Should any Wolves fan be entitled to be panicking about our transfer window ambitions when we’re only four days into it?
While my pants do not yet runneth over with the wet stuff, they soon will be if our table is furnished with the names we’re currently being linked with.
Whether it’s the triumph of a Robbie Keane or the disaster of a Julio Arca, us Wolves fans must treat both imposters the same when their names are only thrown around on a footy gossip column.
The trouble is that apart from a purely speculative link with our former teenage sensation, none of the players banded about appear remotely skilled enough to a) improve our dire league predicament or b) entice my heart to flutter away from its current dull thud.
Michael Brown, Steve Sidwell, Adam Hamill, Paul Green, Curtis Davies and even Marcus Bent have been listed alongside our club’s great name over the last few days, at the very same time Blackburn Rovers court Ronaldinio!
Of course, each name will remain just that – a name – until Jez Moxey tells us all to be eternally grateful when they are paraded in front of a Sportingbet publicity board.
While past window experience tells us to sit tight and listen for the cogs to creak in the transfer wheel, isn’t it massively deflating to hear such average players being touted around Molineux?
If it was one or two then surely none of us would mind, but with every single alleged target sounding so desperately mediocre, then isn’t it time to start panicking a little bit?
Coupling a Danny Shittu with the ever deafening silence from Molineux is a recipe for restlessness amongst most fans, particularly if Stephen Ward and co continue to gallantly lose to garbage opposition.
With no other teams looking worse than us (unlike last season) and a stunning ground redevelopment resting on Premiership survival, then the time to be proactive has never been more pressing.
The cynics among us would suggest we’re already preparing for life in the Championship next term with names like these, while more optimistic fans will tell us that our team is already good enough, give or take the odd modification this January, which is what these players would represent.
I’m of the view that if there was money for Robbie Keane’s wages last January when our position wasn’t half as precarious (if you believe Jez) then there’s got to be the same, if not more funds available now.
So please Wolves, stop with the defeatist propositions and start with a bit of ambition and a name or two to finally instill leadership, direction and skill into our hopelessly inadequate side.
Once January 31st comes round, you may never get the chance again.
* If you’re sick of gambling on which players will be coming and going in January, try playing in a casino online for a range of other bets.
If I was an agent advising my client I’d tell him to go to QPR ahead of Wolves. We are up shit creek.
Can’t agree more. Sad, but the list of names linked recently are under-whelming to say the least. Why the hell does he want another winger (Hamill) anyway ? Surely we have to get our prorities right – LEFT BACK !! CENTRE HALF !!! CENTRE MIDFIELD !!!! All of which need experience and preferably a modicum of leadership quality amongst them. Mind you, I don’t know where you get ’em from. I’m not a fan of bringing Keane back though – I’m not convinced we’re desperate for another striker – we just need to create some decent chances for the ones we’ve got.
If we were to sign Robbie Keane, do you see a place for him in the line up considering we’ve got £7mil worth of top scoring Steven Fletcher warming the bench??
We need some quality midfield acquisitions and a proper left back for a start.
You know, with Stephen Ward in the squad, there’s no point signing anyone new because as soon as a place in the starting 11 frees itself up, then Ward will be put in ahead of anyone and everyone else. If you think about it, Elokobi is only playing at leftback, because Ward is playing back in his natural position because Doyle is injured!!
Hi Will. If we did get Keane (which we never will) then we would find a place. We’d have to. (Mind you, I’m still saying that about Fletcher!)
I’d play him up front with SEB and get Fletcher on the right, Jarvo left, even if that’s one wrong shaped peg in a wrong shaped hole. With Doyle fit, God knows!
I mentioned Keane more as a commentary on one of very few high profile signings we have been linked with.
He’s not a priority for me, but a statement of intent, ala Keane, is something we should embrace io
When Doyle is fit, SEB will be dropped and Ward will remain, no doubt.
I don’t think any of us want to see Fletcher on the right wing, do we?
I agree that we should be trying to sign players of the Keane ilk, if only to lift the fans and encourage other high-caliber players to sign.
