Wolves Vs Blackburn Preview

May 20, 2011 By

Make no mistake about it, we’ve arrived at game 38 of the Premiership season in a favourable position.

When you consider how the table looked just a fortnight ago, it’s remarkable that we can lose this final fixture and still have a decent chance of retaining our top flight status.

However, we can’t think like that.

Mouyokolo got a rare start in the massacre at Ewood Park

We have to look at this game objectively, hopefully win it to secure three Premier League victories on the bounce for the first time in our history and in doing so render events away from Molineux irrelevant, to us anyway.

Blackburn of course are in an almost identical position and will be just as hungry to get the job done themselves, without the need for outside interference. Their away form reads won three, drawn three and lost 12. So objectively speaking, they don’t travel particularly well.

What they have shown in recent weeks though, is a real appetite for the scrap. Avoiding defeat against West Ham and Man Utd were monumental results when you consider the position they’d be in without those two points.

Steve Kean’s side also boast some strong characters with Robinson, Salgado, Dunn and big Chris Samba all proving their worth at the business end of the season. They’ve got power and pace throughout too, which was demonstrated perfectly as they bullied and battered Wolves 3-0 at Ewood Park in the reverse fixture.

They can be got at though and if Wolves come out on the front foot, as they have done in so many big home games this season, there’s no reason we can’t secure the points. Team selection, as always will be key and I reckon we’ll see one change from the side that started against Sunderland last weekend:

Hennessy

Foley
Craddock
Mancienne
Elokobi

Jarvis
Henry
O’Hara
Hunt

Ward
Fletcher

So that’s Jarvis in for Guedioura, based on our improvement in the second half at the Stadium of Light. Whether that’s the right decision, I’m not sure. Guedioura is a strange sort of player; capable of brilliance but equally, a sloppy mistake. He looked lost against Sunderland as he does in so many away games, but seems to play far better at Molineux. I’d probably stick with Guedioura, as much for his physical presence as anything, and introduce Jarvis from the bench.

Prediction League

No less than 15 of you correctly predicted we’d win last weekend, but alas, not one person said 3-1. So all of you armchair pundits pick up a single point for your efforts.

To round off the season, I think we’ll draw this match. I’m going for 2-2.

Ultimately, as I’ve stated a few times now, I think that will be enough to keep us up.

If you’re at Molineux this weekend, really get behind the lads so we can make sure we do everything we possibly can to avoid needing favours from elsewhere. Whatever happens, it promises to be a highly memorable occasion.

(Stay) Up The Wolves.

* Visit DotComGiftShop for a range of quirky and unusual Fathers Day gifts.

Believe

May 19, 2011 By

The last time my mind was tortured with an equation as tantalising as this, I was 15 years-old and her name was Emma.

A friendly smile in our maths class rendered any algebra pointless. My head was calculating what that smile meant.

If she so much as waved goodbye the following day I was rushing to her best mate like a broker at the stock exchange, demanding she puts in a good word.

She even spared me a dance at a school disco once, to the sweet sound of Scorpion.

She loves me. She loves me not.

She loved me not as it turned out. (although she loved our friendship very much, thank the Lord)

This week as a Wolves fan takes me back a bit.

Every Sky Sports News interview, every broadsheet article and every advert for this weekend’s Match of the Day induces levels of introspection not felt since the 4th year.

If Wind of Change accompanies Bob Hall’s sports bulletin tonight, I may just crumble into a pool of my own pathetic dribble.

Lawrie Sanchez – the man who masterminded Fulham’s Great Escape – defiantly predicted Wigan will survive.

Shit!

Within an hour or two, Don Goodman reminded everyone we’re the only ones playing at home.

Hooray!

Sky Sports’ Survival Sunday package features games at the Britannia, White Hart Lane and Old Trafford. Not Molineux though folks.

We’re fine then!

Yet back on the Beeb, they’re using a mean and moody shot of Mick McCarthy within seconds of their MOTD trailer.

Why so soon? Why Mick? Help!

As Wolves were mentioned on Radio WM today, my heart fluttered as if I was back at school, listening to that girl’s name being called from the register.

The girl who broke my heart. The football team who will break it again.

Or not! Last night I switched over to Sky Sports and it all made sense. Huddersfield Town were taken to penalties against Bournemouth in the play-offs, having finished 16 points ahead of them in the league.

Here we bloody go. Utter bullshit! Huddersfield are going out. Poor, poor bastards.

Aldershot in 1987 anyone? Or John McGinlay in 1994? Or Norwich in 2002? Or that dreamy vision of a girl who snogged my best mate?

And what happened next? Huddersfield Town only went and bloody won, just like they weren’t supposed to.

The sight of one little kid jumping on the pitch with thousands of fellow Terriers had me punching the air in happiness. He clutched a banner which simply said ‘Believe.’

My wife then clutched the remote control and said ‘Apprentice,’ before it all finally dawned on me.

Nothing in the past can possibly affect the outcome of Sunday afternoon, no matter how hard I convince myself it will.

So I am off to copy that little boy’s placard in readiness for Sunday, on the back of an old maths book I stumbled across.

Come on you Wolves!

New Wolves home kit

May 18, 2011 By

 

The new Wolves home shirt for the 2011/12 season.

Discuss.

Two from five

May 16, 2011 By

This is it. Here we are. Two from five.

A topsy-turvy, bonkers Premier League season that threatened to go right to the wire has done precisely that. Well, at one end of the table at least.

And with the permutations seemingly infinite, here’s my take on each side’s survival prospects.

