Just when the game of football was looking so blissfully straightforward…
For the second fixture in succession – in surroundings as sobering as they were sandy – an opposing team susses us out to present Kenny Jackett with a nagging headache at a time when the very notion of pain felt alien.
While we couldn’t find an answer to Shrewsbury’s five man defence on Saturday, we were also unable to solve Crawley Town’s equally effective tactic of booting long balls over the top and getting right in our faces.
And while it’s only our first defeat since January 3, the bigger worry is the way our previously well-oiled machine looks so damn temperamental in the first real signs of adversity.
One draw, one defeat and all of a sudden, a history making team that picked itself for so long looks barely recognisable when forced into ‘Plan B’ mode.
Jacobs subbed after 35 mins, Sako back to his bad old habits, Dicko isolated and no suggestion that Leon Clarke is the potent goalscorer that the statistics told us we’d signed.
When Crawley Town scored their second goal in five first half minutes to overturn James Henry’s opener, you just sensed we wouldn’t score another one when so unusually profligate in possession and sterile from set-plays.
And so it proved, as we barely created a chance of note against a John Gregory-inspired side which clearly did its homework.
Only a Wolves fan could seriously fret and moither over what currently constitutes a one-off blip.
Yet equally, only a Wolves side could be so perilously close to the play-offs when in any other season in League One history, we’d be 10 – 15 points clear of them right now.
The undisputable fact remains that this fabulous team doesn’t suddenly become a bad one overnight when operating in ‘Plan A’ mode for 90 minutes.
That we only saw it for 35 minutes tonight might just tell us where we went wrong.
We were the ones playing the long balls. Crawley might not have employed total football up there with Ajax, but our distribution was truly shocking.
Danny Batth was all action, but every time he connected with the ball it seemed to come down with snow on it.
That left Dicko looking pretty impotent, with Leon spending most of his time with his back to goal.
Yes, Sako was frustrating, but he still looked our biggest threat. When he went off, he took our best chance of levelling with him.
We can still do this though. Let’s keep the faith.
Cheers Bagsy. You should have done the blog mate. I had to go on Radio WM so my blog is by no means a definitive account. just an attempt to sound like one!
Sorry you saw them lose mate. You’re right though, no need to panic. If we stay injury free, we need to stay with that 4 2 3 1 formation and stay patient.
I do worry though…I can’t help it!
Ha, I could never come up with such poetic prose as yourself, mate.
I definitely think last night should act as a learning experience, rather than a reason to hit the panic button (even though as Wolves fans, we’ve always got our finger hovering over the big red button!). Hoof ball definitely doesn’t suit us. In recent weeks I’ve seen coverage of us score some fantastic goals by getting Dicko in behind the defence and threading through some tidy balls for him on the deck. That just wasn’t happening last night.
He’s not the biggest of blokes, so he’s not going to have much joy if we keep pumping the ball up to him in the air. Same goes for Price, who I felt was by-passed for much of the game, not through his own fault.
If some rank amateur like me can see this, I’ve no doubt that Kenny does, so I have faith in him that he’ll get us back on track, hopefully starting this Saturday.
It was just a shame that some people resorted to the “they don’t want it” accusations. I’m not having that. It was a frustrating night for us fans, but you’re not telling me that the players don’t want it. You could see the frustration in them as they knew they weren’t playing well, but they couldn’t seem to turn it around, for which you’ve got to give much of the credit to Crawley.
We’ve just got to put this one behind us as a bad day at the office and move onwards and, hopefully, upwards.
Knew it would be a real tough game tonight, put a few fresh faces in on Saturday. Hoping for a win feel the Blades game has draw written all over it!
1-1
Ikeme
Ricketts Stearman Batth Golbourne
Henry Edwards Macca Evans Sako
Dicko
Bring Price and Jacobs on with Clarke
When I sat down in the East stand tonight and I saw a large drum ready to beat behind me I thought,is this a sign?
I just had to pick a seat that had oiks from Crawley chanting that they were going to beat us.
And so they did..other than a champions league type goal from Henry almost against the run of play our team suddenly went to pieces..
