You’ve got to admire Newcastle United right now.
Once again they defied both logic and common opinion on Monday night with victory at fortress Britannia.
Lets not forget it was Stoke’s first home defeat of the season either having already hosted both Man Utd and Chelsea.
The Geordies now have 22 points from just 10 games.
Unbelievable Jeff.
So how exactly has Alan Pardew done it?
Well, shrewd summer business and a settled, well organised team are the immediate answers that spring to mind.
But there’s one particular asset I look at with scornful envy that can be described in just two words – Demba Ba.
Boy oh boy, do I wish Wolves had a player like him.
And I’m not just saying that because of the goals either.
Powerful, quick off the mark and most crucially of all, direct; the rangy forward is the exact type of player we need in our squad.
You can talk to me all day about left-backs or box-to-box midfielders but I’ve said it since minute one this season, the area we’re most lacking options is up front.
We need a player who can actually get on the end of the countless crosses we throw into the box.
Someone who can worry defences with runs in behind. Someone with a bit of pace and presence. Someone a bit different.
As much as I love Doyle and Fletcher, both are too often guilty of dropping deep for the ball (admittedly the former more than the latter) and there’s generally too much dilly-dallying in and around the opposition penalty areas.
From a tactical perspective, it just seems obvious.
We know Mick likes to play a direct game and we know he likes to play wingers, so why do we not have that big, athletic target man in our armory to execute this style properly?
That just seems like a massive oversight to me.
Of course the closest thing we had was The Hoff and I was genuinely excited (don’t laugh) to see what he could offer this season.
Selling the giant Austrian and not replacing him was another error in my book.
Vokes isn’t the answer and SEB just doesn’t seem to fit (no joke intended) into any system we play.
So I just hope, come January, if we are going to spend, the money is invested where it should be – up front.
If that muppet is still manager in January, then nothing will change and we will be relegated.
How can you preach to the unconvertible??
He will not change his tactics or his thinking.
We need a meteor to get rid of this dinosaur!!
But I agree, we need someone who knows where the goal is and what to do with the ball once he gets in front of it.
(see my blog from yesterday where I mentioned this very point)
You put it much more succinctly and with better werds than wot I writted!!
FOMM
You are a tool! Not got a clue what your on about. We are in the top flight and have been for more than a season instead of coming up and going down because of MICK! Go and support the baggies you complete waist of a supporter. It’s about time people got real and actually made the molenuex a fortress instead of a boo boy circus cause if we want to survive the team, Mick and the club need our support! I am embarresed to see how fickle we are as fans! Some of us believe in what we are doing!!! Up the wolves!
You are a tool! Not got a clue what your on about. We are in the top flight and have been for more than a season instead of coming up and going down because of MICK! Go and support the baggies you complete waist of a supporter. It’s about time people got real and actually made the molenuex a fortress instead of a boo boy circus cause if we want to survive the team, Mick and the club need our support! I am embarresed to see how fickle we are as fans! UTW
While Ba is a great forward, I don’t think we need another ‘first team’ forward. We struggle getting Doyle and Fletcher, both top class strikers, in the same team already!
Maybe someone with a bit of pace, to bring on towards the end of the game and cause tired defenders problems.
I think we have a good squad. In fact, thinking about January I wonder where we need to strengthen. I think a maybe a quick, left sided centre back would be my first choice. Berra has done OK, but a really good, speedy centre back would be perfect next to Johnson.
Interesting point but I wonder whether Wolves could ever try a 4-3-3 formation with another top-class striker…
Mind you, that’s probably a horrible idea but that’s why I’m not a manager! 🙂
What do you mean when you say ‘a first team forward’?
Surely every forward we have should be capable of playing in the first team?
The idea isn’t to have two decent strikers and then a couple of crap players to make up the numbers if the others are injured.
I think one of the reasons we can’t play 442 successfully is because even when Doyle and Fletch are fit, they’re not a particularly effective partnership.
