That’ll do Wolves.
7 points from 3 games. 2 cleansheets. Top of the league (as of 1.58pm).
And although this Villa Park stalemate might have felt like your average bore draw to the neutral, Mick McCarthy will rightly see it as a sign of forward progress.
Put bluntly, we probably would have lost this game last season.
With the home side finally showing signs of life in the second half and putting the Wolves defence under a sustained spell of pressure, instead of buckling or giving away a silly goal, the back four held firm and weathered the storm.
And when Mick rung the changes with 20 minutes to go, the team rediscovered their composure, dominated possession and comfortably saw out the game.
I’m not going to say it felt like a win, but it was highly satisfying nonetheless.
Equally satisfying was the performance of Wayne Hennessy, who kicked and handled impeccably throughout, palming countless balls away that flashed dangerously across his penalty area.
In front of the big goalkeeper, the back four kept things tight for the most part, only really troubled when Agbonlahor was able to find space to dash into.
And whilst Stearman, Johnson and Berra were all solid, it was Ward who once again impressed me. Not only did he shackle the dangerous N’Zogbia throughout, he also scampered forward himself to occupy some of Wolves best attacking positions.
None of the above take home the ‘Man of the Match’ champagne though. That, for me, belongs to Karl Henry.
I lost count of the number of times the former skipper tracked back to cover team mates who’d carelessly turned over possession.
And when we needed to calm things down towards the end, it was always Henry offering for the ball and keeping things simple with intelligent passes.
Although he might frustrate at times, his contribution should never, ever be taken for granted.
If there was a negative to take from the game, it was the lack of opportunities we calved out ourselves.
Apart from Hunt’s far-post header, we never troubled Villa at the back. Dunne and Collins swept up everything, with Doyle and Fletcher isolated by a lack of service.
I wasn’t surprised to see the two wide players withdrawn. Neither had much impact, particularly when Villa took control early in the second half.
That said, I cursed Mick’s name for bringing on Foley and Elokobi. It seemed like such a negative move and I truly thought it would leave us toothless going forward.
Quite the opposite, the boys suddenly remembered how to pass the ball, with Foley instrumental. What an important player he could be this season, even if his role is restricted to ‘utility substitute’.
This wasn’t a sensational performance by any means, but it turned out to be a pretty effective one.
And if you can’t win a game, don’t lose it.
That was something we forgot last season.
Never before did I ever expect to find myself in a West Sussex pub where I’d be next to a Wolves fan who would legitimately start singing “We are top of the league, say we are top of the league!” at the full time whistle. Not a great game, but encouraging that we still walked off with a point away from home. Got to agree with you praise for Ward Thomas. For all the stick he gets, he’s had an impressive start to the season. Fair play that man.
A tough game but as you say….an improvement on last season. We need to stay realistic and realise that we are still gonna have 35 other tough games, however, we look better at the back and that should save us a few points that we would have squandered last season.
We certainly didn’t play aswell as last week. I thought the midfield looked a bit lost today from right to left. That left the strikers abit under used upfront.
On the whole…..a good result from a tough team. UTW
Well, if Henry was MOTM then Hennessey would be no. 2, surely? He really did well to handle the second-half pressure!
Not pleased with O’Hara today. Usually one of my favorite men, but he needs confidence to drive the ball through and go for those half-impossible shots. Not only did he seem kind of slow, but he never actually did anything.
I think the starting 11 has played out its purpose. Taking out Hunt and Jarvis for two defenders turned out smart, but it was still a defensive decision and not one i hoped for. Jarvis wasn’t amazing today, but he still has the pace and technique to do something amazing.
Ward was actually one of the best offensively, i liked how he managed the ball and how he actually singlehandedly ran to great positions that could very well have made goals. I’ll stop whining when I hear his name i think. Henry has to go though, as you say he was vital defensively but my god he can’t pass a ball. Give Milijas a chance at the same role!
