Wolves Vs Birmingham City Preview
Posted by Thomas on 27th November , 2009Birmingham visit Molineux on Sunday with Wolves very much needing a win to kick-start their faltering season.
Defeats against Arsenal and Chelsea were expected and have left us languishing in the bottom three, with very little to be positive about. But we all know the real damage was done weeks ago, after only mustering a point from three winnable home games against West Ham, Hull and Pompey. We’ve got three more coming up now and a similar meager return will see Wolves teetering right on the edge of a swift return to the Championship.
Failing to beat sides like Hull at Molineux has cost Wolves so far
Blues have had a pretty decent start to the campaign, picking up good home wins against Pompey, Sunderland and Fulham, while also taking the maximum away from their visit to Hull. Credit to for good performances at Man Utd, Spurs and Liverpool, which have shown they’re not going to roll over anywhere without a scrap.
However, there seem to be an awful lot of people writing Wolves off at the moment, while suggesting everything’s rosy down at St. Andrews. Let’s remember there’s only five points between the two sides and two thirds of the season still to play.
Make no bones about it though, Wolves are desperate for the win on Sunday, while Blues would probably be content with a point. So the emphasis is very much on us to take the game to our neighbours.
Mick has already publicly stated that we’ll be back to 4-4-2 for this crunch match, which I’m delighted to hear. I just hope the good news continues with his team selection. I have absolutely no clue about the side he’s going to pick, but I’ll take a stab at it anyway:
Hennessy
Halford
Berra
Craddock
Ward
Edwards
Henry
Milijas
Jarvis
Doyle
SEB
I think Zubar’s out of the match on Sunday and it’s probably too soon for Foley, so I’m guessing Halford might get the nod at right back. I think he might gamble on Ward though. Henry and Jarvis should definitely play in midfield, but I’m not sure about the others. I’d like to see Milijas come in and give us an extra creative dimension. Could be Castillo instead though. Your guess is as good as mine really.
We know Blues are tight defensively and in Roger Johnson and Scott Dann, they’ve got two center-halves with growing reputations. That being said, I’ve personally watched SEB give both of them the runaround before (can you ever remember SEB not scoring against Cardiff?), so I’m confident we can cause them problems going forward. Hart is a good keeper as well, but hasn’t look particularly convincing from set-pieces, so that’s another reason I hope Milijas finds his way into the side.
Is a cleansheet out of the question? Evidence suggests yes, but if we’re going to keep any team out, you’d think it would be Blues, given that they’re a tighter, more defensive outfit. Hennessy will rightly keep his place (in my opinion) and we need him at his best. Whatever back four takes to the field, we’re desperate for a good performance and no sloppy mistakes. Giving away goals (as we did against both Arsenal and Chelsea) would be criminal in a match of such importance.
Despite all the negativity of late, I do think Wolves will win this match. Call it blind faith if you like, but we’re long overdue a home win, a derby win and something to generally be positive about. We need that first goal and I’m backing our number 9 to get it in a 2-1 win.
If you’re going to the match, have a great time and roar the lads on to victory.
Up The Wolves.
I dont think milijas should get the nod for this game as a starter. He’ll be needed in the game for sure, but hes too lazy to start at the moment, we need the intensity to take the game to the opposition in the beginning and get a solid platform to the strikers. Having said that, Edwards and Jarvis are getting better and better, so hopefully they get some decent crosses in and make things happen!
My team before a ball was kicked this season:
Henners
Foley
Berra / Craddock
Stearman
Mancienne (l/b)
Kites
Henry
D Jones (remember him?)
Jarvis
SEB
Doyle
Obviously injuries have scuppered this somewhat. But it still looks as good as anything Mick will put out Sunday. The only change I would make is Dave Edwards for Kightly, who isn’t fit. I’d keep the rest in, although D Jones seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. Craddock and Stearman centre halves.
Ben – Dave Jones is recovering from surgery. This would be my pick for sunday –
Hahnemann
Foley
Craddock
Stearman
Mancienne
Edwards
Henry
Milijas
Jarvis
SEB
Doyle
I refuse to tempt fate with a score prediction this week!
I like Stearman at centre-half. I thought we were generally at our best last season when he was played there, despite one or two sloppy errors.
Craddock has really thrown a spanner in the works though with some strong performances. Can’t see him being dropped in the immediate, so I suppose Berra’s place is the one up for grabs.
