London has been a happy hunting ground for Wolves this season. Crucial wins at West Ham and Tottenham provided us with our two brightest moments to date, so it would certainly be fitting if we were to all but secure our Premier League status in our nation’s capital on Saturday.
Sounds lovely doesn’t it? What could possibly go wrong?
Wolves beat Fulham 2-1 at Molineux earlier this season
Well, there’s been some horrors shows there too, most recently that gut-wrenching last minute defeat to Arsenal. We also suffered our most humiliating moment of the campaign at Crystal Palace in that fourth round replay, as well as a 4-0 battering at the hands of Chelsea.
It’s also worth noting that Fulham have won 10 of their 16 home games to date, drawing four and losing just two. Quite remarkable really and just as well seeing as they’ve mustered only one win on the road all season.
Still feeling confident?
Well, maybe you should be. After all, Wolves have the best away form of anyone in the bottom half, so if anyone can go to fortress Craven Cottage and leave with a positive result, it’s us.
Fulham also have the small matter of a Europa Cup semi-final first leg against Hamburg the following Thursday, so it would be no great surprise to see them rest one or two of their better players. Roy Hodgson did exactly that at Hull a few weeks ago, losing the game but escaping punishment from the Premier League (don’t worry, I’m not going there).
Wolves should still be full of confidence after recent performances and happy to play their natural game. Fulham are ‘get it down and pass it’ kind of side, so I expect the match to be played out in stark contrast to the volleyball session we shared with Rory Delap last Sunday.
The starting XI will probably be exactly the same as the team that took to the field against Stoke, which is:
Hahnemann
Zubar
Craddock
Berra
Elokobi
Foley
Edwards
Mancienne
Jones
Jarvis
Doyle
I still feel Guedioura can count himself incredibly unlucky to find himself sitting on the sidelines, after largely impressive performances in his first few months with the club. Maybe he’ll get the nod ahead of Edwards this weekend? I suspect not.
Could there also be a return to the 4-4-2? We played most of the second half against Stoke with that formation and as we really only need one win to keep us up, a more attack-minded approach could be in the pipeline. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Iwelumo given a chance to bounce a few defenders around and give Doyle some much needed support.
I genuinely believe Wolves have got a chance in this one, despite Fulham’s intimidating home record and if we play as well as we can do, there’s no reason we can’t get a result.
I’m going for it: 2-1 to Wolves.
If you’re making the journey down south, have a great time and get behind the lads.
Up The Wolves.
* A quick apology for the lack of posts this week. Time has been at a premium. It does give me a good opportunity though to invite anyone who might be interested in contributing to Wolves Blog to email me. Whether it’s a one-off article or a more regular spot, I’d be delighted to hear from you.
I bet y’all have missed my mind blowingly witty invective this week, haven’t you??
Of course we will win at Fulham, to round off a hat trick of Hams….Tottenham, West Ham and Fulham!!
Like a good whine, just like Scooped, (I am on form today) I get better with age.
Whoosh, over yer heads with that one.
COME ON ME BABBIES!!!
Nobby from the North Bank, where are you now???
FOWB
Being as you brought it up again Thomas (ha,ha,ha!) anyone notice Portsmouth made 8 changes last night from the side they put out in the FA cup?
As a side fighting for survival are we having to play our season 37 games (like that tw@t from Arsenal suggested!). Wigan are so hopeless they still only managed a draw so no damage done – but that’s not the point!
Anyway…
It’s going to be a tough one for Wolves as Fulham have enjoyed a great record at home for the past two seasons. Three points would be fantastic, to chip away with another point would be great (depending on other results) and zero points will mean at least another seven days of finger nail biting!
Knowing Wolves they will probably keep us all on our nerves ubtil the last game of the season anyway – would we have it any other way? YES!
