With an ever suffocating stench of misery thickening around our nostrils, Thomas and I gasped for some much needed fresh air, courtesy of a trip to see our Barclays under-21 Premier league team.
We lost 1-0 to the Albion.
But don’t let that get you down. It was an enjoyable evening all round, with one or two highlights to report.
The low key affair featured lots of pressing, hassling and harrying via a 4-4-2 formation that the onlooking Dean Saunders is well used to.
Steve Weaver’s bald pate shimmered under the floodlights way more than anything in the gold and black during the first half, with percentage football the order of the day.
The back two of Tank and Ihiekwe looked solid, with the latter looking marginally more athletic and mobile.
Being starved of any pace for any game I’ve seen this season, my watching brief was to pick up on any player with a modicum of speed.
Right back Jordan Cranston appeared to have it when darting back to tackle Albion’s outstanding Kemar Roofe.
Jamie Reckord also looked spritely when moving in the opposite direction.
Liam McAlinden showed a nice turn of pace – and thought – while playing up front beyond Sam Winnall and wasn’t afraid to try a trick. Just a shame he was isolated with Winnall barely featuring.
The second half inevitably went Albion’s way, as they opened us up more and more, via a lively forward line who looked more nimble than ours.
Fittingly, Roofe then scored an absolute snorter to win the game late on, which we never really threatened to get back into thereafter.
For symbolic hope, Stephen Hunt (roughly 15 years too old to qualify for the team?!!) being replaced by Zeli Ismail was the highlight of the night.
One flogged, weary, one paced has-been making way for a spritely, inventive danger-man who immediately induced panic.
Forget the hype, reputation and idle headline in the News of the World all those years ago.
Judging by the naked eye alone, Ismail is more dexterous and deft than anything I’ve seen on the opposing side to Sako this season.
With the likes of Hunt, non-entity Forde and Pennant getting ahead of him at various points, I literally can’t fathom why he’s nowhere near the bench. He should be.
Unlike McAlinden, he has the physique to suggest he’d cope and moreover, he has the inclination to try something different. Bar Sako, when have we ever said that?
Our deadline day star signing Lee Evans wore the number eight shirt and looked comfortable if unspectacular, while Sam Winnall and Whittall looked largely anonymous.
I’d say Ihiekwe (along with Zeli) and Reckord would be plausible candidates for progression which, in the current economic climate, might be sooner than they think!
Nice write-up mate and thanks for suggesting the excursion. Really enjoyed that. We’ll definitely have to do it again.
Agree with all points.
Ismail was the only player from the group ready to make an impact on the first team for me.
I was quite surprised by his build and physical strength. He more than held his own.
A couple of loose touches that allowed defenders to get a foot in perhaps demonstrated why he isn’t being considered, but you can see he’s got something extra. If he’s not recalled, then surely next season will be his time, particularly with the ‘overhaul’ that Saunders promises.
McAlinden I was little disappointed with. Showed some neat touches, but didn’t really influence the game or threaten their goal. Might have just been an off-night of course and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen him play.
The full-backs are also worth a mention. Both Reckford and (I believe right-back is called) Cranston got up and down, showing good athleticism and composure on the ball. Given our problems in this area, one of them could possibly be promoted ahead of time.
The center backs were solid and headed everything. Very similar (I thought) to current first team incumbents though, in that pace and composure on the ball are issues.
