Johnson to the Rescue

The signing of Roger Johnson has obviously excited Wolves fans. It seems too much to dare to hope that one man can transform last season’s 17th leakiest Premier League defence into a formidable unit. However, he’s made a positive start and he’s done so by doing the things that earned him such praise at Birmingham City – tackling, blocking and intercepting. Johnson managed more successful interceptions than any other player on the pitch on Sunday.

Henry Still Important

The dirty Wolves tag is one that haunted Mick McCarthy and his side for much of the 2010-11 campaign and, for many, Karl Henry personified all that was wrong with that team. The player himself was clearly affected by the controversy but he has begun this season in encouraging form by doing what he does best – tracking runners, pressing the ball and making interceptions.

Henry intercepted the ball high up the field on five occasions on Sunday. Astonishingly, this was four morethan the entire Fulham team combined. Jol’s side preferred to sit back before pressing the ball but only succeeded in inviting Wolves onto them. The contrast between Henry and one of his chief detractors, Danny Murphy, was stark. The Fulham captain did not attempt let alone succeed in making a tackle in the entire contest.

Stearman’s Role

The inclusion of Richard Stearman at right-back was arguably the most controversial selection at the start of the season. Kevin Foley remains a firm favourite and Ronald Zubar has become a cult hero. In particular, the case for Foley’s recall was enhanced by an assured second half performance at Ewood Park during which the Irishman completed more passes than any other Wolves player.

However, Mick McCarthy has expressed concerns about the size of his midfield and clearly favours Stearman’s height in the back line. Although it was Stephen Ward who made the most high profile interception of the day, Stearman actually made five to Ward’s spectacular one and it was noticeable that he frequently tucked in and won key headers at the far post. Indeed, the heat maps show the contrasting roles that the two full-backs had on Sunday.

Stearman had a higher percentage of the ball than Ward in every equivalent zone within Wolves’ half, while the attacking left-back enjoyed an astonishing 51% of his possession in the opposition’s half. Foley may be the ball player but that is not currently the role that McCarthy is looking from his right-back.

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot

Wolves’ shoot on sight policy may have veered into the self-indulgent in the second half, with some fairly ambitious efforts, but Jamie O’Hara and Stephen Hunt in particular have added a goal threat from midfield. The twenty shots attempted against Fulham were more than Wolves had managed in any home game last season.

Left is Right for Jarvis… not Hunt

Inverted wingers have been de rigueur for several seasons now and Mick McCarthy seems to finally be embracing the trend. Although Matt Jarvis provided the assist for Steven Fletcher against Blackburn with an orthodox cross from the right byline, McCarthy saw enough at Ewood Park to decide to utilise Jarvis and Stephen Hunt on the opposite flanks from the outset against Fulham.

He got his reward as both wingers cut inside onto their stronger foot to help set up the goals – with Jarvis even coming inside to fire home for the second. While Jarvis has long enjoyed more success on the left-wing, there had been some debate as to Hunt’s preferred flank but playing from the right appears to allow the busy Irishman greater options with the ball at his feet. Lacking Jarvis’ electric pace, Hunt is less focussed on getting to the byline and more keen to drift around in search of space.

This is borne out by the heatmaps that indicate Hunt enjoyed 25% of his possession in central areas compared to Jarvis’s 12%. As with the full-backs, McCarthy appears less concerned with symmetry – instead keen to allow the players to play to their strengths.

Don’t forget to check out Adam’s excellent blog Ghost Goal.

If you enjoy looking into detailed match reports, and enjoy betting on the outcomes, on future trends, but don’t know the odds, then why not check out a betting calculator.

As you won’t know…or in fact care, I am a Wolves fan based down in The Big Smoke.

The land of cockles and muscles, apples and pears and Danny f**king Dyer has treated me well since I moved south.

The only down side of this is due to added expenses, as well as a habit for spending all my hard-earned money on beer and chicken, I have to contend with watching our games in my bed, armed to the teeth with ginger beer, shouting rubbish insults at my laptop.

