Setting the tone

There's one thing that really bugs me about Wolves.

It's not Mick's team selections, Jez Moxey's transfer dealings, our position in the league table or the fact that we've won 2 in 20 league games and it's not that we aren't in the FA Cup this weekend.

It's our version of this:

Our bloody kick offs. At the start of the match or when we concede and we play the ball straight back to Wayne Hennessey, who gives it a great big kick down to the other end.

Why?

I've seen it so many times, and it goes straight to the opposition goalkeeper. Arsenal away, no one even went forward for it, we just gave it to Sczezny. It just sets the tone, that we are here to just hoof it, which we really shouldn't be.

When Jamie O'Hara signed, I thought we had got rid of it. In his first start, I remember him and Karl Henry having a lengthy conversation, which ended with Henry pointing to our goalkeeper, Henry played it to him, he passed it to Hennessey and he did what he usually does. A couple of games later Henry played it to him and he ran forward with the ball, and made a forward pass. It immediately set a new tone, that we wanted to keep the ball on the floor and attack.

But, we have resorted back to it, and the freshness from O'Hara was gone. What is the thinking? Is it that we will be in their half now? Because nine out of ten times we aren't, they have the ball!

If I ever get the chance to talk to Mick, that's what my first question would be about. But hey, maybe Frimpong will be the one to say this time 'what the hell is this?'.

Could this game decide Mick's future?

There haven't been too many points at which I've thought 'Mick's job is in trouble now', but this is one of them.

Maybe at times during the 07/08 season, and during Swansea and Sunderland games but generally his job has always seemed extremely secure. And maybe it still is.

The Birmingham game seemed to have been a huge tipping point for fans. On forums, blogs, articles, social networks, it was the worst I've seen at times. It wasn't the fact that we had lost to a Championship side, and our rivals (which is bad enough), but the fact that yet again we looked like a poor footballing side playing a rigid formation.

That's what the problem has been this season, there hasn't been much to give us hope. Last season, we looked like a side that just needed a bit of luck and that we could pull away (I still think we would have if Doyle hadn't got injured), whereas this year we have played next to no football, at anytime. We haven't had any great footballing performances like City home and away, United away and Chelsea away.

A poor performance, and defeat to go with it and I actually think Morgan may think he needs to take action. With only a week and a half left of the transfer window, he might want to get someone in quickly to make his own signings.

A good performance, even if we didn't win, would go a long way to settling Wolves fans fears. Against a poor Villa side, who I think could easily get dragged into a relegation battle, we need to see that this team can get the ball down and move it about comfortably.

The question is, will Mick go with this approach, and can we put in a half decent performance tomorrow?

Taking shape

It's taken until mid-January, but it finally feels like Woves can kick start their season.

It's always seemed to take us a while to get a fixed formation set, to get the players in the correct position's and for Mick to finally realise what we need. We need that more than ever now, with us trailing the team above us by five points, and four others breathing down our necks, it's quite remarkable that we haven't been in the bottom three this season.

Here is how I think we are going to, or try to set up from now.

I don't think there's any doubt that this man would be first choice keeper, Wayne Hennessey is vital to our survival chances. We can't afford for him to get injured, or sold because I'm not convinced Dorus de Vries has what it takes to play in the first team.

Oh Kevin Foley, how I have missed you. Mr Consistency showed his class in the cup game at Birmingham, looking infinitely better than Richard Stearman or Ronald Zubar have at all this season. Mick has hinted that he will start at Tottenham, thank god.

Roger Johnson finally looks like returning to form, with impressive performances lately. Injured his ankle in the cup, but should be okay at White Hart Lane where we are going to need a big performance from him.

You don't need to ask for a big performance from this man, he's given them week in week out all season long. Christophe Berra has shone lately, and has even been linked with a move away due to his brilliant form.

Stephen Ward completes the back four. Our player of the season so far, and though he has been a bit shaky lately continues to be a great outlet going forward as well as solid at the back. His partnership down the left hand side with Matt Jarvis is vital for us, when George Elokobi has played there we have seen Jarvo get less of  the ball and be less impressive.

