Inspuration needed
By: DJ |
2 Comments
Wolves take their next step in the effort to ensure survival in the top flight when they meet Spurs at Molineux on Wednesday 10th Feb at 7:45. Spurs will doubtless be looking for revenge after Wolves secured their best result of the season by winning at White Hart Lane in the reverse fixture.
Spurs go into this game chasing a Champion League spot in what would be, if successful, their best season for many years. Harry Rednapp has turned them round from a team heading in the wrong direction to one competing with the best and scoring plenty of goals. The Crouch/Defoe partnership is the tall and short combination that has worked for many clubs over the years and they are a difficult combination to counteract. Plenty of attacking options from midfield too to test a Wolves team low on confidence.
Wolves are showing relegation form with one win in eight games and their only solace is that remarkably the current form of Portsmouth, West Ham, Hull, Burnley, Bolton, Wigan and Sunderland is as bad and in some cases even worse. Rarely can their have been a time when so many teams in the Premier League have been so woefully out of form. Bolton´s one win in seven makes them the hot team of that group, and Sunderland with one in sixteen have crumbled after a good start to the campaign. With Sunderland, Wigan and Portsmouth drawing and Bolton losing on Tuesday night it´s all to play for for Wolves if they can just find some results.
As ever we wait to see what team and formation McCarthy will opt for. Will he stick with the 4-5-1 that has netted two draws and two defeats so far. Or will he give the fans what they want with a more positive approach. Even if he sticks with the 4-5-1 there may be changes. New signing Guedioura made a good impression from the bench at St Andrews and may get a chance. The likes of Stearman, Mujangi Bia, Milijas, Surman, Ebanks Blake and Vokes are also pressing for a chance.
My suspicion is that we will see few if any changes and then we will be looking for heroics or even miracles to repeat that success in the away game.
Category: Team News
Ghost of derbies past
By: DJ | 2 Comments
Wolves were undone in that old familiar way at St Andrews by the home substitute Kevin Phillips who was so often a thorn in the side when he was at Albion. It was a game Wolves looked set to win until the ace goal poacher emerged from the dugout and all the good work was undone.
McCarthy in that traditional stubborn style cast aside all the criticism aimed his way for team selection and formation by naming the same team that played at Hull last week. So Mancienne and Foley continued their midfield conversion and Doyle ploughed a lone furrow up front.
Blues started the game in a hurry and for ten minutes Wolves were pegged back in their own area. Some close calls but Wolves survived the early onslaught and slowly but surely emerged as the better team. Doyle was a real handful for the Blues defence and Jarvis was giving veteran full back Carr a difficult afternoon. At the other end Benitez and Jerome were no threat to Wolves.
It was no surprise when Wolves broke the deadlock just before the break. A low cross by Jarvis was deflected goalwards by Johnson and Hart had to make a smart save. But he was only able to parry the ball and Doyle was on hand to convert.
As the second half wore on Wolves looked well capable of getting a win that would see them rise to 14th in the table. And it was a Wolves player that first made an impact from the bench. Newcomer Guedioura replaced Jones and brought a save from Hart then hit a thunderbolt from 25 yards that was only a foot over.
But it all changed as Blues introduced Phillips for the ineffective Benitez. When Gardner headed a cross back into the six yard box Phillips was as ever in the right place to turn the ball home. And then after Carr was allowed to travel freely down the right wing his cross found Phillips who had the time to chest the ball down before expertly turning it home.
In many ways a cruel defeat for Wolves but where do they go from here. Spurs are next at Molineux on Wednesday and the following two home games are against Chelsea and Man Utd. Away form is what was needed by Wolves and although the performance was miles better than against Palace, the result didn´t come.
Wolves went into the weekend perched precariously above the relegation trapdoor. After the weekend games they are one off the bottom and staring relegaiton in the face. The optimistic days of last summer suddenly seem a long way away and Wolves need to find some inspiration from somewhere, and quick.
Category: Team NewsWolves hoping to get rid of the blues
By: DJ | Add Comments
Wolves return to Premier League action on Sunday at 1:30 for a live on sky game against Birmingham City at St Andrews. They do so with their supporters asking more questions and having more concern than at any time this season. Questions about whether Premier League survival will be achieved. Concern that as we approach the crucial part of the season we might be getting worse rather than better.
The Blues meanwhile have been the surprise success story of the Premier League season. In 2008/09 they were second best to the Wolves in the Championship and their supporters were less than impressed by the football being turned out by Alex McLeish’s team. But here we are with Blues having almost secured their top level place for next year already and they sit nicely in 8th place in the table. They have lost only two at home having conceded only 7 goals so no easy task for Wolves to get back on track.