However, on Sunday, I got the chance to venture to lands new and far.

Someplace warm. A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking about a little place, called Fulham (Thanks Dumb and Dumber for that line).

Yes, I decided to go to a pub, in Fulham, where it is likely I would the only Wolves fan in the place. (I’d like to note that I also hadn’t…HADN’T been drinking when I made this decision)

I took my good friend Jason ‘I just support football’ Jones, along for the trip. After all, if I got lost in the wilderness of Fulham and had to stay alive, I’m definitely not going to eat my own arm!

Armed with our Tesco-reduced sandwiches, we entered the pub. Walking past the hat and tails bankers, sitting in the leather chairs, smoking their pipes and reading their copies of the Financial Times, we found a spot at the back.

What proceeded to occur over the next two hours shook their society as they knew it.

Their world was crumbling, and all because of 11 guys, half of them Irish, wearing gold, who were obviously pumped up, but not in the way Danny Murphy likes to talk about.

They kept on looking at their pocket watches, both hands spinning backwards at a furious speed. The fruit in their pools of Pimms quickly dissolving, turning their fair ponds into a mould infested stink bath.

The most professional and positive performance I had seen from us in so long time was met by a collection of sighs, which turned into shouts and screams, and was followed by men choking on oysters and gold infused champagne.

And there I was, sat there, in my shorts and my trainers which are battered having been in both an ocean in Spain and the canal in London, smiling like I’d just stolen their Waitrose priority card.

The looks on their faces behind their monocles said so much. They were seeing a team, who they thought they should at least pick up a draw from pass them off the park, create countless more chances and defend against them like a wall made of George Elokobi’s chest.

Fulham couldn’t be more miserable. I couldn’t be happier.

And for some reason, whenever I am really, really happy…I start singing…Do The Conga.

It’s an awful habit, one that I’ve tried to seek help for, but at that moment in time, I would gladly have done the Conga in a leper colony.

So we left the pub, with a skip in my step, and a conga in my head back to normal civilisation.

‘Back to Central London my good man’ I instructed the taxi driver.

He looked at the smile on my face, then down at my trainers, and then back at me.

‘F*ck you and your crap f*cking trainers, you Wolves supporting bastard’

And that, ladies and gentleman, was Fulham.

Follow Matt on Twitter (@mwarrilow) and don’t forget to check out his blog Bloody Ear Worms.

Fletch's goal wasn't enough to get the win last season

Following the encouraging victory at Ewood Park, a home match against Martin Jol’s side must be seen as another great chance to put points on the board early doors.

Fulham are difficult side to beat, particularly on their own ground, but have never really been a significant force away from Craven Cottage.

They registered just 3 wins on their travels last season, the same as a Wolves side who had the second worst away record in the league.

They did however pick up 9 draws, which suggests they’re more than capable of digging in and making life difficult for the home side, something we know from experience following the 1-1 draw at Molineux in April.

Steven Fletcher gave Wolves the lead just prior to half-time in that match, but after Andy Johnson equalised with ten minutes to go, we were lucky to hold on for a point.

Much better is expected from Mick and the boys this time around.

The Team

I’d like to see us really go after Fulham in this match and playing 442, there’s certainly no reason we can’t do that. I’m expecting to see one change from the side that started at Ewood Park, with Kevin Foley coming in for Richard Stearman at full-back.

Hennessey, Foley, Berra, Johnson, Ward, Henry, O'Hara, Hunt, Jarvis, Doyle, Fletcher

I was hugely impressed with the way Wolves played in the second half against Blackburn. Both wide players had a major impact on the game and Hunt in particular really caught the eye with some clever touches and driving runs in-field.

The threat posed by those two players, along with O’Hara, Fletcher and Doyle was significant and looking at that eleven, creating chances and scoring goals shouldn’t really be a problem.

We’ll look to Roger Johnson to shackle the physical presence of Bobby Zamora and if we can prevent the big striker from holding the ball up, it should give us the ideal platform to go on the attack ourselves.

