The Bullys - MyWolvesBlog silly awards

It's been a funny season hasn't it, a memorable one with some very funny moments. Here are some I remember..


Silliest moment

I really wish I could find a picture of it, but this happened early in the season away at Chelsea. Christophe Berra had been fouled, and as he was lying on the floor not knowing a freekick had been given he was trying toget the ball out of play with his head. Had me in bits!

Act of braveness that was really stupidity

Here is one picture of Berra I have found. No wonder he never scores when he does ridiculous things like this! A cross comes in for the right and instead of tapping in from a yard he decides to go for a diving header. He connects... with the goalpost.

Best opposition fail

This came on the opening day, in our victory over Stoke. Holding onto a two one lead, Rory Delap stepped up to take a throw in in probably their last attack.His throw ins are nearly always a threat but not this time. Rory look in disappointment as it slipped as his hand to give away a foul throw.

Best slip

Richard Stearman hadn't been on the pitch long when he broke away from two challenges against West Brom. We got on our feet, he had the legs to make something of this opportunity. Unfortunately his legs decided not as he tripped over himself, cue laughter.

Grooviest dance

Forget Gyan's celebration, I think everyone should try the Mick!

Best Mick QuoteS

It wouldn't be right if there wasn't a classic Mick quote somewhere. In fact, let's have a few.

"The sending off last year was disgraceful – I didn’t think it was a particularly bad foul on Lucas,” said McCarthy. “Pepe Reina ran 70-odd yards to get involved and get him sent off but he was going anyway so it wasn’t needed. “If he recognised Wardy’s face bearing down on him and sticking the ball past him for the winner then I’m delighted.”

"I'm surprised because I told them to go out and knock seven bells out of them like I usually do, and they've actually played free flowing football" - Mick McCarthy following Wolves' draw with West Ham, mocking the allegations that he informs his players to foul the opposition. 

"It's Wayne Rooney in the news this week, is it? Blimey, we've not tackled him have we?"

"What is the wing-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?" 

And on Sunday, after being sprayed by George Elokobi: "If it was anyone else I'd do them....my body double."

Think I've missed out some funny moments, comment below with yours!

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 Premier League Season Review

Here, I give an account of how I saw the season.

We started the season with high hopes, mid table looked a  possibility even though we all would have taken seventeenth. We were quickly brought down to earth after the opening day defeat to a West Ham side who I thought were destined for a top ten finish, how wrong was I. We had played well, had the majority of the ball but lacked that killer instinct. Sylvan limped off injured to add to our woes, as did Foley. Milijas looked a star, and Mancienne was brilliant. We went into the Wigan game a lot less optimistic, Keogh upfront on his own in the Premier League was a worrying factor. Yet, he scored the winner and we won our first ever away match. We came ever so close at Man City, and disappointingly drew with Hull at home. Another disappointing result followed at Blackburn, we lost three one. Wolves, as I have said numerous times this season, bounced back. We beat a good Fulham side two one and Doyle got his first goal of the season, as did Edwards.

Around the next month we began to see the emergence of Kevin Doyle. A record signing, injured for the start of the season but came on against Man City. After that, we saw what a good player on the ball he was, how he could win it in the air and his unbelievable work rate.Surely him and Ebanks-Blake would be the perfect partnership?


After the Fulham game, we faced Sunderland. What an odd game this was. Two nil down, one harsh penalty decision and one penalty not give to us. We came back to two all. We looked like winning but they took the lead, we were done on the counter twice more. It seemed like we were never going to get any luck, and the next game made it even worse. Portsmouth, had lost all seven games of the season must have looked down their fixture list and thought 'It's ok, we've got Wolves'. There was a horrible feeling that we would lose this (even if I did predict a win) and of course, we lost. Again, we should have had a blatant penalty but of course it wasn't given. Doom and gloom around everywhere. Wolves, again being Wolves, bounced back to draw impressively three times at Everton and Stoke, and at home to Villa. Then, we were cruelly beaten four one by Arsenal. We conceded two own goals, and another where the ref got in the way of our attack and led to them scoring. See what I meant about luck? It wasn't about luck the next two week though, probably the lowest point of the season. We were easily beaten four nil by Chelsea (we played 3-5-2!). Mick dropped Hennessey for the Birmingham game and brought Hahnemann in. Three minutes in, we were losing and in the first half played the worst half we played in the league all season.