The romantic and aspiration side of me would love to see Keane back in old gold, but the realist knows that there wouldn’t be a place for him in the team.
Like you said, you’d think we’d make room for Fletcher in the first 11, but MM seem intent on not giving him a start.
I think he just doesn’t like him (work ethic, ego, attitude??) and is putting up obstacles and finding reasons not to play him, such as this virus that kept on the bench, but not out the squad for a month, and restoring Ward up-front after an 18 month hiatus.
It’s happened before – Van Damme, M Davies and Fletcher are 3 players who spring to mind who would easily walk into approx half of the teams in the prem, yet MM refuses to play others ahead of them, or play them out of position thus de-motivating them.
When Doyle is fit, Elokobi will be dropped and Ward restored to LB.
One thing last season’s January window taught us was that you have to give any new signing a chance. We all groaned about Guedioura and he turned out to be an excellent addition. So I just hope, whoever comes in, they’re given a fair crack of the whip.
Of course we’d all love to see big name signings that will improve the starting eleven immediately, but are these players available? And if they are, do they want to come to the side sitting bottom of the league?
Here’s a list of players I’d like to see us sign who are reportedly available:
Stephen Warnock LB
David Wheater CB
Nico Kranjaar CM/LM/RM
Robbie Keane ST (for the lift it would give supporters as much as anything)
…unfortunately though, I can’t see us getting any of those because of our position marooned to the bottom. So here’s a list of players I think we’ll go for:
Curtis Davies CB
Adam Hammill RM
Unknown foreigner LB
Marcus Bent ST
If we got the top four signings, I think we’d stay up. The bottom four will still leave us short.
But it’s all guesswork and hypotheticals.
Warnock a good shout. Been linked with a return to Blackburn. Maybe we are going for players of this ilk? I’m sure all will become clear in the weeks ahead.
It goes without saying that any player would deserve a fair crack and I’m sure they would, whoever they turn out to be.
However, a Michael Brown will hardly warm the cockles if it coincides with a prolonged stay in 20th place. It would signal carnage on here wouldn’t it?
We won’t sign a left back.
We had the best one available to us in the shape of JVD, but he couldn’t get ahead of Ward in the first 11.
MM is happy to keep playing Ward at left back, which is where he’ll play once Doyle is fit again.
Free crosses for all our opponents on the their right flank….
I hope we do go in for David Wheater.
The Irish press seem to think we will go in for Richard Dunne, that would be awesome.
But my dream signing for this transfer window would be Shay Given!!!! (<- don't think we stand a chance of signing him)
Dunne would be just the statement! He’s a leader, experienced, and would sort our defence out big time. Not sure about Wheater. Mick didn’t want to play him when he had him on loan, so I’d be a bit surprised if it came off.
Mind you, he was a kid back then.
I’d LOVE Dunne here.
Given would be nice, but not a priority and I bet he’d never look twice at us, bearing in mind he’d had enough at NUFC.
And I’d love to shag Suzi Perry but it aint gonna happen. Hang on though, I got more chance of at least a BJ than you have of seeing Dunne or Given in the old gold (subtly re-shaded with the complimentary and oh so classy Burrda logo) and black.
Its all so tacky – like winning a three minute trolley dash round Primark every groundhog day in Portmeirion with a ballon chasing me.
Sorry, I’ve cracked. I’m gonna relax with a Lightening Mcqueen video and some old Wolves programmes.
I am not a number, I am a free man!
It seems Mick McCarthys lack of worry is worrying in its self. Almost resigned to defeat. Even joking about our position. Nobody wants to join Wolves, only players from clubs from lower leagues do, such as Barnsley. We need a wonder boy midfielder and striker all round in to one in the wolves squad right now. Help us!!
Looks to me like McCarthy is preparing to buy for the Championship if one is to believe the names from Derby, Barnsley, etc. He knows that at the end of the season he will lose the likes of Jarvis, Hunt, Doyle, etc. if we go down, so he would be buying their replacements now.
If he really thinks he can survive, and if Wolves are really serious about survival, then it is pretty clear they need to spend some serious money getting in some quality defenders so our attack can actually focus on scoring rather than defending.