Prediction League

Thanks to everyone who took part in the opening day Prediction League. We had record numbers participating, which was wonderful to see. But if you missed out last week, it’s certainly not too late to join in the fun.

29 people correctly predicted Wolves would win and 15 of those got the score spot on too, picking up the maximum 3 points on offer. Well done to Erick Wolf, Hudds Wolf, Chad, Andrew N, Irish Wolf, dboy, Paul Foz, Hamlet, sleachy, Sam 2.0, Tipsy McStagger, Yoda, supersenna, CrazyPete and (of course) me, for setting the early pace.

This weekend I’ll once again back Wolves for the win.

There’s absolutely no reason to believe we can’t get the job done at home to Fulham and I think we will pick up those all important back-to-back wins.

Again, I think we’ll score a few but concede.

A hugely optimistic 3-1 to Wolves.

If you’re at Molineux on Sunday, lets really get behind the lads. Obviously this is the first and hopefully last home game of the season where supporters will be in just three of the stands, so we need to compensate for that.

Up The Wolves.

Thomas: Kristian, welcome. What can I get you to drink?

Kristian: Has to be a Budweiser for me.

Thomas: Not my favourite lager I must admit, although I think we have a bottle back here somewhere. Anyway, down to business, there was a lot of bad blood between Wolves and Fulham last season, which seemed to center on the Karl Henry tackle that injured Bobby Zamora. What was your opinion on that tackle and the game in general at Craven Cottage?

Zamora was a casualty in a feisty game at Craven Cottage last season

Kristian: When you’re at the game and you’re not offered the devine retrospective view of a replay, the tackle looked quite damning and the subsequent amount of time that Zamora had to spend on the floor certainly angered us fans in the Hammy End. We weren’t aware of how serious the injury was but we knew the tackle was closer to brutal than decent on the spectrum of generosity.

Saying that, upon a second watching, there is clearly no intent from Henry and I think we’ve all accepted that. Zamora did so immediately and the fans came round soon after – me included. The game itself was scrappy but it was still tense and had all the elements you’d expect from a Premier League game.

I think, no matter how fancifully the game is dressed up, however, Fulham fans aren’t going to look particularly favourably upon Mick McCarthy’s tactics. I, myself, believe you gave us a decent game and injuries like that are part and parcel of being a football. My grudge wore off after a week or two.

Thomas: Since the end of last season, Mark Hughes has left and Martin Jol has taken over. Were you disappointed to see Hughes depart and what’s your opinion of Jol?

Kristian: There was certainly a pinch of disappointment when I heard the news, but all the rumours that surrounded the departure allowed my sentimental feelings to be quashed. There is no denying the capable job he did with us and there is much to thank him for – not least Moussa Dembele – but the treatment he eventually showed us was nothing short of contemptuous.

If you could have told us Jol was going to be his immediate replacement, though, I doubt I’d worry too much at all about what was left behind. Clearly the Dutchman has the necessary experience and knowhow when it comes to Premier League management, and we should be delighted to pull in a manager of his pedigree. Add his English background to the roles he has recently played abroad and you have yourselves a man who shouldn’t fail to succeed. If that makes sense?

Thomas: Indeed. Although I think it’s a shame Hughes walked because he looked to be building a very good side there towards the end of last season. You drew 0-0 with Villa last weekend. Were you satisfied with this result or do you think Fulham deserved all three points?

No goals at Craven Cottage on opening day

Kristian: I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied but the draw was just deserts for some lackluster finishing. Arguably, we would have won had Andy Johnson been sharper and Shay Given been less so. Etuhu looked destitute from the outset and having the lack of vision and movement in the centre of the park was always going to hinder our progress going forward.

I’d say, all things considered, we had ahold of the game but Villa were resilient to the end. A draw isn’t a bad result against a side who are rejuvinated and reinvigorated under McLeish, it’s just an irritatingly common one.

Thomas: What constitutes success for Fulham this season?

Kristian: As always with mid-table sides, avoiding relegation is the simplest of benchmarks to follow. Since Hodgson and Hughes’ rebuilding job, though, we can perhaps begin to aim higher and anywhere above 12th place in the League would be an achievement and, as you say, a success.

