Blues come into the game in decent form and confidence is growing around St Andrews that they will be able to stay in the top flight next season. They have played three of their last four games at home and have taken advantage by getting wins against Sunderland and Fulham and a draw against Man City. In between those games they got an encouraging draw away at troubled Liverpool. It says all you need to know about how Blues play that in 7 home games they have scored only 5 but have got 3 wins and 2 draws. McLeish builds his team around a solid defensive base and their style is to nick a goal and hang on to it. Not thrilling stuff, but it is getting them some points.

Wolves won the race with Blues to last season’s Championship title and the two league games last season saw Blues win at St Andrews and get a draw at Molineux with Wolves winning at St Andrews in the FA Cup. The draw at Molineux saw Blues play well and deservedly take a 1-0 lead. But they then tried to sit on that lead and Wolves came back with an equaliser and by the end looked the more likely winners. The edge that Wolves had over Blues over the season was in scoring goals which resulted in Wolves getting more wins whereas Blues were often drawing games they should have won. Wolves need to start showing this season that when it comes to games against teams in the bottom half of the table that they still possess that goal scoring capability.

Wolves will doubtless and correctly retain Hennessey in goal despite some criticism of his performance at Chelsea last week. Zubar has picked up an injury in training so will not figure in defence. This looks likely to open the door to a recall for Kevin Foley. Last season’s player of the year has had an injury interrupted start to life in the top flight but amongst the Wolves players from last year he was one of the bankers to make the step up and lets hope he starts proving himself a Premier League defender starting on Sunday. Stephen Ward made a return to action with the reserves in midweek and may immediately reclaim the left back slot. But McCarthy has been praising Stearman’s performances standing in to that position so he may retain his place. In central defence it is likely to still be Craddock and Berra, although Mancienne will now be pressing for a recall after a break from the firing line.

In midfield lies to me the key to Wolves approach. The trio of Edwards, Henry and Castillo give Wolves a solid look and Halford when he plays is of a similar ilk. But by playing three of these four, or even all of them last week, then there is a distinct lack of creativity about the set up. If Wolves are going to start getting amongst the goals then they must adopt a more positive midfield set up. In Kightly’s absence I hope we see two from Jarvis, Milijas and Surman in the line up on Sunday.

Up front it has to be Doyle and SEB although many Wolves fans are calling for Keogh, who started the season so well, to be given another chance. This is mainly due to SEB not having yet made the impact that we were hoping for after being the best striker outside the top flight last season. To be fair to him though he was injured in the first game and then returned as Wolves were facing their most difficult run of fixtures so far. The game on Sunday and the home games that follow give him the chance to show he can do the business at this level. Frankly it’s a major factor in Wolves season that he does.

So derby or no derby this is a big game for Wolves. Three points and all the pre season optimism that we are in this division to stay will come flooding back. A defeat would mean that it is all starting to look like a real struggle. A draw will be many people’s forecast, and that will suit Blues more than Wolves. It’s going to be heated, loud and crucial. And I hope the smiles are on the faces of the Wolves fans come 2:00 pm,

So now we find ourselves one point below the minimum place we set out to achieve of 17th with 25 games to play. Not an insurmountable task. I can only think there is a real fear that in these two important home games coming up, Wolves will not get the points they need. I do agree that from these two games and the following home game against Burnley, we do need to get a minimum of 6 points. If we do get two wins then I think the optimism will return. If we get less than that then my concern would grow too.

There are plenty of other relegation contenders out there. Portsmouth continue to be 3 points behind us. And Hull and Bolton are showing little signs of escaping the dogfight. Wigan’s 9 goal defeat at the weekend is a sign of their vulnerability. And Burnley and Blues will not be far away. Burnley have done well at home so far and are well placed if they can keep that going. They have received some thrashings away and they need a good home record over the season. Blues have won 3 home games despite having scored only 5. Typical McLeish approach of nicking a goal and hanging on, but it’s done them ok so far.

