Less than 24 hours after one of the most shambolic, depressing performances in Premier League history and it is still impossible to decide which sight was worse.
The clueless shambles on the pitch – as Stoke City fans rejoiced in our pathetic surrender – was torture enough, before a near lifeless Wolves fan piped up with: ‘Play for the goal difference Mick’.
He wasn’t even being sarcastic. Just pragmatic.
And that’s how life is as a Wolves fan under the dystopian, totalitarian world in which we live.
We’re off to Wem-ber-ley, you’re off to NPower League sang the Stoke City fans, who packed into a ground which looked far, far too big for them only four years ago.
Yet we’re the ones who are expected to be grateful, as our manager chooses to pack his team full of the same players who most of the home ‘supporters’ wouldn’t have seen a few years ago.
When I was last at this unimaginably noisier stadium back in 2007/08, so too were Stephen Ward, Michael Kightly, Karl Henry, Kevin Foley, Wayne Hennessey not to mention Jody Craddock, who didn’t play in a 0-0 draw in front of a measly 15,000 fans, in a season when we finished 7th.
Of Tony Pulis’ team, only Manchester United graduate Ryan Shawcross and Rory Delap remain.
In 2007, we gleefully sang about empty seats being here, there and every f**king where, as a scattering of weathered Clayheads turned the other cheek.
In 2011, there were more wanky Wanderers chants as there were Stoke City attacks (of which there were many) as football in Staffordshire finally eat itself.
One team is in need of a new stadium to keep the jubilant throngs of fans in place, while the other is knocking their stadium down in readiness for Championship football.
And during this painful, gut wrenching, irreversible cycle, one set of fans are told to think of the bigger picture or forever be a nugget, while the other lot prepare for a 2nd day at Wembley and told to have a bloody good time.
A trophy that our current Hall of Fame is built around, while we build our team around Stephen Ward instead, who was pitifully exposed by Jermaine Pennant down the left hand side in a sight all too familiar.
The very same Stephen Ward was then moved up front to try and prize the ball from the big bad Stoke defenders, who brushed him off like a bug on their trouser leg.
Sam Vokes then came on to join in the game, as Huth and Shawcross stifled a yawn.
Meanwhile, our tried and trusted failures in defence cut a similar pose, as Kenwyne Jones bullied them all over the pitch, just like he did when playing for Sunderland last season when we shipped 5 goals.
You’d have thought Mick would have learned his lesson wouldn’t you? Progression? Pah! Time to swat up on that ‘3 M’ manifesto again methinks.
‘This was Stoke City away. We were never going to get anything from this one. They’re a big strong side.’
In a day or two, we’ll get the: ‘Now has never been a better time to be in the bottom three in the history of the Premier League, because we are so close to getting out of it.’
On Friday it will be: ‘We are more battle hardened in a relegation fight because we’ve been in the bottom 3 all season.’
At the final whistle last night, Mick said it was all too unfathomable to explain.
Steve and Jez…care to give it a go?
I sat among the travelling support at the 70 minute mark and saw this team:
Hennessey – Stearman, Craddock, Berra, Mancienne – Kightly, Henry, O’Hara, Jarvis – Vokes, Ward.
Hard to know whether to laugh, cry or punch the guy next to you in sheer rage. Ten of our Championship players and a loan signing? Not even our best Championship players – player of the promotion season, Kevin Foley, was sat on the bench!
How has it come to this? Even Mick seems unsure: “Funny to go from the Villa performance to that in four games.”
Quite. That’s because half the outfield players are different.
And yet, we’ve only actually lost two players from that team – Doyle and Elokobi (!). The other three have been dropped like a bad habit – Milijas and (mystifyingly) Foley & Hammill.
All of a sudden the team looks a complete mess. Maybe the players have panicked but if they have there’s only one man to blame. He threw his game plan out the window after 30 mins against Newcastle.
I just find it hard to believe we’d have fared so badly if he had just said: “We’ve lost Doyle, in comes Fletcher. As you were.”
