As my wife passed Molineux to do the weekly shopping at Asda, my little boy’s face dropped.
“Mummy, look! Daddy. Football. Diggers. No. WAAHHHHHH.”
“Don’t worry son,” she said. “They’ll build a better stand. They are making it stronger and bigger.”
Fighting back the tears and wiping the snot from his nose, he whimpered: “Will it be ready for when Daddy comes home from work?”
God bless him. The poor little man is only three years-old and he’s already crying about the Wolves.
And while the cheeky monkey knows far more than I sometimes give him credit for, he is blissfully unaware of what really goes on behind those diggers.
In Arthur Smallman’s black and white world, he says what he sees. He sees a new Lightning McQueen jumper and he says he wants it.
He sees a Buzz Lightyear space rocket and he positively yearns for it, until I give in and buy him the bloody thing to shut him up.
It’s a familiar tale. We all say we want Jamie O’Hara and we are told we will get him within the week. A month or so later and we’re crying like babies, casting Jez a doe-eyed look, pulling at his trouser leg to show us some compassion.
‘Put O’Hara back on the shelf and stop being naughty. Leave him alone,’ says Jez, as a transfer saga that was meant to be sorted within seven days still rumbles on.
While I am not wailing to the shade of purple quite yet, I am mildly pissed off that this deal is drifting on for so long, when the player said he wants to stay, the manager says he wants to buy and the delectable Danielle says she loves the Midlands.
It wouldn’t be so bad if the stingy father-figure was keeping quiet about everything else, but he chooses not to, with quotes like this one last week:
“I cannot say for certain, but I would be very surprised if we did not stay up last season with our wage bill at least in the bottom three of the Premier League.
Compare that one to this one on March 19th 2009: “If you draw up a table of the average over three years of where teams finish and then correlate that to their wage bill, they’re going to be very well aligned.”
While I appreciate the sight of a tightly run ship, I much prefer the vision of the first page of the Premier League table and wonder how we might get there with contradictions like these. Moreover, I WANT O’HARA!
When my little lad cries over that Toy Story spaceship I tell him to be patient. It’ll be his birthday in two weeks after all.
I’m more than prepared to do likewise myself. But if little Arthur caught sight of some Pingu Poundland alternative under the bed, he’d be having kittens. A bit like me when I heard we were linked with Luke Chambers from Nottingham Forest.
So like a screaming little brat who wants his favourite toy I would just like to know what our expectation levels really should be next season, and what the hold-up is with O’Hara?
While every parent appreciates a Primark bargain or two, shopping in this store all of the time can lead to only two things:
1. Items that are wrecked within a month.
2. A child who everyone will presume was dragged up in Sandwell.
I heard that the reason the Ohara deal is stalling because Mick is looking at doing business with the yids on another player. It could possibly be Bassong – also he has been linked to getting in Shane Long and a mystery defender from Reading so it would sound a lot like Jez and Mick to kill two birds with one stone twice. It can be head doing when the Wolves board persist in a media blackout. Although there is benefits to remaining stealth when conducting business. I think we will possibly bringing in 3 players plus Ohara before pre-season kicks off. I know that the media do tend to distort facts and people get dis-heartened when their fancied transfer falls through. So I am happy that the 3Ms are keeping quiet – but hopefully we get the right players and learn from buying too much baggage like last years summer transfer signings. The papers have said that Bayern Munich are challenging us to our bid for Long. I am anxious to see if we get to sign Johnson too.
Hope so mate. This time of the year is always compounded by boredom, so each passing day withough a purcahse feels like a month, and we’re only in June!
With past history – going as far back as far as the Youle Mawene saga – I do worry! Not forgetting M’Bami, Scott Dann and others I fail to recall.
Even if we are negotiating with Spurs, I find it difficult to see how it would prevent us from stating we have purchased O’Hara?
We shall see!