I agree. Ward played well, O’Hara was woeful. Slow and wasteful.
A great point lads, even though we created very little during the match. Well done the defence and keeper, excellent performances too.
I agree with the MOM, when the creative side of the team isn`t on the money, Henry does the dirty work to protect the back four, it is a worry thta he is the only one in the squad who has the mobility and pace to play that role. Only needs England to win the rugby next and it will be the perfect weekend.
Agree with your assessment of Henry, but Hennessey would get my man of the match. He was steady, calm, and brilliant at times. Very nice to see. Other than Henry, our midfield was dominated by Villa. I thought both Jarvis and O’Hara were very disappointing, and Hunt was nowhere to be seen after the half. Our midfield didn’t do Doyle or Fletcher any favors. Ward played inspired football and created more promising attacks than any of our midfielders. Where would we be without Rodger Johnson? He is without a doubt our most valuable player. He and Berra were able to hold the fort, although Stearman looked a bit over-matched against Agbonlahor.
Yep, 2 clean sheets from the first three games is very satisfying. Tough game. Hennessey was my MOM, and MM’s substitutions were a masterstroke. Keep it up lads.
Cracking result. Im as happy with this as the fulham win. Well, almost. It feels like such a straightforward, easy game right now,compared to the convoluted, muddled look of the team at stages of last season
I see it as another point gained,we did’nt play well today but who cares we
scraped a point.Hennessey MOM for me,As i said some time today we would
be top of the prem…Still think we need a two more signings though.1 a pacey midfielder,2 solid Leftback,But no complaints at mo what wardy is doing. A dream start ladskeep it up.
Wolves will definately be there or there abouts this year for a Europa league spot. Couldn’t have asked for a better start ! Villa are going to struggle I feel. They need to make more signings. Heskey needs to go (he got my vote for http://www.notmanofthematch.com).
Very pleased with the result. I am concerned there is a midfield weakness exposed since Villa are the first “quality” team we have played so far. They did dominate too much of this match, I think the stats for shots on goal at one pont were 16 Villa, 3 Wolves !. Hennessey played well, he really seems to be maturing. Did anyione else notce how many of Hennesseys goal kicks went straight to a villa player, we were unable to retain possession from a goal kick – very frusrating.
Isn’t it great to see the name “Wolves” at the top of the prem even if it’s only for a few hours. “The times they are a changing”, as someone once sung
point was a point we may not have got last season, we seemed able to hold on without looking like conceding which is something i didnt feel we were doing last season, and with one goal conceded in 3 games with 2 being away thats a major improvement. i think midfield was very poor today with the exception of Henry. Doing the ugly work just isnt as eye catching as the forward thinking midfielders. Ohara had a shocker with both wide men not really getting involved which meant there was very little service for Fletcher and Doyle. As for the subs i would of gone 451 as Villa were dominating midfield, both wide players off and Fletch or Doyle with the ward going left mid elokobi at the back hammill on the right and Foley in the middle. having said that once the changes took place we looked a lot better. I think its a bit unfair though to expect top level performances every week so im pleased with a point. I though ward was excellent again today
On a side note, Millwall at home in the next round of the Carling Cup. Not easy but a good chance to progress.
What pissed me off most today was Chelsea shown above us in the table, with the same points and same goal difference.
Yes, they’ve scored more, but they’ve also conceded more.
That should count for something.
Fuck ’em.
MM actually got his substitute tactics spot on today, and Ward played better than every outfield player going forward.
If Hunt had put that header in, I think there would only be one team in the land on 9 points tonight, coz I couldn’t see Villa scoring in a month of Saturday mornings.
You all will be pleased to note that my Wolves sponsored diet is going great, unbeaten, so no beer for at least 2 more weeks, coz international break this weekend coming.
