1. 'Fletch' is probably our best bet for a goal, but you can't drop Kevin Doyle and we need the extra man in midfield. He's a great option to have on the bench anyway.

Hopefully we will see Matt Jarvis back to his best. He's been inconsistent recently, but his performance against Wigan suggests he is confident and ready to stake a claim for another England call up. When he's playing well there isn't a full back in the league who can stop him, and he's a huge asset to the club.

Here is the team I expect us to go with:

Hennessey

Stearman
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Hunt
Edwards
Henry
O'Hara
Jarvis

Doyle

I'm going to go with a well earned one all draw, with Edwards getting the goal. If we get in their faces from the start and frustrate the home crowd early on its anyone's game.

Wolves 3 Wigan 1

It was a case of job done at Molineux on Sunday.

It didn't matter how, but we simply had to win. It was nervy and painfully low on quality but we'll take that for those three precious points that lift us to 13th in the table.

Wigan themselves had to win, and it was the battle of two teams low on confidence and we came out on top. We can put the myth that we always lose to the lower placed teams to bed for now, I reckon. 

The most encouraging thing to come from the game was the spine of our team. Right through the middle we had good performances. Wayne Hennessey made some good saves, important ones while Roger Johnson and Christophe Berra returned to their early season form. Karl Henry was as solid as ever, it was brilliant to see him make the second goal with a strong positive run.

Jamie O'Hara and Kevin Doyle were the most important parts though. They were are two players with real quality, who we could rely on to make something happen and that's how the first goal came about. it was genius from Doyle, and O'Hara got in the position's he'd been getting in for the last three or four games to put the pull back away.

Hennessey - 7

Stearman - 6
Johnson - 7
Berra - 8
Ward - 6

Guedioura - 5
Edwards - 7
Henry - 7
O'Hara - 8
Hunt - 7

Doyle - 8

Subs - Jarvis - 7, Milijas - 6.

We've got a two week break to prepare for a trip to Goodison Park. It's a decent chance to get some very good points away, how good would it look if we got something there after the horrible run we've just experienced?

Manchester City v Wolves preview

If Wolves come away with anything less than a beating come 5pm on Saturday, I think we can all feel grateful. But against a ruthless Manchester City team, it's going to be one hell of a hard task.

The last time we came to what is now the 'Etihad' Stadium, we were involved in a fantastic football match. We went one nil up, City raced into a four one lead and then we scared the life out of them, coming back to four three with rare Geoffrey Mujangi Bia and Stephen Mouyokolo cameo performances to go with it.

There's a similarity to that game and the cup tie on Wednesday. It was the spell where every time City attacked, they seemed to score. They did that for three minutes forty two seconds a couple of days ago, and when we last went to City Tevez and co. turned it on and scored three in fifteen minutes. Mainly, it's because they have fantastic footballers who can at will tear us apart, but I also feel it's down to lack of concentration on our part. Once the first one goes in, that really breaks us down, westop doing what we were doing so well before that.

It's hard to predict what team Mick will pick and what formation we will go with. Will he make changes at the back? Will he bring in those that impressed in the cup, like Nenad Milijas, Adlene Guedioura, Stephen Hunt and even Sam Vokes? Will he stick with 4-4-2, or put an extra man in the midfield so that we don't get over run. I'm hoping Mick goes with that latter, because it's painful to watch when we clearly need some one else there, like last Saturday.

If there's one player I want in the side, it's Nenad Milijas. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the Serbian and I think he deserves a chance in his proper position this time. Against Albion he played further forward, and had less effect than when he came on against Swansea and played the deep lying role. It also lets Jamie O'Hara play as the attacking midfielder and give him the freedom he needs. He's scored two good goals since playing there in the last two games.

I can see Mick going with this:

We need a performance from Johnson at the back, urgently

Hennessey

Stearman
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Henry
Milijas

Jarvis
O'Hara
Hunt

Doyle

I'd be happy with that, and think it gives us our best chance against this scary City team.

Hopefully we can gives them a scare ourselves, and show that this bad run of form is just a (bad) blip. Come on you Wolves.

Missing: £4m Premier League defender

After two clean sheets in the first three games it finally looked like we had sorted our defence. We had a new leader ready to push us on up the table. For those first few games, I really enjoyed watching (and hearing!) him. Since then, Roger Johnson has been barely recognisable. 

He looks a shadow of the defender that has been tipped for an England call up over the past year, looking clueless and shot of the confidence he brought to the defence when he arrived.


And while I was watching our game on Saturday I thought 'who is the real captain here' as I watched Karl Henry barking out orders and getting information of Mick when substitutions were made.

Come on Roger, sort it out

Karl was the only one who you can say had a decent game, never hiding, making incisive passes and making some excellent challenges at the back. In fact, you could say he has played quite well all season, which is why it seems crazy that he is the crowd's target for abuse often.

Like the team, Roger was much better in the latter stages of the Swansea game. He started taking a bit of responsibility at the back. It didn't come long after the ridiculous 'One Jody Craddock' chant, maybe he responds to that kind of thing?

There's no way he will be dropped for our league game at City, and he will also remain as captain. He does have some serious thinking to do until then, and let's hope for our sake that he has sorted himself out by the time we kick off at the Etihad Stadium.

Will Mick ring in the changes?

As usual, plenty of focus will be on Mick McCarthy's team selection for the lunchtime kick off tomorrow.

The way we set up will be huge against a Swansea side who will set out to frustrate by keeping the ball. It's the type of game where Wolves fans will start to lose their patience very quickly.