Why is it that Wolves, who won the Championship so gloriously last year are behind the teams that came up behind them?  I can’t see that the other teams have strengthened better than Wolves. What they have done in my opinion is stuck to the same game plan that earned them points last season. Wolves meanwhile have tended to play a cautious and narrow midfield and that helped them get those draws against Villa and Everton. But the fast flowing football of last season is a distant memory as we seem to have concluded that this style would leave us too open in the top flight. After conceding 4 in each of the last two games and having created very few chances over the season so far, I believe we are being victims of not playing to our strengths.

Against Blues and Bolton, and then against Burnley a couple of weeks later, we need to go back to the 4-4-2 that served us so well last season. And that midfield set up needs to include two attacking/creative midfield players and not all 3 of the workhorses  Henry, Castillo and Edwards.  And maybe even in the tough away games coming up at Spurs, Man Utd and Liverpool we need to go for it more. If we are going to concede 4 by playing a packed midfield then what is there to lose?

I don’t go along with the view that one of our problem areas is goalkeeper. Hennessey was at fault for Chelsea’s fourth on Saturday, but not the third as some people had said as this was a deflected shot. He is a good young keeper and will always get my vote over Hahnemann who has not looked top class for a couple of years.

Defensively I wish Foley would be brought back in to the fold and I was amazed Halford got another chance ahead of him on Saturday. Foley or Zubar would get my vote for right back. Craddock was at fault for Chelsea’s first on Saturday but has generally done ok. But I would like to see Mancienne recalled alongside Berra. Stearman deserves another chance at left back in the continued absence of Ward.

In midfield we must play two from Jarvis, Kightly and Milijas if we are going to make our mark as an attacking team. Then we need two from Henry, Castillo and Edwards to give us the solid central platform. I would leave out Edwards.

Up front we have to play SEB and Doyle. Last season’s top scorer has not scored in open play this season but only came back into the team during the difficult run of fixtures and these next two games are the chance for him to prove his worth. Keogh and Maierhofer have their good points but are less likely to find goals.

The crunch has arrived and by going into these home games in a relegation position a big pressure has been added. But I think we are a better team than Blues, Bolton and Burnley. Lets take the game to them and prove it.

Chelsea showed why they are favourites to win this season’s Premier League by sweeping Wolves aside at Stamford Bridge today despite being without a number of their star players. There was no Ballack, Lampard, Drogba, Deco or Bosingwa but it hardly mattered. Chelsea were 2-0 up in 12 minutes, 3-0 up in 25 minutes and what happened after that was always going to be academic. Wolves will probably be grateful that the blues only added one more goal.

Wolves were as expected without Zubar and rested Doyle. They started with;

Hennessey,

Halford, Craddock, Berra, Stearman

Jarvis, Edwards, Henry, Castillo, Surman

Ebanks Blake

Kightly replaced Castillo and Keogh replaced SEB during the second half.

Malouda put Chelsea ahead after 5 minutes after he picked up a sliced clearance from Craddock and drove home a cracker from 25 yards. The second goal came from a near post header by Essien direct from a corner. A Kalou deflected shot from the edge of the box brought the third. The fourth came in the second half from Joe Cole with a shot that went through Hennessey’s dive. It could easily have been more with Hennessey making one excellent save from the man of the match Essien.

It will be remembered as a very one sided game and yet a Jarvis break on the right in the first couple of minutes had lead to a cross that Edwards was inches away from connecting with and giving Wolves the lead. The best other attacking moment for Wolves saw Cech make a world class save from an Ebanks Blake header when it was 3-0. The performance of Jarvis maybe the one bright spot for the visitors.

Never easy watching your team beaten so comprehensively yet like the last fixture against Arsenal this was not a game where a point was expected. The ease of defeat does leave an uncomfortable feeling nevertheless. But the difficult run of fixtures that has seen Wolves draw 3 and lose 2 is now behind them. Two home games now come up against Birmingham and Bolton that look so important. We have to hope confidence and belief is intact. Fact of the matter is that with one of the most difficult periods of the season behind us we are one point below the survival mark and only 5 points off 11th. So things could change very quickly with a couple of results but you sense we need those results soon.

