Wolves match local rivals
By: DJ |
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Wolves got a deserved point from a keenly contested local derby between two teams that were closely matched on the day. Two successive draws against teams that will be expected to finish in the top half of the table has to be a boost for a Wolves team that are making a much better fist of re-establishing themselves in the top flight than they did on the previous attempt.
There was one change made to the starting line up from last week at Everton with Halford dropped to the bench, Foley and Mancienne still being unfit and Maierhofer suspended. We started with;
Hennessey
Zubar, Craddock, Berra, Elokobi
Edwards, Henry, Castillo, Kightly
Ebanks Blake, Doyle.
Milijas replaced Edwards midway through the 2nd half and Halford and Iwelumo were brought on late to replace Kightly and Ebanks Blake.
The game got off to a lively start with Agbonlohor missing an early chance and within a couple of minutes came a critical incident at the other end. Doyle was put clean through on goal and was clearly pulled back as he entered the area. Should definitely have been a penalty. Possibly a sending off as it was the last defender. The referee waved play on. Doyle possibly too honest as he tried to get his shot away rather than falling over.
Wovles were the better team in the first half and had one effort cleared off the line and Ebanks Blake going close. Villa looked dangerous on the break but had less possession than Wolves. Villa were better 2nd half without creating many chances but they finally split the Wolves defence with 11 minutes to play to give Agbonlohor as easy chance that he took. It was disappointing to see Wolves fall behind and another home defeat looked on the cards but within 4 minutes the equaliser arrived.
A backheel by Milijas in the area wrong footed the Villa defence. Kightly was tripped by Sidwell as he tried to turn and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Ebanks Blake smashed the spot kick in to the roof of the net (photo above). Villa tried to quicken the game to look for the winner but it was Wolves that pressed at the end with a series of Halford long throws needing defending by Villa.
Wolves defence coped well with the Villa offensive threat and all the back line played well. Henry was Wolves best player on the day with Castillo also impressing alongside him. Kightly still looks a bit rusty and although Edwards works hard his distribution is poor. Ebanks Blake and Doyle, who was excellent first half, posed plenty of problems for Villa.
Confidence is growing amongst Wolves fans that we will be good enough to remain in the division as we have matched Everton and Villa in these last two games and now have the best strikers in the team to see off the weaker teams. Another derby at Stoke next week and every chance for Wolves there despite the Potters good home record. Bring it on.
Category: Team News
Dinner with the Villa
By: DJ | 1 Comment
Match 10 of Wolves return to the top flight sees the West Midlands top team visit the Molineux for a 12:45 lunch time game to be screened by Sky. The local rivalry that has always been there with Albion and ha s grown with Blues does not at the moment carry through to the derby game with Villa, probably due to the fact the team from north Brum have been playing at a higher level than Wolves for most of the last 25 years. But if Wolves can do as they wish this season and re-establish themselves as the 2nd best team in the West Midlands then the rivalry will doubtless return to the level it used to be at in the previous generation.
Villa come on the back of an impressive success over Chelsea but Wolves will themselves have been boosted by outplaying Everton at Goodison Park last week and coming so close to gaining 3 points. It wouldn’t be a great surprise if it was the same team that were asked to take on the Villa this week. But in midfield there is the possibility of change. Kightly and Henry will doubtless start but Edwards and Halford will be competing with Castillo and Jarvis for a starting place. Castillo would probably have started last week had he not been returning from World Cup duty with Ecuador. And maybe Jarvis will be given the nod if McCarthy looks for a more positive team to represent us at home.
Defensively there will surely be a starting place for Hennessey, Zubar, Craddock and Berra. Zubar made a good impression on his debut and the Molineux faithful will be keen to get their first look at him, apart from the Carling Cup game against Swindon. The only question mark in the defense is whether Elokobi will continue at left back. McCarthy has been supportive of him in the local press and his general game was good at Goodison although he did lose his man for the late equaliser. Mancienne was left out last week after coming back from England U21 duty with flu and may now return but at full back.