Guess what? Yep, we bounced back. From looking completely sunk, the new relegation favourites overcame Bolton. The return of Nenad Milijas and his magical left foot put us back on track for Premiership survival. First he created the first goal of the game for Craddock, and then he scored our official goal of the season. He took Doyle's pass to the side a bit and then from 35 yards smashed it past Jaaskelainen. He carried on where he left of against Tottenham. His third minute freekick set up Doyle to put us ahead at White Hart Lane. We held out, and caused one of the shocks of the season. If that hadn't got us enough publicity, three days later we certainly got a lot. Mick made TEN changes, and caused a real stir throughout the Premier League. Arsene voiced his anger (his team head drawn with Burnley the same day, surprise surprise). Yet we got through it, and Mick was vindicated by his decision as we beat a tired Burnley side comfortably two nil.

After this, we had a bad spell which put us right back down there. An unfortunate defeat to Liverpool, a three nil loss at home to City and the crushing defeat at home to Wigan brought us back down to earth. Mick decided a change of system was needed. Sylvan had missed a glaring opportunity to put us ahead against Wigan and hadn't had the best of times. We changed to 4-5-1 and drew at home with Liverpool. After which Mick said that Kevin Doyle's performance had been the best ever by a centre forward at Wolves. It certainly was superhuman, which became a common feature of every game. After the Liverpool game we faced Hull. It was obvious that they needed the win more than us. We twice equalised and it ended all square. Next up, we wanted revenge against Birmingham. We led, and looked like getting another but who popped up to win the match for Birmingham. Kevin Phillips grabbed two more to add to his tally against Wolves.

Again, after a match with Birmingham, we looked in trouble again. Our bounce back ability showed as we defeated the odds and overcame Spurs. We completed a shock double with a brilliant eighteen pass goal. A player who emerged from that game was Adlene GuediouraCarlisle set us up nicely for another big game in midweek at West Ham. And what a game it was. Surely the best performance of the season, we won three one. David Jones masterminded a win that almost saw us safe. We followed that up with draws against Villa and Everton, and lost in the last minute to Arsenal. Things were looking much better.

We pretty much sealed it with three straight draws (Stoke, Fulham and Blackburn) and it was Ebanks-Blake late equaliser against Blackburn that kept us up.Though the next week we put in a lacklustre performance at Pompey and lost three one. Mick went 4-4-2 for the last game of the season, and we put in a brilliant end of season performance. Doyle got his ninth goal of the season and Adlene Guedioura scored the goal that won the match and himself a permanent deal at the club.

Top Scorer: Kevin Doyle - 9
Most Assists: Matt Jarvis  - 5

All in all, a great season. Well done Wolves, got what we aimed for.

Wolves 2 Sunderland 1

That's more like it!

After the disappointing defeat at Pompey, we needed a good performance to give the fans something to cheer about. We put lots more effort, and the game turned out to be a pretty decent one.

Like the new kit?

It was a high tempo game, we knocked it about well and despite going behind look comfortable for most of the match. There was a little spell where Malbranque hit the post and we came under of pressure but I think we deserved the win.

I was surprised to see Kevin Doyle stepping up to take the penalty. This was another chance for Ebanks-Blake to boost his tally, but I suppose it doesn't matter. Doyle has nine now, and I hope next season he will better that for US. There are rumours linking him with Juventus now!

Jarvis again gave his full back plenty of problems. It was his burst of speed past Hutton that got us the penalty. He was confident today, and almost scored from a really good effort. It was the man on the other flank though that I thought was our best player. Adlene Guedioura has certainly done his chances of playing for us next season no harm at all, I expect him to be in South Africa too after his performance. He doesn't usually play on the right side of midfield yet he looked comfortable there. He had a real battle with Richardson and often beat him. His goal was superb after Zubar's fine interception.

Doyle and Ebanks-Blake did well. Doyle was his usual self and Sylvan was good, bringing others into the game. Our defence was solid throughout, I did wonder if Mick would take Craddock off for a standing ovation but he didn't.

Hahnemann - 7

Guedioura - World Cup bound

Zubar - 7
Craddock - 7
Berra - 7
Elokobi - 7

Guedioura - 9
Henry - 8
Jones - 7 (Edwards - 6)
Jarvis - 8 (Foley - 6)

Doyle - 8 (Iwelumo - 6)
Ebanks-Blake - 7

It was a good way to end the season, well done to the boys and I await MOTD tonight.

WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!

Wolves v Sunderland Preview

I will remember that game at the Stadium of Light for a long time. It was another one of those Wolves matches where one of our better performances combined with some bad luck and moments of madness.

It was a really good game, painful at the end, but a good game. And hopefully this Sunday's game will be a good one. I'm sure Wolves will want to put last weeks defeat behind them and end on a high for the fans. It will be a good way to sign off and push us up the table.

Will Mick make any changes? The players didn't seem all too bothered last week, and this could be a chance for the fringe players to stake a claim for a position in next year's squad. I expect Geoffrey Mujangi-Bia to start again. He was very good and unfortunate to have to come off. If Jarvis is fit, he could play on the right. Maybe Mick will play a youngster or two. Danny Batth won young professional of the year, and Scott Malone has been impressive at left back for Southend and England under 18s. Adlene Guedioura and Nenad Milijas will be pushing for a start. I'd really like Mick to give Milijas a full game to show his talent and creativity. Adlene will want to secure his place in South Africa with a good performance, he will probably come in for Mancienne or even Kevin Foley, as he did play right midfield last week.

Whatever team Mick plays, I expect them to give the home faithful something to cheer about. We haven't won since the West Ham game and while we have only lost two in nine, it would be seven without a win should we draw or lose.

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi

Foley
Guedioura
Henry
Jones
Mujangi Bia

Doyle

2-1 to Wolves. Doyle double takes him into double figures.

And let's hope the new Wolves home kit is good, I was quite impressed by the away one.

Wolves unveil new away kit

As you can see on the left, Wolves new away kit is black (with gold bits)! I wanted the away kit to be like this, they came close in the championship year with the black and luminous green. It's not too flashy either and I will definitely be getting it.

What do you think? Would you have rather had a different colour?

Interview with a Sunderland fan

With the final game of the season coming up I was fortunate enough to find Lee Wilkins, a Sunderland fan, to talk about his and our team.

How would you describe Sunderland’s season?

This year, Sunderland actually have a net spend of around £10-15 million; so considering we finished 15th and 16th in the past 2 seasons and are on course for a 11th/12th placed finish then I have to say it's been a good season. The derbies have been a huge miss however but with them back up this year (congrats to them by the way) then the derbies are back! Great at the start; poor in the middle and ok in the end...its better than being poor all three parts; hopefully next season is a top half finish...we need to progress slowly but surely.



 Who would you give the Sunderland player of the year to?
It has to be Darren Bent. To come here and to score 25 goals (24 of them in the league) and being in the running for the England squad is fantastic! For him to be constantly scoring whilst we were on that winless run for 3 months or so shows us how valuable he has been and, without him, we will be in Burnley/Hull's position -- down!



You had a dodgy patch in the middle of the season, and you looked like you might be in a relegation battle. You picked up but is Steve Bruce the right manager to take you forward?
Absolutely! There has been some doubters during that period and rightly so, but ever since the 4-0 win against Bolton at our place we have looked the 'real deal' again...Brucie will only leave us for Man United in my view...so hopefully we will have him for a while! With Brucie and God Niall Quinn as our chairman, I firmly believe we can eventually get to that top 7...


What do you think of Wolves season, and how did you see the game at the Stadium of Light?
Wolves have had a good season, to come up and survive pretty comfortably with a couple of games to go is a job well done in my book, I've always liked Mick McCarthy so it's nice to see him doing well there, I hope to see Wolves have a mid-table finish next season...the game at the SOL was a strange one in all honesty; when we gone 2-0 up I went to the toilet, came back it was 2-1; went back down a few minutes later for a drink, came back up and it's 2-2, I couldn’t believe it! Then we came back to win 5-2: that game was strange, you deserved a draw definitely (perhaps even a win) so for us to win 5-2 is a bit odd. I am not complaining though



If you could take any Wolves player to Sunderland, who would it be?
Has to be Kevin Doyle; Doyle + Bent would work well together I think and with Jones going in the Summer most likely...don't be surprised if he puts a bid in if he fails to get Zamora. Although, a special mention does go out to Dave Jones who looks like a good midfielder of what I have seen of him


And finally, what is your prediction?
A score draw; both sides nothing really to play for, we get an early goal, and you get an equaliser with about 20 minutes to play...a bit of a boring game; 1-1...If anyone will win it however, it will be Wolves; our away form is still pitiful despite a 1-0 win against Hull (who were just SO poor)!