It was a great sight to see Michael Kightly finally looking sharp and ready for first team football at Wolves. He's been so unfortunate over the last two and a half years, but I firmly believe that this time 'Kights' is ready to make an impact in the Premier League.

I was delighted when we signed Emmanuel Frimpong on loan, because he's exactly the type of player we've been lacking. Infectious, moves the ball quickly and can get about the pitch. He looks like he has the right attitude, and hopefully we can get the best out of him.

Karl Henry comes in for a lot of criticism from the fans, but I think he's been one of our most consistent players this season. He does a great job for us, and you can see he's improving on his attacking side of the game. In the Chelsea game he was excellent, moving the ball quickly. Maybe it was to do with having Frimpong next to him, he seemed less scared to go forward.

I'm not convinced that we have seen the very best of Jamie O'Hara,  but once he's fully fit I think he will be one of the players who benefit's most from this system. With two more defensive minded players with him in the middle, it gives him the freedom to get on the ball further up the pitch. We have seen he can get in good positions to score, so it's a case of using him effectively.

In Matt Jarvis we have one of the most dangerous wingers in the land. When he's confident, there's not a full back that can handle him. He is huge for us, and if he carries on with his recent form an England call up won't be far away.

12 starts, 8 goals. Has the best chances to goals record in the league. It's not hard to see why Mick is warning potential suitors not to bother bidding for Steven Fletcher. If we sell him, we are doomed.



So a 4-5-1 for me, with Frimpong and Henry holding, and O'Hara playing in front of them just off Fletcher. To me that looks like a decent side, as good if not better than the sides around us. It's not just the first eleven, we have Zubar, Stearman, Milijas, Edwards, Hunt, Hammill, Ebanks-Blake and Doyle all waiting to take their chance. All of a sudden our squad looks a whole lot stronger, and with time to make more signings could look even more impressive come the end of January.

Wolves 1 Chelsea 2

Everything seemed to be right today. The team selection, the tactics, the individual performances but there was one thing our manager wasn't counting on.

The ref.

One thing all fans want is consistency, but are we EVER going to get it. The FA set the standard but choosing not to rescind Milijas' red card, so when a harder, more dangerous tackle with the intent to hurt by Frank Lampard goes in, can we not expect a red card?

Of course not, because we are Wolves and they are Chelsea, or any other top five or six club. It's tough, and as we have gotten to know over the last two and a half years, you have to get our way around on an already uneven playing field with the money in this league, made worse by the horrible inconsistency the referees in this league show.

Guess who scores the winner.

On our team, I thought for most parts we were great. Aside from a slow start we got in their faces, passed the ball about well and looked dangerous when we had a go at them.

Chelsea players pretend to care about their manager

Our midfield trio of Henry, Frimpong and Edwards was strong and with O'Hara and Milijas out, and Eggert Jonsson signing too there is going to be a great battle for a places in our midfield. Henry was the pick of the bunch, harassing, intercepting and moving the ball quickly when we countered. He's often (fairly) criticised for this, but recently he has shown great improvement in that area. On his debut, Emmanuel Frimpong was steady and I think we can expect more from him. To be fair to him, he's only had one day to get to know our players and he will definitely have a good impact for us as the season goes on.

At the back, we were solid once again. Christophe Berra hardly put a foot wrong, where as Roger Johnson is getting better all the time now. He had a couple of mad moments but he was positive and even sent us of on a few attacks, which was nice to see. Stephen Ward had a mixed game, missing a huge chance at nil nil, but he made up for it by scoring a well taken goal. Some may blame him for Ramires' goal but I thought he was just very unlucky.

Up top, Kevin Doyle had a good game. He tussled with David Luiz and John Terry and gave them plenty to think about. He was unlucky not to score with the last touch of the match as Petr Cech made an outstanding save.

Hennessey - 7

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

Hammill - 7
Henry - 8
Frimpong - 6
Edwards - 7
Forde - 6

Doyle - 7

Subs: Jarvis - 7, Fletcher - 7, Foley - 6

We have a tough set of games coming up, but if we can add some consistency to our performances I'm sure we can get some bonus points. If we can, it would put us in a great position going into February.