Following a third successive victory at a historically difficult venue to conquer, a hypothetical head-scratcher got me thinking…
…If Brentford and Leyton Orient both pass the 100 point barrier and beat us to promotion, would this season be a failure?
After arguably our most encouraging victory of the campaign – against a team more competitive than most – we are on course for an incredible points haul of 95 come the end of the season, were we to keep this up.
However, Brentford and Leyton Orient are on course to rewrite history, with 102 and 101 points on the cards respectively if they carry on in such outrageous fashion.
It begs the question: Can we possibly criticise this rapidly evolving team if it misses out to a ‘once-in-a-million’ freak season?
In any other year, a 3-0 win at Boundary Park would be regarded as a promotion defining benchmark.
Just our luck that we can also view it as a play-off cementing result, when we’d doubtless be 20 points clear of some god forsaken side.
For now, such questions can wait as we bask in a feeling that has eluded us for so long.
This 17th success of the season owed much to a resolute defensive showing, a spritely attacking display and a virtuoso performance by match winner Kevin McDonald.
According to Radio WM, the Scot resembled that big kid in the under-12 school team, whose growth spurt made him virtually untouchable.
Where our number 11 stood head and shoulders above the rest, Jack Price sounded like the perfect foil for him once more.
And when Jacobs and sub Henry added gloss to the scoreline late on, Kenny Jackett can point to three goalscorers who he signed himself.
Winning at a difficult away ground is one thing, but standing up to a pretty physical onslaught is quite another.
Unlike those miserable Solbakken and Saunders seasons, we all appear to be in this together.
Couple such team spirit with Kenny’s astute additions and the combination appears irresistible.
Whether it’s potent enough to provide a positive answer to that question I had will soon become clear.
Not too worried yet as I for one feel that we can catch and pass the top two.
Remember a certain team that caught us when it looked all over! a few year’s ago, so I certainly ain’t giving up hope that we can catch the top two.
Fair point Ben it just shows that once in the bottom part of football it is not automatic that we have a divine right to beat most even with our squad …
The punishment of the double drop makes it clear that it could take a lot of clawing ..and underlines the way our club was managed at the top..
We all know the play offs could be quick sand and Coventry away 2nd fixture from the end of the season and orient away 3rd from end could be very significant indeed ..and difficult..
Great result again !! the situation at the top of this godforsaken league is relentless…
It wouldn’t of been such a successful season as we could of won against Walsall and MKD plus we have drawn too many too but I take yr point on both the Londoners amazing runs..I hope they will both slip up…
Looks like it was a cracking game. Great result, well done the Wolves!
🙂
Brentford and LO will certainly drop points, we’ve got to play them both, and the others in the playoff hunt will be eager to topple them as well.
Forgive my iggorance, Benno, but by my reckoning, if we win all our remaining games we will amass 112 points.
I got my shit eating grin on again, big time.
Three wins on the bounce, 8 goals for, one against, and that a dubious penalty, is perfect.
I feel we’ve had our blip for the season, the team look pretty settled and raring to play out of their skins for the club, and the likes of Griffiths, Doyle, Siggy etc, all pre Jacket signings, are being shown the door, one way or another.
What excites me is the fact that these lads will get better, and playing in this league, with the same faces around them, augers well for the Chumpionship and hopefully beyond.
No worries in Houston, I might have to book a flight for that league winning match, just like wot I did in 2009 for the QPR match.
A splendid, splendid result, which will do the morale oodles of good.
Just to add a little bit if extra thought to the points tally…
We are 4 points behind Brentford and (upto) 5 points behind LO if they win their game in hand.
By my reckoning, as we have to play both, we just look at maintaining our own run in… Beating both Brentford and LO, It closes the points gap to 1 point and (upto) 2 points respectively.
Now as these 2 teams have to play each other… This would leave us leap frogging 1 of the teams if there’s a winner / loser and leapfrogging both teams if they draw.
So screw their results… We just have to win every single game from now until the end of the season and we are guaranteed promotion, regardless of anyone else’s results.
I know we are not going to win every game… and neither are they!
My point is that it is in OUR own hands as to whether we go up this season, even though we do currently sit in 3rd.
————————
A few weeks ago I spoke of working with the tools we have… Well it looks like our new striker is a lot sharper and faster than the other tools we were using in that position. Just need to keep him and the others honed, and we will have the youngest, fittest, sharpest, hungrier and skilful team. Let’s not knacker em… if someone has a bad game… Let’s keep off his back as we all know its a confidence game too.