The optimism that Wolves can get something from the game will be largely borne from this being the first Molineux game that the Ebanks Blake and Doyle strike force will be seen together. There was plenty of promise at Everton last week that they can be the exciting pairing that fans were anticipating after Doyle’s signing and if Wolves can get a decent supply to them the goals will surely come. It has been the case since the end of August that Maierhofer has been brought off the bench to offer something different in the closing stages. His sending off last week means that option is ruled out by suspension, but that absence will be offset by a return to the fold of Chris Iwelumo. His timely return from injury will be a boost to the squad especially if he can show the form of the first half of last season.
There will be those that will go to the game thinking a draw will be fine, especially those that remember the 4 goal thumping Wolves received the last time Villa paid a visit. But most Wolves fans have a distinct lack of an inferiority complex for any team coming to Molineux, especially local rivals, and they will be looking for 3 points this weekend and a return of Wolves to their rightful place as the Midlands top club in the not too distant future.
Category: Team News3 into 1 disappointing but ok
By: DJ | 1 Comment
Everton had an 89th minute equaliser to thank for stopping Wolves getting a win they probably deserved after dominating the game for long periods on Saturday. This game more than any other so far this season did much to convince the Wolves faithful that we can still be playing in this division next season and the fact that management, players and supporters trooped out of Goodison Park disappointed to be going home with 1 point rather than 3 was a testament to how well they had played.
With Foley deemed still not ready to return and Mancienne returning ill from England Under 21 duty, Wolves recalled Jody Craddock and gave a debut to Ronald Zubar in defence and started with a line up of;
Hennessey
Zubar, Craddock, Berra, Elokobi
Kightly, Edwards, Henry, Halford
Ebanks Blake, Doyle
During the second half Maierhofer, Castillo and Jarvis replaced Kightly, Ebanks Blake and Halford.
The first half was dominated by Wolves territorially although Everton twice went close to scoring in a five minute spell. Hennessey, Zubar, Craddock and Berra were all excellent in Wolves best defensive performance of the season and the hard working midfield stopped Everton getting any fluency into their game and kept the crowd very quiet. At the other end of the field SEB went closest to scoring with a characteristic shot on the turn.
The expected improvement from Everton in the second half didn’t really happen despite them bringing another striker, Yakubu, on to replace right back Hibbert. Saha looked Everton’s best player but the Wolves defense looked solid. The Wolves midfield were stopping Everton playing but were lacking the creativity to open up the home defense. But Ebanks Blake went even closer with another shot on the turn, and then Wolves went ahead in the 74th minute. A long ball through the middle saw SEB challenge for a ball in the air with the central defender. Both missed the ball and Doyle ran in behind them to slot the ball into the net.
Everton stepped up the urgency but Wolves looked up to retaining their lead until a low cross from the left saw the Russian winger of Everton lose Elokobi on the far post and he slotted in the equaliser. Plenty of action in the 4 minutes of injury time as the home crowd finally came alive. Maierhofer had made a good impact for Wolves as a sub but he had been booked for a late tackle and then after he was harshly judged to have blocked Everton keeper Howards attempt to clear the ball, the big Austrian was sent off. Howard, despite retaliating by felling Maierhofer with a punch to the back of the head was allowed to remain on the field. Despite this setback it was Wolves who came closest to a third goal with Doyle’s shot blocked by Howard.
So a lot to be encouraged about as Wolves deserved at least 1 point. Good defensive performance with a fine debut from Zubar, Craddock again showing he is invaluable, and Hennessey developing into a top keeper. When SEB is fully match fit the partnership of him and Doyle will be a good one.
Next Saturday sees Villa come to Molineux. They will be buoyed by beating Chelsea at the weekend but they will meet a Wolves team that will be ready for the occasion and a raucous West Midlands derby is in prospect.
Category: Team NewsIt’s toffee time
By: DJ | Add Comments
Wolves go to Everton on Saturday 17th October 3:00 pm with the threat of dropping into the bottom three for the first time this season hanging over them. After a relatively easy fixture list to open the season this has to be a disappointment and we have the double whammy of a more difficult run of fixtures ahead plus the psychological scars that being in the relegation position would bring. Thats the negative side of the story. On the positive side Wolves have played well in the majority of matches and have done so with line ups that are short of their best team due to injuries.
McCarthy has alread indicated that Wolves will be looking to play to their strengths in the coming games and that does mean playing with a positive formation and trying to attack and score goals. Although this could lead to some heavy defeats against better opposition it has to be recognised that Wolves have looked vulnerable defensively recently, and were one of the league’s top scorers last year so attack may well be the best form of defense.