Just reading tonights paper. They saying in life timing is every thing, Early Bird scheme is about to hit us again and all of a sudden we get an interview and lame apology from the fat controller , plus discount at the club shop (£5 hole pounds, no booking fee) this I’m sure goes against the grain for Moxey I can hear him sobbing from featherstone. The interview contains the usual bullshit excuses and if he was trying to gee up the players, well they are more likely to punch him than play for him. The lack of transfer activity was all down to football reasons Deno thinks the players we’ve got are good enough to keep us up, we heard that before remember Forest when they were relegated from Premier Des Walker, Stuart Pearce. Every thing looks good on paper JEZ my finacies look good on paper the reality is I’m skint till I get paid. So becauseMcCarthy paid Doyle and Co. £30,000 a week we are to good to go down that’s what JEZ is really saying well you endorsed the big money for the slackers JEZ baby now as is your usual tak you blame them for yours and boards decisions.Good look JEZ next time you bump into Doyle and Co. , don’t forget to duck ,
The club has invested a lot of money in producing Academy facilities of Premier League quality and then has had no inclination of use its products in any meaningful way. Davis shows some promise as a defensive midfielder but I wouldn’t know Forde if I tripped over him in the street. Batth has got in because of suspensions not as a matter of choice. Ismail was highly touted some years ago as the next big thing but has been given one brief chance. McAlinden was supposedly a target of Moyes and Everton some weeks ago and yet cannot get a sniff. Doherty got good reports at Hibs but is nowhere to be seen. Instead we persist with overpaid, injury prone has beens like Hunt or dreadful loanees like Pennant. As Australians like to say “if your good enough, you’re old enough” and Wolves should be looking to see whether its investment in facilities has been worth the money spent by giving some of these lads some 1st Team action. Can they be any worse than what is in front of them in the 1st Team pecking order? If they are then some serious questions need to be asked about what is going on at the Academy.
Cassidy is ready for the first team now, according to Saunders, as a starter or sub. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Zeli is ready also.
Yes he ready been ready since he came back from the Wirral, he was probably ready before he went to the Wirral it’s going to take a crane to pull him off the bench he’s been sat on it so long.
You’ve hit the nail on the head couldn’t of put it better myself brill, blog ive been going on for months saying we need to use the kids. In last night’s 06/02/2013 local rag headlines “Cassidy told to get ready to play for Wolves ” I hope they are referring to this season, well put mate.
Moxey blaming the players yet Morgan talked Doyle out of leaving for Celtic. I Would have drove him there myself. They go on about trimming the wage bill well Doyles got to be the biggest earner i carnt believe the fat controler was happy about him staying hense its the players fault, he is right of course about the only time he has been. Are we to take from this there is a posible spit betwen M and M hense the statement ” we argue in the boardroom meetings ” and Morgans ” i rely on the CO and manager regarding football matters “
I’d love to see Zeli given a chance in the first team. I can see exactly why he hasn’t been though. It’s a bit of a gamble and with us teetering so close to the relegation zone and stability, especially in support of our leaky back four, needed. It’s a bit of a make or break to play an unproven, yet talented, winger.
By the sounds of it we’ve got a couple of athletic full backs coming through though? God knows we need them!
Made me have a look at our U21′s fixtures also. Spotted a game against Manchester United’s U21′s in march that could be relatively easy for me to get to. Scout a few future stars in the United academy too
My main concern about people demanding Ismail be thrown into the first team is that he’s been on loan at MK Dons in league one since November during which time I think he’s only made one start. I don’t think Karl Robinson is any mug and if he’s judged he’s not even ready to start games down there I doubt he’s ready for the pressure cooker that is Molineux at the moment. I’d say it would be better for his development to leave him down there for the rest of the season and hopefully we’ll have a player on our hands next season. However, what we must do then is blood him in pre season and not let him waste away as we all to often do with these young players.
Judging by the picture above, I have serious concerns about crowd trouble.
Did you wear your colours, or did you have to go in disguise?
That is the fullest I’ve seen the crem for a long time, must be coz it was a local derby.
Did the players get a programme telling them who the crowd was and where they were sitting?????
Slow day in Houston!!!
Sounds promising mate but if history is anything to go by then they won’t get a sniff of the first team which is a real shame. If we’re not investing by getting any new blood in the transfer window then we really should be giving some of these guys a chance. We really need a change in the line up, FB for sure and we badly need goals so why not give them a run, it’s not like we could do much worse than we already are.