I see Mick going with 4-5-1 like last week but maybe with different personnel.

Right Back

While Richard Stearman has had a couple of decent performances at right back, I think his place may be under threat. While Zubar and Foley may be out of the game, Matt Doherty was excellent on his debut and has impressed in the reserves. It is the young Irishman's natural position, and this would be an great opportunity for him to break into the side.

Drop O'Hara? 

It's clear that Jamie O'Hara has underperformed lately, and that he could do with a break. Dropping him could give him the kick up the arse he needs to bring him back to the form we know he is capable of. I can see Dave Edwards being brought into the side, this is the type of game he excels in. He is a nuisance to the other team, and adds a goal threat.


Outwide

Neither of our wingers had a particularly great game last week, so could both easily be dropped. We could do with the fight, and dead ball ability Stephen Hunt adds so I can see Matty Jarvis given a rest. He looks short on confidence, and like O'Hara maybe being dropped could do him some good.

Here's the team I think we might go with:

Hennessey

Doherty
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Hammill
Henry
Edwards
Milijas
Hunt

Doyle

An early goal would do a world of good, it would get the fans on the players side and maybe we might see the confidence we saw in the first few games. We desperately need a win, so I'm going with 2-1 to Wolves.

One of three

After hearing that Stephen Fletcher was a doubt for the game on Sunday the first thing that came to mind was, 'It's got to be 4-5-1'.  In fact as important as Fletcher is for us it could be a blessing in disguise, just for this game.

This looks like it is going to be a tight game with both sides desperate to avoid defeat to their closest rivals. With Peter Odemwingie also a doubt it means Albion are also more likely to pack the midfield. That's where the game will be won, and if we make a similar mistake to the one against QPR (in terms of selection and formation) the witch hunt will definitely be out for Mick.

But who comes in? Well for me it is one of a possible three.

Dave Edwards, Nenad Milijas and Adlene Guedioura.

All have their strengths and weaknesses, but it's a tough trio to decide from.

While Edwards brings enthusiasm and forward runs, he also lacks the quality. Milijas brings composure and keeps possesion but perhaps lacks the mobility and aggression for a derby like this. Adlene Guedioura (extremely impressive against Newcastle when he came on) has the grit, determination and skill yet the problem with him is discipline and the fear that he will do something reckless or stupid.

It's a tough choice, assuming Mick goes with a five man midfield.

What would you go with?

Four in a row: Wolves 1 Newcastle 2

A fourth consecutive defeat leaves Wolves sliding towards the bottom of the table.

Although we conceded two very silly goals, overall I thought we actually played pretty well. The first goal is hard to tell who should be stopping it, but for the second there was a number of errors that lead to it. O'Hara, Henry and Johnson all played their part. Jamie O'Hara was way to casual on the edge of the area, giving away possession while Karl Henry, who had twice recovered the ball brilliantly, played the ball to Stephen Hunt who was looking the over way. To cap it off, Roger Johnson is turned inside out by Gutierrez who then finishes. A lot for Mick to work on in that area.

Attacking wise, we were threatening but wasteful. 25 attempts on goal, one scored. There are a number of factors for that. Firstly, we were miscuing our headers, volleys and shots. Doyle dragged a couple wide, Fletcher and Johnson both had very good opportunities and O'Hara had several shots wide and blocked. Secondly the Newcastle defenders and keeper were excellent. All day long they threw themselves in front of the ball, while Tim Krul had an unbelievable game in goal.

Finally, the major talking point, the officials. I'm at loss to how Mark Halsey thinks Steven Taylor's challenge on O'Hara is outside the area. It was clearly inside, and to make it worse minutes later we were denied once again when Jarvis was tripped. And then the disallowed goal. It had never, ever, entered my mind that when Jarvis brilliantly headed Hammill's cross back into the six yard box that it had gone out of play. It's truly unbelievable. How can the referee be sure that it has gone out, if it hasn't? Overall, not just the the key decisions, the officials were poor.

Hennessey - 6

Stearman - 6
Johnson - 6
Berra - 6
Ward - 7

Hunt - 5
Henry - 6
O'Hara - 6
Jarvis - 6

Doyle - 7
Fletcher - 7

Subs: Guedioura - 8, Hammill - 7

It will be very interesting to see how we line up next week due to the impressive performances of both our subs. Adlene Guedioura in particular was excellent, playing well next to Jamie O'Hara in midfield. He won the ball, took players on and fed the ball into our attackers. He must be pushing for a start, the only question is who does he replace? We have seen him play well in the middle in a 4-5-1, but that would mean breaking up the Doyle-Fletcher partnership. In a  4-4-2, it seems unlikely that he would drop Karl Henry who had a decent game today.

Whatever we go with, we desperately need a result in a tough game at our nearest rivals.

Wolves v Newcastle Preview

With three defeats on the bounce, it's vital that Wolves get a positive result tomorrow against Newcastle.

A fourth consecutive defeat and even the most optimistic supporters, like myself, will start to worry and wonder where we are going.

Newcastle have surprised most of the critics so far this season, remaining unbeaten so far and lying in fourth place. With Hatem Ben Arfa just regaining match fitness, it's looking bright for Alan Pardew's men.

Back to Wolves, who desperately need a good start to the game. If we play like we did in the second half last week at Anfield and take our chances then we could get a decent result as surely Newcastle are due a defeat soon?

Doherty could make his first league start

With 4-5-1 not having the desired effect last week in the first half, I'm fairly sure we will go with two up top this time. Fletcher is back fit, and we will be hoping for a good performance from Kevin Doyle after recently signing a new contract. He has had a poor start to the season by his standards, hopefully he can now kick on and get back to his best.