Completely agree and thought that on the way home, particularly the Villa reference that I heard on 5Live.
If we go down, which now looks a big if, the worst bit of all is that we will just never know if we could have done it (unlike Holloway et al who would have at least given their sides the best chance).
Because under Mick, he refused to play the same team that beat Villa away in any single game until the end of the season.
That makes it worse. If he played as many as that team against Villa and we went down, at least we wouldn’t die wondering.
But there will always be this nagging, sickening feeling that we could have actually stayed up if our manager had showed just one ounce of integrity to the players that got 8 pts in 4 games. Players that gave him bucket loads of integrity in return.
Our short term (and quite possibly long term) future, flippantly screwed up and idly thrown around a changing room by one man.
When Moxey said we ‘do things differently here,’ boy did he mean it. Somebody WAKE UP!
The same man that then says ‘funny to go from the Villa to this.’
Bad managers create problems. Good ones, ala Hodgson, solve them.
As it stands, there have never been more problems in our team.
Shit left back. Centre back playing right back. Centre back frozen out and brought back in. Other centre back a hopeless, leaden footed, foul machine.
Our bright new scouse face dropped, our system changed on a seven day basis.
Problems, problems, problems.
Totally agree Ben.
Pathetic performance and a manager that is starting to look like a rabbit stuck in the headlights. Bizarre team selections and square pegs placed in round holes. Ward still being lauded in post match interviews as if just to bate the fans. A complete shambles and I doubt we will do much better than mid table in the Championship next season with this clown in charge of team selection.
I called for McCarthy’s head in November and I haven’t changed my mind since. All the happy clappers are now realising that with a handful of games to go we are really in the sh*te. Why does anyone think we can move out of the relegation places in the next four games when we haven’t been able to do it all season?
I probably sound like a broken record but… If by any miracle we do stay up it will be despite McCarthy rather than because of the decisions he had made.
That was poor.
I feel we should have nipped in for Hodgson before albion did. Having said that we`ve got ward, hunt, o`hara, henry, stearman, berra and theyve got shorey, scharner, thomas, morrison, odemwingie, olsson and molumbu. There is no comparison, they are, I hate to admit, far, far superior in every dept.
McCarthy must go, he bought all those donkeys.
I wrote in my match prediction I was worried about how Pennant would have our utility left back in his pocket. As it happened I had a grandstand view only three rows from the front of a really decent premiership winger teasing our inept left back . Groundhog day, as Ward stood so far off the winger it was obvious to everybody except the manager who picks him what was going to happen.
I also said we would be bullied, well we were and MM seems surprised by that, impotent to guess or realise that was always going to happen, or to have picked any men with balls to deal with it. Its ok being an autocratic twat, but when the going gets tough his team have nothing but weak yes men, no characters all afraid of being dropped with no heart or bottle, apparently no-one with any appetite for the fight. All of which are MM`s signings, and as he would never sign anyone with any balls, oh he did but van Damme was moved on very quickly for speaking his mind..
After being skinned for half an hour Ward was moved up front out of the way, great, the damage was already done – again. Frankly if MM thinks Ward is a premiership player in any position its no wonder we are in the shite. What an insult to the fans and to the other players to move his favourite to another position where he contributed absolutely nothing.
That was for me the final straw, players picked who are not good enough, wrong tactics, no development of a team within an ongoing plan or method of playing, just sticking plaster signings on a wing and a prayer, and no idea what to do next.
For me MM the sooner you f**k off out of the club I have supported for 50 years the better. Take Ward, and Berra with you to whichever club has the misfortune to employ you. I decided to leave 15 minutes before the end last night, and joined a massive stream of other fans who had had enough. Thanks for the promotion party Mick, but what followed has been an expensive disaster. And I fear its going to get worse. I`m with Clive now, f*** off MM.
Mark you have written exactly what I was going to write to the letter. The Happy Clappers will say look at what MM inherited and how he turned it around, I say its not where we were but where we are now and where were are now is a team in disarray with a manager who has completely lost it.