Normally that’d be considered pretty average but we will be fighting on a European front once again so the squad will be stretched. What would prove an ultimate success, though, would be some form of silverware. It’s a lot to ask but a decent run in Europe can lead to bigger and better things – we should know – and the Carling Cup, on evidence, isn’t too difficult to conquer if you put some genuine passion into it. Who knows? A cup and mid table would be just dandy.

Thomas: Yes, I’m hoping for a cup-run from Wolves this season too. Who do you see as your most important players?

Kristian: There is no doubt in that our tight defence has proven to be the base upon which our recent progress has been built. Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes, despite their recent centre back break up, are nigh-on inpenetrable when at their best and have an understanding that only experience together can produce.

Hodgson set them up astutely with his tactical nous, and Mark Hughes was never going to mess around with their consistency. Martin Jol is seemingly different and is prepared to tweak, with him starting Phillipe Senderos alongside Hangeland against Aston Villa, but I’m sure his adaptions will be minimal.

Thomas: Senderos always seemed a bit of a liability to me at Arsenal. I’ll be interested to see how he does on Sunday. Switching tracks, what do you make of Wolves as a club?

Kristian: Wolves are certainly aspirational and under McCarthy you are bound to make sufficient progress. Staying up will probably be your main aim for now, but after avoiding second season syndrome, things look far brighter for you. Your opening day win could well provide the basis for a good season, and I’m not one to deny you any success. I wish you the best of luck with the coming term.

Thomas: Very nice of you. So what’s your opinion of our manager?

Not everyone's cup of tea

Kristian: He’s a good manager, undoubtedly, and his football knowledge is astoundingly extensive, but that’ll never stop me from disliking him. In all honesty, I’m quite selective about which gaffers I like and you guys shouldn’t take it personally – even the effervescent Ian Holloway irritated me to a cosmic degree last year. McCarthy strikes me as a man who is confident in his own abilities, which is of course respectable in itself, but it borderlines arrogance on occasion. I’d talk to him on the bus but you won’t find me scouring eBay for his autograph I’m afraid.

Thomas: Holloway got my back up last season too, so you’re certainly not alone in that respect. Mick is a love him or hate him kind of manager so your estimation doesn’t surprise me a great deal. Which of our players do you rate?

Kristian: Jamie O’Hara is definitely a man on your books who I’d have in our first team in a heartbeat. They may have been purely rumours, but we’ve been linked with him on numerous occasions, much to our delight, as I think it’s accepted amongst our own that O’Hara would be the thinking man’s replacement for the ever-ageing Danny Murphy. That’s not to say he wouldn’t get in our first team already, as he’s probably one of the best midfielders around in the lower echelons of the Premier League.

Thomas: I’d agree with that. Admittedly when we were linked with him I never thought in a million years he’d fancy a move to the Midlands, but he’s really embraced it. A wonderful player who fits perfectly into our team. Where do you think we’ll finish this season?

Kristian: With the experience you now have you should be avoiding relegation, but, as always in the Premier League, it will be no easy feat. Players like the aforementioned O’Hara can handle the league well and McCarthy knows what he’s doing. I’d say 15th.

Thomas: And finally, what’s your prediction for Sunday’s match?

We’re notorious for not being the best travelers around, but then again, that is something Jol is definitely looking to change. My heart says we can grab a 1-0 win but my head says a 1-1 draw is more realistic. We like drawing.

Thomas: Thanks for chatting with us Kristian. Come back anytime and good luck for the season (after Sunday).

That’s probably the best adjective to employ when describing the huddled masses of gold shirts pouring out of Molineux at 5.30pm yesterday.

Indeed, not even the glorious weather could mask the grave disappointment of Andy Johnson’s late equaliser that denied Wolves what would have been a vital, not to mention morale boosting, three points.

Yes!

As it is, we have to settle for one and in many respects, we were lucky to even get that.

After Johnson had rifled home with his first touch, there was only one team capable of winning the game and sadly, it wasn’t Wolves.

