A View From The South Bank

Stale Wolves provide a fresh approach

2012-05-12T12:19:00.000+01:00

So no need to spend the summer condemning Wolves for taking too long to appoint a manager.

No need to metaphorically burn your season ticket book in disgust at Wolves appointing a manager from within.

And no need to spend the summer sifting through the English football baggage that would have accompanied the appointment of a "traditional" journeyman.

Ever since Steve Morgan rightly sacked Mick McCarthy, but at hopelessly the wrong time, I had pinned my hope on Chris Hughton being our next manager. Along the way my eyes wandered in the direction of Solksjaer and Holloway, but my Molineux heart belonged to Hughton.

But then England swooped for Roy Hodgson, and from that moment my Hughton hopes were dashed. He's such an impressive individual that he may still stay with Blues - but if he moves he would surely plump for The Hawthorns rather than further along the A41.

We know Wolves are the second best team in the Black Country, so why amplify it by losing out to the Baggies in the potential fight for Hughton?

So just 24 hours after Morgan told the end of season awards dinner that he's a **** loser, he finalised a deal that sent legions of Wolves fans scrambling for YouTube and Wikipedia.

I can only speak for one Wolves fan, obviously, but I think life within the Molineux dressing room was too predictable, too safe, too cosy - even if rumours of a fractious atmosphere were true.

Same voices, same results, relegation.

So a stale Wolves have sent for Stale. The 44-year-old Solbakken is an exciting appointment, simply because it's so left field. No-one knows what to expect and that has to be a good thing for players and fans.

So ok, if Wolves are 14th after a rainy night game in October, the excitement levels will have dipped. And we have to accept it may well take time for the new Wolves to adjust to a new manager.

But the man who did so well in Hans Christian Anderson territory may write a new fairytale.

Jez Moxey admits too many supporters have fallen out of love with following Wolves. He is completely spot on, but I commend Molineux's High Command for this appointment.

It is a big step in the right direction. It's not Bruce, it's not Megson and it's not TC. It's exciting and it's hope.

Premier League - it wasn't all bad!

2012-05-07T15:03:00.000+01:00

Just 90 minutes left to endure until the Premier League becomes a memory.

The game was up weeks ago, but the game will be up officially on Sunday when Wolves physically return to the Championship.

Forty five players, barring any surprise last day debuts at Wigan, have worn the old gold and black these last three seasons.

Bassong, Bent, Berra

Castillo, Craddock

Davis, De Vries, Doherty, Doyle

Ebanks-Blake, Edwards, Elokobi

Fletcher, Foley, Forde, Friend, Frimpong

Gorman, Guedioura

Hahnemann, Halford, Hammill, Hennessey, Henry, Hill, Hunt

Iwelumo

Jarvis, Johnson, Jones, Jonsson

Keogh, Kightly

Maierhoffer, Mancienne, Milijas, Mouyokolo, Mujangi Bia

O'Hara

Stearman, Surman

Van Damme, Vokes

Ward

Zubar

And Wolves arrive at the DW Stadium on Sunday with a Premier League record of:

Played 113

Won 25

Drawn 28

Lost 60

Points 103 (out of a possible 339)

It's all ended on a low note, but there were highs which I'll always remember fondly:

Winning at White Hart Lane

Winning at Anfield

Sylvan equalising at Old Trafford

Beating Man Utd at Molineux - again!

Winning at Villa Park

Zubar's goal at West Ham

Jarvo coming on for England

Hunty's corner against Chelsea

Beating the club which will probably be crowned Premier League champions on Sunday

And finally....being in a Champions League spot last August!

Builder Morgan has some subsidence to repair

2012-04-23T20:53:00.000+01:00

A successful relationship between a football fan and a club chairman is surely built on faith and trust? If so, Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Steve Morgan clearly has some ground to make up.

When Wolves avoided relegation from the Premier League on a gut-wrenching afternoon of high drama 11 months ago, Morgan took to the Molineux pitch and declared an intention that our club wouldn’t be in this position again. Almost a year on, his words have proved depressingly accurate.

Oh to be going to Wigan on the last day of the season needing to avoid defeat to secure a fourth successive season in the world’s richest football league.

We knew weeks ago that the game was up. Many thought relegation was odds-on back in November - and some Wolves watchers thought the game was up on that afternoon of surreal tension last May.

Morgan and Mick McCarthy delivered the dream - promotion in May 2009 after a wonderful Championship season. But, when Morgan needed to be decisive, he dithered. And hindsight would suggest he picked totally the wrong time to ditch McCarthy.

Results since Terry Connor took over have been some of the worst in Wolves’ history. Losing 5-1 at home to West Bromwich Albion was painful, but Morgan sacking McCarthy from his ski chalet set in motion an ever-increasing slide back towards the Football League that has been pitiful, shameful and hugely embarrassing.

After sacking McCarthy, Wolves declared: “This is not a job for a novice manager.” And, on the day they appointed Connor, Morgan clearly bridled at the suggestion that he had anything to be embarrassed about. But those of us who stand on the South Bank, and travel around the Premier League in gold and black, were embarrassed, and are embarrassed.

We stand and stare at the imposing new North Bank stand - and wonder where Morgan’s priorities lie, and how on earth Wolves are going to fill those thousands of new seats.