When Kevin Doyle became Wolves major signing of the summer there was great anticipation that a pairing of him and Ebanks Blake would offer a greater threat to opposition defences at this level than is normally the case from a newly promoted team. Well at Everton that partnership will be unveiled for the first time. All the signs are that they should be very well suited. Doyle has been excellent so far in gold and black and his control and ability to find space down the channels should be the ideal foil for the goal poacher that is Ebanks Blake. With Kightly also ready to start making his mark this is finally the attacking option that gave such optimism that Wolves could establish themselves back in the top flight.
The other ineresting team change due for Saturday is a Premier League debut for Ronald Zubar. The man with Champions League experience with Marseille is set to make a belated appearance after finding the adjustment to Premier League pace of game, and the language barrier, meaning he wasn’t considered ready until this point. But he is set to start and the hope is that his pace, height and experence will help Wolves defensively. He is also a good passer of the ball and so the play out of defence should be improved. Question mark is will he start in central defence or as left back? He and Mancienne are capable of playing anywhere across the back four and they may both get a game at the expense of Elokobi.
So defensively Wolves will include Hennessey in goal and Berra at centre back. Then it’s any two from three from Zubar, Mancienne and Elokobi. At right back Foley made his come back last game against Portsmouth and was poor. But the player of the season from last year surely neeeds to be given the chance to establish himself in the Premier League if fit. Halford will otherwise play there.
In midfield Kightly will start on the right and Jarvis will presumably start on the left although his form has not been great so far this season. Having said that the stats say he has made more crosses than any player in the Premier League so he is doing something right even if the final delivery has often lacked accuracy. Henry will play in central midfield and it will either be Castillo or Edwards alongside him. Castillo played for Everton last year so would doubtless jump at the opportunity and he will get the nod unless it is felt his trip back to South America for World Cup action with Ecuador has taken too much out of him.
In attack we wait to see if the SEB/Doyle combo can fire the goals to keep Wolves in this divison. Not the easiest game for them to start but this was also the ground where the Andy Gray and John Richards partnership played together for the first time in the eighties and Wolves won 3-2 that day. A celebratory toffee will be the least we will be looking for if that can be repeated.
Category: Team NewsEntering Phase 3
By: DJ | 1 Comment
I am getting used to this Premier lark now. You play four games then you take two weeks off. Then you check what day and time the next 4 games are on and wonder where the next points are coming from.
Phase 3 for Wolves comprises of games against Everton away, Villa at home, Stoke away and Arsenal at home. All the games are on Saturdays. Villa game is on Sky so is 12:45 kick off and Arsenal is on ESPN so that means 5:30. The away games are at the old fashioned time of 3:00.
Everton comes first which will doubtless mean getting a request from a young scouser to give them a couple of quid to watch the car while the game is on. I have never given them the money, and my car has always been intact after the game, and the kids who have been paid by some to be on guard are nowhere to be seen after the game. Bet I regret saying that next Saturday! My main Everton v Wolves memory was 8/9/79 when Andy Gray made his debut for Wolves and scored in a 3-2 win. That was a very positive time to be a Wolves fan as it looked like we were building a team that could beat anyone. It did take us to League Cup success and into Europe. But as we know now that was to be the last Wolves team to be competitive in the top half of the top division.
The following week sees Villa come to Molineux. These two teams used to be great rivals back in the sixties but nowadays it doesn’t carry the intense rivalry that we see in the Black Country derby or even against Blues. That’s not to say that beating the team from Spaghetti Junction wouldn’t go down well. The last time the teams met saw Villa win 4-0 at Molineux so we could do without a repeat of that. The Wolves v Villa game that probably most depicted the rivalry back in the sixties was when the two teams met in the FA Cup in the 64/65 season. The teams drew 1-1 at Villa Park then 0-0 in the Molineux replay. In those days it then went to a third game on a neutral pitch. So the decider was in front of a packed Hawthorns and a Hughie McIlmoyle hat trick saw Wolves through.