Looking at the Wolves official site, McCarthy was praising Stearman for his performances at left back so I fancy he might retain his place there on Sunday now.
Such a guessing game though, with quite loads of players to pick from but none of them really making a place in the side their own.
Going to the reserve game midweek Foley and Wardy making their comebacks. Both looked good and Kightly looked a lot fitter than in previous weeks. Keogh was as dire as always – this was the worst I have ever seen him play so all that rubbish about the fans getting on his back is out the window as if he can’t score with 500 people watching how on earth is he going to bag with 30,000 watching. Also @Jed, Hahnemann played the reserve game and didn’t look that great, but was notably stronger than Wayne from set pieces.
Anyone else go to this game by the way?
Stearman and Mancienne at the back together was when we played our best stuff. Burnley at home was the most dominating and convincing performance all last season and they were integral to it. Even though it was only 2-0 i still thought we looked more of a class act than the start of the season when we were scoring shed-loads (Sheff Wed, Forest PNE). The ability to both defend but also bring the ball out from the back is crucial and despite the fact that Berra and Craddock have both had excellent spells in games this season they are appalling on the ball. The amount of times Berra has had 20 yards of space in front of him and he just passes it the LB, who loses it, is infuriating. The only issue with my ‘dream’ pairing is the massive void at LB which has existed for the last, what, 10 years? Ward would walk back into the team at present but he still clearly isn’t good enough, being skinned by Dyer, Croft and every other decent Championship RW isn’t exactly the stuff Premiership LBs are made of. But while Ward is absent, i agree with you guys that Mancienne has to play there. So my starting CBs have to broken up. It might seem controversial but i would play Craddock ahead of Berra.
My team
Hennessey
Foley (Zubar if KF’s unfit) Stearman Craddock Mancienne
Edwards (If MK is out) Henry Milijas Stearman
Doyle SEB
kwolf – Stearman maybe good, buy I’m not sure he can be in 2 places at once
Hallam. Top effort to go to the reserves mate. It is a bit of a worry when we field such a strong team?
I’m going for a 3-1 win tomorrow.
The reason for this? I have picked Scott Dann and Roger Johnson as my FFL centre halves. I am the prat who dropped Keane as captain the day he bagged 4 against Burnley, then did exactly the same for Defoe the week before he got 5 against Wigan. Add Torres, Ashley Young, Drogba, to the list of a load of players I’ve cursed!
Its a new tactic and it will work!!
Yeah he has praised Stearman so I’ll go for him at right back, with Wardy at left back. He was taken off after 60 minutes in the rerserves which I think means he is starting. can’t see him dropping Craddock but I would have Berra and Mancienne at centre backs.
Doyle and SEB upfront could cause Dann and johnson problems. Millijas could give us somethign extra at set peices and in that final third. I think he is due a goal, and what a goal it will be to clinch a one nil win for me!
UTW!
MCCARTHY MUST GO!!!
Dazza, my thoughts exactly
Plenty of people to replace him.
Today we were quite frankly, shite.
On another note. Tranmere or Aldershot in the cup
COME ON THE SHOTS
Think I’ll go and take a look at 606, get some common sense.
mr moxey, in customary smug belligerance, scoffed 2words at us when the transfer deadline passed: “job done”
shame that when birmingham got their ‘job done’ it included 9m on johnson and dann. sold down the river by a regime who should know better.
some fucking job jez.
Didn’t get to see it, but it sounded awful. We aren’t sticking to the plan that got us into this league. He should have stuck with Jarvis all the way, and kightly should be just coming into the first team. Mick panicked after half an hour and it backfired. Dropping Hennessey was a ridiculous decision. Hahnemann made one fantastic save I hear, but he I also hear he was way off his line for the goal (not his fault though). Mick has failed to show any loyalty to his players who have worked wonders for him.
If we don’t win next saturday, maybe morgan will have to start thinking about potential replacemtns for MM.
It’s really looking bad for us, we won’t be able to get out of the bottom three even if we do win next saturday.
“Mick has failed to show any loyalty to his players who have worked wonders for him.”
You have to be kidding me. McCarthy if anything is too loyal. He fails to make changes when we lose, picks completely the wrong team in the first place and failed to sign any decent players in the summer.
dboy… that common sense, would it be keeping the Manager who is clearly out of his depth at this level?
4 wins in 51 PL games bears its own testimony
He must go, and quickly