Morgan says he has spent £48m on 19 players to keep Wolves in the Premier League. But the reality is Wolves have not bought enough quality.

Could it be, with Swansea, Norwich and QPR joining the elite in August, that the board banked on the Premier League being weaker this season? If so, it was a gamble that spectacularly exploded in Molineux faces. And nearly half that £48m go on four players - Fletcher, Doyle, O'Hara and Johnson?

Quite apart from the very steady strides being made down the A41 at The Hawthorns, the performances of Brendan Rogers’ men at The Liberty Stadium and Paul Lambert’s team at Carrow Road that have really shown Wolves up.

Nobody can argue that Wolves do not have a solid financial base. But we have been left behind where it really matters - on the pitch. It feels like we are trapped in a tactical time warp.

If Stoke City are perceived as our Premier League benchmark, how many Wolves players would genuinely interest Potters boss Tony Pulis? Not many. Jarvis? Fletcher?

Many point to one of our rare victories this season, against Sunderland on 4 December, as the defining moment. It was only our fourth win of the season, against a team that had just appointed Martin O’Neill, and it bought McCarthy time.

But all it did ultimately was delay the inevitable. Prior to that Sunderland win, we had seen some appalling performances at Molineux - QPR and Swansea instantly spring to mind.

Wolves’ third season in the Premier League has been defined by an inability to defend. We have seemed tactically inept, with an obvious lack of concentration at key moments.

And, when the inevitable came, following the capitulation against the Albion that Morgan did not even attend, Wolves embarked on a farcical hunt for a new manager.

Hiding behind a cloak of confidentiality, Wolves refused to discuss the names of those men they wanted to replace McCarthy. But we are not daft - we know what happened. Alan Curbishley definitely and probably Walter Smith said no thanks, and there was the bizarre u-turn over Steve Bruce. And another name in the frame, Reading’s Brian McDermott, will now pass us on the way.

Wolves fans, certainly those of us who lived through the Bhatti Brothers regime in the 1980s, don’t want anyone to gamble with our club’s future. We’ve seen the problems that creates at Portsmouth and Glasgow Rangers.

Morgan points to the money that has been spent, but the reality is quantity will never beat quality. And there is a perception among fans that Wolves won’t pay the wages that attract authentic Premier League footballers.

When Wolves secured their first clean sheet in 31 games at Sunderland on 14 April, the back four was Kevin Foley, Christophe Berra, Richard Stearman and Stephen Ward - all stalwarts of the 2009 promotion campaign.

The rate of progress has been too slow, and Wolves have been found out.

We return to the Football League with a current squad containing 13 players who helped get us promoted. More depressingly, which of those 13 has universally enhanced their reputations? I’m struggling after Jarvis and Wayne Hennessey, although I will always argue that Karl Henry deserves huge credit - and it would have been great to see a fully-fit Michael Kightly over these last three seasons.

Henry features in the most divisive chapter of Wolves’ season - the handing over of the captain’s armband he wore with such pride to Johnson. That was the biggest clanger in a catastrophic season.

Against Man City in the game that sent us down, Henry was man of the match. He cares.

We have an honourable man at the helm in Terry Connor, but we don’t have a proper manager, and many Molineux hearts sink at the prospect of a journeyman boss with a briefcase full of P45s replacing McCarthy.

We desperately need something new. We need some hope, and we need some excitement. Wolves have gone stale.

Chief executive Jez Moxey finds himself, once again, in the eye of a Molineux storm, but for me the blame lies exclusively at the door of our chairman.

House builder Morgan built on the solid foundations provided by Sir Jack Hayward, and delivered our long-held dream of Premier League football. For that, I will forever be grateful to him.

But he didn’t spot the cracks at Molineux and now has to deal with the subsidence - and 25,000 utterly dejected Wolves fans who feel comprehensively let down.

Dare we start to dream?

2009-11-03T09:45:00.002Z

Arsenal have won nine and drawn two of their last 11 games in all competitions.

Arsenal have scored 32 goals in their 10 Premier League games this season.

Arsenal beat north London rivals Spurs 3-0 at the weekend - and manager Arsene Wenger claimed: "We should have scored more."

Arsenal are clearly on fire, and if you're still not convinced of the monumental challenge awaiting Wolves on Saturday, here's Match of the Day's Alan Hansen:

"For all of my philosophy that winning is everything, you cannot deny that it would be good for the game if Arsenal were to win the title because they play brilliant football. They are now playing with some backbone, though."

What a thrilling prospect for everyone who will be at Molineux on Saturday night. A rampant Arsenal side littered with world class footballers - and our Wolves, fresh out of the Championship, and right now playing with the self belief that really does make you "proud to be a Wolves fan".

Dropped points against West Ham, Hull and Portsmouth mean Wolves can't escape from the bottom six just now. But the heart-warming performances against Everton, Villa and Stoke provide a real sense that Wolves can compete seriously in the Premier League - because we are.

A fairly abject first 45 minutes at the Britannia, but a transformed second half performance that provoked memories of that thrilling 4-3 victory over Leicester almost six years ago to the day: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3206858.stm

Make no mistake, Wolves are playing with masses of desire, but no shortage of controlled play either. But a masterclass in ball retention awaits on Saturday, and that's where Wolves fell down in the first half at Stoke - the ball was given away far too easily.

