As a blogger, you often get the chance to vent your anger in the aftermath of a crushing defeat or share your joy after a glorious win. But on days like today, I just feel like putting my head in my hands and sobbing.

I mean, what is there to say?

Does it really matter that Kevin Doyle was once again the best player on the pitch? He was, and by some distance. Tireless running, superhuman hold-up play and a wonderful poachers goal to give us the lead. I imagine he was sitting in the changing room at half three wondering what he has to do to finish on the winning side. I would be if I were him.

Kevin Doyle was once again superb

It probably doesn’t matter either that Adlène Guedioura offered some promising signs in his short cameo. In twenty or so minutes he did enough to show that he might at the very least give us another option in midfield. Had his rasping drive been just a few inches lower, it could have been even better for the young Belgian.

In fact, we had a few good chances to extend our lead in the second half but were largely wasteful in the final third, with players too often dawdling on the ball or picking the wrong option. I’ve got to believe a better side would have killed the game off long before Kevin Phillips turned it on it’s head.

And what about those late goals? Yet again we had numerous chances to clear our lines in the build-up to their equaliser. But for some reason, the ball never seems to end up down field or even in the stands. You could see Blues feeding off this, so it was no surprise they were queuing up at the back post to put it on a plate ‘Super Kev’ (I hate that weasel. There, I said it).

The winner was even worse.

Before you’ve even read it, you know what’s coming. How far was Stephen Carr allowed to bring the ball before Ward even bothered to face him up? I’d say he should be dropped for that, but sadly we’ve got nobody decent to plug the gap. Even when the ball was played across though, why is Berra not all over Phillips like a rash? He’d already reacted slowest for the equaliser, so to let him drift away a second time is criminal.

The pathetic ‘tactical changes’ from our manager was the final slap in the face for Wolves supporters to endure. Why the hell did he take Jarvis off? We’re desperate to try and get back into the game, so he removes the only player that’s capable of making a yard to send in a cross. Where’s the logic in that one? What was Surman ever going to do?

If I’m being ultra-critical, why SEB instead of Vokes? We’d already got to the stage where we were shelling balls in from deep so what was Blakey supposed to do? Am I the only one having trouble envisaging our number 9 rising like a Salmon above Roger Johnson to head an equaliser? Didn’t think so.

Once again, not good enough Mick.

All this and I haven’t even said anything about the 4-5-1 formation, the players being played out of position and Ronald Zubar’s propensity for pushing people in the back inside his own box.

Troubling times indeed.

Far too many questions and only one conclusion. Wolves fans deserve better.

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Can you smell that?

It’s the distinct pong of smugness emanating north from St. Andrews.

You can’t blame them really.

They’ve had a terrific season up to this point and are already only a couple of results away from securing their Premiership status. And it’s only February. Yeah I know, it makes me feel a bit nauseous too.

Scott Dann - Chose Blues over Wolves in the summer

I can accept it though. I can accept the fact that they beat us to some key signings. I can accept that they’ve assembled a team that functions like a finely tuned machine. I can even accept the fact that they’re effectively enjoying the kind of season we all dreamed about over the summer.

What I simply will not accept though, was the kind of limp, weak, inept performance Wolves subjected us to earlier in the season against our local rivals. We stalled in the starting blocks on that horrid Sunday afternoon, gave away an early goal and then just laid down and died. That is unforgivable in any match, let alone in a derby.

I really never thought I’d see us play as bad as that again this season. How wrong was I? Tuesday’s humiliation at Selhurst Park was just as woeful, if not slightly more pathetic. It was the kind of performance that made everyone think, ‘where do we go from here?’.

Perhaps the only saving grace is that after that 1-0 defeat to Blues, we got a big reaction and delivered a much improved performance to see off Bolton in the next game. I just hope that the battering we took off Palace in midweek, provides the catalyst for another positive turnaround.

I’ll be surprised if Mick doesn’t retain the 4-5-1, but hopefully the return of our two best attacking players, Kevin Doyle and Matt Jarvis, will give us some much needed bite in attack. This is my guess for the starting XI on Sunday:

Hahnemann

Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Ward

Foley
Henry
Mancienne
Jones
Jarvis

Doyle

I could be wide of the mark of course. In fact, I’d be surprised if the shambles of Tuesday night doesn’t see players that have been on the periphery offered a route back into the squad. I’m talking about the likes of Castillo, Halford, The Hoff, etc. Could they do any worse than the likes of Mujangi, Milijas and co did against Palace? Probably not, so maybe they deserve a chance.