Then we take the short trip up to Junction 15 of the M6 to play Stoke for the long throw Olympics. Delap or Halford, who you betting on? Strange that this game is at 3 on Saturday given that the return fixture next April is already scheduled for a Sunday at 12 on police advice. No particular game at Stoke sticks in my mind but I do remember a night game there when John Richards, during his time as one of the hottest strikers in England missed with a free header from two yards out – it can happen to anyone. The worst miss I can ever remember seeing live.
Phase 3 ends with the Arsenal coming to try to outplay us. The last time they came to Molineux was in my mind one of the highlights of our last season in the top flight. In the first half Wolves were superb and lead through a Vio Ganea goal. Arsenal and Thierry Henry in particular stepped up a gear in the 2nd half and won the game but the first 45 minutes was the best Wolves played all season. Plenty of memories of Arsenal games of the past. But all those that were there on 20th November 1971 will never forget that game. Arsenal came with the team that had won the League and FA cup double the previous season and had a half time lead through a Ray Kennedy goal that finished second in the Match of the Day goal of the month. But in the second half with snow coming down Dave Wagstaffe (photo above) equalised with the winner of goal of the month and Wolves went on to record an unforgettable 5-1 win with Hibbitt’s goal getting third in goal of the month.
Here’s hoping for a successful phase 3. The points won’t be easy to come by and we could be in the bottom 3 at the end of this phase. But then nobody expected to see Wolves score 5 against Arsenal in 1971 so you never know….
Category: Team NewsBelow the line
By: DJ | Add Comments
If a point a game is the benchmark that Wolves need to be measured by then they fell below that on Saturday by being the first team that couldn’t beat Portsmouth this season. Maybe over the 90 minutes Wolves deserved a draw and for sure they should have been awarded a 2nd half penalty that should have lead them to get at least a point, but that will not take away the disappointment of losing the game and of playing below par in many respects.
Wolves started with a line up of;
Hennessey
Foley, Mancienne, Berra, Elokobi
Halford, Edwards, Henry, Jarvis
Keogh, Doyle
Kightly and Ebanks Blake replaced Foley and Keogh at half time. Maierhofer replaced Elokobi as Wolves went for it late on.
In the opening exchanges it looked like Wolves who were entering the game on the back of seven defeats rather than their opponents. There seemed a lack of confidence in many parts of the team and maybe that 5-2 defeat last week had hurt more than expected. Also maybe going in to the game as favourites weighed heavy. But possibly it was just that a number of players were not playing well. It was no real surprise when Pompey went ahead after 19 minutes with a simple cross and header and Wolves just couldn’t get any serious threat on the Portsmouth goal. Jarvis had one run that ended with a weak shot and Doyle made a similar run down the left of the penalty area but there was no one far enough forward to get on to his cross. Berra had a half chance from a corner but David James did not have a difficult half.
In that first half Foley played as poorly as I have seen him play and maybe he was not ready after his injury. Mancienne looked down on confidence, Elokobi looked vulnerable defensively and his passing was dire, and the likes of Halford, Edwards, Jarvis and Keogh were totally ineffective. In fact Doyle looked at a different level from his team mates and was the only one that looked like making anything happen.
Wolves were better after the break and had Pompey pinned back for large periods but were still not strongly testing James. Closest they came to a goal was a free kick from Halford well saved by James but he couldn’t hold the shot and Ebanks Blake should have done better with the rebound. But the big talking point of the second half was a penalty that wasn’t given. Kightly’s cross was blatantly blocked by the arm of a diving defender and it was an incident seen by everyone in Molineux except the officials. TV confirmed it was a definite and deliberate handball.
With an international break next week Wolves will have two weeks to dwell on this performance before the trip to Everton on October 17th. And McCarthy will have that time to ponder on who should get a game. Kightly, Ebanks Blake and , despite his poor showing today, Foley should surely be given the chance to show the Premier League why they built such a reputation in the Championship. But there is a long list of players whose places will be under threat including Mancienne, Edwards, Elokobi, Halford, Jarvis and Keogh. But in reality only Hennessey, Berra, Henry and Doyle can be sure of a place.
Category: Team NewsOdds on favourites
By: DJ | 4 Comments
This weekend sees Portsmouth come to molineux having failed to get any points from their opening 7 games of the season. They will surely get a point soon, but hopefully not too soon. Having sold all their best players and largely replaced them with players that look Championship level, it does look like it will be a long season for Pompey but they won’t lose every game.