If we had one of them playing with a more powerful, less skillful partner, I’m certain we’d be more successful.
By the way, I’d argue we’ve got a pacey centre back. His name is Ronald Zubar. He played in that position in the Champions League for Marseille and cost £2.5 million. Number of Premier League games he’s played center-back for Wolves? Zero, unless I’m mistaken.
Right now we have two standout strikers. Doyle and Fletcher. Both excellent strikers, capable of playing for a top half team. Then we have in reserve Ebanks-Blake.
We’ve had problems dealing with having Doyle and Fletcher as our main men up front, there’s no way we could handle having a third. Are they going to be happy sitting on the bench most of the time? No. Sylvan however, a striker capable of scoring the odd goal and having an impact, I reckon would make do.
On Zubar at centre back, there’s probably a reason he hasn’t played there. Maybe like why van damme never played left back
to conclude after being 2-0 in most games in recent months at half time that we need a big target man to get on end of crosses is really the most ridiculous conclusion I have ever heard. The defence has weaknesses, has zero cover from a pedestrian midfielder but the big error was selling Hoff who I would suggest is not the pacy man you are looking for.
Bloody hell Louie what have you been watching this season,we ain’t got a forward who can score at the minute.defender’s who can’t defend.top class my arse.January all i hope is He’s long gone,McIdiot.Have a word with yourself and take off those R.T.G.
Haven’t we? Fletcher, 3 goals in 5 starts. Unfortunately he’s been injured.
As if we are going to find anyone as good as Fletcher or Doyle who will be happy being rotated at best.
You must have been away with the fairies…and Hamlet….for a while Louie, but you’ve come back dafter than ever.
Ward has a better strike rate than Doyle and SEB put together, and at least he’s trying, which is more than can be said for most of the others.
I reckon you and Hamlet are McMuppet doppelgangers.
FOMM
Ward has a better strike rate than Doyle and SEB? Where did you pull that one out of?
Clive in Ward love in, gonna admit you were horribly wrong about him yet?
It’s called taking the piss, bending the facts, using it as an example of how crap our forwards are.
Get some humor in yer life, young ‘un, before it’s too late!!!
And comedian of the year award goes too….. Clive from Houston!
You didn’t answer my question
Ward Premiership player is an oxymoron.
He is not now, nor never will be any sort of footballer good enuff for the Prem
Did I say anything about not wanting another striker? My reply to Louie was considering using a 4-3-3 formation with Fletch, Doyle and another signed striker – dunno whether that’d be a good idea or not, but I don’t see it happening anyway…
Oh, and I’m not a ‘McMuppet doppleganger’ – I merely worship the very ground that Super Mick walks on like the obsessed naive fool that I am! 🙂
(seriously though, I just don’t think that we’re as hopelessly doomed as you and johnok make it out to be!)
Thats my point,Fletch injured at the minute,who else is gonna score.
how many does doyle score,not saying he ‘s not a good forward but
he does’nt score enough to be a good striker.
When Fletcher is injured, I personally think we have to play 4-5-1. Doyle up front, he gets a couple of goals here and then so we need the likes of Hunt, O’Hara, Milijas to chip in too, and they can.
Well Louie,If and when they do is another matter,only hope its this sunday
or else its btm 3 me thinks,and we’ll be there for a good few weeks if we don’t win…Depressing thought. But if we do lose i hope its the end of McIdiots reign and his coaching staff.
Well Hunt, Milijas and O’Hara have scored our last four goals in all competitions 😉
Like said i hope they DO this sunday,because what ever i think of McIdiot i
don’t want to be in bottom 3 again.
And there is the only difference between you and Clive from West br*mwich, I mean houston
Go on surprise me,
Watch it, sunshine, you are getting near to insulting me, and you don’t wanna open that can of werms!!!
You know what? You are officially worse than Clive From Houston – congratulations! 😉
Thank you, I take that as a compliment.
Now read my reply to Looeeeee.
How’s your dad, Mad Mick?