….and my last little bit, KJ has come in for a lot of criticism regarding dropping players and tinkering… He was just trying to find the right blend, it may have taken well over 20 games… but it does now appears he has found the formula by twatting around the team selections, while waiting to land a striker that he wants and not just throwing in a fans favourite. I remember a quote hrs no player is bigger than its club – (the only time that quote failed was with Mr S Bull)… but generally it is a true enough statement and Lee Griffiths, although a good pouches – is not Mr Bull!
Totally correct. Theres is only one Stephen George Bull MBE.
Great win, and in answer to your question Ben, I don’t think 3rd would be a failure. But not getting promoted would be sickening, also how long is staying in League 1 viable for Wolves as we know them?
I also however don’t think that the O’s and Brentford will get maximum points every game.
It’s going to be tight…I’m biting my nails every game!
BTW
On a transfer note, I don’t necessarily think that Leon Clarke replacing Griffiths would be a disaster, as Dicko seems similar to Griffiths, and Clarke brings a powerful and large presence who scores to the forward line, which we’re lacking. If Celtic pay 1 Million I think it’s a good deal.
Shit day for me yesterday as we had to say goodbye to our beloved family dog Henry. A heartbreaking time that any pet owner/lover can relate to I’m sure.
Feeling miserable, I followed the game passively via Twitter and always felt confident we’d win, with the consensus being the lads were replicating the performance levels of late.
Consistency is key. If we’re fortunate with injuries and maintain our current levels, nobody can stop us. I still believe we’ll finish in the top two.
Individually, I’m glad Sako got his chance and by the sounds of it, was reinvented. Maybe taking him out of the firing line for a few games will turn out to be a stroke of genius by KJ.
If McDonald starts adding semi-regular goals to his performances, we’ll have one of the best players outside the top flight. I know it’s League One and all that, but he is technically the most complete midfielder we’ve had since the Ince/Rae/Cameron days.
Oldham fans seemed to agree that we were the better side overall, working hard as a unit and snaffling the chances when they came along. See:
http://www.owtb.co.uk/index.php/topic/44656-post-match-reaction-wolves/
Pleased to say I was smiling by the end, not least because of a poignant 90th minute goal from a late substitute – Henry.
RIP old friend.
Sorry to hear about your loss mate.
What is it about pets?
They eat you out of house and home, destroy your furniture, empty your bank account with vet’s fees and then rip your heart out when they finally go and leave you.
You’ve got to love ’em.
Thanks mate, very much appreciated.
You correctly observed my shameful attempts to illicit sympathy.
Spot on about pets. I’m a glutton for punishment. We (my wife and I) got a puppy a few months back so the roller coaster is already in motion again.
🙁 Sad news Thomas. I still miss my 2 old mates a lot. Even after they have been gone for over 8 years It still leaves a big gap in my life. I just can’t go through that again.
It’s a dilemma isn’t it mate? Is the pleasure they bring to your life worth the agony at the end? I think it is. Better to have loved and lost and all that. But I empathise with your stance.
Yes, losing a faithful old friend is tough. I have been there a few times that’s why nowadays I devote my time and pocket money to the Garden Birds. Watching their struggle to cope with the winter is like an avian version of the Football Field.
The resident Blackbird spends his time chasing off any of his species from his turf like an old fashioned centre half. The Blue tits swoop in off the fence to make a deadly strike on the goal or spend time net hanging accepting easy pickings. The Robin postures aggressively puffing out his red chest, like a prima donna striker, before darting in to his target. The Starlings swoop in mob handed clearing the mid-field but all disperse when the bully boy Crows ( Argentinian or German ?) descend and take all before them. Shame my back garden is not the pitch where the Wolves rule. That’s the Mol!
Sorry to hear that Thomas and having been through it myself in the last year its never easy. Good luck with puppy, ours is now a 20 month GSD that insists on destroying whatever he can, which can include the very placid labrador!
Sorry to hear about your loss, Thomas. Been there myself, though it’s a few years ago now, and yeah, it’s pretty shit.
I’m hoping that Flo, our current lass (10 year old border collie) will last a while longer yet, but when they start getting older and stiff, it does send your mind wandering as to what you’ll have to go through again when the time comes. Still, wouldn’t be without them, would we?
There’s still a long way to go and it is worth remembering that in the first half of the game against Leyton Orient at home we played them off the park…but just didn’t have a cutting edge with a lone Cassidy up front. Hopefully we can pull out more performances like that and last night on a more consistent basis, with Dicko (and possibly someone else) proving more of the threat up front.
I just hope that Price manages to stay fit and dodge the migraines from now on, as the combination of him and McDonald looks a sound fit, especially with Henry, Jacobs and (an on form) Sako in the mix as well.
