Three games down, two defeats and still I find it difficult to fault our plucky team of young warriors.
Having made the journey to Manchester anticipating a long afternoon and a glimpse of a Top 4 side in the making, I instead enjoyed a wonderful Wolves performance against a City side that looked far from the finished article.
View from the Away End (Click to Expand)
After a frenetic opening 20 minutes, which saw our goal peppered and City camped out in our half, it looked like we’d survived the storm. But then Adebayor struck. It was an undoubted finish of real quality, firing home hard and low from an acute angle, but whether Hennessy could of done better at his near post, is difficult to say.
It looked for the world that City would run away with the match and more goals seemed certain to follow. The pace and quick-passing was more than we could handle and there wasn’t much being offered going forward. Tevez headed wide when he should have scored, Robinho was working openings and all over the pitch, they just looked to be first to everything.
But then it changed…
Almost out of nothing, Matt Jarvis ducked and dived through a few challenges and curled in an absolute beauty, which forced Shay Given into a world class save. It was a sign of things to come.
Doyle and Elokobi came on at the interval for Halford and Milijas as we switched to a 4-4-2, and the complexion of the game completely changed.
Of course City forced some good openings, that’s inevitable with the quality they have and Wolves chasing the game. Ireland slotted wide when clean through and Adebayor ran out of space after rounding Hennessy. But between these chances, it was very much the boys in old gold enjoying the better of it.
Keogh came to life playing alongside Doyle, who also showed glimpses of why we paid 6.5 mill for his services. Jarvis continued to cause havoc down both sides and all of a sudden, Henry and Edwards got to grips with the middle of the park and started picking their passes.
Our moment came and went when Keogh cannoned a shot off the bar and you suddenly got the impression, we were just going to come up short.
But the bombardment continued and we rained down countless balls into their box, without really connecting with anything.
Back to front, it was an awesome second-half performance from Wolves. Mancienne and Craddock stood up strong and covered each other’s tracks for the whole 90 minutes. Much credit must also go to the likes of Stearman, Edwards and Ward who huffed and puffed throughout, driving us on and shutting down space. Keogh continues to be a man transformed and his partnership with Doyle showed signs of genuine promise.
So all in all, a defeat with plenty to be positive about.
But by the end, with City fans heading for the exits early, I couldn’t help but think about what might have been.
Player Ratings
Here’s a player-by-player rundown:
Wayne Hennessy
7/10 – Was always going to be a long afternoon for the Welsh international. Could he have done better with the goal? Maybe. But other than that, he handled and kicked well throughout. Did well to force Adebayor wide when clean through and spread himself well to put Ireland off.
Richard Stearman
7/10 – Given the horrid task of keeping Robinho quiet and at times the Brazilian twisted and turned him inside out. But as the match progressed, he seemed to grow in confidence and take control. Making himself a real contender for a regular starting role.
Michael Mancienne
7/10 – Despite being caught out of position a few times, I thought this was another solid performance from the young defender. Struggled against the pace and power of Adebayor at times, but never let his head go down and battled right to the end.
Jody Craddock
8/10 – Best performance of the season so far from Jody. Headed and kicked everything away and was hard in the tackle all afternoon. Definitely looks better alongside the pace and skill of Mancienne. Won’t be disappointed if the two continue against Hull.
Stephen Ward
7/10 – Consistent again. Played the first half at left back and most of the second on the left wing. In defence he once again looked solid enough but was exposed a few times by Wright-Phillips. Was maybe a little lucky not to concede a penalty for a tug on the wide-man. When moved further forward he caused Richards a few problems with some good footwork. Subbed late on but another good showing.
Greg Halford
6/10 – Looked a bit tired to me and struggled to assert himself in the way he did in previous games. We know he’s carrying a knock so it was little surprise to see him withdrawn at the interval.
Karl Henry
7/10 – A few loose passes in the first-half could of cost us dearly, but he had to make those risky balls as nobody was offering up. In the second half he was much more in command and looked strong against top quality opposition.
Nenad Milijas
5/10 – Not a great day at the office for the Serbian. Struggled in the first half as City closed everything down and gave him no space to operate. He still looked tidy enough on the ball but this wasn’t his game. Taken off at half-time. He will surely have a big role to play in home games as we try to unlock defences.
Dave Edwards
7/10 – What you see is what you get from Edwards. Runs all day long and when we switched to a four man midfield in the second half, we needed that engine at both ends of the pitch. Competed well and picked out our wide men on countless occasions. Will he keep his place against Hull?