FOMM
Why because i too think McCarthy is a deadhead like you.
How niceand eloquent of you
Louie you write this:
“While Ba is a great forward, I don’t think we need another ‘first team’ forward. We struggle getting Doyle and Fletcher, both top class strikers, in the same team already!”
You actually sound like MM.
It is this brittle stance that we cannot improve in the face of disaster which is almost indefensible.
Neither Doyle nor Fletcher, under the present management, are as good as Ba.
Evidence speaks louder than your post.
yeah let’s put a bid in for Ba and see how that goes…
Totally disagree with, “I think we have a good squad…I wonder where we need to strengthen…Berra has done OK”
It is glaringly obvious we lack quality in key areas (CH, CM, LB & RB-with Zubar injured). It is also obvious that we are tactically challenged, which includes playing two wingers without someone like Ba up front.
The very least we need by the end of Jan ’12 is the required players (GO FOR RIDGEWELL and someone like Gareth McCauley) and a tactically aware addition to the coaching staff.
Please, are you listening Steve Morgan?
Agree 100per cent. I bet our defenders look ace in training,as they never come up against pace or height. Pace is everything and we have none of it. You’d think even Jez would acknowledge this, bearing in mind this one attribute commanded 5mill for Akinbiye and a 100k bonus for loaning Camara to Celtic.
Even Alex Nicholls from Walsall looks appealing right now,as he has the same virtue that we’ve been screaming out for all season – sums it up when I’d be mildly pleased if we even got him!! (looked good in the JPT folks!)
Newcastle are just doing phenomenally well right now – I doubt anyone predicted this!
But if Wolves want a player like Demba Ba…then who would it be? Any striker spring to mind?
I’m sad to say that I think this is an irrelevant question as I don’t believe we will / can spend the money.
A player like Ba will cost, what? 6 or 7 Million? Then his wages could be up to something like 30 to 50k per week maybe. So that’s at least another 1.5 Million on salary.
I don’t think the club can afford this as I suspect all ‘extra’ money has gone into the stadium this year. That’s why we’re coasting along, yet again, with the same squad as usual (bearing in mind that Johnson is kind of a like-for-like replacement for Craddock).
I know it’s glaringly obvious that the team needs strengthening all over, but in fact I think that a quality striker would be a bonus and an area worth looking at.
‘Wolves don’t score goals.’ I read it week after week in the reviews, and if Fletch is out then you have to admit that you’re left wondering who’s going to score.
The problem with being a very low-scoring team is that that makes you easy to beat, as the other team only have to score one or two and you’re probably finished.
If we were able to get hold of a striker who can put away chances regularly then I think it would help to compensate for the (obvious) defensive frailties.
Kind of a sh*tter version of real Madrid’s ‘Pavones y Zidanes’ system of the Galacticos age if you will.
This is where they said, “Ok, our defence is crap, but we’ve got players who will almost always score, so it doesn’t matter.
Anyway, back to dreaming…
I don’t think we have the funds to sign anyone, so I would suggest a loan is the way forward.
Diouf from Man Utd is a young player who looks promising and could be available on loan.
I hope Moxey is keeping an eye on the loan list, cos I think this is our best bet I’m afraid.
All this said, I think sell some of the deadwood to boost funds and then see if we can sign 2 or 3 better players, esp including defence!
John Carew
Bolton’s departed swede, Elander I think his name was.
Campell at Q.P.R
Lee Sharp, Doncaster
Emnes, Middlesbrough
John Carew is not very good anymore. Why Stoke never signed him.
Elmander had one good spell, he’s turd.
Campbell is not a big powerful striker.
‘Billy’ Sharp is a poacher.
I like Emnes, and we’ve had interest in him before.
Wigan’s Rodalega and ex Sunderland Gyan are also interesting prospects
Another interesting blog topic. Its wasn`t just Demba Bia though, his side were quicker with better movement all over the pitch. They had players with pace and quick feet throughout the side, and to only just lose that game to a dodgy ref and a very good keeper shows we do have something in our side.