Being a life long Wolves fan base in Oxfordshire I am a little concerned about the Shane Long deal as according to my friends within the club he is playing on a combination of pain killers and intensive phisio. As for the rest O’Hara is a must, Johnson and Mills (who is very very good indeed) would be nice. I still feel we need another man upfront as I see us loosing Jarvo and either or both of Fletcher and Doyle. I understand Jez’s wish to keep the books right and the news leaking from the boardroom tighter but I fear we are settling for another monumental fight to stay up again. Year two in the Premiership is usually the hardest as you are no longer an unknown entity but I feel this year could be the hardest of the all. We still need Premiership experience in the squad and we still need to sort out that confused and often bemused defence. Four players sounds a little light for the problems we face in the squad as I would want three at the back alone. Craddock will be a rock if he can stay fit but beyond that we need more of the same.
Here is hoping the board pick up Upson, Johnson, O’Hara, Mills plus a couple of unknown names. Long would be another Kightly, when he plays he would be dynamite bu how many would he really play with his injury issues.
Great article Ben, which raises an issue that goes well beyond the O’Hara deal.
Football fans by nature are impatient. They want things now, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, immediately. NOW!
As we know with Wolves, all business is conducted under a cloud of secrecy until we see a player holding the shirt.
Personally, I feel that this is a good policy even if it does leave us guessing at times.
So for all we know, Jez is just waiting for O’Hara to come back from his holidays and sign a piece of paper. It could really be as simple as that.
When the BBC reported that the deal had been done last week, Moxey was quick to come out and say the announcement was ‘premature’. His wording gave the impression that the deal was more or less complete, save for a few formalities.
But that’s just how I took it. Time will tell of course if that’s the correct interpretation.
Either way, more patience is needed.
After all, we can only truly judge our summer transfer dealings when the first game kicks off in August.
And we can only judge the success of those signings after 38 games, as we learned this season with Fletcher and Hunt.
There’s nothing wrong with having expectations, but I don’t think we should be throwing our toys out the pram just yet.
I think the Mills, Johnson, Bassong or Woodgate would secure our leaking defense going into pre-season so we will have to wait and see.
Mick has already stated that no stars will be leaving the club this summer. I would imagine when he says ‘stars’ he means Fletcher,Doyle,Jarvis, and Hunt. So I wouldnt worry there. Mick is a man of his word and you can’t take that away from him. Long wants to team up with his old team mate Doyle but it would be awkward to fit him in with Guedio and Hammill looking to become our new stars and then you have our regular stars in midfield such as Jarvo,Ohara – if he signs..I think he will, and Hunty who you just can not replace. Also Fletcher is our goal machine and Doyle is also a benefit up front – and then you have Ward who looks a threat in his strikers roll. Who could we possibly replace in midfield and attack so personally I think we could do without Long and also we need to let Henry go – he is the weak link in the Wolves team, captain or not! Fingers X’d I think the 3Ms will do their upmost to secure us a stronger defense than last seasons. That is my only worry. MDW
Who is Ward a threat to???
One goal in four years???
stop smoking the funny stuff and get real!!
That’s a load of bollocks about Ward, Clive. According to wikipedia, he’s actually scored 4 goals in four years……. that’s an average of one every seaon! And in only 147 games…….that’s an average of one every 36.75 games! Take it back i say!
And if you factor in the number of games he’s missed through “injury”, twisted blood etc, multiply by four and take away the number you first thought of, then he’s a better striker than Ronaldo, Messi and Rooney combined!!!
Give him a contract for life.
FOSW
Nice timing Ben,
I’ve just had a convo with our Robin on the previous blog about “the signing”. Are they trying to make it look like a marquee signing…?
I’m forever the pessimist until proven otherwise generally. Yeah yeah yeah Spurs could be looking at No income tax, no VAT Del boy deals and what they can get out of us (Hennessy/Jarvo)… Similarly, we could be looking at more from them. Robin mentioned Bassong…
I’ve seen deals fall at the altar for less than this.
So f*ck patience and his mate perseverance. I WANT O’HARA TOO.
There’s many a slip twixt cup and lip.