But with the heroic Karl Henry showing such determination, and Nenad Milijas adding second half class, Wolves did enough to win at Stoke. And how many teams do that?

So we're gunning for the Gunners, with three obvious selection posers for Mick McCarthy.

Based on the second half at the Britannia, he needs to restore Milijas to the starting XI. Who partners the fantastic Kevin Doyle in attack? And who should play at left back?

The decision on the left of defence is a clear one. Either take the struggling George Elokobi out of the firing line, or back him to come good against English football's pass-masters.

Elokobi is clearly a massively popular figure in the Wolves squad, and has so many admirable qualities. But right now, his use of the ball is not Premier League standard, and Wolves are clearly missing the attacking thrusts provided by Stephen Ward.

So it's all set up fantastically. Molineux will be a seething mass of excitement - and you would think Arsenal should be too strong.

But how many of us seriously expected Wolves to be unbeaten in the last three games - while all of us will remember this with such fondness: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/photo_galleries/3405757.stm

Ready for a thriller with the Villa

2009-10-22T23:32:00.001+01:00

We've waited more than five and a half years. So another 37 hours is just about manageable.

But the sense of anticipation surrounding the return of Aston Villa to Molineux encapsulates exactly why we all want to follow a Premier League club.

Liverpool at Anfield, Man Utd home and away, and Villa at Molineux - the four games that make my season, make me thrilled to be a Wolves fan in the Premier League.

Deflated after Portsmouth, delighted after Everton - now Wolves run out at what will be a rocking Molineux to face the best team in the West Midlands - who arrive on the back of a superb win over Chelsea.

Villa strike fear into me, a fantastic team with riotous pace that could rip us apart if we are not careful.

But if we are careful, they may not.

Our last league encounter was a humbling 4-0 defeat in March, 2004. Villa were three up after 24 minutes. www.soccerbase.com/results3....

Incredibly, of the 27 players that turned out that day, only one will be playing on Saturday. And I wonder what odds you would have got back then on that player being Jody Craddock?

And what a challenge awaits the Wolves warhorse in the face of Gabby Agbonlahor, John Carew, Ashley Young and James Milner.

Of course we can all predict that Craddock will rise magnificently to the occasion, but even that may not be enough. This Villa line-up really does set alarm bells ringing.

It's easy to build these local derbies up, but this really could be a cracker. All I hope is that Wolves come flying out of the traps, and turn early pressure into a goal.

Remember the fantastic opening 30 minutes against Villa's city rivals in April 2007? A storming, ferocious display full of attacking intent, but no goals, and ultimately a 3-2 defeat.

Saturday's fantastic point at Everton was a real bonus after the Portsmouth defeat, and now Sylvan is settling back into the team alongside transfer "bargain" Kevin Doyle, we do have hope - and we have goalscorers.

We also have a team that doesn't include Kevin Foley - which seems so strange after his spectacular run of form last season. But all credit to Ronald Zubar after his debut, and no-one would ever accuse Mick McCarthy of going back on his mantra of "you earn the shirt, you keep the shirt."

Villa are a top class team that will properly test everyone at Wolves.

But what is there to lose? Throw Matt Jarvis back into the team on the left, hope Michael Kightly comes alive down the right, and go toe to toe with the aristocrats from Aston.

In many ways, this is a bonus fixture for Wolves - we all acknowledge we need to be beating the teams around us, not necessarily the teams escaping over the horizon.

But what a bonus is on offer.

McCarthy needs a case for the defence

2009-10-06T10:06:00.000+01:00

When Wolves emerge from the international break, the familiar strains of the Z Cars theme will fill the air at Goodison Park.

How apt - because the current points haul is criminal.

What a fantastic opportunity blown. Eight games, a meagre seven points. Simply not enough.

Now Wolves have their backs to the wall as they contemplate five fixtures against Everton, Aston Villa, Stoke, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Pick the realistic points out of that. I certainly haven't abandoned hope, but points gained over these games will be bonus points in our scrap for survival.

When Wolves needed quality against Portsmouth, they delivered Championship standards against a team that had lost seven out of seven.

Mick McCarthy said he never considered starting with Sylvan or Michael Kightly. But surely a fit Kightly has to play at 3pm, not 4pm - whatever has gone before?

And the crushing statistic for me on Saturday was it took a full seven minutes before substitute Kightly touched the ball.

Of course Wolves were denied a nailed-on penalty, of course we would have expected Ebanks-Blake to convert his one golden chance, but a performance so lacking in quality did not deserve three points.

While Burnley run riot at Turf Moor, with four wins, we've been pretty hopeless against teams that could spend the season in the bottom half.

Four points from games against West Ham, Hull, Fulham and Portsmouth is palpably insufficient when some Premier League giants loom menacingly on the horizon.

Of course we can beat them, and all hope is not lost, but it's a massive ask when Wolves are currently defending in such a sloppy fashion.

There are genuine concerns about our back four's performance, individually and collectively.

And when you think about the men currently providing a barrier in front of Wayne Hennessey, thoughts immediately switch to the one man who's not even involved, despite a big money transfer.

He's got Champions League experience, but how good is Ronald Zubar? How much longer will we wait to find out?

Currently sat alongside him on the bench is another player of international repute, Nenad Milijas. But how good is he in the Premier League? Again, how much longer will we wait to find out?