FOWB
Birmingham had same points and same goal difference as wolves and got relegated. Due to wolves having scored more goals! Do not complain about this, be grateful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, they had a worse goal difference and worse points total as Pavluychenko scored in the last minute for Spurs 😉
Thank you for pointing that out, i will try to get my facts correct in future.
well, it just made your point irrelevant ha. Sorry, i was just being Mr.Pedantic
I’d take being a place below Chelsea at the end of the season, however or whatever.
FOMM?
I only watched the game on the box but i seem to have a very different take on performances from most so far. I thought we were totally outplayed in central midfield where O’hara was well below par but let’s face it, he’s on his own once he gets over the half way line. Henry is really just a fifth defender and if he can’t pass it 5 yards to someone , he really hasn’t got much else to offer. I like Karl big time but he is very limited in what he can do. I suppose he did his job because that was a very good away point but don’t expect flowing, attacking football as well.
Hennessy looked great, Johnson was a colossus(well supported by Berra) but both fullbacks need help from others to deal with pacy wingers. This is why i thought it unfair to criticise Hunt who works his socks off up and down the pitch and i thought he played a major part in securing the point. Jarvis showed again that he’s got frightening pace but still needs to learn how to use it more effectively.
Our front two hardly had a chance between them but they were still involved plenty in defending from the front. That’s how Mick’s teams work as we know, all putting a shift in. Not always pretty to watch but pretty effective. That’s where we are as a team at present and you can’t expect us to play like Barcelona.
I still don’t think Stephen Ward will ever be a natural left back but he had a cracking game. Somehow he managed to keep a tab on N’Zogbia and going forward he was a real threat. Very well played.
I agree with you Martin, Henry did the dirty wok well but he didn’t have a clue going forward. Numerous times Ohara passed to henry only to receive it straight back, Henry didn’t move into space for a return pass – he just sat back. I was screaming at Jarvis to have a go at their full back, he didn’t seem confident today. Still, we defended well and it’s a very good point. Ward would have been my man of the match, nzogbia got passed him once all game and he still recovered to tackle him. I think stearman had a stinker, looked nervous on the ball and couldn’t handle gabby.
Very close for MOM between Hennessey and Ward. Would just like to see Ward have the confidence to shoot at the end of a run.
Was hoping Hamill and Milijas might have got a run in the second half.
All in all though very happy and we need to grind out these 1 pointers if we are to make a serious challenge for that fourth champions league spot :))))
Oh joy upon joy. Almost a perfect sporting weekend. Stoke score in the last minute to beat the baggies, watford score in the last minute to draw with the blues, england win the rugby, shame about Hamilton wrecking his mcLaren. On that point my Nottingham neighbours will be nowhere to be seen after the west ham result, should be a quiet bank holiday.
I bet if the villa game was still going on, neither side would have scored yet. At last we have a defence. Come on you wolves.
And i have rooney and Djeko in my fantasy football team! Hubba chubba
you ought to be shot or something for treason. Why not Ward?????
So here we are, awaiting our next home match, which will be a clash between a nearly top of the table club with the bottom of the table club.
Who’d av thunk it?
Nearly top Wolves v definitely bottom Spurms.
And bottom equal (lack of ) points wise, our favorite sandwell excrement, the shit.
Oh happy days indeed.
They may not last, but let’s enjoy the next 2 weeks.
Can’t w”eight” to play Arsenal, either!!!
Very clever, even if I say so meself.
Still off the beer, but Captain Morgan bottle taking a belting!!!
FOWB
I was annoyed to hear Jarvis taken off for Foley. It seemed Mick gave up on the win with half an hour still remaining. But to be fair, we got the job done and stayed tight at the back. And as Thomas rightly says, if you can’t win it make sure you secure the point. For once we played crap and got a decent result. No game for two weeks now. Hate international breaks!!
We were very poor on the whole today, but last season we WOULD have lost this game! We never “scraped” a point and wouldn’t have been able to keep them from scoring, therefore we gotta take the point and move on
after such a storming start to the season its interesting we’re all so chuffed with that performance. We created virtually nothing and were under the cosh for long periods. But in the context of the last 2 seasons, this is exactly the kind of game we’d have lost before signing johnson.