Thanks Lee!

Portsmouth 3 Wolves 1

That was odd. I watched through the wonders of online streaming, and we definitely didn't look like we deserved to lose three one. Ok, three bad bits of defending but if James hadn't been in such fine form we could have had a few.

Should Elokobi be rested against Sunderland?

Sylvan couldn't carry on from where he left off last week. Two bad misses but it doesn't exactly help his confidence when he doesn't get to start after scoring. Add to that he brought Iwelumo on before him. While he did a lot better, Big Chris just isn't good enough and I hope our Plan B isn't to lump it up to him next year.

Hahnemann should have saved the second and third goals. It wasn't his best game, that's three goals in two games he has been at fault for and I'm sure he won't be happy with himself. We shouldn't have given them so much time to shoot, it was all to relaxed. But who can blame them? They have worked tirelessly this season and they obviously didn't care that much about the final result. I'm sure at home next week there will be a more improved performance all round.

Mujangi was bright. He was our most dangerous player in the first half and he looked confident. He won a lot of free kicks and gave the right back a few problems. Mick says it was cramp which caused him to take him off, hopefully he will be fine for the Sunderland game.

It was good to see Kevin Doyle back to his superhuman best. He looked tired in the recent games but looked bright and was unlucky not to have had two more. I'm glad he got a goal because it means he beats what Camara (our top scorer in the previous season) got in 2003/04.

Hahnemann - 5

Zubar - 8
Craddock - 7
Berra - 7
Elokobi - 6

Foley - 6 (Guedioura - 6)
Mancienne - 7 (Ebanks-Blake - 6)
Henry - 7
Jones - 7
Mujangi Bia - 7 (Iwelumo - 6)

Doyle - 8

Have a look HERE (scroll to the bottom) or buy the Observer. It's the second time I have been part of 'The Verdict'

Portsmouth v Wolves Preview

It was depressing times at the Molineux as we crashed to defeat against Portsmouth. Questions were raised at the manager and if the team were good enough. Look at us now. We have changed the team a lot since then, and I never thought before May we would be safe but we are.

Tommy Smith is just one of many Pompey players linked

 with Wolves

A win would probably see us jump above Wigan and
Bolton. Bolton face Spurs away (although it's not exactly hard there, eh?) and Wigan don't play until Monday. A win would also take us closer to forty points, and make it a very good season.

Mick has confirmed that Geoffrey Mujangi Bia will start. I'm glad he will get his chance. Lots of fans have been to quick to decide he's not good enough. His only start was at Palace, where he played just as bad as anyone but not as bad as made out. For the reserves he has gained some confidence, shown his ability and let's hope he can win himself a deal.

Another player we might see feature is Scott Malone. Widely praised, and possibly our answer to our suggested left back problem. I'd like to see him given a chance at left back, but George Elokobi's recent form will most likely keep him in the team.

Even though Portmouth are relegated, they do have an FA Cup final. This could work two ways. They might be scared of getting injured, or fight for their place. Probably both. Avram Grant has been resting a lot of players recent, so I suspect he will make a few changes.

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi

Foley
Mancienne/Edwards
Henry
Jones
Mujangi Bia

Doyle

With Henry returning, I think Dave Edwards will be the one being replaced. I wouldn't be surprised if him, Guedioura or Milijas get a start.

1-0 to Wolves. Mujangi Bia.

The Contenders

It's come to that part of the year where we dish out the awards. The one Wolves fans will be talking about is probably who the Wanderers' player of the season is. I'll look at what I think is the top five players going for it.

#5. Marcus Hahnemann - Only signed for us in the summer. Started behind Hennessey but came in after we conceded eight goals in two games against Chelsea and Arsenal. Has put in some superb performances, and has made us look a lot more comfortable in defence. For free, he is one of Mick's best signings. I can't see him winning (he would be the third goalkeeper in four years to win it at the club) as he hasn't played as much as the rest.

#4. Jody Craddock - Everybody had written him off in pre-season, myself included. I didn't think his legs would last and I didn't think he was good enough. Fast forward from then and he doesn't have one critic. Been one of the heroes of the season and has scored some very vital goals. Has given us some experience (along with Marcus) and will have helped Christophe Berra to become a much better defender.

#3. Matty Jarvis - Didn't have it going for him at the start of the season. He put in some decent displays but was dropped by Mick for his crosses not being good enough. Has shone for us since getting back into the side and always an outlet for us. If he carries on improving like this he will be challenging for an England place!

