Wolves played an excellent game and, have they capitalised more on (say it softly) first half domination at the City of Manchester Stadium, could have come away with more. When Milijas scrambled home a blocked shot on 12 minutes, it looked set to be a very long game for the Wolves fans. And so it proved, although in a more entertaining, but ultimately frustrating, way than certainly I was expecting.

The first half an hour was all Wolves and had we been able to get a second – with a poor shot in an excellent position from Jarvis the most notable missed opportunity – things may have played out very differently. As it was Kolo Taure get the credit for forcing home a 40th minute equaliser (although I had it down as off Dave Jone’s arse), and the teams went in 1-1 at half time. It was a disappointing goal to concede, especially as the corner from which it resulted was avoidable, but these things happen.

Worse was to follow defensively. Credit to City, and especially to Carlos Tevez (but with points deducted for the neck-warmer – seriously City are even producing these branded now!?) for attacking play that we could not live with but: 2nd goal – someone put a foot in please; 3rd goal – the worst, with the ball travelling the length of the pitch without even an attempted tackle (if you’re interested, here’s a diagram of where defensive tackles took place or, rather, didn’t).  Realistically we could have been down more and were lucky for a couple of misses after defensive errors. But to go on about this any more than I already have would be unfair on a day when the whole team deserves fulsome praise for an astonishing fightback.

At 4-1 down I knew by now we’d keep trying but no one I think in that stadium was expecting the nail-biting last 10 minutes City must have suffered.  A passing debt of thanks is owed to old boy Lescott for a definite, but stupid, penalty to get us back in it.  I was pleased to see Doyle slot that home.  A second goal can only help him.  But after that the Wolves team kept fighting, with Zubar bagging a third, and Mujangi Bia unlucky with a deflected shot that could have gone anywhere.  A Wolves team to be proud of despite the result, and despite the fact we’re back in the drop zone.

I’d like to finish with my four key observations from the game:

1. Midfield: A commanding performance from Milijas again, and Jones made a reasonable return to the team.  Jarvis may not have been as outstanding as earlier in the season, but still caused problems.  The quality of his crossing has dipped again a little though.  Here’s a picture.  It does confirm my impression that Hunt had an exceptionally quiet game (he also gave away at least two completely unnecessary free kicks), although he was key to two good moves – Jarvis’s first half miss and the penalty incident.


Purple: successful passes; Red: unsuccessful passes. Click to enlarge

2. Great to see Geoffrey Mujangi Bia come on and look to make an impact.  I believe he did enough to warrant longer on the pitch next week.
3. Zubar: Keeps improving, and a great force going forward, always looking to get in the mix and today hitting the post scoring our third.  Still prone to defensive lapses.
4. We’re in the bottom three, so there’s no point saying if we keep playing like this we’ll be ok – we have been and we’re still where we are.  Nevertheless, small improvements – defensively primarily – are certainly all that are needed at this stage, and Mick and his team are perfectly capable of delivering them.

Hoping the Liverbirds end up festive turkeys

The 2003/4 season saw us achieve against Liverpool a 1-1 draw that could have been 2-1 had Stefan Iversen (remember him? – seriously, we are a better team now) not skyed a shot from six yards out. In the return leg we were seconds from a hard-fought 0-0, when Hyypia bagged a 90th minute winner. Last year saw a creditable 0-0 home draw and an arguably unfortunate 2-0 away defeat after Stephen Ward was harshly sent off – not before the ref had first incorrectly shown the yellow to Berra (remember that? – the refs aren’t any better these days).

Liverpool are delightfully unpredictable as ever – they come into the match on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle and a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa (surely strong candidates to be dragged into the mire of a relegation fight this season).  They are 13th in the table and will be desperate to get some consistent results.  They’re likely to have a strong line up with Gerrard and Agger set to return to their team after long lay offs.  They don’t have a fantastic recent record against us, but that will mean nothing tomorrow – all that matters is the performance and the result on the day.

Ominously, as if it wasn’t enough concern that we only have one point on the road this season, the injury situation isn’t getting much better either, although it is some comfort that Jarvis should be further on the road to recovery, and possibly able to start. Apparently Fletcher was still recovering from a bug at the weekend, but should be available to start against Liverpool. So, on the plus side, no one new got injured at the weekend; on the minus side, there are still an impressive roster of first teamers out of action, with Doyle, Henry, Craddock, Mancienne and Mouyokolo still providing company in the treatment rooms to even more long term casualties Kightly and Guedioura.