Gaël Kakuta came within a whisker of bagging victory for the visitors at the death, twisting our defence inside out before unleashing a fierce low drive that Wayne Hennessy did well to palm away from danger.

Had that gone in and we’d left with nothing, few could have had many complaints.

Wolves were desperately poor in the second half.

The players worked hard and grafted in an attempt to see out the game, but were far too often guilty of gifting the ball back to the opposition and inviting pressure.

I also believe we paid Fulham far too much respect tactically, with Mick McCarthy seemingly content to allow the opposition to camp out inside our half in the hope we could cling on or pick them off on the break.

This approach is understandable against the likes of Man Utd, Arsenal, etc, but I can’t help but feel we’d have been better served pushing forward against a side who sit just six points ahead of us in the Premier League table.

We saw in the first half what a short spell of pressure can achieve. Fulham had bossed possession for the opening 20 minutes or so, but the first time Wolves managed to get a foothold in the final third, we made a breakthrough.

It was a lovely goal too, with Adlene Guedioura skipping passed a challenge and cleverly slipping Karl Henry in to deliver an inch perfect cross for Steven Fletcher to nod home.

Our lone forward deserved that for what was probably his finest performance in a gold shirt. Fletch brought all his best attributes to the table in this one, showing excellent touch and an eye for goal as well as a real appetite to the lead the line and carry the fight to the opposition.

No!

He repeatedly won headers against the giant Hangeland, battled for possession and held the ball up expertly. The Scot nearly added to his tally further in the second half too, seeing a fine individual run and goalbound shot deflected into the arms of Schwarzer.

When he went off with a quarter of an hour to go, I felt we really lost the impetus and SEB struggled to make any kind of impact on the game. That left us hamstrung going forward so once Fulham got back on level terms, a point was realistically the best we could hope for.

Defensively, I felt Wolves were a mixed bag. Stearman, despite one slip in the second half, was quietly effective at right-back. I felt it was clever of Mick to shift him out there, as Fulham repeatedly looked to hit Clint Dempsey with long diagonal balls out wide. Foley would have struggled aerially against the big American.

In the center of defence, I thought Berra had a poor game. I’m probably one of his biggest fans, but he struggled in this one, too often giving away soft free-kicks and finding himself a yard off the pace.

Craddock was better and pretty much did what you’d expect from the veteran, kept things simple and competed for everything that came his way. I still feel we’re better served with him in the side for the remaining fixtures.

Ward had a lot to contend with down the left and struggled at times. Simon Davies is a clever player and asked a lot questions of our make-shift full-back, but didn’t cause any real damage. Late on, the dangerous Kakuta, on loan from Chelsea, pretty much ran riot and Ward was clueless as to how to nullify his threat.

One thing I would say in Ward’s defence, is that Matt Jarvis was often pushing inside or getting caught in advanced positions, leaving the left flank exposed. That certainly didn’t help. It should also be said that Ward was excellent going forward in the first half and he was involved in a lot of our best link-up play. Overall, I think our most criticised player can be reasonably satisfied with his efforts.

The midfield trio of Henry, Milijas and O’Hara all worked hard and got around the pitch, but failed to impose themselves against Fulham’s slick pass and move style, which often left them chasing shadows. Milijas in particular had a quiet game and it was no great surprise to see him replaced by Mancienne on the hour mark.

Down the wings, I thought Jarvis had a poor game. He’ll always be a threat with his pace and trickery, but by his lofty standards this wasn’t a particularly strong performance.

Guedioura blew hot and cold. One minute he’ll do something amazing i.e. his dribble and pass in the lead up to our goal or the thunderous 30 yard smash that Schwarzer did well to hold onto, and the next he’ll give away possession and land us in a spot of bother. But the fact he’s not afraid to show a bit of invention is admirable and he could yet win us a match with a moment of brilliance.

And perhaps that is precisely the positive we can cling onto. Despite recent poor form, we do have matchwinners within our squad. The likes of Guedioura, Fletcher, O’Hara and Jarvis are players that can make something happen, so if we can keep things tight at one end, it’s entirely plausible we can get the results we need.

