Stoke

Stoke-on-Trent might not be the most glamorous place to visit, but there’s nowhere else I’d have rather been.

Seeing Wolves in the flesh for the first time in nearly 18 months felt so special and yet, so normal, like being at home again, albeit not at Molineux.

And the atmosphere generated in the away end made you forget it was a friendly; it meant so much more than that.

As for the action on the pitch; it wasn’t exactly a brave new dawn or an earth-shattering performance, but I came away from the bet365 Stadium feeling upbeat. 

Whilst it would have been nice to create more clearcut chances (sound familiar?), the football produced by Bruno’s charges was more imaginative than anything we saw post-Project Restart under Nuno.

It was a breath of fresh air to have a goalkeeper who was eager to play out from the back – and actually half-decent at it. This filtered through the rest of the side, with Wolves naturally playing higher up the pitch. We looked more confident on the ball, which led to some decent movement (can’t remember the last time I said that!) and a number of attractive passages of play. Everything was that little bit quicker, looking to play through both the middle and out wide.

The biggest positive was unquestionably Raul. It’s as if he’s never been away. His goalscoring touch and sublime link-up play were as good as ever. There is nothing to worry about there.

I wasn’t disappointed by young Yerson either. I don’t want to get too carried away but this boy could be a bit special. Confident in possession, eager to get through plenty of defensive work and bags of pace.

Gibbs-White can hold his head high too after an encouraging second-half performance on the left. It was nice to see him ditch the fancy stuff and cause problems with some direct running and general willingness to get on the ball as much as possible.

As for the negatives, we still can’t defend set-pieces – Stoke’s goal from a corner was a bit of a mess. Trincao drifted in and out of the game and was knocked off the ball too easily, but I’m sure there’s more to come. Dendoncker is so woefully inadequate technically that I haven’t clue how he’s a Premier League midfielder – he certainly doesn’t look a natural fit for a more progressive style Brun’s trying to deploy And Fabio was infuriating when he came on; his first touch and decision making were so poor. 

But I’m very much in a glass half full kind of mood.

I just hope that we sign a top-quality centre back, physical midfielder and another striker.

Can I have my £10 back please? 

I should have known that any excitement of watching new signings would have been marred by a woefully disjointed performance in the early rounds of the League Cup. This is Wolves after all.

Despite his miss, Fabio Silva is the only one to emerge with any credit. When we bothered to supply the 18-year-old with some decent service, his link-up play was more than tidy, which is a must in this side.

But the majority of Wolves’ night was spent moving the ball far too slowly, in too deep an area, with little movement to boot. Nuno’s men simply didn’t have a clue how to play between the lines or move Stoke around.

Perhaps Joao Moutinho’s game management and vision was lacking? Ruben Neves was playing as a fourth centre back, Leander Dendoncker was doing his usual Dave Edwards disappearing act, and Vitinha dropped ever deeper for the ball. That left Fabio leading the line and Adama out on the right. Wolves were unbalanced with little guile. 

When we got bored of sideways and backwards passing at a snail’s pace, poor Fabio was left to starve on hopeful hoofs. That’s bread and butter for seasoned Championship defences.

You could see Stoke growing in confidence as the second half progressed. Poor defending combined with John Ruddy’s pathetic attempt of a save rather summed up our night.

There’s two individuals who particularly frustrated.

Ruben Vinagre repeatedly took the wrong option. Weak in defence and little end product in attack. If anything, the 21-year-old has regressed during his time at Molineux, and I’d snap Porto’s hand off at £10 million.

As for Dendoncker, many will disagree, but he’s not cut out to play in midfield at the top level. Anonymous for long periods, when the Belgian bothers to get on the ball, he struggles to make even the simplest of passes. Like with Dangerous, much of the fanbase laud Donk’s marathon man efforts, but why? What does he actually offer apart from leaving gaping gaps?

Tonight was a great opportunity to progress and set up a very winnable tie at home to Gillingham. 

Unfortunately, we’re still at a stage as a squad where we’re oh so reliant on our Gun XI. That has to improve if we want to move to the next level.

It’s difficult to envisage how this might have gone better.

Our star players came to the fore, those who’ve under performed stepped up their game and the few others returning from injury looked like they’d never been away.

There was even a debut for 16 year old Morgan Gibbs-White, hot on the heels of fellow academy graduates Harry Burgoyne and Connor Ronan.

Looking at yesterday’s teamsheet and the subsequent performance against a Premier League side’s best eleven, Paul Lambert now has some serious food for thought.

There were three changes to the back four and all were excellent, in particular the two center backs who kicked and headed everything.

Mike Williamson was straight into the groove, doing the basics well and most importantly instructing his youthful counterparts. Hause in particular benefited from his clear direction.

It’s tough on either Stearman or Batth (or possibly both) after the gutsy cleansheet at Hillsborough last weekend, but I think Williamson must remain in the side.