The FA Cup performance at Palace in the week feels no better having slept on it and McCarthy is in danger of becoming a manager under pressure if he is unable to inspire a better showing this weekend. The likes of Hahnemann, Ward, Jarvis and most importantly Doyle will return to the team and no doubt that will help. But many fans will be looking anxiously at the team sheet to see if it is the cautious looking line up seen in recent games. 4-5-1 has been the order of the day since the Liverpool game at the end of January and that has brought Wolves two draws and a defeat. It was a formation that stifled Liverpool, looked second best to Hull for most of the game at the KC Stadium, and saw Wolves outplayed by Championship team Palace.
McCarthy’s dilemna is that having not having made any significant January signings and with Kightly, Keogh and Edwards still unavailable, the options for change are not great. If we revert to 2 up front do we recall the out of goals Ebanks Blake, or the inexperienced Vokes, or Iwelumo or Maierhofer who have both looked ineffective all season. If we look for more creativity in midfield we have the problem that Jarvis is the only natural wide player. Jones, Milijas and Surman are all left footed central midfield players that are unlikely to play together. And the other options are Henry, Mancienne, Foley and Castillo who are all defensively minded. So where can more creativity come from? New signings Mujangi Bia and Guedioura are the remaining choices but the former was poor at Palace and the latter has only appeared in the dying seconds of games so far.
I think I would go for Hahnemann, Foley, Craddock, Stearman, Ward, Jarvis, Henry, Milijas, Surman, Vokes, Doyle.
On Saturday Hull are at home to Man City and Portsmouth go to Man Utd. While Burnley have a home game against West Ham. So possibilities there that Wolves will go into Sunday’s game in the bottom 3. It will all feel very grim if we lose on Sunday so lets hope the Blues can be wiped away and the smiles return to the man from Molineux.
Category: Team NewsTradesman’s exit from the Palace
By: DJ | Add Comments
Wolves gave an abject performance to go crashing out of the FA Cup at Selhurst Park and looked a far inferior team on the night to the Championship opposition. Although the FA Cup is far from Wolves priority for the season this was a damaging performance that we can only hope will not hang over into the remainder of the Premier League season, and hopefully was not an indicaton of the standard of football and flailing confidence that will take us into the key months of the season.
The game was settled when journeyman full back converted to midfield player Danny Butterfield remarkably scored a hat trick in less than 7 minutes in the second half. The first came when he got on the end of a rebound after an excellent save by Hennessey. The second was a shot from the edge of the box that seemed to go straight through the Wolves keeper, and the third following remarkable hesitancy in the Wolves defence. The fact that Henry scored for Wolves in the 90 minute was irrelevant.
I will express some sympathy to two Wolves players. Kevin Foley was the best fullback outside the Premier League a year ago and it is astonishing that he hasn’t been given the chance to prove himself in that position in the Premier League. And Sam Vokes, having looked sharp after returning from loan at Leeds was given a completely thankless task as the lone striker at the head of a 4-5-1 formation that has made Wolves look disctinctly second rate. The fact that Wolves official site refer to this formation as 4-3-3 is insulting to the supporter’s intelligence. When the 5 in midfield inciludes a defensive midfield player plus two converted defenders it is an incredibly negative formation. Wolves have struggled to score goals all season but if this formation is persevered with, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Hennessey 5 – unlucky with the first goal, at fault for the second and still falls short of dominating his area
Zubar 5 – looks error prone and this outweighs the quality he occasionally shows
Stearman 6 – moved to left back tonight and was as reasonable as anyone without looking comfortable in the postiion
Craddock 5 – got involved in a battle with Lee and gave one of his less convincing performances
Berra 5 – not been playing well the last few games
Foley 6 – didn’t do much wrong but lacks any of the creativity Wolves desperately need from the wide positions
Henry 5 – not played as well the last few games
Mancienne 4 – after hinting that this might be his position he tonight looked very much like a centre half playing in midfield
Milijas 5 – knocked in a couple of decent dead balls but was generally ineffective
Mujangi Bia 4 – unfair to write hmi off after his debut but looked a long way short of being a Premier League player
Vokes – 5 – a thankless task leading the attack on his own
Subs – Ebanks Blake, looked completely out of touch, Iwelumo, not a Premier League striker, Jones cane on too late to make any impact.
Presumably we will see the return of Doyle and Jarvis on Sunday at Birmingham which will certainly help. Will we stick with 4-5-1? Where will we find some creativity especially for the wide right position? We so desperately need SEB to find his feet at the top level. I have felt all season that we will have enough to stay in this division for next season. Tonight has really threatened the faith I have.
