“He’s a complete f***ing embarrassment and I can’t wait to see the back of him … absolute piece of sh*t of the highest order … a complete joke … I was gutted when we signed him as every club he’s played for thinks he’s a clown … the worst player to ever play for the club.”
These are just a sample of quotes that can be discovered within a couple of minutes of trying to find out how Neill Collins is faring at Sheffield United. The Blades currently lie bottom of the Championship and are set to drop into the third tier for the first time since the days when Brian Deane and Tony Agana were trading goals with Steve Bull and Andy Mutch all those years ago.
And yes, our Neill has certainly made an impression.
It’s also proving to be a difficult time for another darling of the Molineux terraces, Andy Keogh. The somewhat meek Irish forward has endured a torrid time this season lurching from one disaster to the next. If things had gone to plan he’d still be at Cardiff – the club arranged a season-long loan move with a view to a permanent deal – but a string of insipid displays saw Dave Jones bring the curtain down on his time there.
Next came Bristol City but, after just a solitary goal in his time at Ashton Gate, the club has now decided they don’t fancy going ahead with the arrangement either. Maybe the deal-breaker was this horrendous miss for the Republic of Ireland in a rare international start last month.
So what’s the point of all this? Surely there’s no need to put the boot in on players who tried their best for the club and have now moved on? Well you’re right. But something still jars at the back of the throat. It’s all the times Mick McCarthy made me feel like an idiot for questioning these players. There’s no need to go down the road of ‘Numptygate’ but why not just check out these comments from McCarthy after our opening away win of last season:
“Keogh has been the stand-out player in pre-season and as soon as the season started he has been terrific. From coming back on day one he has been great. I’m thrilled for him. It is all right playing well in the Premier League but as a striker the key is scoring goals in it and Keogh has done that. He is perfect for that role. He has just got the lungs of a racehorse and just keeps going and going. But his football and his set-up play was good as well. Andy has proved he can score in the Premier League.”
Needless to say, that goal will almost certainly remain the only goal Andrew Keogh ever scores in the Premier League.
This is not a rant about Mick McCarthy. One of the most important factors in the club’s success over the past five years has been the manager’s ability to get everyone at Molineux pulling in the same direction with a fantastic work ethic. Sticking up for your players is a big part of that.
But, as we see the careers of Neill Collins and Andy Keogh slide inexorably towards League One, all those words of praise take on air of foreboding. Those two men played over 200 games for Wolves. Keogh may yet reappear in the old gold and black. So next time you hear about how amazing it is that George Elokobi has made the step up; How wonderful it is that Stephen Ward can play anywhere; Or we are told how Karl Henry has taken the Premier League by storm; Maybe it’s worth taking a step back and remembering that we’ve been here before.
Mick no doubt has faith in his boys. The £40m question right now is – should we?
Make sure you check out Adam’s rather brilliant football blog at Ghostgoal.co.uk.
All managers of all teams ‘big up’ their players. It’s part of the job description. But in football the *only* talking that matters takes place on the pitch.
Sadly, this season, our boys might as well be speaking Swahili … just not good enough.
Excellent post Adam.
My thoughts on the two particular players you mention are:
Collins – Made far too many comical errors to ever be taken seriously as a center back at Championship level and his distribution was appalling. That said, he’s a colossus in the air and played well in the first ten or so games of our Championship winning season and scored some important goals. Certainly nowhere near the worst player to ever pull on the old gold. Probably not even in the top ten. That said, I was glad to see the back of him so that probably says it all.
Keogh – Oh, Andy Keogh, where do I start? I could write a thesis on this guy but the bottom line is, he’s not the required standard for the Premier League so if we’re serious about progressing to the next level, we need to get rid for good. However, he is patently good enough for the Championship and deserves to be remembered for his contribution in getting us out of that particular division.
The two clubs he’s been farmed out on loan to have decent striking options so I wasn’t surprised to see him slip down the pecking order. He’d do well at somewhere like Doncaster, with a lower profile where he can get some confidence back and just play football. For all his shortcomings, I still believe he’s better than League One. But again, I wouldn’t want him back in our side next season, regardless of which division we’re playing in. We’ve moved on and so should he.
And like you say Adam, it is maddeningly frustrating to be preached to by McCarthy about how good these players are, as if we’re clueless morons who can’t make our own judgments. Yes, back your players and keep a tight unit, but don’t alienate the supporters in the process. He’d do well to address this.
In the spirit of fairness though, it’s probably right to point out that Mick has correctly shipped out certain players that the fans vehemently backed.
Step forward Freddy Eastwood.
The South Bank howled with anger when this guy was sitting on the sidelines and the same fans thought our manager had taken leave of his senses when he sold the Welshman to Coventry and replaced him with Iwelumo.