The problem is the missing links are in too many positions in our team, we lack pace, athleticsm and mobility in defence and midfield, and without packing a 5 man midfield we aren`t up tpm premiership standard.
Having been away for 2 weeks and not read a newspaper or visited the internet, I see Wolves are now in the same position as at the end of last season, one spot from safety, already. Is there a quick mfix available in January, well lets hope so.
Totally agree thomas with everything you wrote,why did he get rid of the Hoff so quick when it left us woefully short up front.
Totally ineptness.
I think its now time to get rid of the deadwood. Ebanks is now in his third season of premiership football and has not proved he is a premiership player (get rid of) Kightly good championship player too injury prone (get rid of) Elokobi also not premiership proven (get rid of). We might have players for every position who can come in if one is injured but they are not up to premiership standard, lets spend a bit of money on a bit of class. I have been a wolves supporter for over 40 years and it makes my blood boil to see us in this position time and again over the last 3 years. Championship looks to be looming once again
On Kightly, I was at Vicarage Rd yesterday. Kights came on at nil nil (it finished 1-0 to Watford) and had a good impact. He looked sharper, and was Watford’s brightest attacking threat.
Says it all really, doesnt’ it?
Kightly, Championship level, Louie, Championship watcher.
Get used to it Louie, your fave manager is taking us back there!!!
Clive 2009/10: We will get relegated, Ward is shit.
Clive 2010/11: We will get relegated, Ward is shit.
Clive: 2011/12: We will get relegated, OMG I love Ward now.
So we are in League 1 now and Ward is doing really well there, as you are ALWAYS right
2010, Ward was shit, luckily for us so were Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull
2011 Ward was shit, so were we, and survived by three minutes and thanks to Spurs, not us.
2012 Ward is still shit, the rest of the team are shit as well, and UNLESS we change course or manager, we WILL be relegated.
Put that in your pipe, wait until you are old enough, and then smoke it….along with all the other happy weed you have obviously been imbibing.
FOMM
Can’t totally agree with that Clive. Imbibe really refers to drinking not smoking. Rest of it, spot on mate!
Sorry, been over here too long, Americans have a way of reducing the glorious English langwidge down to the lowest common denominator, akin to a shit fan’s intelligence level!!!
FOMM
More to the point, have you heard of the ‘sister-in-law’ golf shot? Up there but you know you shouldn’t be.
I agree 100%. Fletcher spends half the time injured, Doyles game is completely different. SEB was weighing on my mind if he could do the job, now he is just weighing. Vokes, not given emough chances but you have to ask why Mick doesnt pick him, not good enough?
Why we did not sign in the transfer window.
My only other comment would be the same was required with a defensive midfielder who can pass the ball forward.
In Morgan and Moxey i do not trust.
Vokes isn’t the answer.
Granted, he did well in a short cameo against Swansea, but he’s nowhere near mobile enough to play at this level consistently.
His main asset was always winning balls in the air and chipping in with the odd goal. Is he any better at either of those things than Doyle or Fletcher?
I’d say no.
SEB is also a better finisher even if mobility is also a problem for him.
We must move for a striker in January and ship Vokes out on loan or permanently.
Fletcher half his time injured? what you talking about? yes he is injured at the moment but he is was fit for most of last season and has a s good a record of goals to games as anyone in the premiership.
Sorry, Dan, you are correct. Its just frustration that he is not playing enough this season, we need him for 4 4 2.
Thomas, we do need a quality striker in Jan, agree on Vokes, and tell SEB to stop eating the pies.
wow there are load here that want McCarthy dead!! my how narrow minded most of you are. he is the best thing that has happened to wolves in years. every year people are saying he is crap get rid or we will get relegated.. well were still in the premier league and not too far into the season so looking at the league at the moment is crazy.. only 4 games ago arsenal were nearly bottom. are all the man u fans asking for sir alex’s head?? no because you get nowhere if you keep chopping and changing. get behind the team and the manager and lets ride this little wave back to shore..