And if his steady reassurance is enough to coax the best out of Hause and Iorfa then both of those players must also be in contention.

Matt Doherty remains the only nailed on starter across the back line and possibly delivered his greatest performance in a Wolves shirt at the Britannia.

Rock solid defensively against the dangerous Shaqiri and typically dynamic going forward, it’s hard to believe the Premier League aren’t taking notice.

Some were surprised to see him standing over the free-kick that would eventually end up planted in the top corner, but he’s struck from distance repeatedly in recent weeks.

That’s now four for the season and it could easily have been double figures given the unlikely positions he routinely occupies in and around the penalty area.

Helder Costa is close to double figures and his eighth of the season was as impressive as any of the other seven, shifting inside and walloping a rasping drive through Lee Grant to give Wolves a deserved first half lead.

With the midfield anchored superbly by the unlikely duo of Lee Evans and George Saville, Costa, Bright Enobakahare and to a lesser extent Joe Mason were all free to roam.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson lead the line superbly, carrying on where he left off at Sheffield Wednesday and so nearly finding the net himself. On this form, he must be the preferred choice.

Nouha Dicko was similarly unfortunate not to register after coming on, twice coming within inches of finally getting off the mark and adding further gloss to an already lustrous scoreline.

Remarkable really, when you consider Coady, Batth, Stearman, Edwards, Price, Cavaleiro, Ronan and Dicko either didn’t start or didn’t feature at all.

That’s 8 players who’ve significantly contributed to our recent upturn in form all rested while their so-called deputies turned in the most cohesive team performance of the season.

But when they had to rely on their goalkeeper in the second half, boy did he deliver. Carl Ikeme has been back to his best in recent weeks and like Doherty, he can probably count this among his very best in a long Wolves career.

If you’re going to cause an upset in the FA Cup, you need your goalkeeper to go above and beyond and some of the saves were simply out of this world.

What an afternoon. Enjoy it, savour it and most importantly look forward to the fourth round draw for the first time since 2011.

Games like this make it feel like anything is possible and that’s the magic of this great old competition.

Long may it continue.

I was unequivocal when speaking to Paul Lambert about this – Wolves needs a cup run.

This message will be repeated ad nauseum until we finally make it into the latter stages of one of the competitions, preferably this one.

The draw hasn’t been particularly kind but progression is possible if the stars align. Some of these factors we can’t control, but I just want to see the manager doing everything within his power to help us progress.

That means picking a decent team and giving us a real chance of upsetting a solid Premier League outfit. The army of supporters heading up the M6 deserve nothing less.

Stoke

Speaking of solid, Mark Hughes was a good horse to back after parting ways with Tony Pulis. I was impressed by the teams he built at Blackburn and Fulham. There was a blip at QPR but he’s returned to form at the Britannia.

The Potters are once again safely ensconced in midtable after a slow start and seem like a much different beast to the Pulis-era team that established them as a top flight club.

They’ve still got a bit of muscle, but there’s been a significant upgrade in technical proficiency in recent years with the likes of Arnautovic, Shaqiri and Bojan underlining the shift in philosophy.

I think Stoke would be stupid not to go all out to win this match and progress in the competition (what do they have to lose?) so would be surprised if a strong team wasn’t fielded.

Unlike us, they’ve tasted Wembley in the not-too-distant past, making it to the final (after beating Wolves along the way) in 2011, eventually losing out to Manchester City.

Wolves

Despite my protestations, Lambert has made noises about a few changes, but I hope that means one or two, rather than five or six. We have to retain some sort of continuity.

Perhaps giving Iorfa and Hause another crack at the first team after a few weeks out of the firing line might not be a bad move?

But even that seems unnecessary with Stearman and Coady both contributing to a couple of cleansheets on the road in recent times against Forest and Sheffield Wednesday.

Mike Williamson could be given a first team return after over a year out too if defensive changes are the order of the day.

Further forward, there are endless options, particularly with Ronan and Enobakhare both well on their way towards being in regular contention.

I have no idea what sort of team we’ll see, but I suppose like Lambert suggests in the video below, nobody will complain as long as we make a decent fist of things.

Paul Lambert

Predictions

Logic dictates we’ll lose and I’d probably have to go with that assessment. They’re a midtable Premier League team and we’re not quite a midtable Championship side, so the gap is significant.

I would see it as a considerable upset if we were to progress, particularly away, but we have the attacking players to inflict damage if they’re allowed to play.

And hopefully the likes of Costa, Cavaleiro and co will relish the big occasion. But overall, I think we’ll get edged out.

3-1.

Up The Wolves!

Looking at the fixtures for March at the end of February, I concluded Wolves needed a minimum 5 points to have a realistic chance of survival.

At the start of April we have the same number of points we had at the start of March.

Surely now even the most chirpy, upbeat, downright belligerently optimistic supporter wouldn’t dare to suggest we can still do it?