There is nothing complicated about this really. It’s pretty simple. We are playing with a Championship side in the Premier League right now. Ward as center forward … really!? Sure, we can always find the odd upset against teams who have a bad day. But the current team is not going to conistently accumulate a run of form to survive.
Stop dicking around with basement cheap buys McCarthy, and bring in some quality!
But sorry I spoke my mind. I suppose that makes me a Numpty.
Go Wolves!
I’m preparing myself for another let down.
The truth is, as much as I love our club, potential signings prefer not to play for us and we won’t pay the wages. If we are courting a player, anyone from Blackburn down are also more than likely courting him too. So, given that the wages are the same, where would you go? To the team at the bottom of the league who stink of relegation or someone like (I hate to say) West Br*m?
We started the season with what was thought to be good enough not just to stay up, but to push on a little. I don’t think I ever thought I’d be relying on a punt in the Jan transfer window to save our season.
The league is too strong for us and the teams that have come up have been stronger still.
So i’m going to relax now and bank on Shittu being unvieled as the missing peice to the jigsaw, Curtis Davies scoring an own goal against the Albion, and a rookie left back being given the greatest of honors of sitting on our bench. Anything more is a bonus.
I’m off to listen to Suedehead by Morrissey to cheer me up….. I’m so sickened now…
I don’t reckon we’d be bottom if MM actually 4-4-2 like the first game against stoke which I thought the team look really strong!! But he’s so persistent on playing 4-5-1 ( which takes the piss considering blackpool play 4-3-3 and exceed expectations) we never score enough because Doyle/ebanks can’t do it on there own, but Fletcher and Doyle together to me, I don’t think there’s many better pairings, would love to see us sign N’zonzi & bougherra but by the rumors we’ll get more untested crap!!
Ward is now our number 1 striker as well as best left winger and best left back. Thats why Mick never fails to single him out for praise after every game.
Ward will feature at the expense of SEB, Fletcher or Doyle (assuming we dont sell him) until our relegation is confirmed and beyond.
IF MICK MCCARTHY MANAGED A WORLD XI, WARD WOULD PLAY!!!!
The question is do I want to part with £600 to watch this madness again next season???
Pfft Morrissey. These are the days, Why do you come here? You know it makes it hard for me (to argue with well made points).
Haha Nice one T’om!
I smell a conspiracy – Doyle out injured throughout the xmas period has miraculously is declared fit today, just in time for him to be sold! It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Doyle has played his last game for us, especially as he’s been replaced by such a wonderful era-defining player!
Totally agree Jed. Watch this space eh?
No. Doyle is Irish. We’d never let an Irish lad go?
On this years performances who would want him anyway? We certainly wouldnt make a profit.
How many league goals does he have to his name (so few I actually forget! But think it is the same as Ward!!!!!!)
Maierhoffer got that many last year too?
I feel we need a minimum of four quality players to get us out of this mess.The first being a left back, then a centre half, a creative midfielder and above all a fast skilful and direct goal scoring forward. For me we lack pace and power up front together with an instinctive striker who actually gets himself into goal scoring positions. I would be happy to take a punt on an in form free scoring striker from the lower leagues or Scotland (same thing really) I am a big believer in the importance of confidence and a genuine goal scorer at any level has that in abdundance and would be worth a risk. This may not seem ideal but I believe we have no chance of getting a player like this from the Premier league. Lets be honest we have no chance of getting Robbie Keane and to end up with a Marcus Bent type premier has been would be both pointless and a disaster. Lets just hope that some of the names being banded about are just paper talk, if not then we really are screwed.
I agree Mike. The lack of pace really is an issue, and something that Birmingham are also struggling with (maybe Chucho Benitez might have been worth their while after all?) I can barely think of a more pedestrian side than us. While its churlish to compare us with Spurs, look what Arry has instilled down there. Pace, pace and more pace. Maybe Mick is thinking along the same lines as he was looking at that Yank Findlay? He knows better than us what Jarvis and Kites did when fit. When Jarvis was benched v Wigan, we were bringing everyone back in the box for some corners as there was literally no outlet if we actually cleared our lines.