I hope Deano gives them a run out but the cynic in me thinks they’ll just be sold or loaned out to the lower leagues until forgotten.
Ben and Thomas well done to you both! great report again!
It was freezing up here last night so my sympathies for you having to sit around at the Whore Torn!!!
Great to hear a report on our young ‘uns. I dont think the couple of cameos Davis got last season did him any harm. I do think Doherty may have been hurt somewhat with the Man City drubbing, that could affect confidence.
There has been a lot of talk about Zele and good to hear one of our own reporting on him.
Once again, well done guys and thanks for keeping our passion alive!
Come on me babbies
Cheers Geordie! It was just nice to see a Wolves team without the sight of Ward, Berra, Foley et al. This was the first time in ages that I saw the team sheet and didn’t roll my eyes!
I could have written ‘the kids are alright.’ Basically, that’s what they were. Not a lot better than that.
Anyway, Moxey is on Radio WM at 2.15pm on Saturday, so I’m already looking forward to that! Probably more so than the game in fairness!
Ben, It will be like shelling peas for him.You don’t really think he will say their strategy was wrong and they got in wrong in Jan and will properly invest in new players next close season. If you want to see repentance better go and watch Les Mis,there will be none forthcoming from our CEO.A few excuses and a silky presentation is all we will get. His eye will be on selling Early Birds so there will be lots of gloss.Fair dues though at least he is prepared to comment and so he should on his money.
weve got absolutely top rate youth academy , great new stand . great ist team facilities …whats the point? we will rarely use the kids, the stand is fuller at full time and our 1st team are leading us down the yellow brick road! cant see the point of spending so much money on these things when everything is in such a poor state. in the fifties sixties and even in some cases the seventies great teams were produced without much in the way of training facilities.. i just wish the navvies at the top would have spent some money on players that could make wolves a force once again-then spend money on youth acadamies stands and training facilities to match..theres no point in having a youth team unless they are of a standard that WILL make it into the 1st team which we rarely see if ever…. victor meldrew
Given DS has now pronounced that we can forget about the play offs (good spot Deano just 4 months too late) there will be plenty of opportunities to blood the academy players next year. Walsall and Shrewsbury will be good tests.
I think saunders might be a little bit delusional. In tonights Express and Bollocks, he said, “we have stopped the rot with 2 draws and 2 narrow defeats”. Now, im not einstein, but that is 2 points out of 12 which leaves us bottom of the form table. Maybe saunders is just a bit simple.
Delusional or simple, don’t you believe it. DS knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s finding out a little more each day about the cronies that pay his wages. No different to MMc and Ståle and look what happened to them. Unfortunately they needed support from the supporters and didn’t get it. Do the same with DS and he will get the same treatment.
He’s been here 3-4 weeks and he’s trying to keep afloat a sinking ship. The admiral isn’t in the control centre ( HE’S OFF MAKING SOME MORE MONEY FOR HIMSELF ) The CPO is busy seeing what’s in the pantry to eat and Capt Deano is up on deck with the other officers trying to get some sort of order out of the crew, several of whom wish to jump overboard and others just want to do nothing. Of the remainder some are waiting to be told what to do by the few who actually know what they’re doing. DS needs time and our support to succeed in this venture, without either he is sunk just like the good ship Wanderers.
As ever UTW !!!!!
did you see the titanic…the blokes left behind on deck had so much courage in the face of death whereas our players have no stomach to put in a shift when being paid fortunes to play a game that gives them a fantastic lifestyle .
Therein lies one of our problems, the lean and hungry have become fat, lazy and bloated. Let’s just hope DS is able to get them to put in a good shift. Where have I heard that before ???
I must say however that despite a lack of wins in four matches, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the effort and commitment shown by most of the players. I suspect that DS is having an impact on their mindset even if he may not yet be settled on his starting line up which don’t forget has to be chosen from what is and has been available to the last 4 managers.