Chelsea conceded a goal at home in their first match of the season but since that time have scored 26 without reply at home. When Wolves were last in this division Chelsea scored 5 in both the home and away games. And Chelsea go into the game top of the table and favourites for the title. So a home win would certainly be no surprise.  Crumbs of comfort can be drawn from the fact that Chelsea will go into the game without Drogba, Lampard, Deco and Ballack. But Chelsea are title favourites based on the strength of their squad so there will doubtless be 4 more internationals being ready to step into the fray.

Seems like Wolves have chosen to adopt a disguise to confuse their hosts. Despite no colour clash we have chosen this game to give a first outing to the new away strip (modelled by Matt Jarvis). Lets hope that proves to be a lucky choice but it’s one of those games that an honourable defeat almost feels like a success, but in reality points are needed.

Looks like there might be a couple of changes to the line up from the previous game. Ronald Zubar has picked up a strain in training and will have a late test. That might open the door to Kevin Foley to return to the fold. Last season’s player of the season has had his Premier opportunities limited to two part games due to injury. It would be great to see him come back and prove he can make the grade.

And after his 120 minutes against the french on Wednesday, Kevin Doyle may well be rested. The striker drew loads of praise for his performances in both legs of the World Cup play off. But the fact he ran his legs off for 2 hours and then suffered such a cruel loss might see him get a seat on the bench on Saturday.

That being the case I suspect we will be looking to crowd Chelsea out of space in midfield by going for a 4-5-1 line up of;

Hennessey

Foley, Craddock, Berra, Stearman

Kightly, Edwards, Henry, Castillo, Milijas

Ebanks Blake.

So this is a game to watch in hope rather than expectation. If anything there is already more focus on the next two games at home against Birmingham and Bolton – games that are in danger of being built up to epic significance. But lets not be defeatist, and maybe Chelsea will see a blessing in disguise in defeat. When Man Utd came to Molineux in 2004 Wolves were similarly given no chance. Well we won 1-0 that day and it didn’t stop United being champions. Sadly it didn’t stop Wolves going down either but any positive result on Saturday would surely be an enormous tonic for the challenges ahead. Despite the midweek controversies in Paris there will be no video technology to help the ref so maybe Wolves can ‘hand’ Chelsea a surprise.

The season so far has obviously seen some disappointments else we wouldn’t be where we are now in the league. And yet the game away at Blackburn is the only game that was a really poor performance. Even in the home defeats against Portsmouoth, West Ham and Arsenal, and the heavy defeat at Sunderland there was encouragement in the performances. But what cannot be denied is that the opening ten games have largely been against teams in the bottom half of the league and we haven’t accumulated the points we hoped for, and maybe needed, from those games.

There have been a number of positives from individual performances and although some criticised Hennessey after the Arsenal game I think he has been outstanding so far. He has made good saves, his domination of his area has improved, and I don’t think there aren’t many better keepers of his age in the country. Hahnemann provides experienced cover although in the one game he started in the Carling Cup he didn’t impress. Murray sadly had to come off early in his comeback in the reserves this week so it would be wrong to expect any heroic comebck this season, and Ikeme has been loaned to Charlton for experience.

Defensively Wolves have had many changes already. We have already seen Stearman, Foley, Zubar, Mancienne, Craddock, Berra, Ward, Elokobi and Halford. Far too many changes to have a reliable record but most have been enforced through injuries. Foley who was Wolves best player last season, has only played two part games so far and it was encouoraging to see him get some time in the reserves this week. Craddock, Berra, Zubar, Stearman and Ward have all done well. Mancienne has been disappointing after looking a star last season, but he has the ability to play his part in time. But we need a settled back four. In time I would like to see Foley, Craddock (or Zubar), Berra and Ward.

The midfield has been more settled with Henry and Edwards having been regulars and Castillo also a regular since he signed late August. Milijas showed some signs of being a player pre season and in the early games but after struggling with the pace of the games he lost his place. But he is back now and if Wolves are to be more creative then a place has to be found for him. Halford offers the long throw option but his overall game has not been great. Kightly has not found his form at this level yet and he now has something to prove. And the same can be said for Jarvis who has pace to burn and will make his mark at some stage if he can improve his final ball. We have not yet seen the other summer signing, Surman. He was always going to be one for the future but he is a good player and may get a chance at some stage. At the moment my shoice would be Kightly (in the hope he starts making his mark), Henry, Castillo and Milijas.