Category: Team NewsDead as a dodo on deadline day
By: DJ | 4 Comments
Wolves disapponted their fans by making no deadline day signings to boost the survival fight. So the loan introductions of Mujangi Bia and Guedioura from Charleroi were the only signings in the January window. Last summer when Wolves were promoted as champions there were big words from the chairman and chief exec that Wolves would be investing big and the club had learned the lessons of the previous promotion. Those words will doubtless be replayed if Wolves fail to achieve their survival target.
Hull’s Steve Hunt seemed to end up as the main target with a £5m bid evidently turned down on the final day but it will be a disappointment that the likes of Robbie Keane, Benni McCarthy, Kilgallon, and Moses moved on but Wolves couldn’t find anyone. Whether this was a reflection that the club believe that what they have is good enough, or that investing when threatened with relegation is a high financial risk who knows. Or maybe the clubs inexperience of dealing the market at this level meant they were not able to conclude deals.
So having been the lowest scorers in the division so far, and recently adopting a more negative formation, we have to wait and hope to see if Wolves can muster enough goals and points to finish in the top 17.
Tuesday night sees the replay of the 4th round FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at 7:45. Since the first leg Palace have gone into administraton and had ten points docked in the Championship as a result. They have also sold their most valuable asset, Viktor Moses, to Wigan. Could they not have sold him earlier and avoided the penalty?
Wolves will doubtless make a few changes to the line up for this game with Jarvis already ruled out through injury and Doyle also doubtful. McCarthy has confirmed that Mujangi Bia will make his first start but Guedioura is not eligible. Despite playing well in midfield on Saturday I would love to see Foley in his best position of right back. And I suspect we will see recalls for Hennessey, Stearman, Ebanks Blake and Vokes.
A home game against Villa with live Sky coverage is the prize for the winners in a game that will be settled on the night even if it takes extra time and penalties. A win would be a good boost to morale before we head into the final 15 games of the Premier League season against Blues next Sunday. Lets just hope that it’s the likes of Blues and Villa and not Palace that Wolves will be meeting up with again next season.
Category: Team NewsSo nearly crowned with a Bia
By: DJ | Add Comments
Wolves got out of Humberside with another point in the bag against relegation rivals Hull and it’s a point that keeps us out of the relegation places. The 4-5-1 formation we are currently employing is not going to inspire great attacking performances but it is getting us draws and whether that will prove to be enough we won’t know until May.
This was a game that both teams will feel they could have won. For most of the game it has to be said Hull looked the more likely to get three points but at the end it so nearly went Wolves way.
One change was made from the team that faced Liverpool on Tuesday with Milijas relegated to the bench in favour of David Jones. In an uninspiring first half Wolves had enough of the ball but Hull nullified the 5-4 man advantage Wolves had in the midfield by knocking the ball long to their two strikers who gave Berra and Craddock a testing afternoon and combined to give the Tigers the lead after 11 minutes. Altidore’s strength saw him turn Berra and after running towards the edge of the area he played a ball to Vennegar of Hesselink on the edge of the box who had time to pick his shot and made no mistake.
Doyle was a lone soldier up front for Wolves but such is the workrate and talent of the striker that 5 times he forced the defenders to concede corners that Wolves were not able to create anythiing from other than a Foley header that went wide and Berra just failing to get on the end of a flick on. At the other end Wolves were finding Altidore a handful in the middle and Mendy was giving Ward a tough time. From one Mendy cross Zubar had to head off the line.
Zubar was having a real mixed bag of a game with some good tackling and poor distribution. He and Stephen Hunt were to swap the roles of hero and villain in a four minute spell early in the second half. When Hull played a ball out to the left Hunt kept the ball in but his momentum saw him go head over heels over the advertising boards. Zubar picked up the loose ball and after linking with Foley was able to get in what looked like a harmless cross from the byeline. But Gardner completely miscued his attempted clearance and the ball scooped over his keeper into the net.
Just four minutes later Altidore was attempting to control a bouncing ball on the edge of Wolves area when Zubar needlessly barged into the back of him with a penalty kick the inevitable result. Hunt’s spot kick just beat Hahnemann. Hull almost put the game to bed after 67 minutes when Altidore outpaced the defence but Hahnemann was able to block his shot. And within a minute Wolves were level again. Foley had been doing more to support Doyle up front than anyone and his low cross from the right eluded everyone in a crowded area but Jarvis came in on the far post and his low shot was not well hit but was sufficiently close to the corner of the net to beat Myhill (photo).