The poor start for Pompey has lead to Wolves being priced up as odds on favourites to win by the bookies – not often that has happened in the Premier League. But if Wolves can play to the level they have reached in most games this season then a valuable 3 points should come our way.
Team selection is open to question for this game. Although McCarthy tends to stick with players playing well he might use the 5-2 defeat last week as a reason to make one or two changes even though the team performance was quite good. Players like Foley, Craddock, Stearman and Ebanks Blake are now fit and will be knocking on the door for a game and there has to come a time when the best players get the nod.
Hennessey will keep his place. Defensively there are many contenders. Foley as last year’s player of the season must get a chance soon and I hope that is tomorrow. The rest of the defence may stay as Mancienne, Berra and Elokobi. But the experience of Craddock might have been missed last week and it is possible he could be paired with Berra with Mancienne moved to left back where he played for QPR when on loan there.
In midfield Kightly will surely start as will Henry. Jarvis will probably retain his place on the left although he has not been at his best. That leaves a choice between Edwards and Castillo for the other central midfield position. The hamstring problem that Castillo picked up a week ago might decide that. David Jones meanwhile has had surgery and will be out for two months.
Up front McCarthy has to decide whether the time is right to reintroduce SEB, who hasn’t looked fully wound up in his two sub appearances but probably needs games to get sharp. Doyle has been excellent as will certainly play and Keogh would be unlucky to be left out.
This is the last game before another international break and three points would see Wolves sitting towards half way in the league for the next fortnight. But those points may well be needed to avoid slipping in to the bottom three, and the run of four games before the following international break sees a more difficult looking run of games against Arsenal and Villa at home and Everton and Stoke away.
Category: Team NewsSeptember stocktake
By: DJ | 5 Comments
Back in the summer before the season started I was of the view that it would be the end of September before we could start to make a judgement on whether this team of players, that were largely inexperienced in Premier League football, would be good enough for that level. So that time has now arrived and we can start to have a feel for how it’s all going to end up.
The fixture list had been relatively kind to launch the season. Matches against West Ham, Wigan, Man City, Hull, Blackburn, Fulham and Sunderland was a test but not too stern an opening. A point a game is what we need to achieve over the season and you would hope to be at that level at least from that list of games. The fact we are on 7 points from 7 games means we are on track but nervously looking at how close to the trap door we are.
What has been most encouraging has been that apart from Blackburn away, Wolves have played well in every game. If anything, a point a game is the least they have deserved. But what the season has told us already, as if we didn’t know already, is that mistakes are punished harshly. And the game at Sunderland showed that a good all round performance can still end up as a heavy defeat.
So how are the players looking at this level?
Hennessey in goal is someone that Wolves fans were growing increasingly concerned about last season despite the fact that he would probably fetch a few million in the transfer market. His inability to dominate his area was becoming a major issue. But he has been fine this season and looks well on course to re-establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers of his age in the country.
The defence has seen many disruptions with injury. Last season’s best player, Foley, has yet to start a Premier game, Craddock, Stearman and Ward, after starting the season well also got injured, while Berra and Elokobi were not fit to start the season. So it is a little difficult to judge the defence or say for sure what the best foursome would be. Mancienne was the most important pre-season signing but has not looked totally mistake free. My first choice back four would be Foley, Mancienne, Berra and Ward. But Craddock and Stearman will get their fair share of games.
In midfield Kightly was another not fit to start the season. But the signing of Milijas looked special in pre season and Castillo has been brought in to add some steel, although he too is now injured. Halford has played right wing and right back so far and his height and long throws have been useful even if his overall play has not always been good. Surman is a good signing for the future. Henry and Edwards have stepped up well to this level but Jarvis is yet to find his best form. Kightly, Edwards, Henry and Jarvis would probably get the vote for me at the moment but hopefully Milijas will adjust to the English game eventually and make his mark, and Castillo has made a good impression from what little we have seen of him.
Up front new signing Doyle was unfit for the opening games and Ebanks Blake was injured in the first match. So Keogh was asked to fill the void and opened the season superbly. Maierhofer was brought in to give some height to the attack. Everyone is waiting for the Doyle/SEB partnership to get their first game together. But Keogh’s movement and hard work means he would be unlucky to be left out despite his finishing still leaving something to be desired. SEB must get the chance soon to show that he can score goals at this level, and Doyle looks an excellent signing so it must be those two when fit.