The performances against Wigan, Man City, Fulham and Sunderland won deserved plaudits.

But Saturday's defeat was a real jolt - and only Kevin Doyle, out of McCarthy's summer acquisitions, has an enhanced reputation eight games in.

Our trip to Everton may prove as tough as the Boxing Day trip to Merseyside.

Be under no illusions, Wolves will need to be very good at Goodison.

We're winning friends - now for some points

2009-09-29T10:24:00.000+01:00

There will be no escape from the Pompey chimes on Saturday when Portsmouth visit Molineux.

But it's inherent on Wolves to keep the alarm bells out of earshot.

I'm increasingly proud of our team, remaining positive about our season, but I will confess to being a tiny bit perplexed.

Will the real Wolves stand up? Can the real Wolves stand up? Or will we continue to navigate our Premier League cruise through calm then choppy waters?

So excellent, strong and brave against Fulham, and at times so excellent, strong and brave on Sunday at the Stadium of Light.

But a bemusing 90 minutes ultimately ends with a crushing scoreline. Not a crushing defeat, because there was so much to praise, but a defeat nonetheless against a team that's probably not likely to challenge for the top six this season.

I can live with Sunday's defeat, because I was so proud of the fightback from two goals down. For me the big frustration this season so far is the one point haul from two games against struggling West Ham and Hull.

Perhaps we should forgive first day nerves against The Hammers, but a team serious about securing Premier League safety with relative ease - and that's surely Wolves' aim this season - needs to be beating Hull at home.

And we need to be beating Portsmouth.

But Mick McCarthy will be pouring over his squad list this week and mulling over some important questions.

The biggest of these is whether to restore Sylvan, Kites and Kevin Foley to the team. For me, the answer is a resounding yes.

I'm a long term fan of Andy Keogh, but Sylvan was reportedly on the verge of the England squad over the summer. For me, he just has to play alongside the increasingly impressive Kevin Doyle.

Kightly on the right, providing he is as close to 100 per cent fit as is possible, is a no-brainer. He simply has to play - and will give the fans a massive lift after six months on the sidelines.

But it's imperative that Foley returns in a back four where I've got questions that I'm struggling to find definitive answers for.

Be under no illusions, Michael Mancienne will go on to be a wonderful centre half. But his positioning on Sunday was highlighted as a post-match issue.

And I'll be looking for a big performance from Big George, as the admirable Elokobi has still to convince me that he's settled into life as a Premier League left back.

And isn't it about time Dave Edwards was given an opportunity in the centre of midfield?

He sometimes slips below the radar when the praise is being handed out by Wolves fans, but I love his energy and his eye for goal.

Pairing Segundo Castillo and Karl Henry against Fulham gave us a solid base in midfield after the dismal defeat at Ewood Park, but Wolves won so many plaudits on Sunday for our attacking gusto, and high energy fightback.

Edwards was fairly central to that, and I think he merits an opportunity on Saturday.

Wolves appear to be winning an awful lot of friends this season. And rightly so.

Now we need to start winning some points - before the "big" teams come calling!

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Berra

2009-09-22T20:23:00.004+01:00

I've just looked at the Premier League table

And if a sense of order is starting to prevail after half a dozen games, I'm struggling to find much to scare me.

What a great feeling built around the really excellent performance on Sunday against Fulham.

A man's performance, to a man, epitomised by the quite fantastic Christophe Berra, left me sitting in the South Bank, getting re-acquainted with my massively under-used yellow seat, with a contented smile - and a warm appreciation of what Wolves have done since that stunning day in May that none of us will forget.

Now I'm sat looking at the Premier League table - while also content with my decision that I won't pay £41 to watch my team run out at Old Trafford tomorrow night.

It'll be Radio 5 Live Sports Extra for me. Whether I can afford £41 is irrelevant. It's an obscene amount of money, and whoever has agreed that price - be it United, Wolves or both - should hang their heads in shame.

But the Carling Cup sideshow is nothing compared to the main event, and with Wolves nestled comfortably in 12th, let's get back to the league table.

The top seven clubs scare me - Chelsea, United, Liverpool, City, Villa, Spurs and Arsenal - and I'm very wary of Stoke, Everton and West Ham over a 38-game season.

But then what? A lot of clubs that Wolves can go toe to toe with, and accumulate enough points from, if they play with the heart and pace that unsettled Fulham.

And let's not forget, Sunday's excellent win was secured without our undisputed player-of-the-year Kevin Foley - and the unproven but exciting Michael Kightly and Sylvan.

With Kevin Doyle looking increasingly the real deal, and Matt Jarvis steadily improving his supply from the left, Wolves can be better than Portsmouth, Hull, Blackburn, Bolton, Blues, Burnley and Wigan.

This feels so different to the pathetic first attempt at Premier League football in 2003. This feels like Wolves have an outstanding chance to build some concrete foundations - unlike Sir Jack's house of straw that was so embarrassingly blown away in 2004.

I was taken aback by Wolves on Sunday. After such a feeble performance at Ewood Park, I thought Fulham would heighten the feeling of trepidation as we journey on towards our hugely difficult October and November.

But the unflinching Berra, our Scottish braveheart, took me by surprise.
When the going got tough, Berra was a boulder of granite.

I used to love watching Joleon Lescott. He was so often immense at Molineux. Practically unbeatable. But I can't remember many performances of his that would eclipse what we witnessed from Berra on Sunday.