The only other possible change to the starting line up could be the youngster Matt Doherty replacing Richard Stearman, who is doubtful for the game. It is brilliant to see a young player get a chance, even though it came through injury. Whenever he has played in the first team, he has looked confident and assured.

Our possible line up:

Kevin Doyle is due a performance

Hennessey

Doherty
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Hunt
Henry
O'Hara
Jarvis

Doyle
Fletcher

With that line up, I'm confident. There's goals in that team, and we are due a couple or more. I'm going with 2-1 to Wolves.

Four or Five?

That's probably the most important question of the week. Will Mick go with four in midfield again, or five?

While the clues lead to us switching to 4-5-1, it's not too unlikely Wolves could line up with two forwards. Steven Fletcher has returned to training, and is certainly an option. Playing one striker, would leave us with a anothher real quality one on the bench.

Looking at our midweek confidence booster against Millwall, it looks as if Mick was planning to go with 4-5-1. Dave Edwards, Nenad Milijas and Adlene Guedioura all impressed in the middle and while not all of them will start, you'd expect at least one of them to.

Nenad Milijas has that quality on the ball that we have looked lacking in recently, and is a fantastic player to have when you are keeping the ball. However, this might not be the game for him as an away game on a big pitch may not suit him, especially at Liverpool.

Dave Edwards has excelled in the second striker role at times behind Doyle. He was the match winner against Manchester City last season, and when put in that position again versus Blackpool he was once again a handful. He played just 45 minutes last week, is that a pointer to whether he will start or is it that he is just regaining fitness?

The last man of the three is the one I expect to see start. From various reports, it was as if Adlene Guedioura ran the game on Wednesday. He contributed to at least two goals, the second a fantastic strike from him. With him finally looking fit, will we see the Guedioura we saw on his home debut against Tottenham a year and a half ago?

That's all if we play 4-5-1, and if we do this is how I see the team:

Hennessey

Stearman
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Hammill
Guedioura
Henry
O'Hara
Jarvis

Doyle

Another face who hasn't seen much first team football is Adam Hammill. He will be raring to go, especially against his old club and I am excited to see what he can offer.

With the team above, I think it gives us a decent chance of getting something against a Liverpool side still stinging from a four nil defeat at White Hart Lane. They scraped through to the next round of the cup against Brighton also, with several key players featuring. I think it will be close. 2-1 to Liverpool, which in fairness isn't a bad result. Of course, I;m hoping for a performance similar to last years at Anfield.

Wolves 0 QPR 3

What is their to say about today's performance. Well, a lot.

The first ten minutes were the most torturous, agonizing and painful of watching Wolves, and the following 80 plus weren't much better either.

Why after such a good start, when we should still be filled with confidence, did we put in a performance as abject and lifeless as that?

First you have to look at our tactics. Although QPR are a team full of new players, they had a lot of good ones and were too much for us today. Our four man midfield was no match for the five QPR put out. Henry and O'Hara were left stranded, while Jarvis looks a shadow of his usual self and nothing went right for Kightly. With the injury of Steven Fletcher, surely it was obvious that we could bring in a midfielder like Nenad Milijas to help us keep possession. Not just that, but taking Stephen Ward out of the defence significantly weakened our defence in that first half.

Secondly, the players themselves. The defence was nowhere near as good as in the previous four games. Roger Johnson was quiet, Stearman was clumsy and Elokobi was hopeless. Christophe Berra was the best of a bad bunch, he was solid for most of the game. Most worryingly for me, is we look clueless going forward. Our wingers, for whatever reason fell short of the standard needed and Kevin Doyle was anonymous. After scoring against Fulham, I was sure he would kick on but he just hasn't been himself.

Maybe I am taking away too much from Neil Warnock's men though. They zipped the ball about brilliantly, pulling us apart and finding space with ease. If they play like that for more or less every game, they shouldn't have too many problems this season.

Hennessey - 7

Stearman - 5
Johnson - 5
Berra - 6
Elokobi - 4

Kightly - 6
Henry - 6
O'Hara - 5
Jarvis - 5

Doyle - 5
Ward - 7

Subs: Guedioura - 4, Vokes - 6, Hunt - 5

It doesn't get any easier next week, with a trip to Anfield looming (after the cup game v Millwall) but the last timewe went there we had come off the back of a poor performance at home.

Wolves 0 Spurs 2

It's hard to be disappointed after a flying start to the season, but there is still a feeling that we could have got something from yesterday's game.

For most of the game we competed well, kept possession and if anything looked the better side. This however, as we all know by now, is a cruel league and two moments of quality knocked the stuffing out of us.

With the chances we had we perhaps could have taken more from the game, maybe even three points. It wasn't to be, and the only noticeable difference between the two sides was the cutting edge Spurs had in the final third. Too many times we would build our way up to the edge of the area and look a bit clueless. Certainly something to work on. 

Michael Kightly was handed his first league start of the season. I had my worries when I saw his name in the line up, but he was a lot fitter than I expected and only seems to be a couple of games away from having the sharpness required. It was an encouraging display from him.

In the middle of midfield, Karl Henry and Jamie O'Hara can be fairly pleased with their performances overall. At times, both were sloppy and gave away the ball in dangerous areas but they have the makings of a strong partnership and there were more signs of it today. How fantastic would it have been if Henry's dribble and shot had resulted in a goal?

