I was just putting together the preview for the Chelsea match, when the news started filtering in that Wolves have been hit with a ‘suspended £25,000 fine’ for fielding a weakened side against Man Utd back in December.

What a complete joke. I’d just love to know how the Premier League arrived at this ludicrous decision.

McCarthy - Happy to put the issue to bed

A token punishment like this sends out the message that it’s fine for the top sides to rest their better players when the fixtures pile up, but not the teams struggling at the bottom. Why should there be one rule for them and another for us?

Why was it not brought up when Man Utd fielded a second-string against Hull in the final game of the last Premier League season? Surely it’s the exact same principle. The only difference being that Man Utd won that game, whereas Wolves were comprehensively beaten at Old Trafford. Had Wolves got something from the game, would the same punishment have been handed out? I’ve got to believe the answer is no, which is why this fine makes no sense to me at all.

I didn’t agree with the side Mick McCarthy fielded on that night, but it’s my right as a Wolves supporter to be upset, angry or whatever else I want to feel. It has absolutely nothing to do with any other club or the Premier League for that matter. They’ve simply jumped on the bandwagon and dished out a punishment that they believe the majority of outsiders will stand up and applaud.

Wolves have already begrudgingly accepted the ruling, but I’m glad Jez Moxey at least made the point that this ruling has much wider implications for every club in the top flight. The Premier League have set a dangerous precedent in my opinion, which will almost certainly cause them one or two headaches in the future. And when this inevitably happens, I shall look on with glee. I just hope it doesn’t involve my club.

Here’s the full statement from our chief executive:

“We are obviously disappointed but we respect the Premier League’s ruling especially as they have now used our case as a clear warning to all other clubs, some of whom have made similar changes to their teams in Premier League matches in the past, that this is not acceptable in the future.

“We made a detailed representation to the Premier League and pointed to those precedents involving other clubs in previous seasons.

“This ruling may now lead to a wider discussion regarding the issue of squad rotation and the Premier League’s rules.

“We look forward to fully participating in any such debate at future Premier League meetings.

“One thing that’s never been in question is the integrity of our first team manager, Mick McCarthy.

“He picked a team that, in his view, was in the best possible position to get a result in that particular game.

“He made it unselfishly and with the best interests of Wolves in mind.

“Today’s announcement means we can draw a line under the issue and concentrate fully on the remaining Premier League games.”

I was off work yesterday, so I took the opportunity to head down to Molineux and get my picture taken with the Championship trophy. Although my nether regions turned to icicles queuing outside in the Billy Wright stand, it was worth the sub-zero wait to get an up-close look at the famous silverware.

Please, no chants of 'gypo'

As an added bonus, the trophy was actually on display in the home changing room, so it was a nice experience to head down the tunnel and get a look at the interview area along the way.

Inside the room itself you were allowed to have as many photos as you liked taken and weren’t rushed along at all, which was nice, if not a little frustrating for those waiting outside. You could touch the trophy, but only where the ribbons were covering the silver. Unfortunately, it was not permitted to hoist the trophy above your head and scream wildly. I did ask.

It was commented on that the changing room wasn’t particularly big and for a full matchday squad of 18 players, space must surely be at a premium, particularly when you consider all the other people who are probably knocking around.

Anyway, fair play to the club for putting on this free event. It was well organised, the staff were friendly and there was generally a welcoming atmosphere all around Molineux. An excellent piece of PR, which I’m happy to acknowledge.

I managed to snap quite a lot of pictures (well, my fiancee did anyway), so here’s a few others.

If anyone wants a bigger copy of any of the images to keep themselves or use as a wallpaper, let me know and I’ll ping them to you in an email. These were took on a digital SLR, so the original pictures are gigantic.

The last surprise package that made me smile with happiness was a moss coloured tank top from my Grandma the other week.

God bless her. She bought me a Christmas jumper in navy blue, marveled at the cut of my jib and bought me another one in green, not realizing it was sleeveless.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her I now look like a cross between the Wallace and Gromit character and Victor Meldrew.