I would like to take this opportunity of officially inviting Kenny Jackett to sort out the running of this (once great) country.
He’s taken a complete basket case, and in a relatively short time, with a few deft additions and some minor cutbacks, transformed it into a well oiled machine which looks fit for purpose and also appears to have a decent future.
He has gone about his business in an honest and open way and without loading the club with huge amounts of debt.
He’s certainly got my vote.
And to answer your question Ben. I don’t think missing out on automatic promotion would be seen as a failure because the top two will slip up at some point.
Look at Peterborough.
At the beginning of the season they looked like they wouldn’t drop a point .
Now they can’t buy one.
I would like to think that we will get one of the top two spots if we can carry on the good work.
Shrews Wolf has done the maths and it seems to work out.
But, having said all that; part of me imagines a day in early Spring when 40,000 Wolves fans descend on Wembley – an old gold army coming together from all over the globe – to shout the lads to a play off victory.
Wouldn’t be bad, would it?
I’m in.
Wembley? Play-offs? I’m in!
In fact, if we only manage to make the play offs and go to Wembley, would it not be good for us to have some T Shirts made saying “Wolves Bloggers Rule” or something so we can identify each other and have a few beers before (and after) our win?
And even more thoughts!!! ………. what about a T Shirt that Says WOLVES BLOGGER and underneath that in slightly smaller font our name ie “the DOOGooder”
That’s a damn good idea!
If we make the final I’ll get one made for the present Mrs DG’er and myself.
See you there.
Trouble is, it’s going to be a bit of a let down when we finish top of the league, isn’t it?
Yeah, that’s true. But ………. we wont be thinking of T Shirts then we will be rejoicing!!!
I will put out an APB near the end of the season if we are defo in the play offs and I have a good contact (I think) that can do us a good deal on T Shirts. Anyone who wants one and who is going to Wembley can meet up somewhere before the game and I can issue them out ……….. Will talk more nearer the time, ref costs and the logistics of it all. I will have to change my blog name to something that will look good on a T Shirt though – Steve L Biles is much too formal!!!
Hopefully there will not be a need lol. Mind you, I remember going to Cardiff and how amazingly magic that feeling was!!!
UTW/FOWB
With the top two playing at home I thought an away fixture might be a banana skin for us but another good performance and impressive scoreline.
At the start of the season we were playing pretty poorly but winning and then our winter dip was quite strange as I thought we actually started playing a lot better and as a more cohesive team but the goals dried up at the business end of the pitch. It looks like we now seem to have the best of both worlds – good performances and the results to match.
After a bit of tinkering it seems KJ has settled on a favoured formation and the players to carry it out. With the likes of Doherty, Evans, Edwards, McAlinden, Sako, Ismail, Griffiths and Doyle not gauranteed a starting place it shows some strength in the squad that will hopefully carry us into the top two.
The quiet but effective KJ revolution continues!!
UTW
A bit chilly at the three stand match last night. Not the best performance I must add, but hey ho 3 points and a well fought battle. I was sat in Row BB and was chatting to a young lady named Laura who was with her brother. She happened to be the young lady whose father had attended every match bar one, which was the day of her wedding. Small world … you read something on the blog and then find yourself chatting to the same person. If she is reading this ……….. I hope your SHORT journey home was ok!!
Delighted with the result and think we’re good to push on now and challenge for the top spot.
No I don’t think it would be a failure to finish in the automatic spots would be considered a failure but I for one would be personally gutted if we don’t get back up.
The top two I think will drop points at some stage and as long as we keep picking them up then we’ll get there. The team is coming together now and looking better than we have for a long time. Good stuff.
Bugger! sorry the laptop had a moment there! That post should read I don’t think it would be a failure to finish outside the automatic promotion spot but I for one would be personally gutted if we don’t get back up. Right hope that makes sense now!!
It could be the case we finish third with over 100 points, and then have the play off lottery with a gap to sixth place of over 30 points. Our play off record, Cardiff apart, isn`t great, although on the other hand, as someone has said 40,000 or more Wolves fans at Wembley could be a great day out.
I`m sure it won`t come to that, Jackett and his side has the momentum, and we could beat both teams ahead of us on our travels.
May the force be with us.
Great win and a great performance by all I must admit I was looking at the score with one eye closed praying we’d hang on but for once I needn’t worry. The thing to remember is we had our blip every team has one during the season Brenford and LO are yet to have there’s plus we still have to play both its a pity there not our next 2 games I really think wwe’d beat them on this form. WELL DONE ME BABIES roll on Saturday.