What a bleak mid winter it is! More snow on Friday and the even more depressing forecast of likely signings. Ugh!!!
Read on teletext that Hull City are makng a £11million bid for a lad from Swindon.
Its not that I think we should sign him but why must we accept that players in this price bracket are possibilities for the likes of the mighty Hull but not for us?
Well, you can stick all the above candidates up your arse for me. I’d rather see Danny Bath and company given a chance. Zeli is already 2 years older than Roony or Trevor Francis were when they made their debuts. Forget these 2nd rate, clapped out has-beens (or never weres) and blood some of our own young talent before Mick lets ’em go for a knock down fee to Bolton, recalls Keogh, signs a non league Irish keeper and plays them and Ward in a 1-1-1 at Derby next August!
Totally agree about Zeli – any half decent manager would have had him on the bench (at least by now).
Not Irish, not Ward – no place in the team! Muppet Numpty McCarthy.
What does it say about Kites’ chances if we’re in the market for another winger? Partic as the best one in the world, Ward, is only helping the team out temporarily by playing out of position!!!!
A point that seems to be missing, well two actually, are:
The Fat Controller always says that he won’t speculate or mention possible deals until they are done, for various reasons, blah, blah , blah,
which hopefully indicates that none of the press speculations are in the works,
and, I feel it’s not so much we need new players, but a new manager with new motivation for the existing crowd.
We all know their capabilities, or lack of, and a new manager, plus coaching staff could well be all we need.
God knows we have enough talent either on the bench or not considered at present, and why not give these lads a go, instead of spending good money on part time bit players? As I’ve said before, they can’t do any worse.
McCowardly is a Premiership dinosaur whose time is gone.
Anyone in the real world who performs his job as badly would be fired and a football manager should be no different.
I think he has now got to the stage where he is so fed up with criticism he is just taking the piss out of us, seeing how long Morgan will put up with his stupidity.
The other question is, how long will the fans put up with Morgan?
FOMM
I think that any footballers available for transfer at the moment takes a look at our position in the league would rather stay where they are if they have got any sense,and with the games coming up ie chelsea,man city,liverpool,to say the least,they know where their bread is buttered.So lets get rid of mad mick and bring in big sam in if he’s up for the fight him be’ing a wolves fan and black country mon.also he might also attract some decent players.we live in hope…i mean desperation. what about jamie O’Hara + KEANO.
I wonder whether the vagueries of the transfer window means that either Chelsea who seem ready to splash the cash, or Man City who can`t stop spending their oil money will make a speculative bid for our best player Mr Stephen Ward.
An outstanding managers toy boy, can play in at least four positlons, one in defence, one in midfield, one in attack, and one I think on the wing. Also comes with a unique fan club of international well wishers, especially Clive from Houston, and Scooped. Apparently also has an under 12 Irish full cap, or was it a full stop, I`m not sure. Anyway what sort of transfer fee could the sale of Wardy generate, will it swell the clubs coffers or be another MM transfer tragedy. Will MM play him tomorrow, or not in case he gets injured.
Who will sign him, and for what fee? Wake me up in the morning please!!
I’ll give you 50p, no wait make that 51p (just found a penny at the back of the sofa). And then when I buy him I’ll f**k him off on loan to the s**t
Even the shit are not that stupid……………but then again, after tonight’s result……………..
Ha,Ha,Ha
Reckon Di Matato could be fired before McCowardly?
Theres a bet to take to the bookies!!!!
Is it now 6 on the bounce they’ve lost?
That’s even worse than us!
Silver linings Clive. Good to see you smiling.
To be honest, whoever we may buy is not going to make any difference to the end result of relegation. The next 6 games will see us cast adrift, and we are certainly never going to be attractive enough for anyone that has any ambition. We may as well keep the money in our pockets ready for the assault on 7th place next season in the Chumpo leagie
There is a pub in Houston called the Richmond Arms, which shows a lot of English footie.