Danny Batth played as if he had no studs and the now glorious Sako was so frustrated that if he hadn’t of been taken off he would of freaked out..
Our passing was dreadful and when we did try the long ball to Clarke he as was said was back to the goal and lacked true mobility..Jacobs looked tired..
I really thought Crawley were worth 3 but was left praying for an equaliser.
It didn’t come…
So the truth is that we can be fragile, and other than myself not going to an away match this season and being the kiss of death (I include gillingham) then I conclude that we have yet another fighting era to stay in that top two places. We have lost 5 points.
We are not a Club that can cruise even in this league, ‘unbeatable’ is not a realistic word and we will still need new players if we make it out of league 1.
And to finish…. I’m very pissed off..
I’m quite pissed off with the game and result today, and I won’t pretend otherwise. After 9 wins on the trot, how do you handle defeat? I expected better. I’m sure we all did, and so did Jackett.
But despite the frustration and disappointment, let’s keep it real. Some players are tired. Some may have taken their foot off the gas a little. 9 wins on the trot came at a price and the games are coming in fast and furious. I think we are all back to the grim reality that this is still going to take some serious work and we need to keep the cork on that champagne for now.
So this is where men get sorted from boys. Nothing to tear our hair over yet. We are still in a prime position for winning this league and we are still well capable of it. Team needs to stay focused, and Jackett is going to need to figure out some way of grinding through this and get results. He’s got a better and bigger squad than most. I still have no doubt this team is easily the best team in this league and can win it. Players need to do their part on the field. And we need to do ours and support them.
Let’s stay with it. One team. One vision. One promotion.
Go Wolves!!!
thing is, we dont really have a plan b and we dont really have backup players … jackett has done miracles on a teeny tiny budget, but we havent got depth. shylock morgan might be rubbing his profitable hands with glee but we really didnt bring enough in to guarantee promotion … ordinarily though 9 wins in a row would have seeen anyone build a buffer zone, but the Bees and Os have been raking in the points too ..
somehow we have to get over that line in 1st or 2nd, a failed attempt to get out this year is unthinkable … and heaven help us if shylock thinks he can spend a few pennies in the championship next season…
anhyoo … its a game a minute right now, so not long before Jackett can adress this mini slump
but then again plummeting to league one was unthinkable doh.
Listened to the game last night, lost count how many times Tommo said we gave the ball away – not like Mcdonald or Price of late. Not sure if its complacency or fatigue or mass drop in form.
Either way KJ will have to shake it up for Cloughies in form Sheff Utd.
Come on me babies
I was hoping this wasn’t going to happen, a game in hand squandered & the opportunity to increase the gap not taken.
Like Ben I’m a little worried as I really don’t want the play off route, I want out this division by the top two!
Let’s hope we can regroup & be ready for Saturday as we will need 3 points there to stay ahead of the pack.
We all know that supporting Wolves should carry a government health warning but let’s hope for a stress free end to the season.
Come on lads.
Not time to panic yet but Sheffield Utd suddenly becomes a pressure game and they haven’t lost for about 10 games.
we have got to fight harder for it ,
come on Kenny instill it in them
They were tactically outthought and then outfought. By stringing five men across the middle Crawley throttled the supply line to McDonald and Price but were happy to leave the Wolves back four with the ball at their feet. With playing through the middle, which is Wanderers strength, cut off, the back four were reduced to lumping it forward in the general direction of Dicko. Given that he is 6 inches shorter than most centre backs, he only had a 10% chance of winning the ball. Hence the need to bring on Clarke at an early stage.
When Crawley had the ball in the first half they were chipping balls over the centre backs for speedy players to run on to. Initially this caused chaos in the usually solid defence and lead directly to the winning goal. With Wanderers having to chase the game in the second half Crawley were happy to boot the ball in the direction of the Wolves left hand corner flag and harry the defenders not allowing them to play the ball out on the deck but relying on the big hoof out. More Cardiff Arms Park than Football League, but highly effective in preventing the opposition from playing.