A point from this match certainly wasn’t the result we all hoped for, but it’s far from a disaster. A point at Stoke on Tuesday would lift us out of the bottom three. A win would likely catapult us to 16th.

We don’t need a great escape. Just an escape.

Since the sweet taste of victory at Villa Park, we’ve been soundly outplayed and beaten twice, shipped seven goals, lost our most important player and watched on in agony as both Blues and Albion put clear daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

Talk about depressing.

It seems like out of nowhere, we’ve hit a low point.

Remember me? van Damme scored the opener at Fulham back in September

But as critical as we’ve all been of the manager, the tactics and the players in recent weeks, the one thing you can always guarantee from this Wolves side is a response and I fully expect another one this weekend against Fulham.

Mark Hughe’s side travel to Molineux looking for the result that would, in all likelihood, guarantee their Premiership status for another year. If that’s not incentive enough, they’ll probably also look back on the so-called ‘rough treatment’ Wolves dished out to them in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage earlier in the season.

I felt we were harshly judged in that game. Yes, it was unfortunate to see Bobby Zamora sustain such a serious injury, but the tackle from Karl Henry was perfectly fair. Berra’s sending off was absolutely correct for two obvious body checks, but the furor stoked up in the aftermath of the game was absurd.

Still, the events of that feisty afternoon should add a little extra spice to this one and if that gets the home crowd going, it can only be to our advantage. Bring it on I say.

Fulham’s away record is nearly as bad as ours, which is to say horrendous. They’ve won just once on the road this season and although they do have 8 draws to their name, they’ve been beaten 7 times.

They’ve got some excellent players throughout the team though and it’s going to be a real scrap if Wolves are to take anything.

With George Elokobi out injured, we already know Stephen Ward is set to deputise and I suspect there will be one or two more changes this weekend. This is the team I believe Mick will pick:

Hennessy

Foley
Stearman
Berra
Ward

Hammill
Henry
Milijas
O’Hara
Jarvis

Fletcher

I know Mick has been quoted in the press lauding the 442, but I think he’ll do the right thing and revert to 451. We need that extra midfielder to make sure we’re not overrun in the middle of the park and that should see Nenad Milijas correctly recalled to the side and Adam Hammill also restored. The likes of SEB, Guedioura and Kightly can also offer good attacking options from the bench if needed.

The only change I would personally make to that starting eleven, is a return for Jody Craddock. I think we’d benefit from his experience at this time not to mention the threat he brings when we’re attacking from set pieces.

Prediction League

Not many people picked up points last time out against Everton. Many foresaw a vital win but as we know, that sadly didn’t transpire. Only myself, Stourbridge Wolf, Jed and Rob predicted defeat but nobody said 3-0, so it’s a point for each of us.

This weekend, I find myself torn. Heart says Wolves win, head says draw.

I’ll back the boys for a narrow win – 2-1.

If you’re at Molineux this weekend, have a great time and lets really get behind the lads.

Up The Wolves.

Just close your eyes for a second, remain still and be completely silent.

You can probably just about make out the faintest din.

Yes. That’s it. You’ve got it.

Do you know what that is?

It’s the shrill, piercing echo of Fulham supporters squealing to passers-by from the towering heights of their soapbox about being roughhoused by gold-shirted yobbos.

McCarthy - claiming responsibility for the Craven Cottage attacks

Evidently, Wolves are a “disgrace to the Premier League” and must immediately be excluded from playing professional football and extradited to Guantanamo Bay for a medley of cruel and unusual punishments.

Mercifully, the well-informed British media that regularly tune in to observe the final 5 minutes of Match of the Day were on hand to pick up the baton and ensure these violent brutes are reprimanded appropriately.

Christophe Berra is to be hung from the gallows at sunrise for two life-threatening body-checks, Karl Henry beheaded for the repeat offence of cleanly winning possession of the football and Mick McCarthy, hung, drawn and quartered for the pre-meditated slaughter of the noble princes of Craven Cottage.