Our match is not on the regular channel tomorrow so I have plans to goof off work, and turn up at the aforementioned pub proudly wearing my recently purchased Wolves gear.
I have been told that there are a lot of Chelsea fans in Houston, ( kind of like Man U “fans”, they jump on any bandwagon) so if my blog after the game is covered in blood and gore, you will know I had a good time taking the piss!!!
It doesnt matter how bad we are, or what is debated on the blog, or how dire a position we are in, Wolves are our team, and I will support them ’til I die!!!
COME ON ME BABBBBBIESSSSSS!!!!!!!
I wonder if the ‘Soccerrrrrrr’ fans in Houston are as lethargic and dull as they are here in Alberta. Come to think of it Canadian sports fans are as excitable as a kid on his way to the dentist. All teams have the same chant and only one chant, here its ‘Go Oilers Go’ and repeat – no doubt in Houston its ‘Go Texans Go’ and repeat like it is ‘Go Yankees Go’ in New York. How incredibly unimaginative and dull!
Anyway Clive, enjoy the extra cold light beer, tip the waitress well and sing some songs and hopefully we’ll stuff those blue shirted glory hunters!
Clive – please can you remind them of Chelsea’s past anti-semitic leanings. I know a couple of mates who have recently jumped on the football bandwagon (picked either Man U or Chelsea), they have no idea of the distasteful history of their club.
I honestly dont think we need to buy anyone apart from maybe at the back. Get rid of Mick Mccarthy, then we’ll actually have strikers playing up front, midfielders playing in the middle, and backs defending like they should.
we have enough quality in SEB, fletcher and doyle up front. they are VERY good strikers for any team in the bottom half of the league.
Our midfield – Hunt, Jarvis, Milijas and Henry all do their jobs brilliantly, and edwards has been somewhat a revelation this season, and although everyone hates foley, he is good on the ball and offers a good cover for defense.
In the backs – Zubar is good when he is good, our CBs lack pace, and elokobi is deputising ok but we need another there.
The real rot is with mccarthy, who doesnt know how to utilise this team to their best potential. we’ve seen it time and time again, this season and last, playing square pegs in round holes. not making an attacking sub even though we were 1-0 down for most of the match, until the 80th minute. not to mention countless of other ridiculous, inexcusable decisions.
the fiasco with ward just epitomises everything about him – stubborn, stupid, loyal, stubborn, novice tactitian, and stubborn.
he wasted was it 16 MILLION pounds on players he isnt utilising at all? I know its wolves’ policy not just his decision to buy cheap, untested or has been players, but boy if youre going to buy players USE THEM!! DONT PUT GUEDIOURA ON THE BENCH IF HES THE BEST PLAYER WE HAD FOR THE LAST FEW GAMES RUNNING!!!! DONT PUT FLETCHER OR SEB ON THE BENCH IF THEYVE TOP SCORED THIS SEASON, AND PLAY WARD UP FRONT!!! if anything he should give the money to the fans for psychological damage for dealing with this shit.
sorry for the rant, im worried about our fixture list, as it may bury us too deep for us to recover.
Jub – if you wnat strikers at the front, midfielders in the middle and defenders at the back – where does Ward fit in? Madness.
I definitely don’t hate Foley. He’s a quality right back and a serviceable (but by no means first choice) centre midfielder.
And for the record – he only wated 13.5 million. We got the money back for JVD.
If we pick up 4 points from the nasty games we’ll still be in touch. Our difficulty is not picking up points from the easier games.
I’d pretty much go along with all that Jub.
Me too Jub – all this makes perfect sense to me.
I dont have a season ticket (fortunately) but do a TPS where I have seven games per season. I intend to send the next few tickets back as I refuse to pay £38 to watch Ward play up front. Crowds are down, new stadium plans look doomed – McCarthy out.
Can we sign Royston Drenthe? Please?
McCowardly prefers Roy Cropper
Wikipedia says that’s a character from Coronation Street. Royston Drenthe is owned by Real Madrid, and went to Hercules on loan, then he went on strike. He’s a bit of a nutter and I think it would be cool if he played for us.