I’ve always felt that Jackett is tactically very astute but last night Plan B didn’t work and there was no Plan C or D. I just hope that other teams don’t follow suit and attempt to stifle the Wolves midfield as if that’s the case Wolves fans will have to put up with real tedium which will make a diet of gruel, gruel, and more gruel, look like a banquet.
well said————midfield wanderer
I have always maintained that their is a very fine margin, or little difference between teams in this division and tonight confirmed that. The fact we are still top leads me to not panic but we cannot afford to have a blip in our otherwise excellent form. Very important that we get a result at Sheff Utd Saturday and by result I mean a point at minimum.
With games fast running out it will mean even more pressure. Time to see how KJ and the team handle this.
My mind drifts back to the 2001-2 season and the nightmare end. That can’t happen again can it?
100% correct midfield Wanderer..Plan C would of been to attack down the wings…
A few comments to make this morning, we were there and witnessed the return of up and under football, that’s what kills Wolves off year after year, that’s what buggered Bullys legs up, constantly running for a ball hoofed up in the air with no support up front. We were well beaten last night tactically and physically. Those kids from Crawley ran there legs off and, stole the ball but once lost there was no serious effort of retrieval.
Now, is that fatigue, is it lack of commitment or bad tactics? Let me offer this from what Iv’e witnessed over the last 2 games.’ 24000 at Molineux saturday, amazing away following every week, 8800 going to MK Dons (officially), talk of record tumbling left right and centre. These are young lads who up until Kenny Jackett moulded them into something credible and then passed them to us to put up there on a pedestal whilst singing their praises. These lads have stepped into an arena that they are unaccustomed to being in Jacobs and Hendry couldn’t get in their respective teams, McDonald was hiding somewhere in Sheffield Dicko and Clarke no-one wanted at Wolves, Bhatt, Stearman, Price no Wolves manager saw any serious potential in them, Ricketts and Goldbourne they were brought in from where! I can’t even remember and finally Carl Ikeme was second fiddle to no hand Hennesy, (how can a goalie not catch a ball)
These bunch of lads some no one wanted and some were just not good enough for the teams they were at, have been catapulted into the spotlight and to date have done really good for us, (sorry did I say really good) oh silly me, I forgot we’re top of the league.. They are struggling to deal with this pressure, the new found fame, records falling weekly. I have no doubt that we are the best fans in this league, now’s the time to prove it, we hVe to get behind them, support them and encourage them, we have witnessed what they can do, all we have to do is be patient and get behind them. Sheffield on Saturday, I watched them against Preston, who may I add we thrashed out of sight, they were very poor Nd suffering from our current disease, their new found fame. We can beat anyone in this league, we got spanked last night, we have to accept that, but let’s get behind them and make sure the Wolves 12th man, the fans, get them back on track.
,
A cuttingly accurate and truly heartfelt piece of writing there StuWolf.
It’s now that Kuddly Ken must prove his true worth.
He knows that he has built what is surely the best team in the division.
We know that they are potentially the best team in the division.
Now Kenny has to persuade THEM that they ARE the best team in the division.
Confidence certainly isn’t everything, but without it you’re buggered.
Young players with little, or no, experience of this sort of pressure have to be very carefully man-managed. It could still all go tits up for us. We’ve seen it happen before.
Now is when KJ will prove if he has what it takes to take us to the next level.
I am confident he will do it.
But it’s going to be a close run thing.
Oh dear!
I’m superstitious but I still think we will go up!
I have worked it out….
Kenny is a genious, he is deliberately throwing the odd game so that he does not become Manager Of The Month. A win and a draw this month ensures he misses out again, yet we are still top.
He knows that the MOTM award will be the kiss of death, so he is steering clear.
From Beard To Eternity.
The fact that we lost last night is very reassuring.
It proves that anyone can beat anyone in this league, and that augers well for the rest of the campaign, as both Brentford and LO will come an unexpected cropper somewhere down the line, giving us a boost.
I have always advocated it is better to be above someone with games in hand, as they HAVE to win them, while we have the points in the bag.
We are no worse off now than we were before the game yesterday, so no doom and gloom in Houston, positive vibes wafting over the pond!!
No worries from last night, I’m sure KJ will have learned a lot from the last 2 matches, and we will stuff SU this weekend by the unusually predicted score of 5 – 1!!