Another one been in the rose colored opticians!!!!!
well clive your obviously not a wolves supporter!! more a wolves hater.. you hate everything about wolves. the manager, the players, the tea lady!! why not just jump on the first bandwagon to manchester city!! oh and being a supporter means that you have to be supportive.. if one of your children wasn’t doing well in exams you wouldn’t have him shot and adopt a new one would you?.
Liam, nobody’s denying what he’s done for us, but he simply can’t take us forward. I like the guy i genuinely do, but his decisions are killing us and team spirit, give him a free seat for life and thank him very much.
Best comment yet. He has done wonders for us…… but can he take us any further? I fear not.
but bringing in a new manager wouldn’t help anything. he would still have the same crap players. i think he does need to stop keeping faith with the under achievers but that doesn’t mean getting rid of him. i cant see anyone else who could help this team.. plus in january we dont have loads of money to throw out there so not much that can be brought in. wolves wont pay over the odds for players so they wont get any decent ones. we will just get another load of reserve players.
do you compare mick mccarthy getting wolves promoted after 3 seasons, spending 50 million and us being in the bottom for most of every season to Sir Alex Ferguson at Man Utd?
when fergie first started at man utd he was in the same boat. everyone said they wanted him gone but 25 years later he is one of the greatest managers of all time.
Good on you, Liam. I am not wearing rose tinted spectacles but what does it achieve getting rid of a manager at this stage. Rational thoughts only please, especially from Houston. We are not on the moon yet NASA.
“We need a player who can actually get on the end of the countless crosses we throw into the box.”
Sorry, but the only thing “countless” about Wolves’s crosses are how many of them are crap. We need decent crosses first and foremost. Simple cause and effect. Doyle and Fletcher can both head the ball to good effect. But not when it’s planted into the chest of the nearest opposition defender, or put six yards over the crossbar, or floated to the far corner flag.
Demba Ba’s pace would be a great asset for us, sure, but if he were a Wolves player, he’d still be crying at the lack of service. And he wouldn’t have scored any more goals than Doyle or Fletcher.
Ha, you’re obsessed with crap crosses.
I agree delivery is too often poor but still, enough decent balls go into the box from open play and set pieces that make me believe our strikers should be doing better.
They can both head the ball I agree, but most of the time they’re not even in the box to get on the end of things. Both drop too deep to get the ball to feet.
We need someone who will play up front and stay up front.
I disagree that Ba wouldn’t have scored more goals.
More quality crosses needed for sure, i am obsessed with crap crosses. More quality headers needed on the end of them for sure, i am obsessed with crap finishing.
Lets stuff Wigan, we need a lift.
First of Doyle is not a striker. He’s a an attacking midfielder / wide forward. Very good at crossing great engine but no striker. Fletcher is a striker good on the deck and in the air. As for direct pace we are desperate for it and have for years. Emmnes is a great shout also junior Holliet at Blackburn. With regards to ward he’s been our best player this season. On MM if lose Sunday for me he’s out. We are in a mess at the moment no real improvement in the last 2 and bit years. Although I question the support from the board this season. Our squad is light and thin. We went into this season at least 3 players short.
18 Million price tag on Hoillet…not gonna happen
Thought this article was going to be about Rooney…..
Now that made me laugh.
Definitely agree Thomas, fast, powerful goalscoring striker would be extremely handy.
Trouble is we need more pace and skill throughout the team. Plus better tactics, more consistent and coherent selection, more imaginative recruitment, a commitment to a proper Premiership level wage structure etc etc.
The quality of football throughout Europe, and particularly in the PL, is improving year on year and i’m afraid our club is at best, treading water. The hard truth is, whether happy clapper or moaning minnie, we have been hanging on by our coat tails. There has to be some recognition of the need to change or this huge oppurtunity we have will be lost. Coming back from that could take a very long time.