And if that doesn't give us all hope, I'm not sure what will

Ronald muscles in as Wolves raise the bar

2009-07-10T18:10:00.001+01:00

One game down, one victory secured, one bad injury - and we're still no clearer knowing which team Mick McCarthy will send out on Saturday August 15.

I think there are five certainties for McCarthy's line-up against West Ham - Kevin Foley, George Elokobi, Michael Kightly, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Kevin Doyle.

And I expect the other six shirts to go to Karl Henry, Christophe Berra, Wayne Hennessey, Ronald Zubar, Nenad Milijas and Andrew Surman - with Surnam providing a more solid base on the left of midfield than an unfortunate Matt Jarvis.

So much could happen of course between now and Premier League D-day, but the comments coming out of Australia suggest Zubar will literally muscle his way into the heart of Wolves' defence.

Maybe we'll get Michael Mancienne on a season-long loan, which might alter things, but I'm sure McCarthy rates Berra highly, and he's quickly gone into print in praise of Zubar.

Of course I've watched the edited Youtube "highlights" of Zubar's career in France, and wondered what Wolves were buying, but not many, if any, players reach Champions League level without being a strong athlete.

And McCarthy's decision to buy the Marseille man was obviously not based around six minutes in cyberspace.

If McCarthy does get Mancienne, and that would be massively well-received by Wolves fans, there will be a huge log jam of centre halves at Molineux - with Bobo Balde also on trial for the next fortnight.

Jason Shackell and Darren Ward clearly have no futures at Molineux, but where does that leave Neill Collins? Following a similar path to Rob Edwards?

And it almost certainly leaves Jody Craddock - such a massive influence during the Championship title run-in - and Richard Stearman waiting for injuries or loss of form before they taste life in the Premier League.

Today's opening win against Perth Glory ultimately means nothing, and the injury to Chris Iwelumo is a cruel blow to a player who'd fought back to fitness after Lee Carsley's horror tackle.

But this Wolves squad is in a massively better position to tackle English football's elite than the Wolves squad training at RAF Cosford ahead of their doomed Premier campaign in the summer of 2003.

Kevin Doyle - a right Royal signing!

2009-06-30T13:21:00.000+01:00

Kevin Doyle and Mick McCarthy have been talking to Midlands Today's Ian Winter after the £6.5m transfer from Reading to Molineux was completed. tinyurl.com/doyleyoutube

The full BBC online story is here: tinyurl.com/kevindoyle

Anfield awakens Mardenborough memories

2009-06-21T17:43:00.001+01:00

If you were only allowed to attend one Wolves game next season in the Premier League, what would it be?

For me, it's the Boxing Day trip to Anfield, provoking magical memories of my trip to Liverpool in January 1984.

No-one gave us a chance, even though Liverpool were without the injured Kenny Dalglish, as the team anchored to the foot of the table arrived on Merseyside.

But I'll never forget 3.13pm on January 14.

I can still picture Danny Crainie skipping past Phil Neal on the left, and crossing for Steve Mardenborough's shoulder to send the ball looping over Bruce Grobbelaar.

It was such a fantastically unexpected win, although Wolves over the previous few years had enjoyed great success against the Reds at Molineux.

Both John Richards and Mick Matthews secured single goal Molineux victories, and who will ever forget the stirring evening of November 25, 1980?

Wolves 4 Liverpool 1. It still reads as an unbelievable scoreline.

For me there's something magical about Wolves playing Liverpool. English football's team of the 50s playing the team of the 70s and 80s.

Whether it's Anfield , and the atmosphere created within, or just the fact that Liverpool are one of the world's best-known football clubs - and Wolves have earned the right to once again face the Reds.

Overall the fixture computer has been relatively kind to Wolves at the start of the season.

Relatively, the fixtures in August and September have scope for points accumulation. But we'll have to hold our nerve through October and November.

Today's the day the excitement becomes a reality, and even if we struggle through a sequence of games that bring us head to head with Everton, Villa, Stoke, Arsenal and Chelsea, I'm sure we'll still be in there fighting.

And I'll still have Boxing Day to look forward to.

Dann the man sparks transfer excitement

2009-06-11T22:01:00.000+01:00

On the day Cristiano Ronaldo decided to run off to Spain rather than face George Elokobi, serious signs are emerging than Wolves are ready to make their first forays into the summer transfer market.

And if by this time next week Wolves' Premier League ranks have been swelled by Scott Dann, Marcus Hahnemann and Nenad Milijas, I'll be a happy Wolves fan.

Criticism of the Wolves hierarchy over their summer transfer inaction is frankly laughable.

What's the rush? And who have we missed out on so far?

It was always going to be mid to late June before any transfer rumours became reality, but it does look as though the moves for Dann, Hahnemann and Milijas are serious ones. You can just sense it.

We should have signed Dann when he was still at Walsall, and that will be a costly error. But it's all relative as Wolves tap into the Premier League millions.

Over 38 games Dann, Richard Stearman and Christophe Berra, with Jody Craddock as back-up, will do me, even if they struggle to handle Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba in six of those matches.

I like what I read about Milijas, but haven't abandoned all hope of David Jones, Karl Henry and David Edwards making an impact.