Although I’d like to see someone more reliable play in place of Stearman, we don’t have that luxury, so let’s hope he avoids one of his frequent lapses of attention. And I mustn’t be unfair – all the defenders need to pick up their game – after a return to the team in a blaze of glory, Zubar has been shakey, and without someone solid like Craddock beside him Berra consistently gets left behind and resorts to shirt-tugging and other petty fouling that will continue to land him in hot water with referees.

I’d imagine the team will look rather like it did last week – hopefully with a return for Jarvis to the starting line up, all sent out with stern instruction not to play as badly as they did on Sunday. As they can’t get too much worse, that should get some positive reaction.

Hennessey

Zubar – Stearman – Berra – Elokobi

Hunt – Foley – Milijas – Jarvis

Ward

Ebanks-Blake

I’d like to see Flecher up front in place of Ward, given his impressive goals to appearances ratio, but will admit his impact has always been greatest off the bench – a very frustrating fact.

Despite all the doom and gloom following Sunday’s game, call me a hopeless optimist, but I could see us getting 1-1 from this one at worst. So far this season, we’ve generally performed best under the worst circumstances – our wins against Sunderland and Birmingham came at the high points of the injury crises, and our best performances have been against more fancied opponents, with notable endeavour against Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United and, of course, a fine win against Man City.

A draw will do nothing for our league position and, depending on other results at the bottom later, could quite easily see us set futher adrift, but it is essential to at least see a good performance to set us up for any kind of fightback in the coming weeks.

Up the Wolves!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I know we’re still 19th, but how much better does it feel to be a point off safety and a win ahead of those losers West Ham than had we failed to get this result. For once, it was our day.

Birmingham have been a particularly difficult team for us in recent years, with our triple nemeses (I looked it up) of Kevin Phillips, Cameron Jerome and late goals being particularly painful as a Wolves fan. Yet, for once all three failed to bite us, with Jerome and then – even better – Phillips, missing great opportunities in the last 10 minutes. At last. By all accounts a great performance from a patched together team, with special praise being reserved for Messrs Ward and Ebanks-Blake. Interesting parallels with the Sunderland victory where, similarly, unintentional changes enforced on the team through injury led to a very good result.

As is to be expected – the fickleness of football fans being the one unchanging thing in the game – this result has taken some of the pressure off Mick McCarthy, who is not quite the dunderheaded fool some have accused him of being in recent weeks, although I’m sure many will still maintain he’s not up to the job.

This set me thinking on a tangent about whether actually attending games and being there to support the team (or otherwise) rather than watching by other means, affects (adversely or otherwise) our ability to think positively in the face of difficult results. I’ve been frustrated in recent weeks with results but have always maintained Mick’s the best man for the job but, being based in Brighton, I don’t go to every game – usually about 10-12 a year, home and away. I watch all of them (except Sunday’s, typically) but I think the experience of having been in a crowd of either happy or angry people does affect my take on a performance or result, as does having invested the money and time (in my case, all day) to be there.

An aside, but Mick McCarthy’s numptygate furore a couple of weeks ago is very relevant here. McCarthy described those who criticised him on message boards and blogs as ‘numpties’, before swiftly trying to counter criticism by praising the fans at Molineux, thus cleverly avoiding the point that many of these are the same people and that everyone at Molineux on Saturday doesn’t think he’s a saint.

But I digress. To test this out, just to satisfy my curiosity (and hopefully yours), I’d be really very pleased if everyone who reads this takes a minute to answer the following four questions by commenting below:

How many games do you attend a year?
Whereabouts do you live?
Where do you think we’ll finish this year?
Do you want Mick to stay?

I’ll write it up if I get enough of a response, so go on, do it. Please. Back to the actually-having-a-vague-idea-what’s-going-on blogging next week, but it would be great if you could give me your feedback by commenting below.

West Brom next up, and what better time to get a derby victory under our belts to boost confidence. Up the Wolves!

Never in living memory – my living memory that is – have I been so thoroughly unconcerned by yet another England World Cup sob story.  The first World Cup that registered for me was Italia ’90 (Wolfie years work in strange ways).  Even in those days when I was probably, let’s face it, more interested in custard than football, I recall the withdrawal pangs as another team crashed out in (semi-)glory.  Remember all those ifs, buts, almosts, and ALL those penalties?  This was nothing like that.  Despite a truly terrible decision not to award Lampard’s goal, I suspect that the nature of the rest of the game means that even we won’t have the energy to drag this particular ‘robbery’ out for the next 20 years.