Up front we did not have the best players available when we had what were on paper the easier games. Doyle was not fit to start the season and SEB was injured first game. Keogh started the season very well but he carries the burden that while talented it is difficult to imagine him ever being a regular scorer. Maierhofer has offered us a different option with his height but he hasn’t actually shown aerial domination when he has played and he looks like being just an option from the bench. SEB and Doyle must be the first choice but they need to show they can get the goals at this level when the easier fixtures come around.

My players of the season so far would be Craddock, Berra, Henry, Hennessey and Doyle with Berra pipping Doyle as the best so far.

So where will we go from here. Between now and xmas it is difficult to see too many away points coming our way with the forthcoming games at Chelsea, Spurs, Man Utd and Liverpool. So the next three home games do look absolutely crucial. Birmingham, Bolton and Burnley come to Molineux in the next month or so and a minimum of two wins will be required there. If we don’t get that we will probably be bottom at xmas and then it becomes a real challenge even though the league is tightly grouped this season and it won’t take many wins to make a significant jump up the table. 6, 7 0r 9 ponts from those three home games and the turkey will taste good and we can hopefully then go on to prove that us matching the likes of Everton, Villa and Stoke recently will reflect where we will end up lying in the table come May.

So I know from the stats that we get thousands of hits on the Wolves pages here from the stats we receive – lets hear your comments on how you think things will pan out. Are we going to be underwater with the sharks at xmas or will we rise from the depths?

Following his impressive substitute appearance  last week Milijas was brought in to the starting line up and it was Michael Kightly who stepped down to the bench. Stearman, who came off the bench at Stoke to replace Elokobi at left back, was given the starting role in that position.

Hennessey, Zubar, Craddock, Berra,Stearman, Edwards, Henry, Castillo, Milijas, SEB, Doyle.

Kightly came on for Castillo and Jarvis for Milijas during the second half.

Wolves started so brightly with Arsenal conceding a host of free kicks and the delivery of Milijas causing plenty of problems for the Arsenal defence. A header from Ebanks Blake flashed past the post for the closest call. After doing so well it was disappointing that the opening Arsenal goal came from a straight forward corner that bounced in off Zubar. Then from a breakaway a chip from Eduardo hit Craddock and looped over Hennessey into the net. Wolves hadn’t deserved to fall behind with two such soft goals but the third goal that put the nail in the coffin was from brilliant inter passing between Sagna, Van Persie and then slotted in by Fabregas.

The second half was largely a non event. Arsenal extended their lead when Hennessey punched a cross out to the edge of the box where Arshavin hit the ball back through a crowded area in to the net. Wolves gained a late consolation when Craddock scored his third goal in 8 days with a header from a Jarvis corner.

In the end you would have to say Wolves were outclassed as the difference between the elite teams and the bottom half of the table was highlighted in the quality of ball control, movement and passing. Possibly more of the same in the next game in two weeks time against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. So Wolves now find themselves in the dreaded bottom three and we have to hope that the heads don’t drop before we come to the end of this difficult run of fixtures and Wolves can meet their seasonal survival target.

Well Arsenal have scored 18 goals in 5 home games in the last few weeks and are being talked about as potential champions. Wenger has been lauding the goal scoring capabilities of his team. And their expectation will be that they will get three more points towards their cause on Saturday. But in their last two away matches they have only managed draws against West Ham and AZ Alkmaar and those teams are no higher rated than the three teams Wolves have secured draws against in the last three games.  Clearly Wolves will need to work hard to stop Arsenal settling into their passing game but if we can find a performance to match those against Everton and Villa then an away win is no good thing.

Wolves defence was much maligned in the early part of the season but the form of Henessey in goal and Zubar, Craddock and particularly Berra in defence has given us a much more solid look. They will doubtless retain their places and once more the only question mark remains over the left back position. Elokobi was withdrawn in the second half at Stoke and replaced by Stearman and either he or the fit again Mancienne might be given a chance to start.

