Man Utd Vs Wolves Preview

September 23, 2009 By

Whatever your thoughts might be about the League Cup, a visit to Old Trafford for a match against the champions is always going to get you interested.

Of course, the United side that will take to the field tonight will be much different to the one that pulled off that dramatic victory over their city rivals at the weekend. But however many changes Ferguson makes, don’t expect an easy ride.

Michael Owen - Back in business for United

Michael Owen - Back in business for United

Michael Owen will almost certainly start the match, as will players like Nani and Valencia, who have been in and out of the Red Devil’s side so far. With that kind of quality on the pitch, I expect Wolves to be under the cosh for much of the game.

There will undoubtedly be one or two stars sitting on the bench as well, ready to come on and change the game should Wolves have the audacity to make it a close contest or dare to cause an upset.

But enough about United, what can we expect from the boys in old gold?

Well, it’s already been confirmed this morning that Kightly, SEB and The Hoff will all start tonight giving us some good attacking options, even if two of those players are lacking sharpness. Alongside them, you’ll probably see players that didn’t figure against Fulham or those that haven’t really been given a chance in the league.

Here’s my predicted lineup:

Hahnemann

Foley
Zubar
Berra
Hill

Milijas
Jones
Kightly
Edwards

SEB
Hoff

Of course I’m not sure on a few of these players, but I think Mick will have to start one or two that figured on Sunday due to injuries. It’s a shame as I would have liked to have seen Surman play. But it’s a great chance for the likes of Milijas and Zubar to show what they can do and maybe force their way into contention.

The outcome of the game will probably come down to how strong a team Sir Alex fields. If it’s a particularly inexperienced side, I expect we’ll give them a good game and could possibly sneak the result. However, the addition of one or two more established names will make it a much different proposition.

With Mick stating openly that we’re going there to attack, I think this has the potential to be an entertaining contest.

Based on the fact I think we’ll face a much changed United team, I’m going for a 3-2 win with SEB to score the opener.

If you’re one of the people rich enough to afford the ludicrous £41 ticket price for tonight’s game, have a great time and roar the lads on.

Up The Wolves.

Blast from the Past: Steve Froggatt

September 22, 2009 By

It’s been a slow news day at Molineux, so ahead of my Man Utd preview tomorrow, I thought I’d slip in a cheeky post about one of my favourite former players, Steve Froggatt.

Steve Froggatt - Remembered Fondly

Steve Froggatt - Remembered Fondly

Signed from Aston Villa for £1 million by Graham Taylor, this must be one of those rare signings that you can say we got good value for some of Sir Jack’s dosh. Although he was hampered by injury at times, Froggy was a top player and produced some inspired performances in an old gold shirt.

As a little runt watching from the North Bank, I used to like nothing more than seeing Froggy burn rubber down the left or turn his full-back inside out. When we first had him at the start of the 94-95 season, he was immense and everything you could ever want from a winger.

I remember him skinning an ageing Ronny Whelan to setup Bully with an inch perfect cross, in a famous 5-0 win at home to Southend. He also roasted Bolton’s full back (I think his name was Alan Lee) in a particularly memorable 3-1 victory to take us top. Of course that season would end in tears and an unjust defeat to the Trotters.

I think it was McGhee who first played Froggatt at full-back and he excelled there to, bombing forward to support the attack. In fact, perhaps his best performance in a Wolves shirt came at left back, in that amazing 4-2 win at the Hawthorns (our last victory there, unbelievably). He was a constant thorn in the Albion’s side that day, setting up big Iwan Roberts for his hat-trick.

It was a sad day when the call of the Premiership came and we shipped Froggy to Coventry City for £1.9 million. I wasn’t surprised he did well there and even got into the England squad before having his career cut short by injury.

I wonder if he looks back on his career and thinks of Wolves as his main team? I think he played at Molineux longer than anywhere else, so I’d like to think so.

Here’s a video I just dugout from YouTube of the 5-0 win over Southend I mentioned. Look at the turn of pace and delivery for the fifth goal. What a counter attack. From Stowell’s hands to the back of the net in 4 touches.

* I might well make this ‘Blast from the Past’ feature a regular filler on days when there’s little to report, so feel free to suggest players or even do your own tribute.

Back on Track: Wolves 2 Fulham 1

September 20, 2009 By

Well done Wolves. 3 points, 2 goals and plenty more to be positive about.

Despite having to hang on towards the end, we were good value for this win after a strong team showing, littered with impressive individual performances.

Kevin Doyle - Off the mark

Kevin Doyle - Off the mark

Kevin Doyle opened the scoring and his Wolves’ account with a fine reaction header. He was a bright spark throughout and showed some real touches of class. Hopefully more to come from our record signing.

Castillo was strong and influential on his debut. OK, he’s not exactly Pele but he breaks the play up and adds a much needed physical presence to the midfield.

Dave Edwards also deserves a mention for a performance full of endeavour, capped with a second-half bullet that put Wolves two to the good. Can he keep his place in the team, given Kightly is back in action and Jarvis continues to look a threat?

Our much maligned defence stepped up their game, giving nothing away apart from the slightly dubious penalty that allowed Danny Murphy to bring Fulham back into the match. Berra was particularly impressive, crunching into tackles and heading absolutely everything away. He was probably my man of the match.