This is what the club told me on twitter today mate (@officialwolves) after I told them I was in danger of wetting my pants:
@brimfieldben Still ongoing! Holidays for various parties at this time of year always hold things up. Keep ’em dry!
Good of them to get back to me. They are v good on twitter IMO.
I actually speed read that as “holidays and various parties” and thought this is no time to pardy O’Hara!!
All good news tho mate and nice to have a bit of a personal touch. I’ll cool off and stop dreaming of an Albi*n shirt with O’Hara on the (erm) front hopefully.
My missus asked to take some photographs from the inside of the ground as the North Bank was demolished and the new stand goes up. Reponse = nada.
She should of twatted ’em (or whatever the past tense is tweet is).
Indeed there is many a slip twixt cup and lip.
One rumor has it that we are buying O’Hara and Bassong while taking Keane on a season loan!
Quite a chunk out of Morgan’s £18m…
I take it with a pinch of salt!
It’s my birthday tomorrow Ben – can I have O’Hara please?
NO! You can have a drumstick lolly and be grateful!
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh……
Ok, can I negotiate and have a half decent left back please? I have been asking for one for three years!
Chuggington box set. That’s my final offer.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……
Ok Dad, how about a decent centre half from a club in crisis (Birmingham City) so that I can take the p*ss out of all the horrible blue noses I know (even more than I am currently)?
Not unless you eat your pudding sonny!
After a real life two hour teething scream up in the middle of the night by my 8 month old even the thought of typing waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh fills me with dread!
I’ll therefore take your final offer of the chuggington box set!
It’s a deal. Happy birthday BTW! 😉
last few years its been about getting deals done quickly so i expect movement sooner rather than later. Moxey said in an interview Ohara cant even speak to any other clubs till July so i expect that deal to be done when he comes back off holiday. As for other signings every time we have gone for a proven prem player Doyle, Fletcher Hunt and Ohara they have proved worthwhile. Im more concerned that we may try the good championship player route who im not convinced can always cut it in the prem. We have enough championship level players already. Id be happy with Johnson an Ridgewell an Warnock from Villa. I was also test blues for Gardner an for me that would be it an mid table boringness would suit me just fine
Yep, I’d go with all of those names Sven. This whole Villa / Blues manager shambles makes me think Johnson will go to Villa IF McCleish goes there.
Will wait and see!!
Being linked with someone called Lukman Haruna from Monaco – never heard of him!
Thats my worry Gardner is available for 5 mill i’d offer 3mill with Dave Edwards as a make weight id even throw in Keogh. Gardner is young and English an he certainly isnt a gamble. With no settling in the area and into the premier league problems i could see him hitting the ground running. i know nothing of Luka ive looked him up an he’s a under 20 Nigerian intrenational he may prove the signing of the season but id rather not take the gamble
I’ve asked my yid mate about bassong and he said he is a good, solid premiership defender, he’s just too far down the pecking order to get a game. when he comes on though they don’t fear the worst or expect a lapse in concentration, he’ll go in to do a job and he’ll do it well. in other words he’ll walk into our back line and start every game. he’s been an unused sub 30 times last season and wants to play regularly – and is now my favourite of the names we’ve been touted with since may 22nd.
Say what you like about Dann / Johnson / Upson’s credentials, but they’ve all contributed to their respective team’s relegations this season. Woodgate for me is a non-starter, in every sense of the word. best left well alone.
Fletcher and Hunt contributed to their teams relegations the prior season, then contributed to our survival.
Cant remember what it feels like to watch a defender in a Wolves shirt and not expect to see a lapse in concentration!!!
yes but fletch was top scorer and hunt was player of the season, and defenders are surely more culpable in a relegated team…
Not if that team is dead last in goals scored.
The one thing that is constant this close season is the uplift in so called prices or transfer fees, whether media driven or otherwise, for players from all divisions.
If either Blues centre halves go for mega money, the talk of £15m for either Dann or Johnson, it makes nonsense of Moxey ripping up Danns contract as we wouldn`t pay another £5k a week. A bird in the hand or a decent player in the team. How much profit could we have made if we were selling that player right now.
