Whoever decided to take down the famous old North Bank clock would have been blissfully unaware of the poignancy.
At the moment George Elokobi took leave of his responsibilities and allowed Osman to cross for Jermaine Beckford to score, I glanced to check those hands of time I’ve checked 10,000 times before.
It had gone. Not so much time running out for Wolves, but disappeared completely.
No need to stop the clocks when they don’t even exist.
And like the vacant, sad empty space on top of the North Bank roof our defence looked likewise, in a pathetic indictment of a faded championship trophy.
Whoever utters that we were even remotely unlucky to concede the opener is missing the point completely.
Yes we had bossed the game for the first 20 minutes and looked by far the better team, but when your hapless, sub standard left back goes AWOL for yet another week it ceases to be unlucky. It is just bloody stupid.
No wonder they took the clock away. When you’ve had four years to find a competent left back from somewhere, then there’s hardly any point in telling the time anymore.
From the first goal on, Everton showed why they are a team on the cusp of a top 6 place with a clinical, measured display which stank of Premiership efficiency.
We just stank, resorting to the bizarre tactic of hoofing long balls to Sylvan Distin’s head, after emphatically proving for 20 minutes that we could give him headaches when we got the ball on the floor.
Like a quality opening batsman fending off the new ball, Everton eventually opened up, scoring a ridiculously good goal through Neville, the like of which he will never manage again.
And all of a sudden our 4-4-2 formation looked hopelessly exposed, Bilyanatdinov racing into open space to leather another goal of the month contender, as if saved especially for us.
So what has changed?
Yes, Doyle got injured in that damned Ireland friendly, but does that justify an entire formation change and subsequent home battering?
Does the manager not remember when he tried 4-4-2 at home to Bolton? Or Liverpool?
Eight points from 4 games had us all looking at our clocks for this very home game.
But Mick – at his infuriatingly stubborn worst – reaches for a deadly, doomed concoction like a drunkard at the last chance saloon.
What on earth has Adam Hammill done wrong, apart from play a starring role in our recent revival? Would any other manager treat a player this way?
Everton lose Fellaini, Arteta and Cahill before today’s game and keep exactly the same formation in place, using the exact same script from the Goodison Park dressing room.
We lose one player and we lose the bloody lot…
…The formation, the personnel, the game of football, and even the clock that told us how long we had left.
I’ve managed to conjure up a positive from todays game – Ward didn’t play!
I’ve managed to conjure up a positive from todays game – Ward isn’t the worst player we have, there are at least 11 in front of him judging on todays performance.
Oh and another positive, next season I won’t have to watch them as they don’t show Championship games here.
Allow me to put a negative spin on your conjured-up positive!! With big George performing like he just did, it would seem to be a nailed on certainty for Ward to play at LB in the next game.
At your service …
I’m not a big fan of Ward, but could he have done much worse, than was on show today? For 20 mins we were going forward, looking like we were up for it. Suddenly they score and it was the end of the game, you could see the nervousness after the 1st goal. As a defensive unit today we were shocking, the midfield and forwards looked like they didn’t know each other. Hennesey was only one who played OK, pulling off a couple of pretty decent saves.
Why did Adlene get the start? What i saw was a two sided attacking team turned into a one sided attacking side. Jarvis was starting to come around because the other team had to focus on Hammil as well. What other coach would take a bench player that hasnt played in quite some time and immediately plug him into the starting 11 in arguably the most important game of the year? Well we have 6 games left and need at least 10. Is it possible? Yes. As long as we are only 3 points from safety, anything is still possible.
Why did Adlene get the start? I guess it was because in a 4-4-2, MM wanted three ‘hard’ men in the midfield, so he went with Henry, Guedioura, and O’Hara. Sacrifice a bit of width for a bit more ‘bite’, so there’s less chance of us getting overrun in midfield. Nice theory (and yes I was suggesting something similar in comments a few days ago), but all three of those midfielders pretty much disappeared after we went 1-0 down. It also didn’t help that neither O’Hara nor Adlene had brought their shooting boots onto the pitch. Very disappointing.