There was however controversy at the Supreme Court after they charitably spared the life of Michael Mancienne, choosing instead to amputate both of his arms for being the first ever professional footballer to cling to another player’s shirt.

Prime Minister David Cameron held an emergency 36-hour counsel with Hugh Grant, in which it was decided that a global war on ‘physical contact in the game of football’ must be waged in order to halt further atrocities.

Any player convicted of coming within 25 feet of a fellow professional on the field of play with the intention to prod, poke or approach at reckless speed is to be immediately taken down by strategically positioned snipers, hidden within the stands.

Similarly, any footballer deemed to be ‘putting a shift in’ will be dealt with using deadly force and a shoot-to-kill policy.

And lo, it was decreed, that from this day forward, September 11th will forever be associated with the Craven Cottage attacks.

Fulham supporters in mourning are encouraged to gather for a special midnight vigil outside Harrods, where flowers and messages of condolence can be left for the families effected by the trauma.

Prawn sandwiches will also be available for £18.50.

An earlier Big Ron-ism suggested that Wolves manager Mick Miller would have been happy with the way things went in the first half.

Mick Miller wasn't in laughing mood at the Cottage

The problem was, it was no laughing matter for any Wolves fan today, let alone Mick Miller or even Mick McCarthy as we lost our first game of the season.

Both halves followed the same pattern according to the former Villa boss.

Fulham exerted themselves for the opening exchanges of each half with lots of ‘little lollipops’ to the ‘front and back sticks,’ while we managed to stay in a game which could have gone under.

With 20 minutes left when Ron added: “They must go for it now  as they have nothing to lose but the match.”

We lost the match.

It sounded like we were as committed as ever and left every ounce of energy and every drop of sweat on the Craven Cottage pitch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and we lost by a cruel deflection.

A bigger worry may soon begin to develop through the unenviable reputation that we seem to be gaining.

Six more bookings, a red card, and a home crowd squarking, pissing and moaning more than Phil Mitchell without his crack pipe.

An injury too, to Bobby Zamora, which will doubtless result in the burning of a Karl Henry effigy by a Florida pastor, despite our man-of-the-match being utterly blameless for it.

My speakers were bleeding with the incessant drone from those posh little Londoners, who hardly have a reputation for being intimidating.

“Disgrace to the Premier League,” they yelled.

It was so noisy that commentator Mark Regan threatened: “If that bloke to the right of me keeps on like this, I’m going to rip his jaw off.”

Big Ron replied: “That’s me Mark!”

Jelle Van Damme gave us an early lead against the Cottagers and it sounded like we weathered any storm that blew our way after that.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the second half when Dembele toe poked an equaliser after a ‘bread and butter cross wasn’t dealt with.’

After that, the cards kept coming as regularly as the Big Ron-isms and we lost a game that Ron fancied us to go on and win with 10 minutes left.

It was Berra who committed the all important foul, which resulted in the winning goal, when our wall capitulated and Dembele deflecfted the winner.

Mick Miller won’t be happy when he sees that again.

Mick McCarthy will be positively apoplectic.

In truth, it was a dour affair with very few openings created by either side. But the away end couldn’t have cared less as they basked in the sunshine and cheered their heroes off the field at full-time, recognising the importance of the result in the context of our season.

Wolves took 4 points off Fulham last season

Fast-forward five months and I wonder whether such an outcome would be greeted with the same gusto?

I suspect not.

A second consecutive nil nil at Craven Cottage would be no mean feat considering their outstanding home form over the last year, but expectations are that much higher right now and with more attacking menace at our disposal, many will feel Wolves have enough in their locker to once more taste victory in our nation’s capital.

Fulham have drawn their three fixtures so far, picking up respectable points against Bolton, Blackpool and Manchester United. Make your own conclusions from those results.

But given that their only other home fixture was that impressive display in the 2-2 against United, it’s clear Mark Hughes’ team continue to be a formidable outfit on their own stomping ground.

So this one, for me at least, is a tough one to call.