Fast forward 12 months and we were in the Premier League where as good old Freddy was once again warming the bench, this time in the East Midlands.
Mick’s unflinching faith has, more often than not, been rewarded by the players he places so much trust in. That gives me enough reason to believe that we might, just, have enough in the locker to once again finish on a high.
Adam
On the whole a decent article, however, for me you ruin at the end by categorising Karl Henry & to a lesser degree Stephen Ward with the other players you have mention, have been or are dross.
But to put KH with those simply smacks of ‘following the herd’ overall he’s been superb for us since he signed & how any of our fans criticise him is confusing to say the least.
Hi Grace
I wrote this about Henry for this very site:
https://wolvesblog.com/1537/karl-henry-unsung-hero
Don’t think I can be accused of following the herd. But Henry has not had the best of seasons even by his own admission.
Always felt sorry for Neill Collins. He wasn’t that bad, but had a mistake in him and they were usually quite big ones. He was immense at times, and got a few vital goals for us.
I feel we are past Keogh, as much as I like him. Hard working, okay on the ball but not a great finisher and had a tendency to try something over the top. Will always feel grateful for some of his goals (Derby, Wigan) that got us up and our first goal back in the Premier League.
I would love to be around in 50 years time, to listen to your thoughts, Louie, on the current team, in contrast to those who will come later, when you have had the wonderful experience of being a Wolves fan for over half a century.
I have yet to see you complain about any player, which is not always a bad thing, but wonder what you will think when some one really good comes along, as they surely will, who makes the present team look like the plodders they really are.
Oh, and manager as well.
FOMM
Interesting.
You are right, that I don’t complain at many players. Did I rate Iwelumo, Surman, Halford, Collins? No. But I don’t moan and bitch about them because they play for the team I love. the time will come when we have to sell Keogh, Elokobi, Berra, Stearman and even your beloved Ward to move on and upwards but until then I will back them all the time.
You show your support in a very different way, probably in quite a desperate way with the way you act as if you hate most of them.
Bloody hell Louie, did Iwelumo insult your mother or something?! To be categorized among that group of players is scandalous considering what he did for us.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Big Chris but I never understood the god like status he had amongst the fans. He was a good rough player, who got some important goals in the first half of that season but he looked out of his depth in the premier league.
Didn’t BCI only ever start 3games in the Prem?! The only reason he stopped scoring was because he got dropped, then crocked. He did more to get us promoted than most. I miss him!
The few times he did play, he didn’t look capable. Its not impossible that he could have adapted but for me he is a good championship player. I’m more than happy to see he was scoring goals for burnley (which have dried up in the second half of this season 😉 )
Express and Star April 17th 2061. ‘Wolves unfreeze old codger’ Wolves trillionaire philanthropist owner Sir Stephen Ward today announced the unfreezing of octagenarian ‘supporter’ Clive from Houston.
‘What this club needs is more pessimism, more barracking of the players and more wonderfully experienced people who refer to Mike Bailey as a defender despite him having spent 95% of his career in midfield’
Kind of agree Louie. There were certain games that Collins came in and excelled. Sheff Utd away, when Mancienne was ill, saw Collins in the team and he bloody loved it against Beattie, refusing to be bullied like Mancienne might have been.
Lump high balls to him and he did okay. Anything on the deck and he was absolutely awful.
Adam, great blog, which I feel covers a wider point that hasn’t been made…
…Namely, how did so many football clubs not see what we did for so long?
In a world of Pro-Zone and scouts for every second of every game, clubs get hoodwinked into buying players purely for a faded championship medal around their necks and a glowing reference from the boss who bought them in the 1st place.
Like you allude Adam, us footy fans aren’t UEFA badged and are just numpties who might have kicked a ball once or twice down Windsor Park, but we could all have told Simon Grayson, Micky Adams and whoever the Preston boss was that Collins was not good enough.
Yet THREE managers went for him and all three have been left with egg on their faces.
Same with Keogh. He regressed so alarmingly that I genuinely don’t think Steve Burr or Mark Yates at Kidderminster would have looked at him.
Yet Dave Jones and Keith Millen went for him, and sent him back to us as soon as they saw him play! Did they not see him in the reserves? Or our first team?
Do these clubs not see what we see? Do they seriously scout a player? Or is it still a bit of an old boys network where Micky phones Mick, and Mick gives a flippant, idle namecheck which is salivated over like some sort of winning lottery ticket.
I just lose faith in scouts. Ron Jukes would have sussed them straight away, and he only had a notepad and a pencil behind his ear, god rest his soul.
Talking about crap player’s,we’ve still got a few pulling on the old gold &
black shirt not mentioning those who have fell by the wayside.But don’t
forget who’s supposed to vet these player’s to see if they can hack it on
the big field ,thats down to the manager he bulls them up telling them
how good they are and its still happening now,you can’t blame them for
thinking they have made it…Its the blind leading the blind
Leave Stearman out of this.