Whatever the team is though, we need to come out fighting right from the off. If we go behind in this game, logic dicttates that it’s a long way back, simply because Blues don’t concede many goals and Wolves don’t score many.

You’d have to say that Birmingham are overwhelming favourites in this one, but perhaps that can work in Wolves’ favour?

I’m expecting a tight, cagey game and very few chances for either side.

My prediction? 1-1.

If you’re making the short journey to St. Andrew’s, get behind the lads and make those Blue Noses realise the Wolves are in town. We’re long overdue a league win in a derby.

Up The Wolves.

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I wanted to ask a quick favour, if any readers of Wolves Blog have a few minutes to spare.

There’s a website called FootballBlips, which helps promote football blogs.

It’s quite simple really. The more votes an article on a blog gets, the more publicity it receives.

I’m going to add a button to every post, which you can simply click to vote up and help us promote the blog.

The only downside is that you can only vote, if you’ve registered with them. It literally takes a few minutes, so if you can fill in the form here:

http://footballblips.dailyradar.com/accounts/create/

…and then click the vote button I’ll add to the posts, that would really help me out.

Thanks guys!

Feel free to ask questions in the comments if you need any help.

Thomas

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With all that’s gone on in the last week, I thought I’d put my tin hat on and come out in support of our manager.

Despite the lack of significant transfer activity, the humiliating defeat to Crystal Palace and the continued torment of seeing Kevin Foley on the right wing, I still back Mick McCarthy.

Mick McCarthy - Still the man for the job?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m seething at him for Tuesday night and some his tactics continue to baffle me. I’ve happily pointed the finger at him after numerous setbacks this season and he’s unquestionably made a few big errors in judgment.

But the fact is, he himself should judged after 38 games, not 23.

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion of course, but the way some people have been banging on, you’d think we were bottom of the league, ten points adrift from safety. We’re not you know. And whatever was said or promised by the club prior to the start of the season, success in this campaign constitutes one thing and one thing only – survival. 17th place.

Calling for McCarthy’s head now is pure lunacy. Face it, there’s absolutely no way he’ll be removed and I don’t see him walking away anytime soon. He’s too proud for that.

But speaking hypothetically, if he was given the boot, why does everyone assume we’ll see an upturn in results? The board and our chief executive have been universally criticised by the Old Gold faithful, so what makes you think they’d find a better replacement? The grass isn’t always greener and I feel that Wolves fans should know that better than anyone else.

Of course this isn’t the first time our manager has come under heavy fire. At the end of the 2007/08 season, many wanted him gone after he failed to get us into the play-offs and the ‘Freddy Saga’ raged on. Read the comments on this Express & Star blog for a snapshot of the mood at the time:

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/05/06/wolves-blog-time-for-change-2/

The majority wanted him out. But he stayed and we all know what happened the following season.

Call me a ‘happy-clapper’ if you want, but I’d love nothing more than to see Mick McCarthy once again throw egg on the faces of his biggest critics.

Now I’m not saying if we keep him, everything will definitely work out. The point I’m trying to get across is that he’s earned the right to manage this side in the Premiership. He might be stubborn and he might constantly divide opinion, but I feel he still deserves full backing, at least until this season is done and dusted.

That’s my case for the defence anyway.

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Not. Good. Enough.

No passion. No fight. No ability.

Butterfield - Humiliated Wolves

How can we be outplayed for ninety minutes by Championship side pulled apart by administration? How can we allow a full-back to plunder three goals?

Pathetic Wolves. Pathetic McCarthy.

Say whatever you like about signings we have or haven’t made, but the manager and squad of players we do have let the fans down badly tonight. That kind of performance is just unforgivable.

I’m so appalled by such a weak, inept, disgusting display, I can’t even consider the thought of constructing a match report.

Oh, Henry’s just smashed one in. What does it count for? Absolutely nothing.

The Morning After

OK, so I’ve had a night’s sleep to recover, but I stand by everything I originally stated.

There’s a minimum you expect from a Wolves side and they fell someway short of that last night.

I always like to find one positive in any performance though, so I’ll point out that I think Zubar had a pretty solid game. The other ten just didn’t want to know.

I don’t know whether I’m more shocked by our lack of fight or the fact that Karl Henry scored a goal.

Think I’ll leave it there.

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