Guedioura - Excellent against Spurs

“I don’t belieeeeeeeveeee it!” (in Meldrew style amazement) A midfielder playing with confidence, aggression, composure and a general swagger barely associated with a Premier League home debut.

The ‘new lad’ could be forgiven for being fazed in the world’s biggest league, particularly when nobody’s heard of you and you’re up against internationals like Krankjaer, Jenas and co.

Not a bit of it. The Algerian snapped into tackles to win countless balls, then shimmied and Cruyffed his way upfield in equal measure. It was a feisty, belligerent display and you just sense that he would laugh at you if you told him that ‘it takes time to settle into the Big League.’

For the past few weeks, Mick and his men look like they’ve been searching for the da Vinci code with this 4-5-1 system, then along comes a kid from Belgium who cracks it in the space of an hour!

Maybe, just maybe, we have found a little gem. And who would have thought that after our depressing January window watching?

But such debuts need to be treated with an air of caution. Can an unknown kid from Belgium keep making the game look so simple? Can you pin so much hope on a 24 year-old whose name we barely know?

The performance got me thinking of other home debuts that warmed the cockles of my heart. Now I’m not saying that Adlene will suffer the same fate, but worth remembering that first appearances don’t always last!

• Ryan Green v Sheffield United. Remember the youthful Green, hair gelled like an extra from Grease, playing with the coolness of John Travolta? He made me forget about Thommo in the space of 5mins, such was his impact. He soon disappeared and still plies his trade at Hereford.

• Tony Dinning v Norwich. Oh Tony! He played in a 5-0 demolition of the Canaries (I think) and even scored at the South Bank end with a header from a corner. He looked quite sumptuous, but he flattered to deceive and was out of Molineux like a bat out of hell when he heard we’d signed Paul Ince. Last seen at Chester City, via about 20 other lower league clubs.

• Chris Marsden v Crystal Palace. I remember we bought Chris Marsden and Darren Ferguson at the same time. We all expected big things from Fergie, but it was Marsden who shone, picking passes and cruising round the pitch like he owned it. He got injured, then pissed, then booted out.

Any others that you remember? I recall Paul Blades looking like some sort of white Socrates while on loan from Derby County, only to play like the Greek philosopher once he signed.

I recall him scoring away at Victoria Park, Stoke, Boothen End, with an audacious lob over the keeper. He looked like Bradley Branning off Eastenders when he saw that video of his old man shagging Stacy Slater. He couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. Nor could we.

Mark Rankine then took the piss on a future ‘travel club’ video for us all to enjoy. “Yeah, we’ve ribbed Bladesy about that. He doesn’t score many does he?”

Shabba, the man who notched 1 in 132 games.

I digress…A great debut from our new lad. I’m sure he’ll be more use in the coming weeks than the moss tank top I’m not currently wearing.

The youngest member of the Wolves Blog brigade sent me in this little piece to put up on the site. I always like getting updates from Louie, as it immediately transports me back to my school days, which sadly are quite distant memories now.

Anyway, over to the maestro:

Kightly - Could be back soon

Both Wolves and I have received a week and a half’s break. Wolves get a break from the intensity of the Premier League while I get a week off school courtesy of half term.

Wolves haven’t had such a long break for a quite a bit now so they can rest some of their star players and others will return from injury. Kightly and Edwards (without anymore setbacks) will be back around the Chelsea game. They probably won’t be playing for another couple of weeks but I’m sure they will have a positive impact on the training ground.

I rest from the pressures of school and GSCE’s. It was nice in school after the defeat of Tottenham (even if the Tottenham fan didn’t come in!) but the work was getting tougher and tougher. Now I can relax and not have to worry about any coursework or after school club I need to go to.

Is the defeat to Crystal Palace a blessing in disguise? It certainly gave them a kick up the arse and the performances have improved since the awful showing at Selhurst Park. Other teams around us will be playing (Pompey, Bolton and Stoke), so we will be a bit fresher than those teams.

I’ll be in Wolverhampton from Monday to Wednesday, so if you see a blonde lad walking around with his brown haired brothers give me a wave! I’ll be seeing the Championship Trophy and going in the dressing room at the Molineux.