The centre half debate goes on. The local Sheffield paper says Megson – remember him? – is desparate to sign young Danny Batth for another year. My web designer mate who is an avid Owls fan reckons he looks a really good player, thats his career at Wolves over then. maybe we are topping up our offers by adding our utility hero Ward as a £5 makeweight to all these deals. Who was that lunatic who said he was looking useful playing up front towards the end of last season. Think what wolves could have achieved with a really good player in the team instead of him.
A fiver for Ward?
Talk about inflation!!!
FOJM
I’d give you a fiver every match for Ward not to be named even on the subs bench – still if you are MM love child you can start a centre forward or anywhere you want.
Absolutely brilliant blog Ben, and i just love the graphics. This blog just gets better and betterer.
I have no issue in not going public till the deal is done, i admire it in fact. If we get O’Hara eventually that’s fine, it’s just the if seems like an IF based on past dealings. Moxey said recently that we are not losing players because we are not paying enough wages which is simply not true. Apart from the ones we know about like Dann, lots of others are non starters because of our wage structure. And if he’s talking about existing players, Jones couldn’t agree a deal so he’s leaving on a free.
I’m all for a gradual evolution at the club but that should entail a gradual increases in wages and transfer fees to reflect the increased incme this league provides. Not to mention a mega rich chairman who got the club for nowt.
another pertinent example is McCarthy of Wigan RFC who I seem to remember had a pen hovering over a contract before receiving a call from his agent and was away to the rainy North West as fast as you can say shit ground no fans
If Moxey has said we haven’t lost out on signing players due to our wage structure he is insulting our intelligence! Money talks Jez – if anyone should know that it’s you.
However, I’m not bothered about losing Jones personally!
agreed, despite THAT goal against the pot heads and a handful of amazing performances, he could sometimes rival Darren Ferguson for anonymous outings in a Wolves shirt. Replacing Jones with O’Hara is a definite upgrade.
For the sake of balance though, as infuriating as the penny pinching can be, at least if we do go down we won’t do a blouse (leeds, hull, portsmouth… i could go on) and scupper ourselves for potentially another generation. I applaud the tight ship policy on the whole, I just bemoan the likes of blouse and wigan RFC gazumping us to deals when in the grand scheme of things they should be playing in the vauxhall tampax league or whatever it’s called these days.
Surely there must be a third way?!?
Too right Sleachy – look at Blues, they put that hopeless bean pole striker on £48k per week over four years. That’s £10m on their Championship wage bill – no wonder they want £5m for the manager that took them down!
That’ll burn through those parachute payments sh*t hot!
I actually think Blues were doomed the moment they chose not to sign Chucho, that little Columbian striker. Okay, he didn’t score a lot for them, but he at least made a 4-4-2 system viable, and seemed to bring more out of Jerome.
Certainly bertter value than Zigic.
Anyway, nobody really cares, least of all me, so I will shut up!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Beautiful ain’t it
Well said Deano. Can you get 50 bloggers to pay 10p each per game, put me down for that.
When the old boy at wigan gets fed up with covering their massive overdraft, that club will fall like a broken wing. I wonder how many of their total gates last season were away fans. Even Bolton`s debts of £70m or so are underwritten by a wealthy chairman.
If football was really a game for the supporters, they should redraw the preier league based on support, so the likes of Derby, Forest, Leicester should all be in the premiership. Save me a lot of travelling if they were.
It won`t happen of course, but musing because of no information from the mol is a daily event now. Can`t throw me toys out of the pram as we`ve not been given any yet. Although glad to hear Zubar should be ok for preseason, missed him badly at the end of last season.
Except for the backpass at Bolton! ha,ha,ha!
Had he been rooming with Mancienne?
Good afternoon Stourbridge Wolf.
You do realise had we taken a deserved point at Bolton, (and beaten the baggies away) then the end of season squeaky bum time which all fans enjoyed so much, may never have happened.