Wigan

Roberto Martinez’s team will kick-off Sunday at the bottom of the pile, but arguably have one of the more favourable fixtures away at Stoke.

A draw could feasibly keep them up should Blackpool and Birmingham both lose, which isn’t unlikely, so they’ll fancy their chances.

My gut instinct tells me they’ll get a result and survive by the skin of their teeth.

Blackpool

No team has characterised this whacky season more so than Ian Holloway’s Blackpool and they’ll be the side that the overwhelming majority of neutrals are rooting for.

Despite a massive victory over Bolton, they remain south of the dotted line with Wigan breathing down their necks. Surely they can’t win at Old Trafford? Only Albion have come away with anything other than a defeat and even a weakened Man Utd side should be too much for the Seasiders.

I think a draw might be enough to keep them up, but I suspect they won’t get it.

Birmingham

Out of nowhere, Birmingham are suddenly knee-deep in the brown stuff. Losing at home to Fulham was disastrous, particularly with all four of the other sides picking up points.

They now find themselves needing a huge result at White Hart Lane or a huge favour from both Stoke and Man Utd.

I believe they’ll lose against Spurs, which means they’ll be relying heavily on others.

Blackburn

Blackburn start the day in the strongest position after picking up valuable draws against West Ham and, most recently, Man Utd. Every point is precious and those two results were huge for Steve Kean’s side.

A draw will almost certainly get the job done against Wolves, because only wins for Wigan, Blackpool and Birmingham would see them relegated in that scenario, which is highly unlikely.

They’ve shown some great resolve in recent weeks and I think they’ll get the point they need at Molineux.

Wolves

Buried and seemingly gone for good less than a fortnight ago, back-to-back wins have put Wolves in a strong position. We could only dream about having 40 points on the board prior to kick-off against West Brom but that’s exactly what Mick and the boys have achieved.

The only disappointment of course, is that despite our epic comeback the old gold are far from safe.

We might have done enough already but a big performance in front of our home crowd will get us over the line without the need for help from elsewhere.

Sadly, I fear we’re in for a long anxious afternoon because I don’t think we’ll beat Blackburn. I think it’ll end in a draw, which means our attentions will turn to White Hart Lane, the Britannia Stadium and Old Trafford.

Ultimately though, I think a draw will be enough for us. I would even go as far as to say we could lose and as long as it’s by no more than one goal, we’ll retain our Premier League status.

Final standings

I did the BBC Premier League Predictor and entered the following scores:

Man Utd 3 Blackpool 1
Stoke 1 Wigan 1
Tottenham 3 Birmingham 1
Wolves 2 Blackburn 2

If those predictions came to fruition, it would mean the final table looked like this:

So Blackpool and Birmingham are my two from five.

Who are yours?

Sunderland 1 Wolves 3

May 14, 2011 By

A second successive 3-1 scoreline, boasting so many plus points from our Albion conquest, means all those self righteous pundits were right all along.

This season is going to the final day like they all said it would.

Maybe it is time to listen to them right now instead of torturing our poor heads with so many imponderables over the next seven days.

Turn the radio up Jody, we can't hear how Blackpool are doing!

With the same flippancy he delivers a commercial obligation for Homebase DIY, Richard Keys was telling all talkSPORT listeners that Wolves were safe. End of story. (before we’d even kicked off today!)

Little Perry Groves was saying something similar on Absolute, opting for a touch more consideration instead of smashing the notion of relegation like the backside of a Jamie Redknapp ex.

Everyone is saying it – even a Blackburn supporting mate whose current status update reads ‘we’re down.’

So let’s all share their belief and forget the Blackpool result and Man Utd results, which shouldn’t dampen our joy from a brilliant second half display at the Stadium of Light.

Perversely enough, I’m probably more nervous after this wonderful win than I was before we kicked off. Not that this matters.

Infinitely more important is the fact that the team believe Keys, Perry Groves and anyone else who says we’ll stay up.

On this showing, there isn’t a single negative thought in a single player’s head right now, as we dominated the second half to send the Mackems home miserable.

Craddock leading his troops, Foley and Mancienne back to their Championship winning vintage and a natural born goalscorer who is worth his weight in gold.

Another positive on show was the shape of our bench, which has never looked so strong.

And then there is the manager.

At a time when all those around him were losing their heads (none more so than me), he has somehow kept his to fashion a side as far removed as the one that got thumped by Stoke City.

Quite how he has transformed our fortunes following that hurtful – and near terminal – showing is anyone’s guess. His ears ringing with 2,000 fans’ vitriol, he looked lonely as he trudged to the tunnel and sounded lost when facing the music.

Not now. Like Stephen Hunt on the pitch, he appears to be fit, active and utterly indefatigable again, just like the good old days.

With apparent faith in his convictions once more, he looks more relaxed than at any point this season, while the players somehow look more energised.

The team looks settled. The pundits look smug, and Birmingham City fans must look like they’ve seen a ghost.

As Wayne Hennessey made meat and drink out of a scruffy shot in injury time, my mind wandered back to the Hawthorns, and ‘what if’.

Or Ronald Zubar’s brainwave against a Bolton side who are doing all they can for our rivals.

Every twist and turn to get us to this point of the season are flashing back into view like a vision of Ivan Drago.

There’s just no point.

The point right now is that we have never been in a stronger position than at any other stage of the campaign, irrespective of the excruciating importance of it all.

Probably best to lap it all up, forget about St Andrew’s and the DW Stadium tomorrow and listen to Richard Keys on full blast. On today’s showing, it’s doing Mick and the lads no harm.

Well done Wolves!

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