Richard Stearman is growing with confidence in every game. Many would consider him our weak spot in the team yet he was our strongest performer today. He never looked troubled, and handled Gareth Bale well as did Stephen Ward.

Hennesey - 7

Stearman - 8
Johnson - 7
Berra - 7
Ward - 7

Kightly - 7
O'Hara - 7
Henry - 7
Hunt - 7

Doyle - 7
Fletcher - 7

We have a good opportunity next week to bounce back against QPR, another home game. It could be a good test of how much we have improved, and to see how we handle the games against the teams we would expect to beat.

Wolves v Tottenham preview

This international break felt like the longest there has been, our game v Villa seems like it was ages ago!

Wolves face a confidence drained Tottenham side, with an unhappy Luka Modric and zero points on the board. We know what that means then!

Or do we? It feels like this year we are ready to take advantage of other team's bad luck or poor form.

But even an understrength or less confident Spurs team is still a dangerous one. Gareth Bale is one of the world's best wingers, and he now has a proper target man for his crosses. For all his height, Peter Crouch is not as good in the air as Emmanuel Adebayor and Wolves will have to be wary of him.

As much as Mick claims Jamie O'Hara has nothing to prove, I'm sure Jamie will want to stick a goal or two past his old team. He may feel that he was never given a chance under Harry Redknapp, which I think is an advantage for us. It's going to be vital that him and Karl Henry are at the top of their game.

It's very likely that we will go with the same team for the fourth game running. I'm not sure when the last time that happened, but for me it is a good thing and if we can resist altering the side then we can go from strength to strength.

Hennessey

Stearman
Johnson
Berra
Ward

Hunt
Henry
O'Hara
Jarvis

Fletcher
Doyle

We've had some entertaining games against Spurs in the last couple of years, I expect this to be similar. We will try not to open the game up, be patient and careful. I think if we can get plenty of crosses in, then we have a chance as that is where Tottenham have had problems so far this season.

Post Hoc, Ergo, Propter Hoc‏

Once again, here is Phil Chell with another article for the blog. 

For anyone reading this that knows me you will know that my favourite tv program of all time is The West Wing. Now, forgive me for saying that I don't believe the average Wolves fan will know what it is but be that as it may and truer words have never been spoken. The American political system isn't something that appeals to many.

There is an episode when the amiable, likeable and folksy President Bartlett played brilliantly by Martin Sheen, comes out with the saying 'Post Hoc, Ergo, Propter Hoc'. This is Latin and means 'after, therefore, because of it'. Roughly put in lamens terms it means one thing leads to another. However I don't always agree with it.

Case in point; our current league position. As I write this we sit 5th which is our lowest position this season. We have topped the table and held Champions League positions. We have 7 points from 3 games, and are unbeaten. Now even the most optimistic Wolves fan would see this as a good yet somewhat fortuitous start and we will soon find ourselves in the bottom half. Or 'after our little purple patch we will lose key players to injury and we'll slip down the league as usual'. After, therefore, because of it. 

Well I don't think so.

I think our squad at the moment is as good as, or even better than teams like Fulham, Bolton, Stoke and Albion all of whom I'd class as a mid table teams.

Last year we didn't really have a settled line up. This year the same team has started the 3 league games. Also, when Mick made 11 changes for the league cup game, there were 4 or 5 players who were in our best line up last year. I agree that injuries could be a problem, especially if we lose either Johnson, Jarvis, Doyle or Fletcher but I think we have enough strength on depth to survive this campaign easily. 

But there are 35 games to go. In the words of President Bartlett 'what's next?'

Aston Villa 0 Wolves 0

Well done Wolves. Another good away point that takes us to seven points from three games.

It was the type of performance we have lacked since returning to the Premier League. A tight game, where neither side looked like scoring. Last season we were a bit guilty of keeping the game open when maybe we shouldn't have. Against a pacy Villa team we did well to stop them from creating very little openings.

Credit for that goes to the manager. I was annoyed when Mick took Hunt and Jarvis off, for Elokobi and Foley but it was an excellent decision. After twenty minutes of pressure, we finally started to keep the ball better. Ward and Foley as the wide midfielders did that excellently.

Wayne Hennessey put in another confident, solid performance. He made a very good save from Gabby Agbonlahor after he breezed past Roger Johnson. He also made important punches from dangerous crosses, one in particular at the beginning of the game.

It's quite hard to believe, but our best player over the last three games has been our left back. Stephen Ward was assured at the back and intelligent going forward. In fact, I would go as far as saying he was our most dangerous player attacking wise!

It's a good sign that we didn't play particularly well and yet still managed to take a point away from home. In a situation like this last year, we may have crumbled under the pressure and lost the game by two or three goals.

Hennessey - 8

Stearman - 6
Johnson - 7
Berra - 7
Ward - 8

Hunt - 7
Henry - 7
O'Hara - 6
Jarvis - 6

Doyle - 6
Fletcher - 7

We have two home games coming up now, where we have been very strong in the last year or so. Can we maintain our unbeaten run going, it's a scary thought.

Aston Villa v Wolves preview

Until last week, the best all round performance I could think of was Villa away last term.

If Wolves could replicate something like that performance, and the one against Fulham then this is a game we can look forward too.

When Alex McLeish was appointed as Aston Villa's manager, my immediate thought for them was a relegation battle. not only would he be coming from the enemy, but he would also bring a brand of negative football that any fan would find hard to sit through. So far though seems to have escaped criticism from the fans and they have had a pretty decent start, taking four out of a possible six points.

