Comments on: Q&A With a Blues Fan

By: kevb8ll

kevb8ll — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:19:38 +0000

Thanks for your kind words Ben.

By: Louie

Louie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:37:12 +0000

the year we finished 7th under mick Wayne hennessey kept 22 clean sheets. We considered around 50 goals from 46. We went on the attack a lot more, but leaking in a few more goals. We need to start scoring a bit more goals. Mick has said he’ll go for it but he hasn’t.

By: ben

ben — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:12:37 +0000

Thomas. You’re mention of Zubar sums it up though. He didn’t play him for months!!
So he brought in Zubar, never played him and while Mancienne came in, he looked more up against it than anyone. (still think he should be left back)
We could all see we were painfully exposed at the back. Blues sorted it in about 1 week. No messing. Job done.
I saw it with my own eyes against Real Valladolid and got told to chill out. (MK Dons, Bristol City and Port Vale all scored past us with ease as well)
Did anyone see Danny Haynes at Ashton Gate? He ruined our back four on his own – an average championship striker!!!!
Not enough was done.
Ward coming back into left back scares me shitless as well. I’ll not write him off after one league start as seems to be the case with others on here, but I’m anxious all the same.
Yes he did well at City, but our left side was our weakness last season. Remember Coventry away (Leon McKenzie), Sheffield United home (Nathan Dyer) and Reading home (Jimmy Kebe) to name but three.
It got to the stage where Ward was dropped for Matt Hill, coinciding with that run when we consolidated and ensured promotion.

I agree totally that Mick needs to find a back four, let alone a starting XI and stick with it, whoever he picks.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:29:25 +0000

Ben, definitely agree that the defence has needed sorting for a good three years now and Mick still hasn’t solved the problem.

But I think it’s a tad harsh to say we got knocked back by Dann and then just thought ‘we could get away with it’. He did bring in Zubar and Mancienne, having also drafted in Berra in January. That being said, I was expecting another defensive signing before the start of the season, which never arrived.

I do think that out of all the players we have at our disposal, there’s a back four in there somewhere that’s better than the ones we’ve seen so far.

For me personally, we’re getting stitched up in the full-back areas. The centre of defence has done OK for the most part. We need one of Foley or Zubar to really make the right side their own and Ward to come back in on the left.

Then in January a left-back is an absolutely essential purchase.

I just wish Mick would find a back four and stick with it for a run of games. I can see it being all change again on Sunday.

By: ben

ben — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:13:04 +0000

kwolf: I’ve kept my powder dry on that for long enough. Glad I’m not alone! I promise to shut up on that matter now.
The Blues fan seems to have summed everything up perfectly. Good to have an outsider’s perspective, as Kev has just said it as he has seen it.
He is 100% correct. Our defence was awful at times last season, (wasn’t it something like the 8th worst in the league?) and we have gone into this season with the same defence?!! It wouldn’t be so bad if we hadn’t done exactly the same in 2003.
Blues buy the 2 best championship centre halves (R Johnston and S Dann) and look at them. The fact Dann was our player, had the medical and wanted to join us makes it all the more galling.
McCleish identifies a problem (which wasn’t even as bad as ours) and solves it.
Mick seems to have identified the same problem, tried to fix it, get rebuffed by Dann, and then not bother and think we can get away with it. Anyone else understand that?

As I’ve rambled on before: If MM wanted Dann and the club paid a record fee for him, then why didn’t we actively pursue another player for the same price, to fix a problem that Mick had identified?

The answer is probably to do with our wage structure.

By: kwolf

kwolf — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:03:15 +0000

Ben just read your posts re Keogh from the Chelsea review Brilliant stuff mate, couldn’t articulate it better myself. I’ve been banging my head against a similar wall for 3 years now. I hope to god we pick our BEST team against blues. Foley, Mancienne, Kightly, Jarvis, Doyle and SEB all HAVE to play if fit. If they do i think we can and will win. UTW.

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:04:19 +0000

Louie-Foley’s a class act and i would think he’d make it in the big time. Ward’s looked ok in the games he’s played, was impressive at Wigan, but i have never been totally convinced with him at left back. Remember he was brought as a striker…

By: andrewwfc

andrewwfc — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:20:40 +0000

To say Wolves only need to improve defensively at LB is rose-tinted at best. Defensive performances against Sunderland, Arsenal, Hull and Blackburn were just embarrasing! The problem is forming a defensive unit takes time and the injuries we’ve had have prevented this. Infact, have Wolves had the same back four two games in a row yet?!!

Keeping with the theme of Wolves Vs Blues, who do you think has made the better signings over the summer? Although early days, I’m casting envious glances at Dann, Johnson and Benitez. Still…early days.

By: kevb8ll

kevb8ll — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:15:55 +0000

Have you never done it?

By: Louie

Louie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:50:30 +0000

I don’t think Craddock has the pace or good enough. Berra has done ok. Mancienne will win the fans over I reckon, Foley anjd Zubar are defo good enough and Stephen Ward was doing alright wasn’t he?

Kev, back to back wins is something we haven’t done when we’ve been in the premier league and its a must for us.