Matt Jarvis
8.5/10 – Probably just pips Craddock to the Man of the Match champagne for Wolves. Wasn’t as effective in the first-half but still forced that world class save out of Given with a flash of genius. In the second half with Wolves on the front foot, he was a great outlet down both flanks. I still think there’s more to come from Jarvis and that is a very exciting prospect.
Andy Keogh
7.5/10 – As a lone striker in the first half, he was surrounded and bullied by Dunne and Toure. Alongside Doyle in the second half, he came to life. Got into all kinds of good positions, drifted in a lovely cross that his strike partner couldn’t quite connect with and smashed a volley against the bar. Deserves nothing but credit for how he’s handled the step up.
Substitutes
Sam Vokes
7/10 – With crosses raining into the City area late on, Mick threw Big Sam on to get on the end of something. Got up and competed but nothing really fell his way. Maybe deserves more time on the pitch than he’s getting but difficult with Keogh playing so well and our other stars returning from injury.
Kevin Doyle
8/10 – The first time I’ve seen Doyle and boy did he impress me. Held the ball up well and looked strong. But when he managed to find space, he came to life and was a real threat. If this promising 45 minute cameo is anything to go by, that £6.5 million might end up looking a snip.
George Elokobi
8/10 – What can you say about Big George? Everyone wondered how he’d stand up to the more skillful, tricky wingers of the Premiership and he showed yesterday, that he wasn’t having any nonsense. Wright-Phillips tried to take him on but ended up eating a grass sandwich. Going forward, his quality needs to improve but he still sent in a couple of decent balls. His sheer presence on the pitch makes a difference, which always makes him a player you have to think about picking.
I think that was our best performance so far. Especially the second half. Jarvis is getting better every game. Can’t wait for Hull
Just hope we can take the two away performances where we expected little and reproduce it at home where we will be expecting a win on Saturday. Lets hope the Molineux factor is a positive thing this season!
I thought we looked terrified in the first half and gave Citeh way too much respect. A first half goal was inevitable as they were camped out in our half with Keogh struggling to hold the ball up front. Second half was much much better. Yes we left ourselves open at the back and perhaps only good fortune stopped us conceeding more, but going forward we looked a different proposition than we did in the first half. Jarvis was running them ragged, Keogh was in the game and Doyle looked a real menace. Pick of the bunch for me was big George. I thought he was absolutely superb defensively and going forward and nearly sneaked a goal at Given’s near post. Ward has done really well at left back but after seeing big George for those 45 mins I know that he will be superb for us (not that that was in doubt).
Enjoyed the game and so far I am really proud of the whole team. Roll on next week when the Tango man is in town!
if elokobi has come in and done well as jed and thomas suggests,then thats like a new signing…i have been wary of big george, but that sounds very encouraging. another game, another reason 2b proud. so to throw a curve ball now – with doyle looking good, i presume SEB is benched when he is fit?
If we can play like the second half against the mighty Swindon mid-week, we might just have a chance
But seriously, watching the game today I was on the edge of my seat the whole of the second half. I am normally very quick to criticise players but it is hard to fault anyone today. Yes perhaps Hennessey should have done better with the goal but with some of the later saves he made, he made up for it brilliantly.
The only thing that concerns me is that we play and dominate games as we have done these first three games, yet fail to convert our chances. But it is early days, and as our strikers get fitter and actually play games we should be able to score a fair few goals.
Ok… if we had been realistic at the start of the camapaign we may have thought we would have 2 points by now…(draw West Ham, draw Wigan, lose Man City)…so we have one point more, are making friends with our determination…(note how the City fans applauded some of our moves yesterday), are playing well, we still have players to come back etc… I reckon it’s looking good, and we will beat Hull next Saturday. I’m very proud today to be going to see the Brisbane Roar in my nice new Wolves top. Keep it up lads and we’ll be OK…oh and come on England…early wickets please
1) George Can Play
2) Doyle looks class
3) Wait for SEB, Doyle and Kightly all together
4) We are much better going forward than back, and 4-4-2 works better than 4-5-1.
@Louie – I think given the opposition, that was right up there with the Wigan game in terms of being our best performance. All 3 games have given us things to be hopeful about so lets just hope that continues.
@Rob – I’ve got faith that Wolves will do the business against Hull. The only thing I’d say is that I expect the game to have far more of a ‘championship-feel’ to it, with space and time on the bal at far more of a premium.
@Jed – I’m glad your view of the game is pretty close to mine. Definitely agree that Big George was a massive positive from the game. He looked fast and strong and when he gets a few games under his belt, he’ll be a great asset. That being said, I think he’s got a battle on his hands to dislodge Ward from the left-back slot.