And Hahnemann would be a shrewd signing, even if I believe that Mick McCarthy will show sufficient and justified confidence in Wayne Hennessey to establish himself in the Premier League.

On Wednesday our Premier League dream will come to life with the publication of the fixture list.

These three potential signings would confirm that Wolves have learned from the painful mistakes of 2003.

And there's still time for us to sign Michael Owen.

Relegated Wheater ticks all the right boxes

2009-05-25T20:20:00.000+01:00

A weekend newspaper headline suggested Mick McCarthy was going to pick over the bones of North East football as he builds a team that will hopefully be competitive at Premier League level.

Well this evening, while I listen to a fascinating Radio 5 Live debate involving Chris Waddle, Mark Lawrenson, Mike Ingham and North East expert Ian Dennis, that thought fills me with absolute dread.

Except one player, who I think would be an excellent addition to the Molineux ranks - step forward Middlesbrough central defender David Wheater.

The situation at Newcastle is beyond belief - 15 players earning £50,000 each and every week, and a staggering level of club debt.

And 15 players plus who singularly failed to halt a slide out of the Premier League with hardly a whimper.

It's an unmitigated disaster at St James' - and I want McCarthy to steer completely clear of any player who failed in this season in the black and white stripes.

Damaged goods on mega money - that's not the kind of player we need to add to our thrusting young guns, all desperate to establish our team in the only league that matters.

Middlesbrough don't have the astronomical wage bill, but they do have eye-watering debts. On 5 Live this evening, it was suggested the debt could top £90m - with at least £69m attributed to chairman Steve Gibson's haulage business.

And in a recession, a haulage business is not a sure-fire financial winner.

If ever there was a warning for Steve Morgan and Jez Moxey, it's what I've been hearing on national radio tonight.

But Wolves will be shrewder than that as they take their place in a Premier League that gives me real hope of survival at the very least next season.

Burnley, Blues, Hull, cash-strapped Pompey.... we have to believe that we can properly compete at this level.

And I think Wheater would be an excellent signing, if nothing else for the dignified way he's conducted himself since relegation at the Riverside was confirmed.

This is what Wheater said in the aftermath of the weekend defeat at West Ham: "I've got two more years left here so it is up to the manager.

"I'm happy to stay. I've supported Boro all my life. They are a team I want to play for and try to get them back up."

What an outstandingly loyal attitude from a 22-year-old with England squad experience, and the benefit of a loan spell already under McCarthy at Molineux.

But there's a but, and that but gives Wolves the chink of light to make their move and land a central defender with plenty of Premier League experience.

Wheater went on to say: "I won't ask for a transfer but if the manager accepts another bid then that is a different matter."

Middlesbrough need to sell, Wolves need to buy. And Wheater would be a great signing.

Were Campbell's ears burning?

2009-05-11T17:00:00.001+01:00

After all the exciting transfer rumours following our title-winning promotion to the Premier League, finally a fact.

Mick McCarthy has confirmed he's been talking to Sir Alex Ferguson.

But where does that leave us? In reality, precisely no further forward in trying to second guess the transfer activity of McCarthy, Morgan and Moxey.

However, if you have been sifting through the increasing list of potential Molineux recruits - from the probably fanciful Michael Owen to the fantastically named Oguchi Onyewu - it won't have escaped your notice that Fraizer Campbell's name has figured.

And the young striker who's developing football education has taken him from Old Trafford to White Hart Lane via Hull's KC Stadium might just be the man that McCarthy's inquiring about.

He scored 15 goals in 34 appearances for Hull, but his loan spell at Tottenham would hardly be called a success, with only one Premier League start for Harry Redknapp so far.

So the 21-year-old Campbell, maybe! Or maybe it could be central midfielder Darron Gibson, who's already had one largely unspectacular loan stay at Molineux.

Or maybe another exciting Manchester United midfield prospect, Rodrigo Possebon.

Frankly, none of us have got a definitive clue, so it's probably easier to identify areas where McCarthy would like to strengthen.

He's probably keen on an extra central defender, some more Premier League quality in central midfield, and for all Andy Keogh's excellent end-of-season form, and Chris Iwelumo's prolific autumn run, an extra striker to share the goal burden on Sylvan is probably highest priority.

Which brings me back to Campbell. Even if Carlos Tevez moves on, you would think Sir Alex would be happy to loan Campbell out again - particularly with Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and the emerging Danny Wallbeck and Federico Macheda in his armoury.

And Cristiano Ronaldo is not the worst option you ever saw as a central striker - even if he does sulk when substituted.

So I'm guessing the conversation was about Campbell - although it could have been Sir Alex ringing up to enquire about Sylvan's availability.

Fabulous Foley deserves fans' plaudits

2009-05-01T17:19:00.001+01:00

So much has changed at Molineux since Wolves won their last Premier League game, exactly five years ago today.

But one thing remains exactly the same from the team that beat Wayne Rooney's Everton 2-1 to the team that will line-up to receive the Championship trophy on Sunday.

The 2003/4 team had a fantastic right back, and the 2008/9 team has a fantastic right back.
For Denis Irwin read Kevin Foley - and that fact has been wonderfully acknowledged by the Molineux masses.

Even speaking as a fan who voted for Sylvan (with my decision based on his sheer weight of goals), the victory by Foley in the player of the year award sums Mick McCarthy's Molineux ethos up perfectly.