Oh, and forgive me for my last few posts, I think I missed my usual neighborly greeting,
FOwb
S ome fans on the blog last night (I could not get to the game)
U nsurprisingly were very miffed that we did not win but the lack of a
P ositive and supportive view soon appeared when we were losing. I have a
P roblem in understanding our fans at times. We have performed to an
O utstanding level so far. 9 wins on the trot, and a draw and a loss is not
R eally a bad run. Okay, so we must get back to winning ways, I agree
T otally, but I am not panicking.
S o, some of our fans may be thinking this is the start of a slide and that is
U nderstandable, but why is it a slide? As I said, we have only dropped 5
P oints in the last 11 games – not a slide to me. I think we should be a tad
P atient and see what Saturday brings. I feel it will be a very much more
O pen game, as I do not see Sheffield play the style that Crawley do. I
R eally do believe the conditions will be much better and we will be able
T o play in the style we are used to.
A nxious as I am that we gain automatic promotion and not see ourselves
N eeding to go up through the play-offs, I am also confident that we will
D eliver.
M ost of the time I get a bit frustrated when I can’t get to a game and some
O f the time I end up following it on the blog. I have supported our guys
R eally well over the years for a non season ticket holder, and I know that
E veryone supports them in their own way. I applaud that.
S ometimes my heart rules my head, but I have supported Wolves since 1969. I
U nderstand all fans frustrations. I remember really good times, and I certainly
P layed my part in supporting the team through the bad times too. I remember the
P lan when we were in the 4th Divison to buy a Baggies Reject, who then became
O ur hero. We wont see another with passion and loyalty like Steve Bull but it
R eally does not matter as I believe Kenny has got us playing well, well enough
T o secure promotion at the first attempt, and we should support that!
UTW/FOWB
KJ may use a 5-3-2 formation to hold off this weekend against the Blades to keep the players confidence and, avoid another defeat. I think KJ will try to get out of Sheffield with a draw and start fresh tatics for the games against Colchester and MK Dons….
Two very contrasting Tuesday evenings; the elation at Swindon so quickly followed by the frustration at Crawley. Perhaps there were actually signs at Swindon of what was to follow; it may be that we just didn’t want to see them. Certainly the challenges experienced during the second half last Tuesday were reinforced by the stalemate on Saturday and what was genuinely a poor performance last night.
However we have been spoiled by the recent string of results and maybe we’re being greedy expecting a win every game; cast you mind back 11 games, if you had been offered 28 points from 33, you would have thought it an amazing offer – well that is what we actually achieved, so lets be grateful for the tremendous progress made by this ‘team in development’.
We will likely slip up again before the end of the season but so will our nearest rivals and ‘end of season’ predictions based on form are seldom worth a bet. The guys are ‘playing for the shirt’ which contrasts significantly with this time last year, most appear to be giving of their best at all times so there should be no one questioning their commitment. By avoiding injury and with a bit more of this season’s good fortune we may well end up in the top two but there’s no guarantee and if we have to pursue the play-offs route, so be it. Whatever the result I will have enjoyed an entertaining season in which I usually leave Molineux with a smile on my face.
Give the lads a chance, don’t pile on any extra pressure and lets all look forward to a great day out at MKD.
Sheff Utd tickets arrived. Can’t wait for Saturday to see us get back to winning ways!!!!!
Oh, by the way, does anyone know the reason for the 1.25 kick off?
UTW/FOWB
Hi Brompton,
The 1-25 kick off is because it is exactly 125 years to the day on Saturday that they formed the club, so after speaking with the Polis & Wolves they came up with this time 1-25. Lots of celebrations going on, before during and after the match. The after match will be slightly muted after we beat them, but at least we will play our part, more history making for Wolves, what a team we are.
I think it is more like the score line they are fearing!!
Them 1, The Mighty, All Conquering Wufflers 25 !
Hard to not be disappointed by the last two results.
Just hope it is a blip, even if a bit worrying.
Tough game to come Saturday as well.
It will be interesting to see how much everyone’s confidence may have taken a knock when the predictions come in for the Blades game.
Let’s all hope Clive gets it spot on.
Come on me Babbies.