#2. Karl Henry - Always criticised for not being adventurous enough on the ball and going sideways. I think he has made the step up to the Premier League look simple. Never looked out of place, and lead the team by example. Has been linked with many higher paced teams in the Premier League. He even scored a goal this season.

#1. Kevin Doyle - Had it wrapped up by Christmas for me. Has put in some superhuman performances this season and although recently looked tired, has been our stand out player of the season. Even though we will be playing Premier League football next season, it will be a hard push to keep him. Wouldn't look out of place in a top four side.

Don't agree, have I missed someone out you think deserves more recognition? Tell me.

Sylvan sees us safe: Wolves 1 Blackburn 1

That is one of the best feelings I've had all season. Maybe because we had got a draw, and in turn secured survival but I think most of all because it was Sylvan Ebanks-Blake who scored it. He hasn't exactly had the best of times in the Premier League, but maybe this is where it starts for him.

It wasn't a very good performance. We conceded a poor goal, Hahnemann got nowhere near the ball and Craddock lost Nelson. In the second half, they looked the more likely side to score. Hahnemann made a couple of decent saves and ex-Wolves player Keith Andrews hit the post. We never had an outlet, or anyone to support Doyle like Jarvis does. I thought Ward played well, his cross for the goal was superb but we lacked any pace on either side. One of the only other pluses (aside from the goal) I got from the game was Big George Elokobi. He looked solid and is really improving on the ball. He charged forward a lot in this game and linked up with Ward to cause a bit of trouble.

It was a bold decision to take Mancienne off and put Milijas on (I'll talk about the first substitution later) but I like to think it worked. Nenad got us going and him and Jones worked better together than I thought they would. Of course, bringing Sylvan on was probably the best substitution Mick has done all season. Ninety seconds it took him, and it was a great header. That was the loudest cheer any player could have got, everyone wants him to do well and let's hope he gains some confidence from this.

Is Chris Iwelumo playing the wrong sport? It was an odd change to make. Maybe Mick felt we needed another forward but why him? Edwards wasn't playing badly and he didn't look injured. I often wonder how he scored fifteen goals last season. His main role is to win it in the air surely, but he never does. I hope Sylvan has jumped ahead of him now.

Anyway, we are safe and that's all that matters. We can look onto next season and maybe Mick can pick up the odd gem in South Africa. Well done Wolves.

Hahnemann - 6

Zubar - 7
Craddock - 6
Berra - 6
Elokobi - 8

Foley - 6
Edwards - 6
Mancienne - 7
Jones - 7
Ward - 7

Doyle - 7

Subs: Iwelumo - 6, Milijas - 7, Ebanks-Blake - 8

I've given Ebanks-Blake an eight (obviously) for the goal. Disagree with any of my views? Comment.

Wolves v Blackburn Preview

This was another one of those games you look at and think, 'We can win that' and we certainly can. Whatever result we do or don't get today we will probably be safe by the end of the day. A win and we are definitely safe, a draw and Hull draw/lose we are fine. Even if we lose we are fine as long as the others lose (which is likely).

We haven't had the greatest times against Blackburn in the Premier League. That opening day defeat where we we thrashed five one in 2003 is a particularly bad memory. We then drew two all that season and one of our worst performances this season came at Ewood Park when we were easily beaten three one.

I think everything points to a nil nil draw in this game. Three goalless draws in four, Blackburn are hardly a team that scores freely but they have a super solid defence. Allardyce has done a very good job since taking over from Paul Ince, and has taken them to mid table and a cup semi final.

It's a well known fact that Allardyce is a Wolves fan. Could that help us in anyway? They have nothing to play for, and I'm sure he would like to see Wolves in the Premier League next season. Of course he would deny this, but I hope secretly inside he wants us to win.

Doyle, while he wasn't at his absolute best, was better last week than in the previous games. He looked a bit more confident, but he needs more support. Could Mick possibly go for two up front? He has recently said that 4-5-1 has kept us up, but he could be tempted. If he does, I hope he goes with Ebanks-Blake and not Iwelumo. When Big Chris came on last week he won absolutely nothing in the air, and I don't want us lumping it up anyway.