@Ben – I can’t see how Mick can put SEB straight back in (assuming he’s fit for Hull). Keogh has been immense and Doyle looked fit, strong and ready to go. I’m sure SEB will get the chance to win his place back and score the goals we all expect him to get, but for now I’m happy to see an all Irish frontline.
@Hallam – I agree with you about missed chances. We must start taking the opportunities that come our way. There should be a few against Hull so hopefully somebody will step up.
@Dazza – Good point about the erm…points. I was hoping for a couple of draws or one win from the first three games, so I’m more than satisfied with our progress thus far. With the performances being so good as well, things do look quite rosy. Agreed about the cricket too. We need to get rid of the openers and Ponting before lunch and we’re home and dry.
@t’OM – Agreed on points 1 to 3. I do agree that we’re better going forward than defending but sometimes 4-5-1 is just going to be the only way to play. Wigan showed that but yesterday we definitely looked better all round with 2 up top.
There is simply no way of justifying not picking SEB if fit.
Hopefully on Saturday we will play 4-4-2. Doyle and Keogh upfront. Or possibly try starting Vokes?
McCarthy should use Tuesday to experiment with different set ups starting.
Hallam, so play anyone but SEB? Have you been to a game over the last 2 years?
@kwolf – Do we even know if SEB is going to be fit? If he had a hamstring injury, it’s very unlikely he’ll be back in time for the Hull game.
If everyone’s fully fit and starting on an even keel, there’s not a Wolves fan in the world that wouldn’t pick Blakey.
But there’s no point rushing him back.
Saying that, I’m not so sure I agree with Hallam that Vokes is worth a start just yet. He’ll get a game against Swindon to show what he can do I should imagine.
@Thomas
4) was dependant on 3), of course, which couldn’t happen against Wigan. However, with SEB and KD fit, who would you have lead the line in a 4-5-1 (or even Super Keogh).
@ Dazza in Bris,
Shame about your Roar today, I was at MES in Perth today, seeing Glory beat Newcastle 2-0. Newcastle are worse than I thought and Glory are getting better, it could have been 4 or 5-0
@t’OM – That’s a difficult question to answer and brings a welcome dilemma should that situation occur.
Kind of like the point I was making to kwolf, you have to take each game as it comes and try and pick the players that are in form and give us what we need.
Against Hull, I think we want more firepower on the pitch, which for me means starting Doyle. Should Blake also be match-fit by then, Mick’s got a humdinger of a decision to make.
I expect somebody will do something against Swindon in the week to catch Mick’s eye so the lineup for Hull is still very much up in the air.
Fitness is an issue with Blakey clearly – is there any suggestion he’ll be fit? However, given that the poll on this site says ”if fit” I do think its amazing that we don’t have 100% saying pick SEB. 1 Keogh goal and 1 SEB miss really shouldn’t mask the last 2 years we’ve all spent watching this current team. I understand where you boys are coming from but I’d hate to be sat in The Clarendon come May, pint in hand, looking back ruefully at this 6 pointer thinking ”err.. what the hell were we doing picking Keogh ahead of SEB and/or Doyle?!”
How nice to have options up front. Lucky we get 7 on the bench this season.
One thing i would add is that if SEB is fit and plays (and I would play him) then Keogh should be benched. He is and never will be a right sided midfielder. Also understandably, he looked knackered towards the last 20 mins on Saturday. Playing the lone role is very hard and one he is likely to be asked to do particularly away from home. Not knocking the lad but home to Hull we need to be clinical and Keogh will be used throughout this season as the squad is rotated.
t’om
roar were awful, i started counting the empty seats after half time. A 7000 attendance is pitiful for a 3pm kick off. Looks like we are getting a 3mill windfall from the Lescott deal… so City won’t need Dunne will they?
One thing I feel I must add , is that it looks like we are about to receive c.3mill for the Lescott deal…who do we spend it on
Am I the only one that thinks we are still short in defence, and a bit naive in midfield?
The money should be spent perhaps on a holding midfielder as cover for Henry, remebering we have Zubar to come in as a Centre Half.
What to do with the Lescott cash?
The first thing I’d spend the Lescott windfall on is the world’s best English teacher to get Zubar speaking the language quickly.
I’d then pay for someone at Molineux to tot up the attendances correctly for once (28,000 v West Ham? Where were the 3,000 empty seats?!).
I’d pay for a microphone to work, so we’re not all embarassed when we can’t hear legends like Robert Plant properly.
I’d pay for a tub of slim fast for the chunkier Two Step Dance Academy mover (where are those beauts anyway?)
And…if we’ve got any cash left after all that, I’d see if we can lure Richard Dunne to the club.
Good plan Ben, I like it. Here, here.