And, lest we forget, our friends down the road at sandwell crem changed manager more than half way through the season, when they were in the bottom 3, and since then have been unbeaen, starting with us, and are now half way up the table.
How about them onions, Morgan????
they weren’t even in the bottom 3, they just saw a manager like Hodgson was available and acted. The 3M’s are comfortable though, patting each other on the back, stability etc.. crazy!
Expertly written and gloriously objective view of the inadequacies of both players and manager of the club we know you love with a real passion, Ben. An unbiased report of a team hopelessly outclassed by a patchwork Everton, metaphorically (and probably next year literally), in a different league.
Thanks Martin! You’re a scholar and a gent. And quite possibly a nugget like me! Cheque in the post!
Here is my take on yday from a Blue perspective – from a tactical point of view I think our movement between your defensive /midfield lines was key after the early pressure when you had us pinned back for the first 20mins – Best of luck for the rest of the season.
http://theexecutionersbong.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/wolves-0-3-everton/
Sadly, absolutely everything about this performance had the distinct pong of relegation.
Opening 20 minutes, passed the ball well, knocked on the door and generally wanted it more. But alas, nothing to show for it. Every team that ends up relegated will point to a spell in a game where they were the better side but didn’t put the ball in net.
Then predictably, first meaningful Everton attack after a slack error and a goal.
15 mad minutes where we completely fell apart and lost the game.
Clueless in the second half, with injuries and naff tactics setting us back further.
It’s a familiar tale of woe for many a doomed side at the bottom of the Premier League table.
The only thing to cling onto is that after the real lows of this season, Wolves have bounced back and there is still time to do so again, but not much.
We look like Portsmouth did this time last year IMO (only without the financial dificulties).
There’s still hope, but time is slipping away. Have a horrible feeling Albion will send us down in the home game. That would be “typical Wolves” in my experience.
Over this season, as we have been bottom of the league throughout he smug Moxey and various fans, blog writers praising the stability at wolves.. “as if wolves would sack their manager… oh no we are loyal and stable” Loyal, great stability and doomed after the biggest investment in players in our history. The likes of Moxey and co disgusted at the likes of Newcastle and West Brom remvoing their managers yet they are comfortable, and certainly haven’t invested like we have in recent times. Roy Hodgson has done in 8 weeks what Mick McCarthy has failed to do in years, organise a defence and make them hard to beat.
The change of the formation yesterday was ridiculous – was the stuff of an absolute amateur. I cannot get over how poorly equipped this manager is and how many times he gets it completely wrong.
As Albion stay up due to tough decisions by their senior management in a cut throat business, we are reduced to bragging not about our team, our points tally but instead stability which for me is absolutely pathetic.
I’ve got to agree with this. It feels like there’s a greater force at work these days-the footballing gods.
They point their wrinkly,weathered index fingers to those who laugh in their faces,and banish those teams to the dustbin.
Out of 92 league clubs only wolves still don’t know their best team with 32 games gone.
Only Wolves waste virtually every penny of 20mill spent in the summer.
And only wolves look on in smug dogmatism when ‘nuggets’ question what on earth has gone wrong.
And so players start belting 30yarders past us, star players get crocked, and clubs with far more respect for the game reflect on a ‘job done’ properly.
Couldn’t agree more Dan. Well put.
Totally agree Dan – at any other club Mick would have gone in November.
We’ve blown it, whilst Albion are laughing at us.
As a Blue at the game yesterday it reminded me of a small child (Wolves) expending lots of energy blowing up a balloon, only for a bigger child Everton – with more experience) to come along with a pin and burst it, deflating not on the balloon, but also the younger child’s confidence.
After soaking up 20 mins of pressure Everton deployed their ‘pin’ – Leon Osman, who for me was the difference in the attacking third all game.
But the main difference was the centre backs – Jags, and particularly Distin simply thrived on the predictable nature of the high ball, while Hibbert ensured Jarvis’ threat was nullified.
In contrast, Berra and Stearman looked like strangers who had never played centre back, once Beckford scored.
