We’ve all fretted over the summer about the need for Wolves to strengthen their defensive line ahead of the big kick off.
As soon as the season ended and we’d locked the Championship trophy safely away in the cabinet, bringing in at least two new centre halves became the highest priority.
The full-back areas are already covered in my opinion, with Kevin Foley, Greg Halford and Richard Stearman all covering the right side and Big George, Stephen Ward and Matt Hill lining up as competition on the left. Plus Surman can also fill-in on either side, so that would suggest we’ve got the players we need at our disposal.
But the centre of defence is where things are really starting to hot up. For me, Richard Stearman and Christophe Berra are both capable defenders who have the potential to make it in the top flight. However, we know from experience that they haven’t performed well when paired up together.
The arrival of Ronald Zubar makes things very interesting indeed and I imagine there’s a good chance he might make the starting eleven, come the beginning of the season. On top of that, we’ve got Balde on trial, as well as the serious prospect of Mancienne coming back on a season-long loan deal. And I haven’t even mentioned Jody Craddock yet, although I fully expect him to be deployed as cover should we need to call on him.
Speaking hypothetically if we sign Balde and Mancienne, how would you see the back four shaping up? My guess would be:
RB: Foley
LB: Elokobi
CB: Zubar
CB: Mancienne
Out of the players we definitely know will be at our disposal the one change would be Berra for Mancienne.
Whoever Mick chooses though, I’m sure he’ll be delighted to have the dilemma.
I would go:
RB: Halford (He has prem expirence)
CB: Zubar
CB: Berra
LB: Elokobi (Can’t wait to see him eat wingers)
As with Doyle, I don’t want to sound like a gloomy guss about Manciene, but I have to say he is another I am not convienced about. I know he had got rave reviews and a couple of MOM awards in his first couple of games, even an Engalnd call up, but the first time he came up agaist a big physical centre forward he just got plain bullied off out of the game and looked very nervous under the slightest bit of pressure. I bet Drogba loves playing agaist him in training, he must score bucket loads when Manciene markes him.
Also watching the U21’s this summer, he quite spectaculary failed to impress at a standard we are led to belive he should stand head and shoulders above most on display.
Manciene…… sign hime for cover, play him in the carling cup……..still got a lot to prove for me.
I like the sound of Zuber though and he does excite me, young, hungry, a full international and with Champ Leauge experience, ticks all the boxes as far as I am concerned.
Please please please let the rumour we are in for Richard Dunne be true, now there is a guenuine statment of intent of our desire to stay in this division, what a signning he would be, easly one of the best and most consistent centre halfs in the Prem for the last 3 seasons. GO GET HIM JEZ!!!!
Oh, by the way, keep up the good work Thomas & Ben.
This blog is a thoughly enjoyable waste of working time LOL.
Pete, I’m very surprised you’ve gone for Halford over Foley. There isn’t a right back in the Premiership, let alone in the Wolves squad that I’d swap for Super Kev after the season he just gave us.
The Mancienne point is interesting. I think he’s a class act, and don’t agree about the under pressure comment as I always saw him as composed when he played for us.
But his stature did strike me as ‘slight’ for a centre back, so that would be my only concern.
Have to say I agree with Pete about Mancienne. Haven’t been convinced when i’ve seen him. He looked very good early on for us but his performance levels slipped after his first few games. And what i’ve seen of him since he’s left us hasn’t done alot to change my opinion. If he can look lightweight at Under 21 level, imagine him week in week out in the Prem. As Pete says Drogba vs Mancienne, there would only be one winner. He is undoubtedly going to be good enough but just worry can we afford to allow a player like him the time to develop in our team next year and make the ocassional slip up when we are going to be under the kosh in so many games. For me its too key a position to have someone learning their trade. And especially with the relative inexperience we have at full backs and in goal.
I still think we need a bit of Premiership experience back there and Richard Dunne would be an outstanding signing for us.
If we can add him to what i think is our definate other starting back 4 of Big George, Zubar and Foley, then i really would fancy our chances next year of staying up.
I’d like to see Dunne in a Wolves shirt, but more for his experience than anything else.
I admit that Mancienne is far more of a gamble but alongside a solid partner, his pace and guile could be very useful indeed.