I too was screaming blue murder at mick when he swapped both wingers for full backs, but i have to say it was a masterstroke that changed the course of the game.
This game has taught us that our first XI are not the super heroes i was beginning to think they are. The midfield were about as involved as i was, and i was sat in a pub in brighton.
It will be interesting to see how mick reacts to this with his next team sheet against spurs. Will he give someone else a chance to show what they can do, or stick with his preferred XI and hope they get back to the standard they set in the 1st 2 games without needing a kick up the arse in the form of time on the bench?
All that said, despite the dull game and lack of invention going forward, we were never sliced open like the gooners were at trafford park, or chelsea were at home to norfolk n’chance, and i’m a long way off worried. We have the potential to finish around 10th, and i reckon we’ll do it.
Never been happier as a Wolves fan. These are the days my friends. Long may they continue.
i`m with you sleachy, and I bet MM and his coaching team are wondering where and why all the energy and movement from his midfield and front two had gone from the previous two games.
While as a football lover MOD last night was fantastic viewing, but how on earth do teams in the lower echelons of the premier league compete with the money spent and the likes of the four teams ahead of us in the table right now?
Spurs bottom of the table – its ridiculous, and seeing what Man City did to them was remarkable. The next home match will be another real test of our credentials – lets hope the prematch preparation is back to whatever the players had for the first two games. Another win at this satge of the season would be superb.
I know we’er doing well,but still think we’er short of 2 more quality players
don’t who but i think midfielder with pace is a must,+L/B + a loanee forward
cover for Ebanks.If we want to keep the position we’er in. no complaints so
far Mick…
I know that makes 3 but Ebanks replacement was an afterthought.
Jarvis, Stearman and Henry apart there`s not too much pace in the current side. i`m surprised given the number of players who have left or are out on loan, that MM hasn`t gone for some loan signings, or maybe thats one for january. I agree we have no cover for the job Henry does unless young Davis will come in, and a bit of pace in midfield would never hurt.
maybe MM will surprise us before the window closes.
I didn’t know karl henry was recognised for his pace? have I missed something?
To be fair I can’t think of an instance of anyone beating Henry for pace. It’s hard to recognise as he’s not running at players but I think he’s pretty quick.
I’d say Henry is athletic, you don’t really notice it because his position isn’t one where you would see him show pace.
Dann linked with a move to QPR, I’ve got a feeling we will put a bid in.
Do we really need another back atm? I’m more worried about our forwards, having Sam Vokes and Andy Keogh as our super-subs isnt really that reassuring. Midfield-wise we have lots of talent (even if Mick doesn’t recognize Milijas and Hammil), and the back four has looked pretty solid even playing Ward before Foley.
Not to be a doom and gloom merchant, and not wanting to jinx us, I feel our problem is lack of strength in depth in all positions.
There will always be a drop in form for everyone over the course of a season, and all players are liable to get injured.
We have not got reliable backups for most positions.
Keeper, OK.
Right back, OK.
Then where?
We don’t have a good left back to start with, so back up is even worse.
Center backs, only Craddock is available.
Midfield, Milijas and Hammill will not strike fear in anyone, and until Adelene gets fit we have no bite in reserve.
Up front, we have no cover for anyone. If Jarvis, Hunt, Fletcher or Doyler get injured who is there to replace them? ( SEB out for a month)
Are our reserves any good?
There was a report of the Northampton game a few days ago which stated we were not that good, so will any of those guys make the grade, or even be given the chance?
I hope they do and they are, otherwise we could be in for a long winter if we get the aforementioned loss of form or injuries.
Loved watching Stoke’s goal from the weekend!
Still got a smile on my face at the bottom of the league table!!
FOWB
I’m hearing a lot of rumours about Scot Dann going to Blackburn for £5mil….surely we should be VERY interested at that price?!