While it may be argued that Neville and Bilyaletdinov scored goals you’re unlikely to see again until 2015, the overall performance of Everton reminded me of how ruthless Man United have become over the years – Soak up pressure, counter atack with some style and score some wonder goals.
I’m not comparing the Everton team to any of United’s, merely pointing out a similarity of efficiency.
P.S. Without Arteta, Cahill, Fellaini, Coleman, Rodwell, Saha, I thought a point was the best we could have got, but, as Ben pointed out, keeping our shape and style depsite losing our first choice attacking six meant the players who had come in knew exactly what they had to do.
P.P.S. I do hope you stay up and think a couple of wins against the teams amongst you will do it.
Nice analogy Knowlesy and I can’t disagree.
I think you hit the nail on the head with the word “efficiency”. The first 20 mins were expected so you did a job on us, fair doos. I for one underated the replacements for Cahill, Arteta et al, and though we could get three points. What a Rodney I am.
Anyway, at least the cat moved as I went to kick it at 6.30 on Saturday. He saw it coming unlike me. Onwards and upwards….thats 2 Wards….do they make a right? I digress….
Agree with you too – typical McCarthy Wolves performance, all about players “putting in a shift” rather than worrying about having any quality.
£18million wasted in the summer on players that do not get a game (and did not address the issues we have in defence). We should have got big sam or Woy from Liverpool months ago. We are doomed I fear.
Seome great blogs lads,but we need to take it to the next level by protest.
other fans must feel the same as we do,this is our club not there’s its
time we started to show a bit more disapproval directed not as much to
the team but to the inept management who are destroying this club with
the abjectness of the bhatti brothers.
MR Morgan what ever happens at the end of the season get rid of Mick
mcIdiot he’s supposed to be the manager,its all down to him the buck
stops with him.P.S.I wonder what excuse he has for that shambles
yesterday.
I cant believe the fans havent been more vocal – MM has been lucky in getting the odd result just as the pressure has been building (against some big teams too).
Given the investment in the summer I cant believe the people at the top are so supportive.
Interestingly, he makes the same comments week after week, almost as though he’s reading from a script.
Actually, I think he’s got his list of excuses well memorized, he’s used them enough times!
His latest nonsense on the sanitized official site is a target of winning 3 out of the last six games, and taking points off those around us.
Forgive my ignorance, but I thought we had played and lost to the teams “around us,” and everyone else is above us?
It shows his utter lack of ambition, why not aim to win all six?
The big problem now is the players all looked resigned to relegation on Saturday, right after the first goal went in.
We are in a deep hole, and we really need a miracle to get out.
Bring back Ward????!!!!
I’m finally starting to lose my nerve. I don’t like this one bit. We were meant to get a couple of points from the last few games. Why did we go 442? We’re not good enough for that. Needed SEB up front by himself, Fletcher making an input from the bench. It is annoying, we’re so close, then get it so wrong.
What a disastrous performance.
Stearman returned to his poor form and as for big G the least said the better. Yet more evidence that we needed to recruit a centre half and a left back during the transfer window. Is Craddock fit again? I would have him back in like a shot.
Adlene returned (and looked rusty but at least had a go) – but can anyone explain why Hammill was dropped? Why was Kightly then bought on ahead of him too? I’ll tell you why – because he’s another one of Mick’s favourites. People on here will know I am not Kightly’s biggest fan anyway but if he is our best hope we are basically screwed.
We have the look of a side that are going down I’m afraid. Thankfully we still have a chance, but if we carry on like it’s Championshit football here we come again! If we do stay up I cant help but feel it will be despite McCarthy rather than because of McCarthy.
We will see who the “numpty” is come the end of the season!
Well for once Mick McIdiot has said nothing in defence of our shite
perfomance.I think he’s begining to believe in self-doubt after all he’s
only human i think ?.
He’s got two weeks to sort it out or not i expect because his brain is
slowly imploding on himself and he’ll be talking through his arse as what
he does anyway.I dread to think what he will do next,anyway what do
we know us numpties…By the look on Morgans face i think he wishes he
had listened to us well before christmas..Our only hope is Gods
intervention..