As ever UTW !!!!
Replying to your piece Cwmbranwulf, those same players who have under-performed, underachieved and have had a couple of good men slung out of town – now decide to play with a little passion. I’m afraid to say in the case of quite a few of our senior squad it is not the motivator it should read the Terminator. No passion no heart. thankfully we, in the face of all kinds of adversity, continually show that we supporters have an abundance of both.
I would like to think DS was checking out some of our youth team player’s or was he checking out some of the shit player’ instead to see if he can get them out on loan tomorrow,just a thought.
but joking apart i really do wish he would at least put some of our youngsters on the bench.
I see Stephen Ward finally played in his best position for the full 90 minutes in the international last night. ON THE BENCH!
no he’s much better left back… in the dressing room
Good Blog Ben .. Perhaps this excursion into the apprenticeship world of Wolves serves to bring home that the club have more depth than we probably realise.
Not that I’m saying it is financially a perfect fit for us because very few in comparison to all of the throughput make it thro to first team stardom at WWFC.
That said when they do move on they often develop to become established prem stars. (Seems ironic but that what looks to happen.)
Nice that you picked out some stand out youngsters and given your eye for a star Ben i hope they reach their goals and show some our current squad how to do it.
Nice one mate .. see you Sat.
Moxey’s made a long public statement on the present debacle at the club( income’s obviously dropping fast) and no doubt there will be a blog for us to comment soon but i just thought i had to post this little gem now.
“People want scapegoats, someone to blame and if that’s me, fine.’
No , a scapegoat is someone who unfairly takes the blame for other people’s mistakes. You are a ridiculously well paid CEO who is taking this club down the pan. The buck stops with you mate.
Where’s the statement ? Will it be his column in Saturdays’ prog ? No right of reply etc etc And yes – he is overpaid to an obscene degree (his annual early bird ‘kickback’ for starters). He deserves every bit of criticism and abuse that he gets.
It’s all over the e&s and the birmingham mail websites mate.
looking forward to a lively debate / slagging session this evening!
The slimepig says there are raised voices and harsh questions behind closed doors.
Yeah, right.
Such as ” Am I only getting a million bonus this year”, and “can we have a luxury Compton house at a discount, Mr. Morgan…pretty please??”
The spineth begineth!!!
Give the fat fucker some real shit on Saturday, lads.
Just remember the Kids haven’t won yet either in this elite U21 League.
Bottom with no points..
It runs through the club at all levels..
After all this time and DITHERING Greaseball states the obvious.
Oh and Moron pays full price for his kids goods at the Clubshop-of course he does
NOT.
What drivel no wonder we are in a mess.
He is running scared. Note the Blog mentioned though not in name.
i reckon the wolves blog is scoured by the board as it is the most honest blog out there.. must have really hit a nerve alf mate. the problem is that they never speak to us but when they do it is completely empty of anything that needs saying…blah blah blah so bloody worthless makes you want to give up -empty words empty offerings empty museum empty stands!!
Oghsf-how many will turn up on Saturday? Think lowest crowd of the season.
If I was in the country I would go….just to sing “We all fuckin’ ‘ate Leeds” ad nauseum!!!!
think it will be lowest gate for years but hope im wrong…if it is the blame will lie firmly at the those in charge ! i dont think there is a set of fans i dislike more than leeds..even millwall fans dont come close! will be very desperate if we lose again though alf ..cant believe we are even contemplating relegation ; goodbye moxey!!!!
They only speak to us prior to Christmas to try and get the tills ringing , again when launching Early Bird and just before season starts because season ticket sales are down, so predictable any other time don’t want to know.
says it all really …all about money every time .. shame the prices werent dropped at start of season to encourage NEW fans! greed greed greed….we will be fortunate to see a lot of the old fans returning after the way weve all been treated .