Rumours are that Jarvis isn't fit, as he picked up an injury at Craven Cottage (which would explain why Mick too him off) so I'll look at possible replacements. He could put Edwards on the left wing and bring Milijas/Guedioura in the middle. If he wanted to go to 4-4-2 he could bring Ebanks-Blake or Iwelumo and shift Edwards or even Jones out on the left. What about Mujangi Bia? Apparently he played well again in the reserves, and came off at half time. He would be a 'like for like' replacement. And an option I hope Mick doesn't go with but expect is Stephen Ward. I think he is better suited for left back but Mick would probably do anything to get him in.

I reckon:

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi

Foley
Edwards
Mancienne
Jones
Jarvis/Ward

Doyle.

I don't think there will be many goals, but I'm going for 1-0 to Wolves. Doyle with his eighth, surpassing Henri Camara's goal tally from 03/04. What do you think?

Almost there?: Fulham 0 Wolves 0

Are we a point or two away from securing another season in the top flight? Burnley were beaten, Hull needed to win but drew, Bolton came from behind to win as did Wigan. We've dropped two places, although it doesn't feel like it.

Ok, so another nil nil draw. Our third in four games. When your down scrapping at the bottom, and you don't concede many goals it is much more valuable than scoring goals. Burnley have scored quite a few goals, but their leaky defence is what has them struggling to survive. Hull haven't scored as many, yet their defence is just as bad. It has taken us a while, but defensively we are sorted. In the summer, IF we survive, we will have to look to improve our little problem in the other team's half.

Mancienne was superb. On the ball, he was in control. He kept the ball almost every single time. Off the ball, he helped to keep Murphy and Gera quiet. In the absence of Henry, he has held that midfield together. I wonder who will be dropped, should Henry get his place back in the side. The two just in front of him, Jones and Edwards, worked tirelessly but on the ball we lacked that creativity to unlock the Fulham defence. We only looked like creating something when Mick brought on Milijas and Guedioura on.

Of course, as we kept a clean sheet, our defence did well. Hahnemann had a dodgy couple of moments where he dropped the ball right on Damien Duff's foot but he shot wide. The back four won every ball in the air. On the ball, they weren't so good. Zubar is very good at driving forward and linking with Foley but the other three often give away possession. Craddock and Berra have formed a very good partnership, but are too predictable. Hoof. Elokobi is improving, but I get the feeling Mick might search for a new left back. It was probably one of Big George's best performances defensively. He saved us from going home with nothing with his superb tackle on Duff but unlike Ward, doesn't get the ball to our main outlet in Jarvis enough.

Doyle won the ball in the air a lot, and often had to create something out of nothing. Maybe he needs a partner up there? Our just someone to support him, as he looks quite isolated. It puzzles me however why Mick shifts Doyle out the left, and sticks Iwelumo up front who won absolutely nothing in the air. Aside from one good chest down he might as well not have been there.

Hahnemann - 7

Zubar - 7
Craddock - 7
Berra - 6
Elokobi - 7

Foley - 6
Jones - 6
Mancienne - 8
Edwards - 7
Jarvis -7

Doyle - 7

Subs: Guedioura - 6, Milijas - 6, Iwelumo - 5.

Still, one defeat from seven. That's the sort of form that keeps a team out of the relegation zone. A win against Blackburn could all but see us safe.

Here is a link on the observer website from 'The Verdict' which I participated in:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/17/fulham-wolves-premier-league

Don't agree with my observations, or my markings for the players? Comment and tell me.

Fulham v Wolves Preview

Doyle heads the way to victory against Fulham

We've had some very good times and some very bad times in London. Two of our best performances came in London (Spurs and West Ham) and our very worst came at Crystal Palace. I have quite a good feeling about this game, and I hope it will be a more memorable game this season.

Fulham have had a great season so far, and a long one to add to that. This will be their 56th match this season, and have played most of their games with the same side so  Roy Hodgson might be forced to rotate his squad a little. They have many great players. Bobby Zamora has been brilliant this season (he might not be fit for this game), Damien Duff is a great signing and Danny Murphy has run the midfield all season.

Fulham rarely lose at home, but we have put out some good performances away. If we can keep up this good form (1 loss in 6) then we definitely stand a chance.

Mick will probably stick with the same side, unless something happens between now and three o'clock tomorrow.

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi

Foley
Edwards
Mancienne
Jones
Jarvis

Doyle

I'll go for a second two one win against Fulham this season. Kevin Doyle and Kevin Foley to score. What do you think?