Not a great performance as the score flattered us, but a an important result. Oldham worked hard and threw us off our game a bit. However the class of some of our players was the difference with 3 very good goals.
I like the system KJ plays 4-2-3-1. Dicko was excellent although got better support from Doyle rather than the disappointing Evans. I would always start with Henry and Jacobs wide as they are both far more consistent than Sako. He is not disciplined enough and Oldham almost equalised after he carelessly gave the ball away on the edge of the box. He is a better option off the bench when teams are tiring in the second half.
I Like the look of Price and particularly MacDonald who had a brilliant second half deserving his man of the match. Defence though looked shaky at times particularly dealing with crosses.
I think Brentford will be difficult to catch but am confident we can overhaul Orient.
Fantastic night seeing Wolves win by 3 away from home.
Sorry about your dog mate . Lost mine a couple of years ago and still think about him every day .
Another great win by the lads even though it proved to be a difficult night until we got our second goal.
Mc Donald’s motm performance and goal is certainly making his mark,and with KJ’S other two signing on the score sheet he must be well pleased.
Well done again lads on a great win and many more to come lets hope…
Just a pitty Brentford and Orient keep winning…UTW.
It’s a good point you raise Ben. At the start of the season I would have regarded outside the top two as a definite failure, but it would be impossible to criticise a team that amasses 95 points. It’s a nightmare scenario as we would doubtless succumb to Walsall in the play offs and would have to start all over again. .
I’ll be interested to see if there will be a post on the soon to be departing Griffiths. Personally I’m disappointed in the way Jackett’s used him, but that’s a debate for another day.
Great win last night, however I’m not sure about Clarke, another player who evidently won’t play for his team. Mind you a “foot injury” might explain his performance against Arsenal.
He’s moved around a bit too; I’d move anyone on who doesn’t want to play for their club, particularly ours.
So E&S latest says a fee has been agreed for Clarke -£750K – and it’ll be bye bye Leigh by Friday .
I reckon KJ will get the best out of Clarke, playing with Dicko – hopefully they’ll be terrorising defences from this Saturday till end of May..
Somehow I think it will work out pretty simply in the end: if we keep playing like we did yesterday then we’ll go up; if we play like we did over Xmas then we won’t. Let’s hope it’s the former … the squad is obviously capable of getting out of this division.
Great result yesterday … same again on Saturday please 🙂
Just looked at the fixtures for those jokers up the road . Well done vile , if you fancy a chuckle , have a look
The chances are at least one of the two clubs above us will have a dip in form somewhere along the line. Impressed with Kenny think we are now improving almost by the week and i am prepared to back his decisions on players. On Leon Clarke well i always sort of rated him there ive said it. He obviously wants to come back and play for his home town club and hasnt encouraged the interest from Championship clubs. I for one hope he gets a fair chance.
So… Clarkes’ move is pretty much sorted… Just waiting for personal terms and the simple matter of a medical to get through. (I wonder if his injured foot is okay). 😉
Randomly it made me remember when I’d got my ankle in plaster (orange and black hoops) and I went to go and get a few signatures (against QPR)… I remember that well as Gallen signed the cast too! Anyway back on track… I have the photo somewhere still but I think it may have been a Emblem or Geoff Thomas that joked I should be in the team with the injuries that we’d been so unfortunate with. Then I ran / limped off at speed as Steve Bull was making a dash for it and I had to have his signature. The (then) missus was left with whoever it was… (Could even have been Froggat) while I got Bullys signature, to then return to a red faced Mrs that had been apologising for me turning my back on this player and keeping him there so that he would sign my cast.
Anyway reminiscing and messing around aside… Clarke will have his doubters, so I hope he can prove everyone wrong, he really wants to play for Wolves, (so much so that he got injured against Arsenal), so hopefully his desire will help put many a ball in the back of the net.
With regard to comments that he does not fit the profile, especially his age… I’m sure any other team in this division would want him in their side and that with all the other youngsters, we need a few old older heads on the pitch to give some direction and experience.
Welcome back home Clarkey!
I liked Clarke when he was at Wolves last time and was sad to see it all go pear-shaped for him, as I always want to see home grown talent come through and be successful. So that alone was disappointing and from that respect, happy he’s been given a second chance at the Wolves. He needs to grab it with both feet and get a bagful of goals (and Dicko too for that matter) and make this a season to remember, as was 1988-89 the last time we was in this league. I remember the promotion clincher at Brisbane Road (!!) that season, buying a ticket from a tout with money I borrowed from my Liverpool supporting Bungay mate to get in and waiting an age to get on the pitch after the match to applaud the lads Bully et al! Happy days! By the way, Griffo’s going (as I thought he would ever since we signed Dicko) so that pic at the top’s gonna have to goo:(
A great result lads. KJ knows whats what.