This is a good opportunity for Wolves to turn the fans against him, as anything less than three points in the eyes of Villa fans will be a bad result. If Wolves can frustrate Villa from the start, just like last time,  the fans and then the players will start to get anxious.

We will need our defence to be strong once again, with the likes of Charles N'Zogbia, Gabby Agbonlahor and Darren Bent all likely to start. That is a very quick, and skillful, attack to deal with. So far though, Roger Johnson has had a great impact on our defence, we look twice as solid. he will need to be at his best to give us a chance of getting a clean sheet.

I honestly can't see Mick changing the team from the last two games, I can't see a reason to either!

Hennessey

Stearman
Johnson
Berra
Ward
Hunt
Henry
O'Hara
Jarvis

Doyle
Fletcher

It's going to be an interesting game. It's one we could definitely get something from, but a tough test for our team no doubt. I'm going for 1-1.

Wolves 2 Fulham 0

What a perfect game.

Two goals, clean sheet and another assured performance.

Whether it is Survival Sunday, the fitness of Jamie O'Hara or installing Roger Johnson as captain, something has really given us that kick up the ass we needed to push upwards and onwards.


While I don't want to get ahead of myself, we really could have a season to remember. We now seem to be an accomplished Premier League side.

Our two wide men caused Fulham problems throughout the game. Stephen Hunt had  the better of John Arne-Riise, and Matty Jarvis was quietly effective. He now has two assists and a goal to his name, and is in fine form. Surely another England call up is due?


Looking through our team, we have a great British and Irish spine, as good (if not better) as any team in the bottom half. If we can keep this as our spine: Hennesey-Johnson/Berra-O'Hara/Henry-Doyle/Fletcher and get as many games out of them as possible then we can't go far wrong.


Karl Henry looks a different player. He had Danny Murphy in his pocket. It was a great moment when he turned four or five times and Murphy, who was clearly affected by the crowd, couldn't get the ball off of him. Henry and O'Hara, look like they have enough about them to control the game in a 4-4-2, which makes life a lot easier.


I was glad to see Kevin Doyle find the back of the net too. After an early miss, it was good for him to a get a goal that he badly needed. Him and Fletcher with the right service will get goals, as well as them being two terrific footballers.


And then there is Stephen Ward. Another top class performance by the Irishman will continue to add to his growing reputation with the fans. His two blocks in quick succession were nothing short of heroic.


Hennesey - 8


Stearman - 7
Johnson - 7.5
Berra - 7.5
Ward - 8


Hunt - 8
O'Hara - 7.5
Henrty - 9
Jarvis - 8


Doyle - 7.5
Fletcher - 8

Villa up next in the league. A tough away match, but it was last time we played them!

The Don

Here's another article by Phil Chell, on a (surely) soon to be new hero at Wolves.

Those of you who read my first piece for this website about Michael Kightly will have noticed that I tend to write with a certain flair or excitement. This is partly due to, being a creative person, the need to be inspired to write something that I will be proud of due to my own high standards. Louie (the website’s editor) asked me fairly quickly after I’d written my first article to contribute another. I said I would but in few weeks or if he gave me something specific to write about. That was about a week ago so I though, leading up to the opening game that I’d wait and see if anything or anyone flicked my switches. 

Someone did; Big time.

Now, if you read any paper over the last few weeks you will have been told that Wolves paid anything from £4 million to £7 million for Roger Johnson (Wolves continuing their dignified transfer policy by not revealing financial details). Being very honest, I didn’t know that much about him. I remember him fouling someone against us last season at Molineux for what was a stonewall penalty that was never given.

So I went to my local pub to watch the game with around 20 other Wolves fans/friends. The start of the season is exciting at anytime but for some reason this season has got me almost salivating at the prospect of the little round ball being kicked around by 22 over-paid men. I wasn’t disappointed either. The first 15-20 minutes were a little edgy and, as is always the way with Wolves, it took the opposition to score to bring us to life. Once we equalised I always knew we’d end up winning; call it arrogance or stupidity, either way I just knew. But that wasn’t what got me so excited. It was Johnson’s performance that did.

First of all, I think MM making him captain was a great move of two accounts; first off it frees up Henry who I still have mixed feelings about but second, it has put the captaincy where I feel it needs to be in any football team, at the back. 

The first thing that got me with Johnson was how vocal he was in terms of organisation at set pieces through to motivating everyone. He also read the game so well, he was always where he needed to be and was never caught out of position. However, it was one particular piece of action that made me realise that we have a very special player. 

It was around 22 minutes in and it was 1-1. Blackburn attacked down the wing and played a short pass inside to Formica. Johnson read it beautifully and took it of Blackburn and broke down the attack. That in its self was a great piece of defending. However, instead of clearing it up field he did something I haven’t seen us do for a long time; he PLAYED his way out of defence, RAN 70 yards and passed it and finally was in the box to attempt a header. We didn’t score obviously but that move alone showed me something our defence hasn’t shown in a long, long, time. Intelligence. 

Intelligence to read the move. Intelligence to play out instead of clearing. Intelligence to fill in at the back while he went forward. 

I know that it is early days and I shouldn’t get carried away. But I can’t help but think that, yet again, Mick McCarthy’s initials actually do stand for Merlin the Magician.

Professional: Blackburn 1 Wolves 2

Take one long hard look at the league table. Savour it, 'cause it ain't gonna get much better than that.

Wolves put in a strong, determined performance mixed in with moments of guile and quality. It was very much a professional, Premier League display that gives us reasons to be hopeful this year.