Good teams need stars like Sylvan and Michael Kightly, but promotion-winning teams need stars and unsung heroes.

And the beauty of Foley's accolade is that unsung heroes are massively appreciated, and unsung heroes can become star names.

The 24-year-old former Luton man is a star performer, and it's heartening to see that 51 per cent of 6,000 Wolves season ticket holders wrote his name on their voting slips.

How Foley, the most consistent signing of the McCarthy era, was not worth a place in the PFA Championship team of the year is beyond my comprehension.

He's so cool, so calm, so intelligent on the ball, so solid....so like Irwin, a rare hero of the Premiership season.

Foley admitted to being "gobsmacked" after landing the award, but he had no need to be.

Now he will bring his undoubted defensive talents to the Premier League - and a regular starting berth in the Republic of Ireland team could become a reality over the next 12 months.

McCarthy has made some great signings at Molineux, and much of the spotlight has so rightly been shone on Sylvan and Kightly for their spectacular achievements.

But suggesting Foley could prove to be McCarthy's best-ever Molineux signing is no act of folly - and committing him to a new long-term contract could be a very sensible bit of summer business.

From Berra to Wheater - we salute you

2009-04-20T16:32:00.000+01:00

Mick McCarthy used 59 players in his quest to deliver Premier League football.
Some played bit parts, and others were simply magnificent as Wolves finally returned to the top flight against QPR - a Quality Promotion Result www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A50111...
And my top 10? Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Michael Kightly, Karl Henry, Kevin Foley, Jody Craddock, Andy Keogh, Wayne Hennessey, Stephen Ward, Neill Collins and Gary Breen.
Christophe Berra
Jay Bothroyd
Gary Breen
Jan Budtz
Jamie Clapham
Leon Clarke
Mark Clyde
Neill Collins
Carl Cort
Jody Craddock
Craig Davies
Mark Davies
Freddy Eastwood
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
Carlos Edwards
David Edwards
Rob Edwards
Stephen Elliott
George Elokobi
Craig Fleming
Kevin Foley
George Friend
Darron Gibson
Stephen Gleeson
Lewis Gobern
Michael Gray
Marlon Harewood
Wayne Hennessey
Karl Henry
Matt Hill
Carl Ikeme
Chris Iwelumo
Matt Jarvis
Jemal Johnson
Daniel Jones
David Jones
Andy Keogh
Michael Kightly
Kevin Kyle
Mark Little
Michael McIndoe
Jackie McNamara
Michael Mancienne
Charlie Mulgrew
Matt Murray
Lee Naylor
Kevin O'Connor
Seyi George Olofinjana
Darren Potter
Nigel Quashie
Kyel Reid
Rohan Ricketts
Jason Shackell
Graham Stack
Richard Stearman
Sam Vokes
Darren Ward
Stephen Ward
David Wheater

Eternal thanks to Mick and his squad of 59

2009-04-20T16:28:00.001+01:00

On July 21, 2006, Mick McCarthy walked into Molineux and urged us not to expect miracles.
The MM initials on his jersey did not stand for Merlin the Magician, he famously remarked.
Well 1,003 days later, and with varying degrees of help from 59 footballers www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A50112... McCarthy has got us back into the only league worth playing in.
We are Premier League, and standing on the centre circle in a sea of black and gold at 5pm on Saturday was a very special feeling.
And all hail McCarthy - and we'll worry about how to survive in the Premier League after the season's finale against Doncaster.
While I'm in statto mood, his league record with Wolves reads: P136, W66, D34, L36, F190, A155, P232.
His Molineux career has not been without rocky, fractious moments, but overall what a brilliant achievement to galvanise a club that was in disarray post Glenn Hoddle.
And how fitting it would be for McCarthy to secure the Championship title at his hometown club next weekend.
A focus on young players hungry to achieve something, rather than Molineux's previous approach of paying big wages to over-hyped, under-performing players, has ultimately paid a massive dividend.
And Wolves really are in a decent position to aspire to the standards set by Stoke and, dare I suggest, Wigan and Bolton.
McCarthy has signed players on the up - Kightly, Sylvan, Berra, Foley, Elokobi, Keogh, Jarvis, Edwards, Vokes and Stearman.
Whether they will all be Premier League hits can be debated, and will be, but they carry better hopes than the Wolves squad that were promoted in 2003.
In 12 months time, Molineux may well be reverberating to the strains of the Great Escape.
And if that's our aspiration for the spring of 2010, I don't think that's being defeatist.
It's being realistic.
Home games will undoubtedly hold the key, and the level of outstanding support we've given our team particularly over the last two months will be the minimum requirement.
Molineux will be rocking every game next season - be it Saturday lunchtime, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon or Monday evening.
Welcome to the Premier League - and welcome to the Premier League fixture list!

Wolves open training session - April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T21:36:00.000+01:00

Wolves open training session - April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T21:34:00.000+01:00

Wolves open training session - April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T21:32:00.000+01:00

Wolves open training session - April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T21:31:00.000+01:00

Wolves open training session - April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T21:25:00.003+01:00

Keogh sets standard for Harewood to follow

2009-04-14T11:53:00.001+01:00

Some people just would not listen, but I always told you Andy Keogh was a good player.

So how poetic it was that the win which will define Wolves' season had the young Irish striker as its focal point.