Important management and business cliche but true. Dont worry what the others are doing you have zero control of it. Concentrate and worry about what we are doing if we keep turning in the results the rest will follow. I will be surprised if Brentford can maintain this run and orients game in hand means nothing until they win it.
I would be pig sick if we miss out on Automatic, but we then default to having to win the play offs.
If we do not I shall not blame this team or KJ I shall put the blame where it is deserved with Moxey and morgan and then carry on supporting my beloved Wolves next season as usual.
Just keep winning lads and it will all come right no maths or rocket science needed.
Just a few observations.
This team is starting to get a look of our last successful team I think. Just take a look at the players we’ve recently signed.
Clarke a striker who has only scored consistently in the lower leagues (and if your looking into it in depth just for coventry really) sound like any one….. Iwelumo? Only managed to score goals in any sort of quantity when he played in the lower leagues (mostly for Colchester) hopefully mr clarke will become as key to our early success under KJ as iwelumo was under MM!
You can see comparisons with other players aswell young raw striker capable of a few goals, but only showed this scoring ability in short burst before he came to molineux. Ebanks Blake and Nouha Dicko??? (Hopefully Dicko will become a better player as he doesn’t carry the weight or lack pace as his predicesor did)
Finally the 2 wide players. Both brought in for minimum amounts of money. 1 is tricky and likes to take people on with the ball, the other puts in a decent cross but also likes gets into the box and finishes off chances. Am a describing Jarvis and kighty or Jacobs and Henry.
It seems that mr jackett is coping mr mcarthys blue print to success lets only hope this one finishes a little better.
Is it ok if i just call you Does ? Some interesting observations on the long perspective. Hopefully Kenny has perhaps already shown he wont be the slave to one dimensional 4-4-2 football that MM largely was. Secondly now we are in league 1 it will be nye on impossible to sign players already having success at a higher level but if you are right and he does lead us back to the premier league i am sure he will be in the market for better players.
Interesting observations ‘Confused of MM’.
I certainly see where you’re coming from.
I think that KJ is building us a team to get promoted.
I also think that KT is doing a much better job than a lot of people were prepared to give him credit for.
I also think that the pair of them are getting some backing from SM & JM.
It might be limited – and it almost certainly involves several stones and not much blood – but it seems to be happening.
Finally, I think that KJ has the intelligence to judge, if and when we get promotion, who will cut it in the Championship.
And the balls to make changes where necessary.
Looks like Griffo off – one of the highest scorers in the league and still young must be something behind the scenes here ? If we get 3M for Hennessey…..sshh.
It’s all happening then!
Hennessey to Crystal Palace – 3million – can’t be bad business.
Doyle on loan to QPR – Ditto.
Griffiths almost certainly to Celtic – a bit sad about that, but if he wants to be in Scotland it’s the best place to be.
And another thing!
Forgot about Siggy off on loan.
I think this is a very good move. It might well be the making of him.
Haven’t seen that one. Where’s that to mate?
Back to Norway.
Molde, apparently.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s ex club.
Agreed DOOGooder… Could very well be the making of Siggy. It could also be what Doyle needs, as the new surrounding may give him the uplift he needs to start finding the back of the net. At least with them both going out on loan, I would hope there is a recall option should the worst happen with injuries etc.
Would also be a good time to blood a few of the hot prospects we have in the striker department waiting in the wings. Put them in the squad ready, and if we happen to have a few games where we have a good cusion of goals… throw them in for 10 mins.
At work I heard the odd groan that spending 750k on a striker for an 18 month contract was ridiculous and that it was money wasted. I instead saw this as shrewd business as Clarke is currently on fire and if his goals can get us out of this league then he if never played in the 1st team again, then it’s only a year to run his contract down compared to running 3 years on some of the players that are a waste of space. (No need to mention names). Adding to this, the values of most of the other players would go higher due to being in a higher division, offsetting this outlay considerably.
I would liken this bit of business to selling your house that’s been on the market for 6 months (not even 1 potential viewer) so you spend 2k on the kitchen and market the house for 5k more… You not only get the viewers… but you sell it for more than you’d original planned.
Never expected the high offer for Hennesey either. That’s a massive jump from the original 500k they offered. A little bemused to be fair!
Onwards and upwards!
I’m in total agreement with you about Clarke.
It shows again how Canny Kuddly Kenny is.