McAlinden looks a good prospect. Scores plenty – I’d give him a go in the first team from the bench.
Not convinced by Ismail. Fan’s favorite but all flash and no result for me. He ain’t better than Peszko.
It’s at times like these when our club motto raises the spirits! Out of darkness cometh Steve Bull!
Finally a whimper from CEO,The trouble is he has’nt told us anything, all he wants is for us to sign up for another season with the earlybird.
If he thinks knocking £30 off season tickets will suffice thats not enough and won’t bring back the masses its gone to far.the fans are fed up of the lies.
I’ve read the E&S and i for one don’t believe a word of it but its something we’ll never know.
Why no word from Morgan or is it beneath him.!!
after reading e+s go moxey and the club will recover….stay and were regulated! simples..
Im still laughing at the moxey report. Notice he blames the players. Notice he blames saunders for not signing anyone in january, notice he says its not his club or money. Notice he always says we. Not once does he put his podgy pie-eating hand in the air and accept his RESPONSIBILITIES. The only intetesting thing is that he said he had had the biggest paycut. Why did he not come out and state this at start of season when it was published about the players paycut. What are the fans supposed to think. The club can stick the early bird offers up their arse. £5 off tickets, £5 to spend in club shop. We dont want it. We want a first team squad that is capable of competing and if the playets are not up to it, fuck them off and get others in. Moxey, if you read this, the piece in e & s is all a little bit too late. You have only done it as the early bird is out on saturday and even die hard 30+ year fans are telling you to get stuffed. Instead of looking around and appointing blame, there is only one place you need to look, and thats in the mirror.
Nail on the head again.
If its the players why are they still here?
If its the players why didn’t we bring in some new ones to replace them?
If they are to blame why did we sack Staale?
Just a load of spin again.
Total shit just before the EB.
Well said Wolves4ever.
Trouble is that bloodsucking vampires don’t cast a reflection in the mirror.
Perhaps English football has become the main spectacle for post industrial capitalism and as such is riven with the same forces of contradiction. I apologise for the lack of immediacy to the debate of Moxey score myself 0.
Was browsing the archives and came accross Ben’s blog from March 2012.
As Jez struts towards his 2.15pm Radio WM date on Saturday (at precisely the time I’ll be making my way to his lop-sided palace) maybe we should all take a moment to reflect on whats changed in 12 months…
” I’m not sure what sound would have sickened me more this month…
…The smash of Roger Johnson’s empty whiskey bottle on the floor, or Jez Moxey’s subsequent interview on talkSPORT, where supporters were treated like the alcoholics for daring to aspire for better.
With this season’s prospects already entering the last chance saloon, we could have done without our skipper swigging back the booze with more gusto than a man marking exercise.
But what really rubbed my face in the slop bucket was our chief executive’s marginally less uncouth attempt to marginalise the stone cold sober Wolves fans still clinging on to the notion of ‘aspiration.’
While taking great glee in using Porstmouth and Rangers as a yardstick upon how football clubs should not be run, Jez was quicker than Junior Hoillet in dispatching a chance to tell us to like our lot, or lump it.
The man who plans for every eventuality. To presume we are all intoxicated enough to advocate going bankrupt for some light relief is insulting enough.
But not nearly as insulting as slapping his own back by saying he ‘plans for every eventuality at the club’, only to admit this week that he’s still learning his lessons.
The snake oil salesman would like to think that he has got more things right than wrong in his time at the club, apparently.
Presumably his £3.5 million Premier League war chest to David Jones in 2003 was one of them, at the same time he himself was awarded a £2.1 million bonus?
Perhaps I should sit starry eyed at the great man’s superior business acumen like Alan Brazil and Ronnie Irani did on talkSPORT the other week, and thank my lucky stars his name is not Peter Ridsdale.
I possibly could, if he hadn’t said in 2009: “If you look at West Brom, maybe they’re not paying enough to their players or getting the right quality in.