Over 99 league appearances, no other Wolves player has so polarised opinion in the Mick McCarthy era.

The criticism he's taken over two years has sometimes been an outright disgrace, but you just knew that the noisy minority were wrong, and the often too-silent majority knew that he was a player with real ability.

A lack of goals have always been the problem, especially when you contrast his record with Sylvan's.

But what an unfair comparison that is - Sylvan is a phenomenon.

So how Keogh and his supporters will forever cherish their afternoon at Pride Park, as the player who never ever gives less than 100 per cent got the goals to match his effort.

And what priceless goals they were too, on an uncomfortable afternoon where Wolves defended dreadfully but somehow still sent the away end into a sustained frenzy of excitement when the full time scores from St Andrew's, Bloomfield Road and Bramall Lane flashed up.

Thank heavens for the outstanding Wayne Hennessey, the aforementioned Keogh, the dogged Karl Henry, and a powerful cameo from Marlon Harewood.

Harewood does a great impression of caring about Wolves - punching his badge during his warm-up, and a passion-filled celebration at the end of the game.

But when he failed to chase Christophe Berra's over-hit through ball shortly after coming on, you could sense (and clearly hear) the disgruntled frustration of Wolves fans who expect, demand and deserve Keogh-style effort.

And I think Harewood heard it too - because he instantly stepped out of neutral and surged through the gears impressively.

His delivery for Keogh's winner was priceless, and Harewood has an outstanding opportunity to revive his career at Molineux. It's completely up to him now.

But we don't need touchline gestures - we need determination, effort, bravery, and goals to compliment Sylvan.

In simple terms, we need him to be just like Keogh.

Young guns have Premier League in their sights

2009-04-11T22:11:00.002+01:00

The equation is simple - four games, three wins and Premier League football is assured.

Derby, QPR, Barnsley and Doncaster stand between Mick McCarthy, Wolves and promotion.

And we may not even need three wins.

There's no Sylvan, no Kightly, no Iwelumo - but there's also no hint that Wolves are going to throw this outstanding opportunity away.

Granted, Monday at St Andrew's was a 90-minute disaster, but Southampton were blown away on Good Friday - and before collapsing at Blues, Wolves were very solid in March.

And credit McCarthy for his team selection against the Saints. Marlon Harewood was a complete nonentity against Blues, a massive disappointment on a massively disappointing night.

It would have been easy for McCarthy to stick with the on-loan, big-name, big-money Villa man, but he played fair by Sam Vokes and Andy Keogh - and how they repaid him.

Harewood did not deserve to start the game, and the two young guns proved just why.

Keogh, an intelligent footballer who's too often judged unfairly on goals alone, was excellent, and young Vokes thoroughly deserved his standing ovation.

A towering goal inside the first minute highlighted a performance full of strength and running.

Losing Sylvan is a massive blow, because he's a goal machine, but we head to Derby on Monday with 3,000 fans ready to back the understudy strike force to take centre stage.

As we drifted away disconsolately from Molineux after losing 1-0 to Plymouth on February 28, who would have imagined that we'd be in this wonderful position - with Keogh and Vokes leading our assault on promotion?

But that's probably been McCarthy's biggest trick - keeping squad members happy and included, so that they step up to the plate when needed.

And they've certainly been needed. Keogh, Vokes, Matt Hill, David Edwards and the inspirational Jody Craddock have all played important roles as the pressure's mounted and the injury toll's risen.

Hill has looked increasingly comfortable at left back, while Edwards, who was perhaps unfortunate to be replaced at Blues, was an all-action star on Good Friday.

Promotion won't be won on Monday at Pride Park, and it'll be a very tricky game, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will lay the foundations for a truly memorable trip to Barnsley on Saturday week.

Captain Craddock pilots promotion course

2009-03-22T13:30:00.003Z

Sometimes a picture says more than a thousand words.

And the delight with which Michael Kightly's goal at the City Ground was received by fans and team mates alike was clear for all to see.

A massive away following, and a massive result - thanks in no small part to the scorelines from St Andrew's and Selhurt Park.

No-one can pretend this was a quality Wolves performance. In fact quality on the ball was the one major thing lacking from this display.

But there won't have been many more gutsy, committed displays in the Championship on Saturday.

Make no mistake, these Wolves players want promotion, and now it's looking increasingly likely that the dream will become a reality.

Built on the fantastic determination displayed by the back four, and the sensational work rate of Sylvan, this was a victory to be really proud of.

Sylvan will probably win the player of the year award, and if he doesn't Kevin Foley will.

And that's absolutely right, but it's a shame there won't be some way to mark the brilliant late-season contribution from Jody Craddock.

No-one has done more to drag Wolves out of their winter malaise, and it was a fitting gesture by Mick McCarthy to leave Craddock as captain despite the return of Karl Henry.

Craddock is simply rock solid right now, winning all his headers and tackles alongside Christophe Berra, who gets better game by game.

Craddock took over from a struggling Richard Stearman against Cardiff, and Wolves have lost one of the seven subsequent games.

With Craddock and Berra in tandem these past seven matches, Wolves have kept four clean sheets and conceded just four goals.

It's not just promotion winning form, it's championship winning form.

And Craddock's outstanding contribution leaves me wondering if there will still be a place for him in McCarthy's squad next season.