Hennessy was quite simply immense, handling flawlessly and plucking crosses out of the air for fun. When he commands his area, like he did today, he looks the complete package. Let’s hope he continues to improve and progress.

The real bonus ball was the return of Kightly and SEB. Neither had much time to make an impact, but just having them out on the pitch seemed to give everyone a lift. I expect both to continue their comeback with a start against Man Utd on Wednesday.

So it’s happy days again. We move onto Old Trafford with renewed confidence and nothing to lose. Whatever the outcome against the champions, we can at least enjoy the week knowing we’re nicely back on track.

* I’d like to draw attention to the fact I correctly predicted the outcome, the scoreline and the first scorer in this match. I also predicted the outcome and scoreline from the Blackburn match. Feel free to lavish me with praise, but more importantly, make sure you read my Man Utd preview to see If I can make it a hat-trick.

Wolves Vs Fulham Preview

September 18, 2009 By

The Cottagers come to Molineux this Sunday for a game that both sets of fans will be looking at and thinking, ‘we can win this one’.

From a Wolves’ perspective, we need to bounce back quickly after a weak performance against Blackburn and three points at home would be a great way to lift spirits. Returning stars will undoubtedly help our cause but it remains to be seen how many changes McCarthy will make to the starting XI.

McCarthy & Hodgson - Two former international managers clash on Sunday

McCarthy & Hodgson - Two former international coaches clash on Sunday

If you’re in the Fulham camp, a successful season last time out will have you believing your team can go to places like Molineux and win convincingly. However, much of their success has come at home with their record on the road slighlty more indifferent. So that leaves this game nicely poised in my opinion.

They’ve undoubtedly got some great players. People like Murphy, Duff and Johnson are no mugs at this level and have the kind of experience nobody in our squad can boast. But probably their most important player is Hangeland, who holds a very strong defence together. There was interest in him from Arsenal over the summer, which highlights just how good this powerful defender is and just how vital he’s become to Roy Hodgson’s team.

But Fulham are really more of a good, honest group of players than a team of superstars, so for that reason I think Wolves can stand toe-to-toe with them and maybe even come out on top. I think we might have the legs on them so hopefully the longer the game goes on, the better our chances should become, especially as they played on Thursday in the Europa League.

Whether or not we get a result depends greatly on the side McCarthy picks. I hope he has the good sense to make major changes to the side that flopped against Blackburn. That being said, this is the side I think we’ll see:

Hennessy

Stearman
Mancienne
Craddock
Hill

Kightly
Henry
Milijas
Jarvis

Keogh
Doyle

But it’s a guessing game really. Could the Hoff force his way in? Will Foley or SEB make a shock appearance? Might Edwards be given the nod ahead of Milijas? Lots of variations, which might drastically alter my forecasted eleven.

Anyone else want to take a stab at the line-up?

Whatever the team though, we’re desperate for one of our attacking players to put in a performance. Milijas and Doyle have both shown promising glimpses without really turning it on, so perhaps it’s time for one of those two to step up to the mark.

Call me optimistic but I’ve got a good feeling about this match and believe we have a great chance of taking something from it. I’m going for a 2-1 win and Doyle to score the first goal.

Now that really would be a Super Sunday.

Up The Wolves.

Send in the Cavalry

September 17, 2009 By

After our weakest performance of the season against Blackburn last week, we’ve at least enjoyed the tonic of seeing some of our injured stars drag themselves off the treatment table. SEB, Kites, Craddock & Foley could all play a part against Fulham, which is a monumental boost for a game we’re capable of winning.

SEB, Kites, Foles & Jody - The Cavalry

Kites, Foles, SEB & Jody - The Cavalry

And even though I’m usually quite patient when it comes to nursing players back to fitness, I’m hoping Mick will send in the Cavalry and make wholesale changes to the side.

First and foremost, Michael Kightly should start on Sunday. He played for an hour with the reserves in midweek and by all accounts looked pretty sharp, so I’d like to see him given the same amount of game time against Fulham. Some might prefer he was introduced from the bench, but we’re badly lacking that creativity in midfield so I’d start him and see how he goes.

SEB is probably too ambitious but it would be a massive boost to see him named amongst the substitutes. I still believe Mick will go with Keogh and Doyle, again bringing the Hoff on later in the game. But if we’ve got our golden boot anywhere near fit, he’s always worth a 10 minute gamble, should we need him. Eventually though, he will get back to fitness and hopefully that dream-team partnership of SEB and Doyle can thrive.

You’d think that if Craddock’s been training this week, he’d be fit enough for a recall as he’s only been out for a short time. I’d put him straight back in. Berra wasn’t convincing last week and we need that experienced head at the back to organise and lead a young defence.

Much like SEB, Foley has spent a fair old amount of time on the sidelines and probably won’t make Sunday. But if he is fit enough, again I’d put him back in the starting XI. That’s harsh on Stearman given how well he’s done, but we’ve missed Foley’s tenacity, both defensively and going forward. Of course, an alternative would be to move Stearman into the middle with Mancienne, but I can’t see Mick doing that.

The bottom line is, these four players, when fully fit, must start. You might argue that we need better than Craddock, but the cold reality is at this moment in time, we haven’t got anyone better.

So what do you all think? Send in the Cavalry or hold guard?

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