The protection that Henry and Castillo give to the defence from the centre of midfield is also a factor in us looking a more difficult team to break down. But while the inclusion of those two plus the hard working Edwards makes us a hard team to play against, it becomes a midfield light on creativity. Kightly is still finding his feet at this level and his fitness, but it wasn’t until Milijas was introduced at Stoke last week that Wolves started making chances. Many Wolves fans are now calling for Milijas (photo above) to start but the gamble is whether that makes Wolves more open a team to play against than we are by having three hard workers in the midfield.

Up front Doyle has been excellent so far and is an automatic choice. Iwelumo was a surprise choice to partner him at Stoke but a recurrence of his metatarsal injury means Big Chris is out of the equation again for a while. This will open the door for Ebanks Blake to return to the fold. McCarthy has in fact revealed that SEB would have returned even if Iwelumo was fit. The 4-4-2 approach is encouraging, in that we are looking to take the game to Arsenal and not just sitting back and waiting for them to take us apart.

This is clearly a game when we hope for a result rather than expect one. Fact is Wolves will be in the bottom 3 going in to the game, Blackburn play Portsmouth earlier so whatever the result there Wolves will drop a place. A result is therefore needed to keep the heads above water, especially with Chelsea away as the next game. But Wolves have not looked like a relegaton team in recent weeks so we can give it a real go on Saturday. Can’t wait.

Wolves gained their third successive score draw to add another few ounces of confidence to the belief that they are in this division to stay. The fact they did so after trooping off at half time 2-0 down and looking a beaten side will have done even more for the spirits. By the end of the game Wolves looked the more likely winners in what was very much a game of two halves.

We made only one change from the team that drew with Villa last week and surprisingly that was to replace Ebanks Blake with Iwelumo. SEB was relegated to the bench in what was probably a change to counteract the height advantage that Stoke would hold, but in the first half that hardly seemed to have helped as Big Chris made little impact in attack and was not able to stop Stoke getting a few free headers at the other end that they weren’t able to take advantage of.

Ironically after knowing that there would be a physical battle in store and a test in the air, it was Stoke winger Matthew Etherington that proved the difference between the teams in the first half. He made the first goal after 17 minutes with a pacy break from inside his own half. He left Zubar for dead on the wing before putting in an excellent cross that Beattie was able to turn in on the far post despite the presence of Elokobi. The Wolves full back may even have got the final touch to make it an own goal. The second goal just before half time resulted from a Delap long throw. Although headed clear the ball fell to Etherington who smashed the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the box.

Wolves had had plenty of the ball in the first half with Henry and Castillo holding their own in midfield and Berra being a rock in defence. But they only once looked like scoring when Berra just failed to get on the end of a Castillo ball into the box. But Stoke had some missed chances and Hennessey made some good catches from crosses and made one superb save from a Beattie header.

McCarthy decided to bring Milijas on at half time to bring some much needed creativity to the midfield and the only surprise was that it was Castillo that made way. With his first touch after a couple of minutes of the 2nd half Milijas curled in a superb inswinging free kick from the right and Craddock turned the ball in on the far post (photo above). Another free kick from a similar position saw Milijas curl one towards the roof of the net but Sorensen saved at the second attempt.  It was the Milijas/Craddock combination again for the equaliser after 64 minutes with the Serbian’s corner headed in at the near post.

Wolves introduced Maierhofer for Iwelumo and Stearman for Elokobi as they went looking for the win. Faye missed a good headed chance for Stoke while Berra and Milijas went close for Wolves.

It was a stirring fightback from Wolves who were as worthy of winning the 2nd half 2-0 as Stoke had been the first. Hennessey, Zubar, Craddock, Berra and Henry were all excellent for Wolves, but in the second half the whole team rose to the fight. And it would be a great boost if this proved to be a breakthroiugh performance from the undoubtedly talented Milijas.