I agree we could have done with an extra striker during the transfer window. I was surprised when we weren’t even linked with DJ Campbell. Could understand Ba I’d imagine he’s on monster wages at Newcastle.
But i’d actually argue that our main problem is lack of pace at centre back and in centre midfield. Yes we haven’t scored but how many points have we lost because of the two lumbering titans in the centre of our defence. I would shelled out the money for a decent pacey centre half and got a midfielder like Josh Mceachran or Ross Barkley on loan.
As for up front I think Doyle and Fletch are better forwards than the majority of the teams that will finish around us have. I think they suffer because the service up to them is shit in most games forcing them to drop deeper. As for Ebanks I think he has been rushed back after his injury and when he’s fit hes good at being an impact striker. His strike rate last season (I think it was 6 in 7 starts) wasn’t bad for a guy who was getting limited time on the pitch. As for Vokes he lacks pace and can’t finish for toffee, its a shame as he looked full of potential when he first arrived, but I think we got promoted to early for him and his lack of opportunities since then has done him no good.
So yeah a striker would be nice in January, but if comes as a choice between that and a centre half who can turn without having to jog round the stand and the car park, or a midfielder who can actually keep up with the play and pass to feet rather than than the opposition (O’hara, Henry, Guedierra), linesman (Jarvis, Hunt and Hammil) or row z (O’hara, Guedierra), I’d want the defender and the midfielder.
Couldnt agree more on a Center Half with pace but hoestly have given up hope of MM buying one.His defencive purchase have mostly poor.
I find it strangely amusing that one of his most effective defensive signings was bought as a striker!
But I think he has made some good signings, Foley is good and I imagine would be starting if it weren’t for injury. Stearman and Zubar have a lot of potential if they can clear up his silly mistakes when playing at centre half. I also think Johnson would be a good signing if only he had someone with pace next to him.
I do have some sympathy for MM think that truly prem quality centre halves come at a premium in transfer fees and in wages. So that has left him the choice of trying out players who have the potential but have not played at this level much or at all (Mancienne, Myokolo, Stearman, Berra, Zubar, etc) or old has beens who cost a lot in wages (anybody remember Oleg Luzhny). I’d rather have the young players but it is annoying that we never seem to sign players with real pace at the back despite MM liking fit work horses.
I was disappointed Wolves didn’t try and loan in a couple of cover players in the transfer window it seemed bizarre that they didn’t. I know they weren’t happy about becoming an academy for other teams, but they could have got in loan to buy deals like O’hara.
another forward? We could have Demba Ba but would be get service, would we keep clean sheets. It is so frustrating this wolves obsession with forwards. Newcastle’s victory on Monday was built on a brilliant defensive display a a midfield that not only works its socks off but also has quality. you cannot serious compare any of our midfielders to Guiterez, Cabaye, Tiote etc, our midfield is so pedestrian yet all people can talk about is centre forwards, Fletcher is easily good enough, we need a defence and midfield to support him. Incredible thoughts on what you think we need! To suggest that Ba could get on the end of the “endless crosses” is ridiculous – we rarely beat the front man, balls go behind players or Jarvis curls the ball out, but blame the players for not being on the end of it.
Agreed, extra striker would be nice but is an expensive luxury unless you can get one of the big teams youth players on loan.
We need in this order:
1: Central defender – with pace and decent positional awareness
2: Central midfielder – with the ability to keep up with play, tackle and find players in gold and black on a regular basis.
3: Cover for left back
4: Cover striker until Ebanks is fully fit or Vokes learns to shoot and run
At the moment another quality striker should be on the dream wish list along with Lionel Messi, Kaka and Iniesta!
Theres no money-its all in the new stand. Only way to generate cash is to sell-Vokes, Keogh, SEB and Edwards-most of which have repetitive injuries lowering their value. Why would a reasonably good striker come to us when service is so woeful?
Think we need to get next game out of the way before we start dreaming like MM who reckons we will finish 10th.