I didnt know that about Wigan vs Portsmouth. But then why would I?? This season has been an education for us all on how the national perception is shaped by one of two incidents.. after Utd game we were the villains because the entire national press congregated at Old Trafford in a slow news week.. after West Ham game, which most of the football fans in the country watched cos it was televised on a non-Champs Lge weekday, we are suddenly a midtable side who deserve to be here. Strange getting used to every man and his dog having an opinion on our team after 20 years of being vitually invisible.
They showed the team changes on skysports news this morning (only three players retained their place).
Not a mention of the Wolves tea-lady 11 from Old Trafford! The £25k suspended fine! or the hypocrisy of it all!
Not a word from Wenger either – too busy watching his side losing their chance of winning the title – ha,ha,ha unlucky professor football!
Well atleast Pompey reserves were able to hold Wigan. A really good result for us and the Wigan fans must be worried. They’ve got Arsenal on sunday!
Will be going to this game. I’ll be sat in the neutral stand and I think right at the back. Stick with the same side, and hopefully make it one loss in seven. A draw would be a good result, win fantastic.
If we win (and Burnley and Hull lose), we will be 9 clear with three games to go with a much better gd. Surely even we couldn’t mess that up?
Hopefully Zamora won’t be playing and another couple of key players like Dempsey
You should do a blog piece about what it’s like sitting in a neutral end Louie, as I imagine that’s an experience not many Wolves fans will have had.
What do we all think about a neutral end anyway?
Not exactly something I can see them implementing at Molineux anytime soon.
I’m going Sat but will be in the Wolves end…I think. Might check my ticket.
Good idea Thomas.
I think the nuetral stand is a good idea. It means more away fans can go and from what I’ve heard makes it a more friendly place to go to.
Yeah, but nobody really has any beef with Fulham do they? I don’t think you’d see neutral stands down Millwall or West Ham.
Not sure a neutral stand would work at many clubs. Although it should work – and be great for friendly banter, the reality is that too many nob heads go to football and its a disaster waiting to happen.
Take our own team – during the bad times (believe it or not) I have even seen our own fans fighting each other in the stands! Isolated incidents but unfortunately the minority ruin everything for the majority!
I remember being an undercover agent in the home end at Tranmere and accidently shouting for a wolves penalty in a thick blackcountry accent when a defender stopped Tony Daley’s run with a handball! I guess that demonstrated the issues to me! Calm down, calm down!
Only time I’ve been in a neutral end, was the corner section under the poxy chicken at Sandwell town.
I hate to admit this, but Wolves were going through a bad spell, and me and my mates decided to go and watch Coventry stuff the shit.
However, the shit had one of those days when nothing went wrong, and they ended up stuffing Coventry 7 – 0.
That was in the days of Cantello, Hartford, Regis, Cunningham etc.
It really is a slow day at the office when I have to confess to this!!!
FOWB
Jesus – that sounds like a bad afternoon!
I was in the home end at Crystal Palace, no worries of me getting clocked as a Wolves fan, nothing to shout about that night! Hoping to see a better game or even a game next time
A low point in every Wolves fan’s season to be fair!
Wolves to win 2-1. Never has one Prem team offered so much hope to opposition fans than Fulham, only to beat their side and make them feel stupid for predicting a win.
So many teams must look at the fixture list and think ‘Fulham, we can win there.’ And what happens 9/10? They lose.
I am a tit for predicting a 2-1 win, but sod it, I was called worse last night.
Maybe teams keep taking them for granted, when the reality is they’re a damn good side, particularly at home.
Berra to get his 1st goal of the season, and a flukey Jarvis cross that will creep in the far post. Here’s hoping!
I agree Ben……………..you are a tit!!!
We will lose , just to keep the nerves jngling a bit longer
shame on you, Dazza, I thought you were a believer.
FOWB
anyone see soccer am today. wolves did the cross bar challenge again. *and failed terribly* but when karl henry ran up he said, karl ‘it was never a red’ henry. made me chuckle. still a bit bitter i see.
Yeah that was funny.
Decent result, other scores all ok except Bolton. One nil down with five minutes left and they won. sounds like a dodgy freekick decision which they equalised from.
we played alright, kept another clean sheet but never really looked like scoring.