Of course which crazy manager would dream of playing a pacey, athletic 6ft 2″ defender at right back, and a 5ft 8″ weakling who can`t head a ball at centre half, not MM eh.
Can`t be the same Mancienne who played for England under 21s the other day – can it? How does that work, he does it for Pearcy though!!!!
Ah, did you see him in the U21’s?? He was so bad! God knows how he is captain. I don’t know how Pearce plays him ahead of Smalling or Phil Jones.
I think Ward would have done a better job… 😮
Hamburg are paying him £40,000 per week too – unbelievable!
Why is it, no matter what the subject of the blog is, after very few comments about that particular topic, the blog degenerates to the same theme…..change the defense and get rid of Ward/MM/Moxey??
Is it that we are all sheep, or is it that we, the fans, who have a collective knowledge and understanding of football that numbers hundreds, nay thousands, of years, and we actually know about which we speak? (even if our grammar is oft times not good)
Surely someone on this blog knows McCarthy, and can point his nose (have y’all ever noticed how his nose tracks lopsidedly down his face, but I digress) in this direction, there to peruse our musings, AND FOR ONCE LISTEN TO WHAT WE ARE SAYING!!!!
Changing the subject, I would like to start a campaign, Thomas and Benjamino, to have the picture at the top of the blog changed.
The strip is outdated, the pic is at least 3 years old, and those pictured may not get a look in at the start of next season.
I propose that you, Ben, with your undoubted investigative and journalistic skills find a picture of our famous trio, Moxey, McCarthy and Ward doing their “behind closed doors ass licking dance”.
This must go on, why else are they still at the club.
Also, we must have a pic of our fabulous strip sponsors logo, coz I feel it won’t be too long before it’s history.
Moxey has made some poor decisions in his time, but he’s also doing a decent job. We are running at a good profit now, and that comes down to him, Morgan and Mick in my opinion because they are a good team.
I think most people hate Moxey for the whole Pie and Pint thing.
I agree Louie, Moxey has sorted the business out.
Ok it’s a fallacy when people mention that we are the only “no debt” club in the Prem because of how the Hayward/Morgan deal was structured, but we are much more prudent and savvy from an accounting prospective. Jez will never be a football man, but he’s proved to be a decent businessman. Much better run club than past experiences and whether it’s all down to Jez or not, he’s ultimately the captain of the ship. Like most people in his position, he comes out with a few nobhead comments/schemes but all in all, can’t complain.
As for a new picture – how about Ward celebrating his winning goal at Anfield (just to wind Clive up)!!!!
It’s gotta be Bully doing the aeroplane. that’s the reason we’re all Wolves fans!
It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it!
I repeat “there is nothing like a Bully goal”
The team I’d like to see next year, with reserves:
GK – Hennessey / Ikeme (need a new keeper)
LD – Konchesky / Warnock
CB – Johnson / Stearman
CB – Yobo / Mills
RB – Zubes / Foley
LM – Jarvis / Kightly
CM – O’Hara / Milijas
CM – Gardner / Henry
RM – Hunt / Hammill
ST – Doyle / SEB
ST – Fletcher / Ward
I think the first team would be a comfortable mid-table team and the second team is as good as last year (possibly need a new striker).
We’d still have :
Edwards
Mouyokolo
Guedioura
Berra
Craddock
to make up the 25….
What do you think?
I think that’s 27 mate.
I also think that 6 signings of that quality might be a bit of a stretch. Still, aim for the stars and you might land on the moon and all that.
But obviously yes, that would do nicely. I think Bassong is a good choice for us at CB but I wouldn’t Yobo, Johnson or Dann stepping in. We’ll probably sign 1 CB, 1 LB, O’Hara and another CM – that’s my guess anyway.
Aye, I know it’s 27 – just saying the players we’d have to make up the remaining spots. It is a wish list and I’m not expecting us to buy 2 LBs or 3 CBs but just seeing what our team would look like if we signed some of these players.
