Wolves 0 Birmingham 1

January 19, 2012 By

You could probably just about tolerate 180 minutes of turgid, one-paced cup football if your team at least emerged victorious from the tie.

With that in mind, Blues fans will probably feel satisfied with their night’s work. Good luck to them I say. I don’t begrudge them the win.

For Wolves and Mick McCarthy there’s no such consolation.

Terrible goal wins terrible match

We were awful, both individually and as a team.

But lets start with the former.

Elokobi was a liability throughout. Yes, he made a vital goal-saving lunge in the first half (which I thought was a foul by the way) but his total lack of awareness and incompetence on the ball make me shudder everytime he has possession.

Sadly though George, you narrowly miss out on the numpty of the match champagne.

No, that’s most definitely reserved for another deserving culprit.

Step forward Stephen Hunt.

We all know he’s been woefully anonymous in recent times, but his performance last night was taking the flippin’ Michael.

He sauntered around, half a yard off the pace and quite obviously just couldn’t be arsed.

You can normally tell within the first 10-15 minutes of any match whether he’s up for it or not. If he is, ala Blues at home last season, you’ve got a real player on your hands.

80% of the time though, he doesn’t show anywhere near those levels of interest and isn’t the type of player who can operate effectively in cruise control.

He was easily the worst of a very poor bunch.

Still, however bad individuals were, the manager must shoulder much of the blame for the team performance.

Anyone who comes out two days before the game has even kicked off and proclaims ‘It’ll be Doyler and Sylvan up top’ as if that’s some sort of declaration of attacking intent is living in cloud cuckoo land.

That says to me, that in his head it doesn’t matter who else he plays because two out of form forwards, both dining off past accomplishments as opposed to anything they’ve done recently, will get the job done.

That was never, ever going to be the case.

I said in my preview I’d play 451 because we needed to make better use of the ball in the middle of the pitch and not just hoof it long to the forwards.

Well low and behold what did we do?

The same thing we always do in a 442 of course, pass it around the back four, run out of ideas and shell it long.

Nice one Mick.

He got two bites of the cherry in this tie and patently didn’t learn his lesson from the first taster.

I despair.

You can only imagine what the millions who tuned into ITV made of it.

Like them, I’d rather have watched Coronation Street.

Birmingham City Vs Wolves FA Cup Preview

January 6, 2012 By

Back in May, this was a Premier League fixture and after a disappointing 1-1 draw, Birmingham ended that match 5 points ahead of us with only 3 games remaining.

Wolves went on to win 2 of their 3, while Blues failed to pick up a single point and were relegated by the narrowest of margins.

This picture amuses me

That predictably led to financial woes, a fire-sale of players and even a manager jumping ship to bitter rivals.

While all this was happening, I could only muster one thought – it could have been us.

It could have been us waving goodbye to our best players as the vultures circled.

It could have been us heading directly back to square one and joining the scrum to get out of the Championship.

It could, very easily, have been us.

So it many ways it’s apt that the two sides once again come together just 6 months down the line.

Credit to Blues, they seem to have kept things together remarkably well considering their plight and under Chris Hughton, they’re a decent outfit.

Their home form is particularly impressive and they’re yet to lose at St. Andrew’s in 11 league matches, boasting 7 wins and 4 draws.

Anyone else smell a banana skin?

The Team

It will be very interesting to see what sort of team Mick puts out for this one, but I hope he takes it seriously as a repeat of the 3-1 thumping we got against Crystal Palace two years back wouldn’t be greeted kindly, especially in a derby.

This is something like the team I expect to see:

de Vries, Foley, Johnson, Elokobi, Jonnson, Frimpong, Edwards, Guedioura, Kightly, Doyle, SEB

Man, that was difficult.

I tip my hat to anyone who can correctly predict the lineup for this one as Mick has a considerable number of options to choose from. I changed my team 2 or 3 times.

Here’s my rationale for each player’s selection.

de Vries – given a run out
Foley – needs minutes after injury
Johnson – desperate to play against former club
Elokobi – given a run out
Jonnson – debut
Frimpong – needs game time and to assess in a 442
Edwards – needs minutes after injury
Guedioura – given a run out
Kightly – assessed after loan period
Doyle – needs a goal
SEB – Mick won’t want to play 451 so second striker needed

Prediction

There’s no Prediction League points up for grabs this weekend, so purely for fun.

Cup matches are difficult to guess as you never know what sort of team either manager will put out, but I’m expecting this to be close.

Blues will be up for it so it’s up to Wolves to match them.

We’ve got more quality, even with our second string so I reckon we’ll just come out on top.

2-1.

If you’re at St. Andrew’s for this one, have a great time and roar the lads on.

Up The Wolves.

Wolves 0 Stoke City 1

January 30, 2011 By

Well, that was horrid.

On another sub-zero weekend, on the decaying Molineux pitch, Stoke came out on top with their trademark brand of agricultural non-football.

20 smackers well spent? Probably not.

Free header anyone?

Wolves for their part were easier on the eye, but only a little, attempting to pass the ball throughout on the uneven surface but rarely penetrating the typically well-organised opposition.

Mick deployed a strong side, resisting the urge to field the fringe and keeping faith with 9 of the players that started against Liverpool. And in many ways, the performance was very similar to last Saturday’s.

Once again, for all the huff and puff, nobody in a gold shirt seemed capable of sticking in the knife.

The only difference being that the strikers can’t blame the service this time.

Ward sent over a delicious ball just prior to the interval that Fletcher could only head against the post.