Overall you could say Wolves were 'good value' for their win as Matthew Le Tissier put it. At times we looked ragged but the defence came through the spells of pressure and while the goal we conceded was  a poor one to let in, it was also quite unlucky.

There were several performances to pick out. Matthew Jarvis looks like he has been working hard on the training ground. He looks like a more considered player, still with the pace and trickery to take his man on as shown when he won our penalty.

While in my preview I said (the impressive) Roger Johnson could be the man to take us to the next level, Jamie O'Hara could be every bit as important. With a full pre-season behind him, he looks ready to kick on and his performance today convinced me he is the man to make 4-4-2 work. His all round game is perfect for it, breaking up playing and moving us forward quickly.

Our match winner, Stephen Ward had a solid game at left back. He never really looked troubled by Hoillet, and his goal was a stunning effort. Every year he improves and looks more and more a Premier League footballer. On the opposite side, Kevin Foley had a class game when he came on at half time for the injured Richard Stearman.

Hennessey - 7

Stearman - 6
Johnson - 7
Berra - 7
Ward - 8

Jarvis - 8
Henry - 7
O'Hara - 8
Hunt - 6

Fletcher - 7
Doyle - 7

Subs: Foley - 8, Elokobi - 6, Maierhofer (not enough time to judge)

This time last year we were saying similar things after an excellent performance against Stoke. This time, can we kick on from a good solid start and have a comfortable season. We;ll just have to wait and see.

Are you ready? Blackburn v Wolves preview

Football is back!

Forget pre-season, that doesn't really count. We only have a day until we kick off a new Barclays' Premier League season and I'm getting terribly excited!

We go to Ewood Park hoping to end our poor run of results there and against Blackburn too. We are yet to win against them in six Premier League games, all records have to come to end at some point right?

With Roger Johnson in defence there is a cause for optimism and belief that we will be stronger at the back, that we can hold out when under pressure. Our new captain could be the man to take us to the next level.

It's less than three months since our last game, against tomorrow's opponents and we will hope that it will be an entirely different occasion. The first forty five minutes of that game where we looked down are ones we would like to put behind us, a good performance tomorrow will do that.

With Phil Jones sold and potentially no Christopher Samba and Ryan Nelsen, this is a good chance to get at a usually strong Blackburn defence. There will certainly be some shifting around at the back, which would be to our advantage. If we can press them high up, and get plenty of crosses in it may cause panic and create openings for Kevin Doyle (if fit) and Steven Fletcher.

The partnership of Doyle and Fletcher is something that will be interesting to see. If Doyle passes his fitness test, which it looks like he will, then both will almost certainly start. There were glimpses of an understanding last year in the few times they were both actually on the pitch and a strong partnership between the two could be one of the best outside the top six or seven.

Here is what I reckon Mick will go with:

Hennessey

Remember this goal?

Stearman
Johnson
Berra
Elokobi

Jarvis
Henry
O'Hara
Hunt

Doyle
Fletcher

There are question marks over Doyle and O'Hara's fitness. If we were to lose the two of them, I'd expect us to switch to a 451, with Nenad Milijas and possibly David Davis coming in. There may even be a place for Stephen Ward, who performed particularly well with Fletcher towards the end of the season.

If you are going to the game have a good time, (hopefully) enjoy the game and make sure you get behind the lads.

I'm going for a score draw, which I would take right now. 1-1

Team news, ask the oppo, prediction league

About our opponents
Blackburn Rovers hold an excellent Premier League record a Wolves, undefeated in all our meetings. Ewood Park has proved to be somewhere we dread to play, conceding eleven in three games there and scoring just two. This is a huge season for Rovers. After sacking Sam Allardyce and bringing Steve Kean, form deteriorated and only a late surge kept them up. Kean is yet to win over Rovers fans, along with the Venky's, and needs to get off to a good start to keep the pressure off.

Form
Blackburn last six games: LLWDDW
Wolves last six games: DLDWWL
Blackburn at home last season: 7 wins, 7 draws, 5 defeats
Wolves away last season: 3 wins, 3 draws, 13 defeats

Last six games v each other: Blackburn 4 wins, 2 draws, Wolves 0 wins

What happened last time?
Blackburn came to Molineux on the final day of the season for 'Surival Sunday'. Blackburn stormed into a three nil lead at half time, practically securing their Premier League status. In the second half, they took their foot off the gas and Wolves pulled two back which would ultimately keep us up.

Team news
Steve Kean is hopeful that Chris Samba will be fit, but the defender remains a doubt.
Ryan Nelsen may not feature. 
Kevin Doyle is rated at 70/30 to be fit.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake could be ready in time, but Kightly is doubtful.
Adlene Guedioura and Dave Edwards are still missing with injury.

Ask the oppo
This week I was grateful to get answers from Blackburn fan Carsten

It's best we start off with 'survival sunday', what was your experience of it like? 

Oh boy what a ride that was! Although Rovers were in danger of going down on the final day, I was always confident we would stay up. Well, almost. When I woke up on Survival Sunday my stomach hurt really bad, and I couldn't relax at all. Had a couple of sandwiches for breakfast, then a couple of beers, finally headed to the pub, where all Rovers fans in Oslo meet up whenever we can. I don't remember too much about the game, but what a relief it was when we got the first goal! From that point on I was sure we were safe. Little did I know that it would be one hell of a roller-coaster towards the end! Luckily we could all walk home safe, and meet again on the opening day of this season!

Manager's popularity out of 10? 