I think we could do with an extra striker if Mick decides to play 442.
you’ve more chance of us beating utd, chelsea, city, a****n, villa and liverpool again. Ward has to have a place in the squad, and a 4th striker would limit his playing chances so MM will never do it.
Why do you think we never sign any LBs?
MM has got away with Ward playing at left back on occasions for four years, what with promotion in his second season and staying in the premiership for two years.
I hope MM isn`t expecting his good fortune in playing Ward anywhere is going to continue for another year.
He is a joke at left back, although by now you would have thought MM would not play him there if the opposition had a tricky/pacey winger ready to run at him. Problem is standards are rising each year, and weaknesses will be ruthlessly exposed as teams go for points. Wolves will be seen to be one of the teams the promoted sides should expect to get something from, and frankley they are probably right if we don`t start next year with a premiership quality left back, i`d even take Big George over Ward any day.
Ward is taking up a place which should go to a rising academy graduate, I mean surely MM can find one good enough in 5 years. Not to do so is a disgrace, or is the academy a revenue stream rahter than a player stream, I see young Bennett has arrived in the prem. with Norwich. I just hope we don`t suffer the ignomy of that lad skinning Ward with his pace like so many flying wingers have done before.
The worrying thing is that no matter who he buys he will always find a
place for his boys ie,ward ,Henry or any yes men who puts in a shift as he
calls it..Another thing on academy players more of the present than the
past is,they don’t get a chance down here,like i said ward,Henry always get the nod. I thought bennett was a good prospect when he was down here,when will the young players ever get a chance down the mol.
How about an academy for managers????????????
Now that should spark some debate.
erm, apparently not Clive!
I’ve read this morning that Kevin Nolan is going from Newcastle to West Ham for £1m. WTF?!?! WHY did we not go for him? He’s be a MASSIVE upgrade on Henry.
I actually swore out loud on the bus when I read that, and the lady infront turned round and glared at me. I hope you’re happy Jez.
He’s gone for the money – reported to be £55k+.
Would have been a fantastic buy though – looks like Newcastle are going into meltdown. My Geordie mate is not happy, he thinks they’ll sell Enrique and Gutierrez too – Mike Ashley being a greedy bastard as usual. They could be in trouble next year.
And on twitter an ‘agent’ reckons we have bid for joey barton. Please, please, NO!!!
Nolan would be a good signing for us, but he’s an idiot and out of our league with wages.
I would actually take Barton. Am I the only one? Probably! His cigar stubbing days seem to be well behind him now, but I appreciate he’d have more baggage than the England cricket team’s dressing room.
The problem you’d have is keeping other players happy.
I have not seen Henry give any other player the treatment he gave Barton at Molineux, so to see him rock up, on far more wages would surely do his head in. (unless Karl went the other way? There has been talk that Pardew likes Henry?)
The more I think of it, the more I can’t see this happening. Not an area we need to be splashing loads in, UNLESS O’Hara ain’t coming?
Barton wouldn’t entertain coming to us either, he’ll be thinking of ‘bigger’ clubs I reckon.
Except when he punched Pederson on the chest (very agrresively) and then said ‘I don’t know why he reacted the way he did’. Or when he signalled to torres to suck his …… he is a disgusting character, and if we want to keep the policy of having good footballers who are good people we will do well not to sign him.
Good player, fantastic crossing ability but I’d have to have to signal with FOJB at the end of all my comments. 😉
Fair points Louie! Forgot about those. You’re right. He’s an arse. I do rate him though.
Apparently he’s got the same manager as Vampire Weekend though and is into his tunes. Maybe he fancies heading to Wolves so he can get into the Civic for free. Maybe he fancies a few nights out down at Blast Off after a game.
oh dear, Barton + Blast Off = fights, no question
It’s a shame such a twat can be so talented, because he would be perfect for our midfield.
I’d have joey barton a bit of snott in midfield why not,as said seems he’s
mellowed a bit if that is the right word a scouse git who can play a bit…