I'll be sat in the neutral stand in a group of five (I'm the blond one). If you spot me, give me a wave.

Also, have a look in the Observer sport section on Sunday. If you have a look at 'The Verdict', I'm the one for the Wolves fan view.

The Bore draw: Wolves 0 Stoke 0

This is the first match I haven't watched/listened to a match. And boy am I glad! Sunday league football had made it impossible for me to know anything of the score until I saw a whole load of texts after the game had finished. I saw the "highlights" on MOTD2.

First of all, it's good to hear we coped well with the missiles that are Rory Delap's throw ins. Many good teams have been made to look silly by these but we had a plan and stuck with it. Marcus Hahnemann commanded his area and Berra and Craddock hardly let anything past them.

As I had expected, the Molineux faithful saw the return of Dave Edwards. I didn't expect him to have a good game, as he hadn't looked fit at the Emirates but he was one of our best players.

Although Stoke were all over us for the opening ten minutes or so, it was a pretty even game and neither side really deserved all three points. Kevin Foley came close again and Milijas free kick late on tested Sorensen. I hope we see more of Nenad.

What worries me is Doyle. Against Everton and Arsenal he looked tired. I don't blame him, he puts so much effort in but maybe he could do with a rest. Imagine if Ireland had gone to the World Cup, he'd be knackered!

Hahnemann - 8

Zubar - 7

Craddock - 8
Berra - 8
Elokobi - 7

Foley - 7
Edwards - 8
Mancienne - 7
Jones - 7
Jarvis - 7

Doyle - 7

Don't agree with my marks? I didn't see much so tell me where you think I went wrong.

Wolves v Stoke Preview

This is one of three home games we have to give ourselves another year in the premier league. Stoke haven't been a great team on the road. The proud home record kept them up last season, But have certainly improved their away form as they are yet to lose a premier league game away in 2010

When we went to the Britannia Stadium, we made one change off the back of a draw against Villa. We dropped Ebanks-Blake who had just scored and brought in Iwelumo to deal with the set pieces and long throws. Mick could easily do that on Sunday. We have to put someone in to replace Henry. He could:

• Stick Guedioura, like for like with a bit more attacking flair
• Put Dave Edwards in. Possibly at right midfield with Foley shifting across into the centre.
• Put a striker in, which would most likely be Iwelumo in to deal with the height, leaving Mancienne and David Jones in the middle.
• Put Milijas in, with Jones slightly more defensive.

 We have lots of options. I reckon that he will put Edwards in and Foley moving to the centre of midfield. He will give us a bit more than Foley would attacking wise and works his socks off to help out Zubar.

I think we have enough to beat Stoke. We can mix it up well. When we have to battle we can, and we can also pass it around and create chances. We need to be ruthless, as you don't get many chances against Stoke.

A big test will be to see how well we defend the throw ins. We conceded from a throw in against them because we weren't marking around the edge of the area. It's little things like those that can help you be a better team. One person I hope doesn't play is Ricardo Fuller. His lightning fast pace worries me against Berra and Craddock, and he has hit form. He has scored two in his last two games, both from the bench. He did pick up a knock in the last game and is also on nine bookings, the most of the premier league strikers.

I reckon the team will be:

Hahnemann

Jody saved us at  Stoke with two goals.

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi

Edwards
Foley
Mancienne
Jones
Jarvis

Doyle

2-1 to Wolves. We will go two up and concede making it a torturous last twenty minutes.

Sickening: Arsenal 1 Wolves 0

It's hard to take.

It's hard to take that it's the second time Mariner has sent off one of our players unfairly away to a top four team, hard to take that it should not have been five minutes of added time and most of all, hard to take that they scored so late on.

We defended brilliantly, for ninety four minutes but a lot of things in the build up cost us. Keogh trying the shot from the half way line, nobody trying to block the cross and a mix up between the defenders of marking Bendtner.

I can't deny they deserved the win, but what angered me is that at any other ground that would not have been a red. It was because it was Arsenal and the way they react to being tackled. Rosicky's theatrics were disgusting, and the way they all surrounded Henry was disgusting. They were more interested in what colour card Henry received than if Rosicky was ok, which he was.

The best player on the pitch for me was our loan man, Mancienne. He worked so hard, and it summed up his game when he ran the length of the pitch to block a shot after they had scored. The other star for me was Hahnemann. He made at least three great saves and Wenger even mentioned how good he was.