Good question. I think on a scale form 1 to 10, it would be about 5. A lot of fans are still not convinced about the new owners, and certainly not Steve Kean because it is his first job as a manager. Personally I think he is doing a fairly good job, but it's still early days, and it's hard to really judge until the season is well under way. I think we played some decent football after he took charge, and the signings he has made seems to be good, although I never heard of any of them before they were linked with Rovers. I'm staying optimistic.

What should be the aim for Blackburn this season?

Top ten. A lot of experts think we are going down, but I can't see that happening with the squad we have got now. If Samba stays, and we can get one more striker in, I think we are looking ok. Hopefully also another centre half will be coming in this window, and then we should be able to push for a top ten finish.

Who should Wolves watch out for?Hoilett is obviously a threat, but I think also Rochina and Formica are ready to make an impact this season, and could surprise a few people.

What do you think of Wolves signings, and how do you think we will do this season?Looks solid. Roger Johnson and O'Hara if I'm right? Solid players with experience. Not too spectacular, but should make sure you are in a better position than last season.

Finally, prediction for the game?Gotta say we need to win at home, and get off to a good start, and I think the squad knows how important this is, if only to calm down some fans. Could well be the same result as when we last met. Rovers 3 - Wolves 2.

 

You can follow Carsten on twitter! @carsten86

Prediction League

The prediction league is back! Can Bob China keep his crown and or will he have it stolen off him?

Just post your predictions of the 9 Premier league fixtures as a comment to enter.

Blackburn v Wolves
Fulham v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Sunderland
QPR v Bolton
Wigan v Norwich
Newcastle v Arsenal
Stoke v Chelsea
Man Utd v West Brom
Man City v Swansea

It's five points for a correct result, ten for a correct scoreline and three for each correct scorer!

International Farce

Once again, Wolves have been struck by injuries while one of our players is off on international duty. Blackburn and Fulham fans will be delighted to hear that Kevin Doyle has been ruled out for 2-3 weeks with injury, it's almost a disaster for us.

Mick had already aired his concerns about the timing of these friendlies and it's hard to disagree. What purpose do they serve? None of the games actually matter.

Weirdly, this is the third year running that we will start the season without Doyle. He missed the game v West Ham in the first year (due to injury from internationals I believe?!!) and the game against Stoke last year.

Now is the chance for someone else to step up, and grab their chances. The obvious candidate to replace Doyle is Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. He started last season in fine form, his performance against Stoke was brilliant and his partnership with Fletcher worked well. He seems most likely to be the man who comes in.

Unbelievably, the next man in line could be Stefan Maierhofer! 'The neck' was brought on with around 20-30 minutes left on Saturday, and put in a good performance. He looks desperate to impress and maybe he will return to the place where he scored his only Premier League goal?

Another alternative may be switching to 4-5-1. It has served us well in the past couple of years, and this could be a good opportunity for Nenad Milijas to stake his claim for a regular place in the team. I'm a big fan or the Serbian, it seems a great shame that such talent could be wasted on the bench. Changing formations may leave us thin on back u pin the midfield area, David Davis would be the only other centre midfielder left unless Mick thinks of Kevin Foley as a midfielder now

What do you make of Doyle's injury and who would you replace him with?

Wolves 2 Real Zaragoza 0

Wolves finish their pre-season preparations with a comfortable two nil victory over Spanish side Real Zaragoza.

Overall, it was an impressive performance with some standout players.

In general, our midfield was strong and coped well with only two centre midfielders. Henry and O'Hara both did well, putting in strong tackles and linking up well. On the wings, we started with Jarvis and Hunt who were both contenders for man of the match. Hunt was his usual self, getting into the opposition and also putting in quality crossing. Jarvis, my man of the match looks a new player. He remains a player who can take on his marker, but he also showed intelligence on the ball and neat bits of skill. Another England call up is not far away.

Our new captain gave a good account of himself, displaying all the qualities we have lacked at the back for some time. Relentless talking (screaming), comfortable on the ball and excellent in the air. He looks a bargain at £4m (if that is true). Rather strangely, we went with Stearman at right back and Zubar at centre back. It gives me the idea that Stearman will start the season as first choice right back. He did well in the game, but looked uncomfortable at times, likewise with Zubar at centre half. At left back, Stephen Ward linked up excellently with Jarvis and Hunt down the left creating openings time and time again. When George Elokobi came on for him, he did a similar job and got our opener with a scrappy effort.

Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher are yet to strike a real partnership, but individually we saw what good players we have up front. Fletcher was a menace in the air, while Doyle won the ball back countless times and opened up the defence with his movement.

The team we started with, except with Berra in for Zubar and Elokobi in for Ward, is the team I expect to start at Ewood Park next week. It's a solid looking team, which may put us in good stead against a physical Blackburn side. It would be great for us to finally get a result there and start the season with a bang.

My favourite player: #3 Frank Munro

Here's an article sent to me by Steve Gelder, on Frank Munro.

Not as easy as it sounds picking a favourite player as I enter my 47th year as a Wolves fan.

I was too young to appreciate the latter stages of players like Peter Broadbent or Ron Flowers but I was fortunate to witness the genius of Peter Knowles who left the game when I was 14: Knocker's antics on the pitch were pure theatre combined with flair, arrogance and a likeability factor (not dissimilar to George Best - my favourite all time player and a Wolves fan!). The 70's are where my fondest memories lie, not just because of the relative success achieved but it also accorded with a period in my life where I had the resources: time and money - to follow the Wolves all over the country. This was a fertile period to select a favourite player from (Kenny Hibbitt, Waggy, John Richards the Doog), all forward thinking players you notice. It is therefore surprising that my choice for favourite player is the mercurial Frank Munro.