Having managed just 5 wins all season, we’d probably need to match that from the remaining 7 games and even that might not be enough.

Don’t forget we also have to play Arsenal and Man City as well visiting Swansea and, this Easter weekend, Stoke.

This wouldn’t be the Great Escape, it would be the Greatest Escape.

Personally, I’ve realigned my aspirations as we await mathematical confirmation. All I want is 7 gutsy performances and a few decent results to at least end the season with some pride intact.

However bad we are, these players are capable of better than what we’re currently being served up.

The Britannia isn’t an ideal place to start of course. Stoke have won more games at home (6) than we’ve won in total and every point is very much a prisoner in Staffordshire.

The Team

Personally, I’d be reverting to 4-5-1. We were just too open again through the middle in that crazy 15 minute period against Bolton. I know it’s hindsight, but after we went a goal up, I was disappointed TC didn’t act sooner bringing on Henry. We needed that extra protection.

It’s a no-brainer to put Henry back in if he’s proved his fitness. I’ve opted for Milijas and Edwards alongside him but I wouldn’t object to seeing Davis slot in there to have two holding players.

Considering Jarvis tends to struggle at the Britannia with Wilkinson nobbling him at every opportunity, we’re going to need something big from Kightly to get a result.

It was really pleasing to see Kites step it up again last weekend and score a wonderful goal. As my dad correctly observed, ‘that’s the reason we go to football matches’.

Prediction League

It’s all very much still to play for as we close in on the end of another Prediction League season.

12 people correctly stated we’d lose against Bolton but none of them said 3-2, so all take a single point.

I’ll go for a draw Saturday.

2-2.

But to get that we’ll need to show far greater resilience over 90 minutes than we’ve managed the last month or so.

We crumbled in the reverse fixture earlier in the season having dominated the first half. Yes, we were unlucky as Stoke definitely should have been down to 10-men after Woodgate’s second lunge on Jarvis, but we just didn’t get going in the second 45. It was embarrassing.

If you’re at the Britannia on Saturday, have a great time and get behind the lads.

Up The Wolves.

One team, full of pre-meditated antagonism, stretching the laws of decency to breaking point, while the other turned the other cheek.

One perplexed managed looked on passively, while his counterpart’s hate-ridden face frantically chewed gum to quell the bile inside.

The shellsuited personification that is Tony Pulis hurled more expletives at the fourth official as bottles of water on the turf.

He swore black was white, instructed every one of his gargantuan team to do likewise and verbally abused the fourth official more times than a Burslem wife beater on Stella.

Kind of makes a mockery of that spineless FA campaign don’t you think, when Stoke’s pre-planned hostility is fawned over by a gutless referee, who spat at our attempts at respect as if we were the criminals.

Let’s get one thing straight first off…

…Stoke City are infinitely better than us and boast the calibre of player that Mick McCarthy could barely recognise, let alone play.

But when a referee decides to widen the chasm in class by cheating, then football immediately stops being a game that I can ever associate with.

Anthony Taylor was the faceless friend of the school ground bully, lapping up every insult and profanity that Stoke City threw his way.

He cheated by not sending off Jonathan Woodgate for hacking down Jarvis a second time in the process of conceding a penalty (second bookable offence).

He then failed to spot a clear tackle by Roger Johnson on Jon Walters, deciding to reward fair play with a free kick to Stoke, from which they levelled.

Predictably, Stoke go on to win due to their superior ability at retaining possession and Tony Pulis can congratulate the men he had spent the last 90 minutes chastising.

That’s Premier League football folks.

This whole sub plot is inextricable to the game itself, so to quote Big Ron on a famous Monday Night Football interview: ‘If the boys play badly I’ll whip ’em, but I ain’t whipping them for that.’

In short, we were great for 30 minutes and were by far the better team, going 1-0 up from the spot as Jarvis revelled in the absence of Andy Wilkinson.

While the referee clearly influenced the game by not sending off Woodgate, a secondary turning point was when Stephen Hunt ignored Steven Fletcher with the goal gaping before half time.

Whatever Mick said to his men at the break clearly didn’t work, as Stoke forced their way back into the game through the referee’s second clear moment of ineptitude.

But for all our gripes at the injustice of it all, we never made Sorensen save a single shot in the second half, looking completely dumbfounded at how to stem the red and white tide.

Stephen Ward, for all his vast improvement, was caught out for a second successive Saturday and with the ball firmly in our court to attack, we did nothing.

The threat of Jarvis was nullified when Pennant and Shotton doubled up on him, yet our secondary threat in Adam Hammill was once again ignored as we laboured to the final whistle.

Eleven defeats in 14 – featuring two feeble victories – tells us all we need to know about our side.

With peanuts to play with in January to strengthen it, maybe Mick would be better served calling up his good mate Pulis for a chat.

Knowing how to ‘win friends and influence people’ might earn us more points come May 13 than £4.5 million quid ever could.