Although Wolves were then having most of the game Hull twice went close with Vennegor of Hesselink heading wide and Hahnemann pushing a cross out from under his bar. Wolves will have been delighted to see both Altidore and Mendy substituted and that resulted in Wolves looking the more likely winners. Late subs for Wolves were Mujangi, Stearman and Guediooura for Javis, Ward and Foley. But before he left the field Foley, who was an increasing attacking threat as the game went on, twice came close to setting up a winner. First he hit one himself from a narrow angle that went just over. Then he sent in a low cross that presented Zubar with a chance but the frenchman laid the ball back to Mujangi Bia whose well hit shot was pushed out by Myhill.
Hahnemann – 7 made a couple of good saves and had no chance with the goals
Zubar 5 – had some good moments but senseless penalty to give away and he gave the ball away too often
Craddock 7 – Wolves best defender on the day by a mile
Berra 5 – really struggled against the pace and strength of Altidore
Ward 5 – Mendy game him possibly his most difficult afternoon of the season
Foley 8 – his best performance in this position. Supported the defence well and made good runs to support Doyle up front
Henry 6 – didn’t always get to grips with the physically strong Hull team and gave the ball away on a few occasions
Mancienne 7 – won some tackles, played sensible passes and had one good long range shot. Looks increasingly that this is his position.
Jones 5 – split the defence early on to send Jarvis through but rarely able to impose himself on the game afterwards
Jarvis 7 – had some good runs and did some excellent defensive cover
Doyle 8 – so often made something out of nothing with very little support
So on the day a point that gave them the same return on the day as Hull, West Ham and Blackburn, and we gained a point on Burnley, Bolton and Wigan. Another game that was far from pretty but come the season end hopefully there will be enough points in the bag. Cup replay at Palace next for Wolves on Tuesday followed by the derby at Birmingham next Sunday.
Category: Team NewsTigers and Wolves – one is paw and one is gold
By: DJ | 1 Comment
Hull and Wolves meet at the KC Stadium at 3:00 on Saturday in a game that could well attract most of the good cliches of must win, 6 pointer, can’t afford to lose etc.. With plenty of the season left none of these things are probably true – but for a while after the game it will feel that way for the winners and losers. Hull go into the game one off the bottom of the table with Wolves just one point above them so a home win would see Wolves go into the relegation zone. So a vital game and all tickets are sold.
This is Hull’s first home game of 2010 and they have not won any game since the end of November. They have had a pretty difficult run of games in that time and have been beaten convincingly by Villa, Arsenal, Man Utd and by Wigan in the Cup. They have managed draws against Bolton, Blackburn and Spurs. They have bought in Zaki who had a reasonably successful time with Wigan last season but one riddled with disciplinary issues. They are without former Wolves player Olifinjana who will be with Nigeria for the 3rd place play off in the African Cup of Nations.
Much interest will centre on whether Stephen Hunt lines up for the home side. Wolves have made further bids for him in advancce of Mondays transfer deadline. Their chairman has said that potentially all players are available for sale at the right price and if Hunt is not in their team on Saturday that may well be a strong hint that Wolves have got their man.
Wolves team selection will be based on whether McCarthy wants a repeat of the tight and tidy performance we saw against Liverpool or go for a more positive set up to look for three points. A draw would be a better result for Wolves than Hull but the line up on Tuesday gave the impression that 0-0 was the best we could get and thats always got to be a dodgy approach in my mind. Wolves have not scored in their last 4 league games although as those games included Liverpool twice and Man City then maybe thats not a surprise. But we can’t escape the fact that Wolves are now the lowest goal scorers in the division and that will have to improve for us to remain in this division.
The team on Tuesday had Henry in his usual defensive midfield role with Mancienne and Foley also more of a defensive than creative nature so there’s much more caution than creaton in that line up. So will we stick with that approach or bring more positivity in to the midfield or move to 4-4-2 by either recalling Ebanks Blake or giving a chance to Vokes, Iwelumo or Maierhofer. I suspect we will see the same team as Tuesday.
Wolves will be hoping for two Chelsea wins this week. They play Burnley this weekend then Hull in the week. Two wins for them and a draw for Wolves at Hull will see us stay clear of the relegation places. What a boost three points would be though, and with some difficult home games coming up a couple of away wins are going to be needed sometime soon.
Category: Team NewsOne more point in the locker
By: DJ | 6 Comments
Wolves and Liverpool played out a goalless draw at Molineux on Tuesday evening in a game of few chances, few shots on goal but another priceless point for Wolves. It was not a match to thrill a full house crowd and Liverpool certainly looked a pale shadow of their european champion teams of not so long ago. But Wolves will be pleased to get a point and that was the least Wolves deserved on the night.