Why so different this time?  Partly, of course, the team’s performance never reached any peak of enthusiasm or expectation for the fans to reflect back to the team.  The England players never really looked like fulfilling any of their apparent promise or giving anyone anything positive to shout about.  But more than that, there wasn’t a player out there who didn’t look exactly like the overpaid, overpraised, vacuous primadonnas we all suspect them to be.  There’s aren’t many outside the Premier League payroll who would argue anyone is worth the sums these players bring home, but perhaps I would have forgotten that for a while if they’d at least tried to look half worth it.  As it is, I feel less empathy or warmth for this team than any England team before.  They don’t feel like any part of my England.

Let’s not fall into the trap of blaming it all on Capello.  His tactics were remarkably inappropriate and he seems to have failed to keep the confidence of the whining boys he was paid a grand sum to manage, but he can only be half responsible for perfectly good players playing like fools when out of their club shirts.

Capello should go, but the team needs a massive shake-up, shakedown, and a bit of a slap too.  England look today very much like Wolves did at the end of Glen Hoddle’s final season – a baggy bunch of mercenaries who would rather be elsewhere.  What they need is, I won’t say Mick McCarthy, but someone like him; willing to insist on a bit of grit and graft alongside silky skills from England’s finest, and willing to put a few fine noses out of joint and bring through the youngsters who will have to be England’s future now the ‘Golden Generation’ have reached their sell-by date.

Much as I dislike Dirty ‘Arry, he wants the job, and he could be the man to make a difference for England.

And now until that happens it’s time to forget about them.  After today, it’s time to focus on Wolves, who have had a much more successful summer already than the national team.  While the national team are failing and the rest of the Premier League are feeling the pinch, Wolves look to have pulled off some top signings before pre-season even gets underway.  When did that last happen?

The game started scrappily, with Wigan ultimately having the best of the first half. Hahnemann pulled off a couple of impressive saves, and a bit of luck with a rebound off the inside of the crossbar kept Wolves in the game and in with a chance at 0-0 as half time was about to be blown.

Then Stearman inexplicably pulled his man over, chasing a nothing ball towards the corner flag. Penalty Wigan, and a second yellow for Stearman. Wolves have conceeded some stupid penalties this season (the flailing handed Zubar winning my previous award for idiot of the week), but this outstripped all of them, and by some distance.

That Wolves went in all square at half time was entirely due to the continued excellence of Hahnemann, who saved at least a few of Stearman’s blushes with his penalty save.

Wolves actually started the second half on top and created their best chances in the first 15 minutes, seemingly not missing their erstwhile right back at all, although Ebanks-Blake continued to frustrate. However, as soon as James McCarthy slotted home Wigan’s opener the game was up.

Suddenly it was all Wigan, and the crowd gave up on the game at the same time as the team. Thomas’s sending off for Wigan provided a moment of hope, but Wigan’s second goal hardly came as a surprise. Molineux was all but empty, barring the 23 Wigan supporters who had bothered to make the journey, at the final whistle.

Wolves spent mainly conservatively (by Premier League standards) in the summer, sticking to a tight (by Premier League standards) wage structure. As things stand today we are out of the relegation zone, but only just. So the question is, to spend big in an attempt to ensure survival or to hope we’ve just about got enough to stay up already, accept relegation if it comes and hope we’re in a good position to bounce back?

With the mid-season transfer window having been open for over a week now, the only direction transfers have gone so far at Molineux is out. It’s good to see Collins and Ward gainfully employed elsewhere, and Shackell off our hands on loan. I thank them for their wholehearted, if variable, service to the club and wish them the best for their future.

I’m happy to offer bets that we’re not going to see any big signings coming in in their place. Perhaps a couple along the lines of Surman and Halford. Maybe someone for the future, probably someone who will do anything asked of them, probably competently, but almost certainly not someone who will change our season. I think the barrier to this is less the one-off transfer fee than the ongoing wages anyone commanding the big fees would require.

I also suspect Mick McCarthy, who places a great emphasis on endeavour and team spirit, will fear bringing in too many new faces and displacing Wolves’ willing footsoldiers. In truth, the likes of Karl Henry, Stephen Ward and Matt Jarvis, along with most of Wolves first team from last year have generally impressed in the step up to the Premiership. However, long term, as a whole Wolves don’t constitute a team with the skill or flair on top of workrate likely to compete in this league consistently. This is the team we have however, and I believe, by and large, this is the team we’ll keep for now. So the question becomes: does this give us enough to survive?