I was always of the belief that you pick your strongest team, and in fact if you don’t clubs like us and Blackpool get fined. McCarthy needs reporting to the FA fand the club fined as that was far from our strongest team last night.
All together now – FOMM; FOJM; FOSM
I agree wholeheartedly. In November I was slammed down on BBC 606 for saying MCarthy should go but the past 4 games have been an unconditional surrender. He puts his ego above everything even the club. Before Xmas he should have gone.
Well i’ll be honest, after the 90 minutes in the freezing cold last night I really can’t be arsed to read the comments as normal, we were worse than shit and probably could not play that badly again if we tried. Fact is I can’t see what is going to make us better enough to get the points we need to stop up. Oh well, more home games for my money at home and cheaper away days next year….. Yes I have thrown in the towel, just hope MM goes at the end of the season regardless. Most deflated I’ve felt about the Wanderers in a few years.
We can and will play that badly again, wait til Sunday and see how we can be even worse!
I can’t see it mate, I’m not expecting to get anything but I think we will show more battle, we couldn’t show any less. Just gutting when you pay £30 a ticket and give up the time and they can’t even pretend to fight!!
A great article by the Irish Post telling it as it is and exposing our issues –
http://www.irishpost.co.uk/tabId/63/itemId/9846/Inconsistent-Wolves-set-to-wander-again.aspx?
When we go down the Molineux next year is going to be a poisonous pit.
North bankers moaning about their new seats, same shite players minus the few good ones sold, McMuppet still in charge, The Weasel still with that shit-eating grin, I’m not looking forward to it at all.
And with the early bird cash being deposited,we can only watch on as our best opportunity to progress in a generation is tossed away, overseen with the passive smug arrogance of which we are accustomed. I think, therefore I am. A nugget.
I have to say as much as I dislike Moxey and I really really despise the greasy barsteward – this predicament we are in is all because of McCarthy and his useless tactics, stubborness loyalty to shite players. It’s not Moxeys fault that Muppet bought shite players or failed to play players he bought – that rests firmly with McCarthy.
Moxey can be blamed some of last seasons non-purchases and he can certainly be blamed for not sacking McCarthy and Connor when we had a chance to save our season but not much else.
Here, here – cant blame Jez for this one (for once). McCarthy was given £18m to spunk in the summer and addressed none of the issues in our defence.
McCarthy out.
We have 2 home games left, are we going to see a mass protest about the predicament we are in, which by the end of the Blues game could probably be even worse, and calls from the faithful for MM’s head, or are we going to see and hear the same “super mick” chants from the masses???
Let’s hope all on this blog, at least those who can get to the games, join with everyone else and give the management a real roasting over the decisions this season.
It’s time everyone stopped praying for a miracle and started to do something useful, like screaming for that dozey twat’s head on a golden platter!!
FUCK OFF McCARTHY!!!!!
AFTER THE DISGRACEFUL CHANTING AT MATTY ETHERINGTON WHEN ON A STRETCHER FROM YOUR SUPPORT – I HOPE THAT YOU ARE RELEGATED – NEVER BEEN A WOLVES HATER BUT NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT FOR A WHILE – SHOULD BE ASHAMED
I too thought that was disgraceful and would like to apologise, even though I spent the whole time cringing. The biggest indictment on our revolting experience – when the biggest cheer of the evening saved for an injury to an opposing player. Sums up the night. Hope Matt gets fit for the final.
Unfortunately Dave, as a born and bred Stokie and someone who has seen the very worst of Stoke fans on many many occasions it seems a little hypocritical for a Stoke fan to criticise opposition fans.
I’ve seen Stoke fans beat up pensioners, women, children so please f**k off back to the tin hut on the hill and go and complain to someone who gives a f**k!
I Agree there is a minority amongst all fans and stoke are certainly no different but what was done Tuesday night was not one or two it was a good majority – if id had been in a stoke following doing that on mass i would be crawling up my own arse with embarassment – so jed as you say f**k off back to the championship and down the leagues
Sounds like you’re turning into a typical premier league fan Dave, can’t take a bit of banter. What do you expect us to do when a local rival’s player goes off injured, cry?