I expect Wolves to name the same side that locked horns (literally) with Newcastle two weeks back. So that’s a starting XI of:

Hahnemann

Foley
Berra
Craddock
Ward

van Damme
Henry
Jones
Jarvis

Doyle
SEB

We’ve been boosted by the news that record-signing Steven Fletcher should be available for selection. And with the likes of Mancienne, Zubar, Guedioura and the fit-again Mouyokolo likely to provide further competition for places, Mick McCarthy has decent options all over the pitch. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him make one or two changes.

Prediction League

Well done to er, nobody for getting the result right against Newcastle. Unbelievably, not a single person said we’d draw 1-1.

However, congratulations to New kid on the blog, who picked up the point he needed to take top spot in the overall table. These are the days and Chris P also bagged a point each by correctly guessing the outcome, if not the exact score.

Don’t forget, if you want to join in with the Prediction League, simply leave your prediction for each game in the comment section of the official preview (such as this one).

This week, I’m going for a 1-1 draw.

If you’re making the trip down to Craven Cottage, have a great time and get right behind the lads.

Up The Wolves.

Whilst supporters will fondly look back on champagne victories at White Hart Lane and Upton Park, I suspect our manager will be equally satisfied with the clutch of dour nil nil draws we’ve ground out to add vital points to our tally.

View from the away end (click to expand)

Yesterday was another exercise in restraint from Wolves, containing Fulham comfortably for the most part but struggling to piece together any real attacks of note themselves. It’s certainly wasn’t easy on the eye, but as we close in on our ultimate goal for the campaign, none of the old gold contingent gathered in the Putney End gave two hoots.

The players were cheered off as heroes, shirts were tossed into the crowd and all round there seemed a shared consensus that this season will now have a happy ending. Just as well any complacency that might be setting in, has been confined solely to the stands.

All eleven players contributed to this gritty, dogged performance, which demonstrated this team won’t rest until the maths tell them they can.

The brightest star undoubtedly shone from an unexpected place – left back. Big George was quite simply superb from start to the finish, staying rock-solid and saving our bacon with a last ditch tackle to deny Damian Duff and almost certain goal. The Hulk looked anything but a weak link on this evidence and it was pleasing to see the highly criticised defender show the levels he’s capable of reaching.

Another player with a question mark hanging over his head also upped his game. Christophe Berra was at his best, repelling everything that came near him, shackling Bobby Zamora and most crucially, throwing his body in front of a Damian Duff shot midway through the first half. When you’re defending your penalty area and the game isn’t stretched, the Scottish international is in his element and a major asset to the cause. Nobody can deny that.

Zubar and Craddock continued to meet the standards they’ve set for a long time now and were both exceptional. The midfield trio were more effective than impressive with Mancienne perhaps most prominent, sitting in front of the back four and showing great discipline throughout to hold his position.

Jones got on the ball when he could and pulled the strings, but struggled to really get into areas where he could cause damage. The same could be said of Dave Edwards, the man who literally never stops running. Despite one foray into the Fulham area that saw him smash a right foot volley narrowly over the bar, he was largely ineffective despite bags of effort and enthusiasm. I’d still prefer to see a more cultured, measured midfielder in that slot, so perhaps Guedioura or Milijas will be given the nod against Blackburn, as both looked lively when they were introduced from the bench.

Foley and Jarvis did what they always do, with the latter always a great outlet. A couple of times in the second half he sprinted forward dangerously but was never given a good enough pass to get in behind. As a result, Doyle was starved of any decent service and despite a clever snapshot just before half-time, he never threatened the Fulham goal. His overall play was still impressive, although he wasn’t at his devastating best, as he hasn’t been for a few weeks. If he’s tired, I’m certainly not surprised.

With Burnley losing and Hull only able to manage a draw, the point Wolves took back to Molineux was certainly an important one and it sets up the prospect of finishing the job against Blackburn next Saturday.

And after so much talk this season about Wolves doing the minimum to stay up, wouldn’t it be nice to take care of business with two games to spare?