On balance I think we have enough for this season, though probably not the next. One of the reasons for this is the solid work ethic of the team well augmented by the quality particularly of Milijas and Doyle; another is the meltdown experienced by other clubs who have spent too big for too long – Portsmouth, and to a lesser extent West Ham. Wolves will have to work hard to finish below Portsmouth (fingers crossed), and I think we have enough to avoid relegation against this somewhat weakened field.

Although Wolves seem sometimes destined to be one of those nearly teams for whom being mired in the slog of the second tier is second nature, our first (consecutive) season in the Premier League does not justify the risk of mimicking Portsmouth, or Leeds before them.

The balance is fine. Wolves should not risk spending too big, especially in terms of committing future funds in large pay deals for experienced players, but to stay in this league long term will need to further break a restrictive wage structure to compete in the same market as the likes of Stoke and Birmingham, never mind Manchester United. We need some degree of Premier League stability to take the risk, but stability is going to be hard to achieve without spending to rival our competitors. Currently I think Wolves have the balance right, but we’ll need to see a bigger change if we’re still here in July. And if that means losing some old faces and who have performed well for the club then, with some regret, so be it.

Good luck to all who will have to negotiate this fine line in the next few years.

A draw away against Stoke is a decent outcome for the team after going 2-0 down in a poor first half, although frustratingly a result that, like the last two games, could easily have been three points to the Wolves.

It was irritating to see an otherwise fine Christophe Berra with his arms wrapped around the opposition in the penalty area again – he’s going to give away more penalties if he carries on; but fantastic to see Milijas coming on at half time and having the impact that we’ve all been hoping, and even more fantastic to see Jody Craddock getting a couple of goals.  Craddock has been a fantastic professional for Wolves for many years now so I would never be surprised to see him giving his all, but I am both surprised and delighted to see him playing so darn well at this level.  Following on from two games playing full tilt with several stitches in his head, this man is rapidly becoming a Wolves legend.  I keep fearing he’s going to be found out in this league, but he hasn’t been so from now on I remain silent on the matter.

And the final word goes to Mick McCarthy, always great value in interviews, who professed himself not bothered how far offside Craddock’s first goal was: “We’ve had a few go against us this season and I’ve accepted them with good grace; it’s about time someone else had to.” And so say all of us.

So Kightly didn’t live up to the hype, but should get a little time to play himself back into form. Ebanks-Blake looked stronger and had a couple of near misses. Hennessey continued his impressive early season form – for me a significant improvement in terms of judgement from last season (now cue jaw dropping Calamity James moment vs Villa). Zubar looked like he might have been worth the money afterall. Doyle was fantastic and made his route one goal very easy, although I’m sure a few could have missed it. Henry was solid, and Edwards continues to impress me greatly with his hard work, if not always finesse. Craddock and Berra will have won over – or perhaps kept – plenty of fans, again having very good games. The only real weak link, sadly, was Elokobi. He’s strong and has his moments, but the curse of the inconsistient left back seems to continue.

And let’s spare a thought for Stefan Maierhofer who, I accept, came on with a lot to prove and some heavy tackles but managed to pick up two yellow cards while his opponents got off with, on the first occasion grabbing his foot as he stood up to walk away, and on the second, grabbing his neck as he walked away. Both bookable offences in their own right, surely.

The View From the North

A good day for Wolves, despite them again doing their sportsmanlike best to help an indifferent Fulham side make a game of it towards the end.

Pros:
> 2 good goals, including Kevin Doyle’s first, and a win
> A comeback for Ebanks-Blake and Kightly
> A sound debut for Castillo
> Fine performances from Hennessey and Berra. I’ve never been impressed by him previously but Berra defended well today

Cons:
> Wolves let things get far too nervy at the end
> Having said he had a good debut lest week, for a tall feller it’s surprising Maierhofer didn’t win a single header.
> I and everyone else around me who seemed equally exhasperated had to listen to 90 minutes of constant abuse if everyone and everything Wolves-related from the person behind. I hate to single the idiot out, but I was sitting in NL5 L146 and he wasn’t far away. I think we must have been at different games because Wolves won and deserved to. So it’s hello mid-table glory for Wolves, and Au Revoir North Bank for Wolfie.