For the record – I think that if we make one or two intelligent loan signings, get Henry and Craddock back, and don’t panic, I think we’re a decent shot at going ok. It hasn’t been a good season, in parts awful (only 2 or 3 days though), but we have to remember how bad it was last year and we turned it around. This doesn’t make me a ‘happy clapper’. I reckon we’re a 60% chance for relegation, however, there are 4 or 5 teams as bad as us at the moment and a some more consistent results would see us scrape 16th. For the record, those teams are Birmingham, West Brom, West Ham, Wigan, Fulham.
If we line up with
Hennessy
Zubar/Foley, Craddock, Stearman, Elokobi(or new player)
Hunt, Henry(new CM whilst he’s out), Milijas, Edwards, Jarvis
Doyle
We should be playing at our best.
I’d also love to see Mujangi Bia brought off the bench to try and counter attack at the end of games. Rather than only have defensive substitutions and sitting deeper and deeper.
That’s my rant. All is not lost. I don’t think McCarthy should be sacked, I think he’s right not to panic, but things definitely aren’t good.
t’OM….I try not to panic but….Theres panic in the streets of London….Panic in the streets of Birmingham…
As the flames rose, to Ward’s roman nose as his walkman started to melt?
Now I know how Jelle Van Damme felt….
Not sure if there’ll be a preview of tonight’s match put up later, but if there is, I won’t get much time to see it. Sooo …. for the prediction league: I’ll go for Wolves 1-1 Chelsea.
I’ll be in on that – Chelsea 1 Wolves 0 – Heartbreak.
Really don’t think Mick signing new players is going to help at all. Past record suggests we’ll just have new players but the same manager with the same attitude to them. That is, unless you put a massive shift in you don’t play irrespective of your quality. If we spent £30m on Berbatov he would be sat on the bench watching Mr Ward. Jimmy Greaves would never have got a game! Class players are expected to put a shift in but ‘shift’ players don’t have to have any class. I’m sorry, but for me there’s only one transfer we need. Make that two and take the clipboard with him.
http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/News/0,,10307~2254961,00.html – Scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to spin and good news.
It’ll take more than 2.5% to get me to drag myself back up there to watch the cr@p being served up at the moment.
Ward up front in the Prem – what a joke.
Cant see a prediction thread, so I will underline my Wolves 0 Chelsea 1 from an earlier post
So here we are again, the January transfer window. Prepare to be underwhelmed, disappointed and frustrated. Here are my reasons…
1, Lets face it, not even the big four ever go out and do any real business in this window as player prices are inflated.
2, We sit bottom of the league who would want to come to us anyway.
3, Keane, Lescott, Dunne blah, blah, blah – heard it all before (I remember Bergkamp being seen in ASDA during our first season in the Prem). It’s all newspaper b*llocks so don’t believe it, we will sign lower league players as it is all we can afford and all we can attract.
4, Given the £18million wasted in the summer – if you were Morgan would you want Muppet Mick to have his hands on any more of your cash? I wouldn’t! And besides there are no more places on the bench for any Numpty McCarthy signings.
5, Stadium redevelopment doesn’t come cheap – look at Arsenal, they spent peanuts in the transfer window for years to balance off the investment in the ground (the only difference is they have a decent manager).
6, We are playing “so well” and being “so unlucky” we dont need new signings anyway. Everything is just hunky dory! get a grip – give MM the dreaded vote of confidence (or even better just introduce him to big Samn as you take his company car keys off him – thanks for the memories now dont let the door hit you on the way out)
7, Given the success of Dolly the sheep I’ve heard MM is looking into the prospect of cloning Ward so he can play him at left back and centre forward. In fact now you come to mention it Dolly herself would probably put in a ‘shift’ and we could save money on the bloke who is employed to cut the grass.
In all seriousness though, I have given up hope of staying up this season. I have certainly given up on Mick McCarthy – someone on here summed it up perfectly when they said “Just how long should we stay grateful for?” – for me this ran out about six-eight weeks ago.
With the games ahead in January I can see us being 5-6 points adrift moving into Feb.
Excellent post!