You’re as bad as the southern fairies who support Arsenal.
Stoke fans are probably the second worse set of fans behind the Brummies, you’re both a horrible bunch. Now jog on. We’ve got bigger things to worry about than how much we hurt poor little Etherington’s feelings.
not at all nick – we have a minority who do that sort of thing not nice when it could be a serious injury – nothing to do with hurting feelings – but if thats banter you can keep it – that from any football fan of anyteam is uncalled for but am sure when you go back to school after the easter break you may learn that from one of your teachers – if any stoke fans round me would have done that to a wolves player in same situation i would not have been happy.
There are morons amongst all team’s fans, Stoke included.
I think the main reason for the above was sheer frustration at the ineptitude of our own team.
Anyway, doesn’t matter, it didn’t make him any worse.
I remember the North Bank laffin’ when Kevin Keelan of Norwich dived into the goalpost, and the whole thing collapsed on him……………and when he came out for the second half he got the biggest ovation of the afternoon, from us.
FOMM
Fair point Dave and I completely concur with Ben.
Shameful and disgraceful and I can understand why you feel the way you do about Wolves. I know how you feel – Chris Iwelumo got his ankle snapped at Blues a few seasons ago in a shocking tackle. Some of the Blues “fans” decided to spit at him and taunt him while he was on his stetcher being carried round the outside of the pitch.
All the best at Wembley – have a great day.
Agree that the chants were unacceptable, but it’s something that happens at all grounds up and down the country.
As long as Etherington can make it to William Hill on his crutches he probably wont be bothered about missing the final anyway.
I agree with all of the above…..and can’t be arsed to comment! (bar what Stokie said as I wasn’t at the game!)
Well all great blogs lads but as clive said and myself in previous blogs,
Actions speak louder than words.what about we start demonstrating for the removal that fucking wanker McIdiot and ALL of his arse licking back
room staff who couldn’t train a flea how to jump let alone a bunch of fucking shitouts he’s bought to this famous old club.This twat thinks its still going to be Mr morgan its not to late to fuck him off now start again.
He’s lost it big time,
sorry forgot to put ok ,i’m so pissed off .
Back in mid November i wrote a blog about how McCarthy’s loyalty to ‘old friends’ in the dressing room was his achilles heel and could ultimately cost us a place in the premiership.
More than five months on, McCarthy has learnt nothing from his previous mistakes. Now we see the misguided return of Kightly(at the expense of Hammill) as some kind of miracle cure to add to the list of ex championship winning players in the team.
I’ve felt for some time that, to McCarthy, the players are the most important people at the club. Far more important than the supporters, or ‘numpties’ as he likes to call some of us. This to me is unforgivable. Long after McMartrhy has gone to ply his trade elsewhere, Doyle is playing in the champions league and Ward has gone on a ‘free’ to Doncaster, we numpties will still be supporting the only club that matters.
I called it loyalty then. The inabilty to learn or adapt from failures is atually more like arrogance.
All this is true but I don’t understand why he hasn’t shown the same loyalty to Foley who was player of the year in that championship winning team. He’s been forced to play out of position for most of the last 2 years and now he’s been dumped for Stearman. I also think he’s a better defensive midfielder than Mancienne.
Totally agree about Kightly – half fit, average player who has done nothing in the Prem – yet lauded by McMuppet as some kind of saviour. Like Ward really – not Kightly’s fault, just our stupid manager talking sh*te again.
Hammill did well and was then dropped like a hot potatoe to accomodate his return – he must wonder what is going on.
Foley obviously isn’t in his “circle of trust” – maybe he has dared to question “super-Mick” on what the f**k is going on?
McCarthy likes the idea of his troops that got him up and cost him peanuts coming through for him. The manager is so limited, I just can’t understand his popularity.
The rumour as it Hammell as fell out with McIdiot thats why he’s not played
Thats what he’s like the small minded twat,he’s done it to lots of players
over the years.Pitty morgan dose’nt do the same thing to him.