Big Frank was signed as an inside forward from Aberdeen having scored a hat trick against Wolves in the final of a cup competition in America and was regarded as one of the most skillful players in that position. His move to centre back was genius, his ball control, dribbling ability and creative thinking, aligned to the natural qualities required of a 'brick wall stopper' created a player that was…….well……… like an e-type jaguar inside a Sherpa tank. People talk of Beckenbaur, or Rio Ferdinand as the ultimate footballing centre half but Frank was much better. Maybe not as lean……………………….ok…… numerous pints in the Mermaid would suggest “solid” but any player possessed with that type of audacious talent and confidence creates more time and space than most “run of the mills” This was even more impressive in a centre back position, we never knew what to expect (that included John Mcalle and Phil Parkes).

As indicated earlier, Frank was Scottish and liked a wee dram or two, he also possessed toughness as Peter Osgood found out once at Molineux. Frank had done his trademark dummy to let the ball run out for a goal kick, Ossie, so frustrated, pushed Frank into the moat that used to surround the pitch. It was about the centre circle when Frank caught up with Ossie and gave him one of those Glasgow kisses. Such was my appreciation for this entertainer I remember drawing, in black felt pen, a number 5 on the back of my Wolves shirt.

An old friend of mine: Robbie Kennedy Bennett has written a series of successful poems that reflect his Scottish ancestry and his love of the Black Country one of them relates to his visit to Broughty Ferry (birthplace of Frank Munro) and his own appreciation of this cultured wolves icon.

“Munro o’ Broughty Ferry,
He made the faithful merry,
Th’ Dons o’Pittodrie to Molineux
Francis, your service I am thanking you\"

Me too

If you would like to get involved, get in touch through the 'contact me' page.

FAO: Greg Halford

‘It’s funny, Wolves wanted to get some money in from me to go and sign Roger Johnson, which is baffling.
‘Obviously he had an outstanding season with Birmingham last year but I still don’t see him as a better player than I am."

 Shut it, you were crap you plank.

My favourite player: #2 Michael Kightly

Here is the second of the 'my favourite player' series written by Phil Chell.

First off, can I just say that I’ve always fancied myself as a modern-day Oscar Wilde, maybe even a 21^st Century Thomas De Quincey but I never thought I’d commit my cerebral ramblings to paper (or Word 97,2001,et al as it turns out to be in this modern world). Yet, here I am on a Friday night doing just so. You may be wondering what my semi-inebriated thoughts have to do with the beautiful game or, more to the point, how I got involved? Well, here goes.

I was minding my own, watching TV with the wife whilst simultaneously checking my Twitter feed. I follow the guy that started this website and he tweeted asking for Wolves fans to write a piece about their favourite player. As soon as I saw this I had to reply. Now, most of you will be thinking I am about to write about Doyle, or Jarvis, or perhaps even Craddock based on his last season’s performance? Well, in a word, no. My musings are about Mr. Michael Kightly. 

 

I am the ripe old age of 31 so I am lucky/unlucky enough to remember watching Wolves when only 2 sides of the ground were open. My first match was watching Bully stick 3 past a team beginning with ‘M’ (Macclesfield or Mansfield, I can’t remember to be honest!) and watching us go on to win 6-2. I was hooked. Instantly. One of the main reasons for this was the great man himself, Steve Bull. 

 

Back in the day he had the chance to move several times to several clubs which would have not only increased his personal wealth exponentially but also improved his chances with England. He decided to stay with us and is now a cult hero for these amongst many other reasons. In this day and age of 200k plus weekly wages, I fear we will never see this type of commitment again, which leads me on to ‘Kights’.

As you will all know we signed him for the cost of a BMW and over the course of the next few seasons he began to pay us back 10 fold. His ability in relation to his cost was amazing. He scored important goals, set more up than I can remember and also did what MM wanted; he ‘put a shift in’. For me, at that time he was the complete Wolves player. 

 

At the end of the 07/08 league when we finished 7^th and missed out on the play-offs by 1 goal, Kightly was hot property. He was at the peak of his career with Wolves and, as rumours had it, Sir Alex wanted him and was willing to give us a tidy 8million for him. He could have gone and no one would have batted an eyelid because, in this modern game, it is expected that commitment is a commodity that players no longer have. Money talks, as the saying goes. But he stayed and the following season, helped us to win the Championship.

 

I remember going to watch us play Forrest towards the end of the season with my Dad at the City Ground. I’d never actually been to an away game (shame on me) and I’ll never forget it. He scored the winner in a 1-0 scrappy game. I’ll never forget my Dad turning to me and saying ‘That’s, it, that’s the goal that’s won us the league.’ 

 

Fast forward a few years and it’s a different story. He has been plagued by injuries that have kept him frustratingly out of the side. I say frustratingly as I always thought he was a better player than Jarvis. Imagine how well we would have done with them both fit? Anyway, I digress. 

 

Wolves had another player of similar promise that was injured for a very long time. The difference was, as soon as he was fit, he ran out the door quicker than I thought was possible to Bolton. I don’t blame payers that move on for whatever reason be it money, opportunity, etc. The reason I think us ‘normal folk’ would be pretty annoyed if we were told we couldn’t even apply for a new job which paid more money if we were under contract with our current employer wouldn’t we? My point is this; players of this character are few and far between and we should hope he stays at our wonderful club.

Only time will tell if Kightly will return to former glory, move on, or, God forbid have to retire early. I sincerely hope it’s the first option.

If you would like to get involved in the series, use the 'contact me' form to get in touch!