It was a pretty defensive minded 4-5-1 team that McCarthy selected with Henry in the central defensive midfield role and converted from defence players Foley and Mancienne in the midfield 5 too. So it was a team largely set out to frustrate their opponents but this was not a Liverpool team with much inspiration and they didn’t take much frustrating.
After a first half of little goal mouth action, with a Doyle flick deflected for a corner following a good run by Jarvis the closest to a goal, it was Wolves who were the better team for most of the second half. Berra and Craddock were well in control in defence, Henry was winning plenty of tackles in the middle of the park and the magnificent Doyle causing the Pool defence more problems than anyone in a red shirt was able to hurt Wolves. Just before the hour Doyle shot over after a good turn and then a minute later got in a header comfortably saved by Reina.
Not much else to talk of in terms of goalmouth action but Wolves edged the second half and looked the more likely winners for most of the half. Ratings;
Hahnemann 7 – quiet game but adds calmness to the defence.
Zubar 6 – some good tackles and some loose passing but generally did well.
Craddock 8 – a rock in the Wolves defence, and they said he wouldn’t be up to this level.
Berra 8 – maintaining his high standards this season
Ward 6 – not at his best defensively or with his passing but still worth his place
Foley 6 – still persisted with on the right of midfield which isn’t his best position but did ok
Henry 8 – excellent performance by the skipper. Won lots of tackles in the middle of the park.
Mancienne 7 – looks increasingly that midfield might be his best position
Milijas 6 – played as the most forward of the midfield 5 but struggled to find space in a packed midfield
Jarvis 8 – perhaps his best game of the season. Made some good runs and stretched the Pool defence on a few occasions
Doyle 9 – £6.5million bargain buy. Best player on the field despite playing as Wolves lone striker
The point keeps Wolves in 17th with Burnley’s defeat at Bolton putting them in the bottom three. All eyes now on a vital away game at Hull on Saturday. With Burnley meeting Chelsea another point will likely keep Wolves above the relegation waterline.
Category: Team NewsLets have a go at the Reds
By: DJ | 1 Comment
Liverpool come to Molineux on Tuesday evening 7:45 and like most games as we progress towards the crunch part of the season it’s a vital game for each club. Wolves sit precariously above the relegation mark having lost 4 of their last 5 league games. And Liverpool are trying to rescue a disappointing season by qualifying for the Champions League and with 10 points from the last 4 league games might finally be getting on track.
The 2-0 win against Spurs at Anfield last week was a vital three points that put them back in the contenders for the top 4 and with Gerrard predicted to return to action at Molineux this will be a game the scousers will expect to win. But they will go into the game without the likes of Torres and Benayoun, and when without Torres or Gerrard or both, Liverpool have looked vulnerable all season.
Wolves have now made their second loan signing from Charleroi in a week with Adlene Guedioura (pictured) joining Geoffrey Mujangi Bia. A competitive 24 year old French box to box midfielder joining a 20 year old winger to try to boost Wolves but whether they will start on Tuesday would be questionable. But then if the club don’t feel they can make a quick impact – why sign them. Meanwhile left back Matt Hill has joined QPR on loan.
There will definitely be changes from the team that faced Palace with Hahnemann, Craddock, Ward, Milijas, Doyle and Jarvis set to return. Unless Mujangi is given a chance then presumably Foley will continue on the right of midfield despite not impressing in recent games. Otherwise Foley will join Saturday’s goalscorer Zubar and the returning from suspension Stearman in competition for the Right Back position.
The other debate will be over the striking position. Ebanks Blake continues to misfire and looks increasingly desperate for a goal and his place is now under threat from Sam Vokes who was Wolves best player against Palace.
My predicted team for Tuesday will be Hahnemann, Stearman, Craddock, Berra, Ward, Foley, Henry, Milijas, Jarvis, Vokes and Doyle. Subs; Hennessey, Zubar, Elokobi, Jones, Mujangi, Ebanks Blake, Iwelumo.
Wolves are going to need to raise their game from recent performances to get something from this game. But I think there is every chance they will do just that. I don’t think this Liverpool team have the firepower to win easily and Wolves may well grab at least a point.
Category: Team NewsFrom a Palace to a Villa
By: DJ | Add Comments
The winners of the Palace v Wolves replay on Feb 2nd will be at home to Villa in the FA Cup 5th Round. Full house for sure at Molineux if that comes off – good game to look forward to on Feb 13th or 14th.
Category: Team News
Home 