He continues to improve all the time.
If you cant see that he is in a different class to George, Keogh .Ward and Berra you need a King pair of glasses!
I always considered Stearman an excellent player, unfortuneately stuck in a defense with mediocre players around him.
This has the effect of bringing even the best players down to the lowest common denominator, Foley, George, Berra, Ward….take your pick.
Put Stearman in a “top four” defence, and he would be brilliant.
Another reason to hope we don’t go down, he would be off!!!
FOMM
In which case I apologise unreservedly because I agree 100% with what you have now said!
To right Adam, this post sums it up perfectly.
I hate the spin that comes out of our club and hate the way McCarthy lords average/below average players – at times he seems to do this just to wind up the fans.
Collins and Keogh are perfect examples of this (as is Ward, Big G et al) – lots of positive comments in the press even though they fail to deliver week in week out. Given the fact MM was quoting £2m for Keogh at the start of the season I don’t think it can be a malicious act against the fans intelligence – I actually think he is delusional about the quality of some of his signings.
Bottom of the league now and we are still “going to be alright” – we’ve had all season to get ourselves out of this mess and haven’t, why should that change in the remaining few games?
Changing the subject slightly, I just read that rant from Johnwolf on the previous blog, and I must say I am surprised.
Surprised that it was not removed, absolutely no need to be downright rude to fellow bloggers, taking the piss gently is OK, but to call fellow bloggers and Wolves die hards Bastards is way over the top.
Surprised that I was not mentioned by name, as I claim the right to be McCowardly’s biggest non fan.
To mention Stan Cullis and McIdiot as on a par is akin to saying Wolves and Houston Dynamo are the same, since they are both football teams.
Don’t know what you’ve been drinking or smoking or injecting, Mr. Johnwolf, but I take great exception to you having a go at my friends on this blog.
If you want to insult someone, have a go at me, and I’ll give you some ammunition for starters.
I am an old fart, like you.
I started this blog’s McDickhead out campaign.
I have no time for Ward, Berra, Foley, and Elokobi.
You give it your best shot, Johnwolf, but be warned, I have been insulted by experts, and I have no verbal filters, so basically, I don’t give a fuck what I say, and to whom.
Have a nice day.
FOMM
It would benefit us greatly playing S.Hunt as a left fullback.
Good shout – never thought of that!
Karlir – yes, not a bad shout.
I think, in response to the article. These players are fine as “squad” players on small wages. You need them to cover, to be able to afford good players within our budget. Keogh was never first choice, he was only playing by way of injuries to Doyle and really bad form by SEB (injury as well if I remember Wigan away last year). Collins was part of a strong squad, but again I think only got an extended run because of Craddock’s injury that season.
They shouldn’t be first choice, but players like that are fine as long as they 1) aren’t first choice and 2) aren’t being paid too much.
“There’s no danger with Wardy – he’s done fantastically well.
“I don’t know how he got out of the team, but he’s scored the winner at Liverpool, he’s played up front, wide left and in the middle of the park, but he’s played most of his football here at left-back.
“He’s perfect – a great guy and he’s been the best trainer. He’s brilliant.”
And comments like these from our wonderful manager sum up exactly why we find ourselves bottom of the league with a handful to play. Muppet!
If he doesn’t know “how he got out of the team”, then who does???!!!!
Glad that he is, but 100% certainty he will be back at his woeful best in the left back position for the rest of the season.
Who remembers, or can ever forget, the roasting he got from Carr ( I think ) at Blues away last season, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, again!!
Oh lookey here, we got Blues away yet to come.
FOMM
You beat me to it Jed and Clive. i`ve just checked out the wolves website for the lead in spin to the weekend, and Ward is in at left back. Well now Fulham will be deciding which of their very pacey front players can go play right wing. As will Stoke, Blues, the Baggies etc.
Does our manager not recall how Ward got shafted by the Villa right winger this season, how many times has his lack of pace been exposed by the opposition. It doesn`t matter what position he has played – he just isn`t good enough.
If MM really does think the likes of Collins, Keogh and Ward are/were first team players then as Jed says, is it any wonder we are bottom of the table. I mean most people learn from mistakes, or in management its something you`d expect and hope for, but not our manager though. He has the England under 21 captain, who has been through a full academy education with one of the premier leagues top four sides as an option at left back , I suppose he will be on the bench.
Ward at left back means Jarvis will be as he always has to, standing 10 yards in front of Ward to protect him, thereby negating Jarvis attacking potential. I just despair of our lunatic manager. I will thoughat from 3pm on Saturday be cheering the team on hoping Fulham`s desperate away from continues.
We have an uncanny knack of ending teams “desperate away form”!