For me you have to look at partnerships and not just individuals. We need two people who compliment each other well and can form a good understanding.
I’ve rated Stearman since the first time I saw him play and think he was desperately unlucky to lose his place at the end of the season. If he can link up well with someone, I’d like him to be given a decent crack of the whip.
If Mancienne arrives, alongside Stearman, Zubar, Berra and Craddock, I’d hope nobody else arrives to be honest, otherwise the squad will surely be too large. Whilst players like Stearman and Berra may not be quite up to standard yet, they’ve definitely got potential to be, and if they don’t have the opportunity at Wolves they might move elsewhere.
Also, can someone explain why Dunne is so highly rated? From what I could tell, Man City’s problems last season were conceding far too many goals and a lack of leadership – surely Dunne holds some accountability for at least one of these failures. Whenever I think of Dunne I can’t help remembering Henry tearing him to shreds years ago when he was at Arsenal, and he’ll have lost pace since then! In summary, I don’t rate him.
my team-
hahnemann,
hill, zuber, stearman,foles.
jarvis milijas henry kightly
SEB Doyle
this is presuming the foreigners arent shite. a more conservative option is 1 of jarvis and kightly dropping out to make us a bit smarter. in which case, surman or halford come in.
basically, it is down to what happens in pre season so ignore me!
2 dark horses-berra and dave edwards. with both enjoying a full pre season,who knows? the experience both got last season cant be under estimated,if berra gets up to speed quicky we could already have our ‘linchpin’ in the ranks.
andrewwfc, Dunne played in a team with only matby 7 out of the 11 interested in defending, I didn’t see the likes of Robiniho and Elano doing much to stem the flow of attackers bearing down on Dunne and this to two poor full back that owuld not get in out team I think you’re a bit off the mark…..this guy is a perfect signing for us.
I agree with Ben, are Kightly and Jarvis going to be able to impose themselves enough in the prem to stop wingers and full back camping in our half. If they can’t doing by attacking then Surman and Halford are better options to steady the ship.
What ever happens its going to be tough, I would like to see Dunne/Wheater come in and Tuncay…….we can but dream eh???
I’ll admit Dunne is not wholly to blame for Man City’s poor defensive record, to be fair he was probably one of their better defenders. However, would he fit into the Wolves team? As highly as I rate Berra and Stearman, neither is blessed with great pace, and so anyone playing alongside them would need to compensate for that. I don’t think Dunne is the man to do it. Mancienne might be, and I don’t know enough about Zubar to say.
Having said that, if the Wolves scouting network and MM deem Dunne good enough, I’ll admit I may be wrong!
Just been on the BBC and they report that Sunderland have had a bid accepted for Fraizer Campbell. Given wolves recuiting policy, talented, young, ambitious with somthing to prove, I would have thought he would have been right up there as a target for us.
Dissapointing when one of your relegation rivals is linked to such a no brainer of a quality signing and we have not. Having said that Sunderland might have bid £10M for him……….if thats the case, good luck in the North East Frasier!!!!!
Pete, what would be the motivation for us to go out and get Campbell? We’ve already got SEB and have splashed out £6.5 million on Doyle.
I don’t think Campbell would want to come to Wolves if he thought he’d have to compete for a place in the first eleven.
Added to that, he’s got a bad attitude and wouldn’t fit into our squad. Yes, he’s a young, talented player (although still unproven in my opinion) but that doesn’t automatically make him a realistic transfer target.
The money could be invested far better elsewhere in my opinion.
Thomas.
I agree he is not a realistic target now, and not sure I would want him. My point was (and somthing I said sine the day we got promotion) that I would be dissapointed if we were not as least linked to “big name” signings that our vertically challenged (leauge wise) opponets are linked with, do you know what I mean?
Yeah, I definitely get your point.
But that being said, I’m happy to pass on Campbell. The likes of Huddlestone and Davies were names I was glad to see us being linked with.
Speculation just gets ridiculous though. Last time we went up we were supposed to be interested in Dennis Bergkamp. What was that about? He would never have come to us.
Personally, being linked with players through unconfirmed rumours drives me mad, however much it might make us all dream that they’ll sign.
Gives us reason to BLOG though mate!!!
LOL