“Having been there and spoken to people in the Premier League, it’s fair to say money is the be-all and end-all. So you’ve got to be competitive.”
Hard to forget quotes like that when our same CEO told Craig Gardner, Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye’s agents to find their clients other clubs instead of ours this season – for demanding wages we wouldn’t match.
The same man who gloated that ‘league placings correlate to wage bills.’
The same superior businessman who confirmed that Jack Hayward wrote off £40 million debt as a goodwill gesture when leaving the club – much of which accrued under his watch.
Throw in a farcical managerial search that would not result in a novice, an abortion of a stadium redevelopment – the first stand signed off three days before last season’s Survival Sunday – and an asset stripping of our threadbare squad (anyone see Guedioura last night?) and I’d argue that Jez Moxey barely gets a single thing right, let alone wrong.
Maybe I should just meekly surrender to the great man’s contempt and wait for the next spoonful of spin when his next programme notes hit the shelves.
Or maybe I should just order what Roger Johnson’s been on and become the pisshead that our CEO obviously thinks I am.”
Hope Franksy is up to it!!!
Moxey says the buck stops with the players on the pitch. They SHOULD be good enough! What a load of bollocks. Why should they? Cos they were signed and on his watch? While the likes of Adeline were let go ?what an arrogant man. They are not good enough jez. Real fans have been screaming this for a long time. Why are we down where we are. If the club was broke , who’s head would roll?
Organ wouldn’t stand by
I think most of our genuine supporters know these are troubled times and we do not want to go back to the Bhatti days, and relegation is a real possibility at the moment. My message to the fans that are going on Saturday and the rest of the season is to try and get behind the players who are on the field. The main prioritiy is to stay in the chapionship. When we now what league we are competing in then important decisions by the club and the fans together have to be made to move our once great club forward.
This is going to be controversial but I wonder if long term, relegation could be viewed as a blessing in disguise? If it meant we could regroup and come back stronger and able to complete at the highest level I would be prepared to accept it. The problem is, that means M&M acting to sort things out or leaving. Sadly, in my heart of hearts, I can’t see them changing. In fact, if we manage to avoid relegation I can’t see anything changing.
Jez has just come out and said the players are to blame. If that is the case then surely you get rid of them yet our management, which includes Jez, got rid of the manager? Now where is the logic in that? I would have hated to see us go down under Staale, (or anyone else for that matter), but if it meant we changed our style and brought in some decent players to replace the crap then it would have been acceptable. There was a long term plan and we all knew, after the summer transfer window, that it would take time to get shot of the dross, it wasn’t going to happen overnight. Instead the dross got shot of the manager. I’m sorry but a month or more on from Staale’s sacking I still can’t grasp the logic in that decision. He was brought in with a long term plan in mind and sacked after 6 injury ravaged months – what is that about?
I would be happy if I felt Deano could change things but from what I’ve seen we are back with the hoof and hope style of football which got us relegated in the first place. At worst it may get us relegated again, at best we will survive and spend years in the wilderness of mid table, championship mediocrity. Is it wrong to want better than this?
ive thought the same for a while steps mate…. only wish i didnt
I was amused by Jez telling us we should rally round Steve Morgan because although he isnt buying any players he doesnt take the staff discount in the club shop.
Now I hear DS can turn SEB into a premiership striker. If that is the case why was he prepared to sell him in Jan?
Agreed. The whole dibacle is piss-poor. That gargantuan cretin insults us with every utterance that emenates from his, so, insinscere lardy – arsed gob. God help us all if he truly believes what he says and thinks that we are just thick. As the song goes There maybe trouble ahead.
Jesus could turn water into wine. An easier task, I would suggest
I would really like to know what the players are thinking with all round criticism from the board and fans. And more importantly how they will react on Saturday? Re Moxey we really need to somehow organise to get that freak out of our club. How, how fffs how? I really wish I had balls the size of Al Capone!