This run of four games between international breaks looked a challenging phase for Wolves but they have drawn the first three and moved up to 16th place to keep up the record of not slipping into the relegation zone. Arsenal next week presents the biggest challenge so far at Molineux. The gunners have been playing like potential champions in recent games but Wolves are earning their corn now and an away win is no formality.

Stoke won 10 and drew 5 of their 19  games at the Britannia Stadium last season and have won 3 of the 5 played so far this term. They are particularly effective from dead ball situations and Wolves will not be wanting to give away unnecessary free kicks and corners. And we know that that the long throws of Delap have become something of a legend in North Staffordshire. And the signings of Beattie and Etherington have made them a decent attacking unit to add to an already strong defence. But they are not as good as Everton and Villa who Wolves have matched in recent games.

The style of Stoke’s play will be a test for Hennessey who was weak last season coming off his line to deal with crosses. But he has clearly worked on this part of his game and he is developing into the top class keeper we hoped he would be. The back four that have played the last couple of games have done well and will surely be unchanged. Foley remains unavailable and it is unlikley Mancienne will be recalled given how well we have played in his absence.

The partnership of former Stoke midfielder Henry and Castillo (photo above) in central midfield has all the makings of being key to Wolves season. They offer protection to the defence, close down the opposition midfield, and give the security for us to get forward wide to support the strikers. Kightly will be getting closer to full match fitness now and will hopefully start making his impact. But it is the other midfield position that offers the most debate for team selection. David Edwards work rate is unquestionable and he may be asked to continue in this away game despite not playing well last week. Halford is an alternative to give more defensive security. Conversely Milijas or Jarvis offer much more of a creative and attacking threat. And although the recent draws have been encouraging, maybe we need that extra creativity to turn draws to wins. Personally I would like Milijas to be recalled.

Up front Doyle and SEB give Wolves a real threat to any defence and their ability on the ground might give them some joy against a Stoke team more renowned for aerial ability. Plan B could be to call on the likes of Halford, Maierhofer and Iwelumo  and take Stoke on at their own game.  It might prove to be useful to have that change available from the bench.

With Arsenal and Chelsea on the horizon for the next two games, Wolves will probably need to get something from this game to avoid falling into the bottom 3 in November. It might be daft to feel confident about visiting a team that has such a good home record, but I don’t think we will be losing this one.

THE HALF EMPTY STORY

Wolves started the season with a run of relatively easy games against teams that are struggling in the bottom half of the table. We are currently sitting with only 3 teams below us in the league and we have played those three teams at home already so there are more difficult fixtures to come. Stoke away followed by games against Arsenal and Chelsea. And away games against Spurs, Man Utd, and Liverpool to come before the end of 2009. Looks like xmas in the bottom 3 beckons. Ebanks Blake and Kightly who were thought to be two of our best bets for this season have not started the season well. And what have the summer signings done for us? Halford has got a long throw and not much else. Mancienne has been a major disappointment. Zubar has taken 2 months to get into the team. Milijas looks out of his depth. Hahnemann is cover only and Surman hasn’t played yet. So we are still falling back on the likes of Craddock, Berra, Elokobi, Edwards and Keogh. We just do not have enough quality and by the time the January transfer window comes around we will be half doomed.

THE HALF FULL STORY

Draws against Everton and Villa surely show we are good enough for this division and we deserved those draws and probably deserved to win at Everton, and if we had got the first minute penalty and sending off against Villa then who knows. The much maligned defence has played well in these games despite the continued absence of Foley. Berra has stepped up to the plate excellently, Zubar has come in and done well and Craddock never lets us down. Hennessey looks a top class keeper now. The Henry and Castillo partnership in midfield looks a winner as does the striking partnership of SEB and Doyle. With Foley to come in and Kightly getting more games under his belt and Milijas making an impact on Saturday it augurs well. If we could play that opening run of fixtures again now with this team we would be 4 0r 5 points better off at least.

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?

There are truths in both sides of this story. We are precariously placed above the relegation line and have difficult fixtures to come. But we are now looking as good as anyone in the bottom half of the league and as long as the chins stay up if we lose to the top teams we have a chance. We are certainly making a better attempt to stay in the division than we did last time when we never rose above the bottom.