There are plenty of positives to take from this game. More than the negatives, which there were few. We must be proud that for ninety four minutes we matched the best footballing side in the world.

Hahnemann - 8

Zubar - 7
Craddock - 7
Berra - 7
Elokobi - 7

Foley - 7
Henry - 7
Mancienne  - 9
Jones - 7
Jarvis -7

Doyle - 7

Subs: Keogh - 6, Edwards - 6, Ward - 6

If we defend like that every week we won't be losing many games. Let's hope we can carry on our good form into the Stoke game, which could be massive.

Wenger's big dilemma

"We will have to compete with Manchester United over 37 games instead of 38,I believe it is a problem for the international credibility of the Premier League, but it is not my problem, it is a Premier League problem."

Are these the words that may come back to haunt Arsene Wenger?

Sandwiches between two tough ties with Barcelona in the champions league quarter finals, Arsenal face Wolves at the Emirates. Question is, will Arsenal be forced to rest their team in order to have a chance at the Nou Camp?

OK, he has to make three changes in Fabregas, Gallas and Arshavin who all got injured. But what about one of their best players this season in Song, and what about Vermaelan? Can he afford to risk injury, or tire them out before their biggest game of the season?

It will certainly be interesting to see what Mr.Wenger does. I think he has to make changes, their back up players may be good enough but what will he say after on Match of the Day?

There is only one possible reason he won't make wholesale changes to the side he played on Wednesday, and that is because it is Wolves. West Ham have already complained about Fulham making six changes, and if we get a point or three then they will be sure to make another complaint to the Premier League.

He has decide whether to play the likes of Song, Vermaelan, Nasri and Walcott with a game four days later or give some inexperienced youngsters a game in the Premier League. Wenger has given his youngsters lots of opportunities (in the league cup and also Champions League!). It's not like this game isn't important though, because with Man United playing Chelsea this weekend they could improve their chances in the title race. A draw puts them right back in it.


Prediction time: How many changes does he make? I'll go for 8. No Fabregas, Arshavin, Gallas, Nasri, Bendtner, Vermaelen, Sagna and Walcott/Song.

Three more goals to safety?

I believe we are three goals from safety.

Not from Wolves as a team, but from one player. Kevin Doyle.

When he has scored we have only been on the losing side twice. We have won four and drawn the other one when he has scored. If he gets to ten, I honestly think we will be safe. Look at the games he has scored in.


Fulham (H) 2-1 (3 points)
Sunderland (A) 2-5 (0 points)
Everton 1-1 (A) (1 point)
Tottenham 1-0 (A) (3 points)
Burnley 2-0 (H) (3 points)
Birminhgam 1-2 (A) (0 points)
West Ham 3-1 (A) (3 points)


Thirteen points we have got from when he has scored. He has only scored at the Molineux twice but away he has five. Forget the game coming up, we have five winnable games after and he has scored against two of them. His goals have come at important times and I think at home to Stoke he will score another important goal.

In the 2003/04 season Henri Camara was our top scorer in the league with seven, the amount Doyle has now. Whatever you say about him, he was our best player that year. His goals came very late on as he only had  one goal up until around ten games left but we were almost down by then.

Three more goals from Kevin.. and we stay up.

What do you think?

Wolves 0 Everton 0

This game had 'last on MOTD' written all over it. I don't care if we were, we are now four games unbeaten going into the Arsenal match (who have two Barcelona games around Saturday's game).

I thought we defended very well, mostly Jody Craddock. He made some life saving tackles and blocks and showed why he deserves his contract for next season.

Everton only had a couple of clear cut chances. Osman should have scored but Marcus made a great save, Dan Gosling was also halted by the American. Zubar had a decent effort after galloping forward. For every fifty-fifty decision, the ref seemed more inclined to give it Everton's way. There were some odd decisions by him.

A decent weekend, although Hull won. Burnley lost in a derby match (with what sounds like a controversial decision), Bolton getting thrashed put us above them and West Ham lost again. Wigan play Man City tomorrow night.

Hahnemann - 7

Zubar - 7
Craddock - 8
Berra - 7

Elokobi - 7

Foley - 7
Henry - 7
Mancienne - 7
Jones - 7
Jarvis - 7

Doyle - 7

Subs: Iwelumo - 6, Ward - 6, Guedioura - 6

Will Arsene 'damage the integrity of football' next week when he has Barcelona three days before and after the Wolves game?