Sam Vokes was also profligate, guiding a superb inswinging cross from Jarvis straight at Thomas Sorensen, when a bulging net seemed inevitable.

Then finally, in the dying seconds, Milijas wasted the greatest opportunity of all, sending a meek spot-kick towards goal that the Stoke keeper once again repelled with ease.

That would have secured Wolves a deserved replay, but instead the FA Cup journey is over for another season.

Still, we can have few complaints about losing after Robert Huth was inexplicably left all alone in the six-yard box to power home the only goal of the game. It was a moment of slackness in an otherwise solid defensive outing, but again, it’s costly.

It was a dull game truth be told, that only really sprung to life in the final 15 minutes, but it demonstrated the crucial difference between two sides. Stoke, for all their shortcomings, kept things tight and made us pay for a moment of slackness. Wolves switched off at a crucial moment, then failed to capitalise when handed a reprieve.

Frustration was the overriding feeling, summed up perfectly by Mick McCarthy’s touchline rage following the Milijas penalty failure.

It’s quickly onto Bolton now, where we can’t afford wasted chances and hard-luck stories, particularly with a Man United/Arsenal double-header to follow.

We need points. Not excuses.

Wolves complete O’Hara signing

One piece of good news today is the loan signing of Jamie O’Hara from Spurs. Read the full story on the club site here:

http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/News/0,,10307~2279998,00.html

He’s unquestionably an excellent addition to the squad, but hasn’t played a competetive game all season following a back injury. Fingers crossed he can hit the ground running because he’s definitely got the ability.

With the transfer window only open for another 24 hours, is there still time for any further additions? We’ve used up our last loan on O’Hara, so any additional business will have to be permanent.

Wolves Vs Stoke Preview

January 27, 2011 By

Stoke visit Molineux for the second time this season on Sunday with a place in the 5th round of the FA Cup up for grabs.

Wolves were victorious against the Potters on the opening day and good value for the win, so a repeat performance from the boys in gold would do just nicely.

Remember when everything seemed perfect?

The two teams have enjoyed contrasting fortunes since that early-season encounter, with Stoke eventually finding some consistency after a terrible start to see themselves safely ensconced in midtable.

Wolves, as we know, have struggled at the bottom and would almost certainly swallow a defeat in this game if it meant victory against Bolton and three precious Premier League points next Wednesday.

Despite this thinking, I believe Mick will field a strong side for, whilst also giving a few players the chance to force their way back into the first team. Depending on injuries, I expect a lineup something like this:

Hahnemann

Doherty
Craddock
Mouyokolo
Elokobi

Edwards
Jones
Henry
Jarvis

Doyle
Fletcher

It’s a shame Hammill is cup tied as I think we’d all like to have seen him given a chance in this one but the likes of Craddock, Henry, Mouyokolo and Edwards would  all benefit from the game time as they work back up to full fitness.

In terms of a prediction, it’s a difficult one to call, as nobody can know for sure (as I write this) how strong either team will be.

But based on the fact that Tony Pulis has been moaning (with justification in my opinion) about the fixture being moved to a Sunday ahead of a Premier League fixture in midweek, I think he’ll make a number of changes. Their away record isn’t that great either, with 7 defeats from 11 league matches. However, this is a cup tie so all that goes out the window.

Neither team will want a replay though and something tells me we won’t need one.

3-2 Wolves.

If you’re going to Molineux on Sunday, have a great time and get behind the lads.

* As always, cup games don’t count towards the Prediction League.

Up for the cup?

November 29, 2010 By

When it comes to euphoric, unforgettable victories to treasure, nobody does it better than the FA Cup.

It’s always the same at this time of year. The waft of Deep Heat cuts a warm path to the heart as you recollect some of your fondest footballing memories – often to do with the competition we have won four times.

Last season's cup run ended in humiliation at Selhurst Park

FA Cup third round weekend is football from the old school. Teams going at each other like rabid dogs, fervent supporters so close they are on the pitch, floodlights illuminating the chill and preferably, the sight of a terraced stand or two.

When we heard we had dropped on Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat, most of us sighed.

Not me. ‘Tis the stuff that dreams are made of! We might all moan to one another about the prospect, but deep inside we get off on it. The only shame is that the Belle Vue ground isn’t the backdrop for the muck and nettles that will follow.

Bland Premier League theme replaced by a tub thumping local beat; accent of Yorkshire PA announcer thicker than a pie crust and the sight, somewhere, of a cardboard FA Cup covered in tin foil.

If we win, we can moan some more about the injustice of having to go to Doncaster in the first place, which was obviously the most unenviable draw for any club in the history of the competition. As we progress through the rounds, we can all harp on about the day we had to beat Doncaster Rovers at their place in arctic conditions.

If we win, we can enjoy the best Match of the Day programme of the year, watching a Bedlington Terrier or a Vauxhall Motor doing remarkable things in front of a packed grass bank.

Like a 10 year-old kid and his faith in Father Christmas, I still believe in the FA Cup and won’t listen if anyone tells me otherwise.

Come January 8, we will all keep one eye on the game and the other on page 2 of the Premier League table.

I won’t be. I’m going! Most probably in two pairs of thermal socks and a pair of Long Johns.

Why? Because I still remember us scoring three second half goals at Mansfield, O’Neill Donaldson, an injury time Kevin Keen goal at Vale Park and a brave defeat at Brian Clough’s Forest.

I know we all yearn for Premiership survival. But for one weekend I just want a Tony Gubba voiceover, a Lightning Seeds soundtrack and a bit of magic for the good old days.

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