So would the current view be that we will be good enough to stay up?
Well we were better than Birmingham and Burnley last season and I believe we have made better signings than those two teams. So I don’t see why they should finish above us. Hull have only won a couple of Premier games in the last 9 months and Portsmouth’s task looks forlorn already. So with Bolton also looking dodgy, I feel very confident that we will finish 17th or higher.
3 points against Pompey on Saturday would raise us up the league and add to the confidence that we will be in this league again next season.
Category: Team NewsInjustice done
By: DJ | 6 Comments
This was one crazy game. Wolves played well, probably at least as well as their opponents. Both teams had a better game than the referee. But 5-2 to Sunderland will be what will go in the record books.
Wolves started with the team that beat Fulham and were behind in only 7 minutes. Castillo played the ball then the player in the area and the referee ignored the touch on the ball and awarded a penalty. Bent converted confidently. After half an hour Doyle was barged in the back by Michael Turner in the other penalty area but the referee saw nothing wrong. Wolves were completely dominant in the latter stages of the first half and a Doyle header went inches wide.
Castillo suffering with a tight hamstring was replaced at half time by Kightly. Within a couple of minutes of the restart Wolves were two down when Berra conceded a penalty and Jones converted. But within 7 minutes Wolves were level. First a Berra shot was parried by keeper Gordon and the ball rebounded off defender Mensah in to the net. Then a loose back pass by Richardson was goal bound until Gordon saved with his hands. This resulted in an indirect free kick only six yards from goal. Ten Sunderland players stood on the goal line and Henry’s shot was blocked. But the rebound fell to Doyle who scored.
Gordon had illegally stopped a certain goal with his hands. Surely a professional foul, surely a sending off, but no action was taken.
Wolves were well on top but against the run of play Sunderland regained the lead. Jones tried a shot from 30 yards that went through Mancienne’s legs and out of reach of Hennessey. Three minutes later Wolves were buried as Turner had a free header from a corner and scored. Even at this stage there was the feeling that if Wolves could pull one back there was something in the game for them. Ebanks Blake and Maierhofer replaced Keogh and Doyle. The closest Wolves came to forcing a grandstand finish was when a Halford header was cleared off the line. Cruelly Sunderland added a fifth in injury time when a Bent shot was deflected past Hennessey by Mancienne.
Shots – Sunderland 12 Wolves 20
Corners – Sunderland 7 Wolves 9
Passing success – Sunderland 59% Wolves 62%
Winning tackles – Sunderland 67% Wolves 78%
Possession – Sunderland 48% Wolves 52%
Territorial Advantage – Sunderland 44% Wolves 56%
Wolves will play a lot worse this season and win.
Category: Team NewsMick’s Mackem Memories
By: DJ | 5 Comments
Mick McCarthy takes his Wolves team to his former stomping ground on Sunday at 16:00 for another live sky game. The squad he will take will be the talented young players he brought in from lower divisions that earned Wolves promotion plus some good players brought in with an investment he was never allowed to make while he was in the north east.
You can’t help wondering whether Mick would still be at Sunderland if he had been given the opportunity to build a Premier team with the amount of money that his mate Roy Keane and more recently Steve Bruce have been given. Keane took Sunderland a few steps forward, but not many, before going on to raise further doubts on his mangement skills at Ipswich. Bruce has the value of experience and looks likely to make Sunderland a team that won’t, for a change, be involved in the relegation dogfight. The start they have made this season, before losing at Burnley last week, means it’s a game where a draw might be a decent result for Wolves on the day.
For Wolves it all points to an unchanged line up from the team that outplayed Fulham last week. McCarthy is prone to letting players keep the shirt when they do a good job and he has already said that the threesome that made their come back in midweek at Old Trafford – Foley, SEB and Kightly – will not be starting at the Stadium of Light. What that will give is a very strong bench for Wolves with the likes of Maierhofer and Craddock also likely to be there, with possibly David Jones moving ahead of Milijas in the pecking order after doing quite well at Old Trafford.
McCarthy will probably get a decent reception as the locals recognised that he wasn’t backed by the board after achieving promotion. Hopefully he will make himself unpopular by coming home with three points.
Category: Team News
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