Andy Keogh’s name was already etched into Molineux folklore long before last night.
His golden goal at Pride Park in 2009 is widely considered to be the moment that Wolves all but secured promotion.
A banner is even draped from the Billy Wright commemorating the raucous celebrations that followed.
I wonder if Keogh took a moment to drink that image in, before hopping onto the team bus and thanking his lucky stars he wasn’t hanging around?
The poignancy of his latest strike should not be overlooked.
This was not a Guedioura or a Davies situation. This was not a player that was moved on prematurely.
This was someone we’d outgrown and who’d become achingly surplus to requirements. A substitute that was himself substituted in his final Premier League outing for the club.
Yet there he was, lashing home to take his side fifth as Wolves sank to all new depths of despair.
A sign ladies and gentleman, of the times.
The game itself was familiar territory.
A promising start, Wolves on the front foot. Happy days are here again.
We should have had a penalty, no doubting that. Danny Shittu cleverly bounced Doyle so far away from the penalty area, that the referee simply couldn’t believe that first contact had been in the box. It was.
But when the breakthrough didn’t come, we lost our way and never found a way back.
Millwall dictated the second half. The football was turgid from both sides and chances were at a premium, but you always sensed the moment was building for them.
And so it was, in another moment of comical defending (as three defenders all got sucked towards the ball) that Andy was left all alone in the middle of goal to do the necessary.
The fans applauded, Solbakken slunk back into the dugout and somewhere high up in the executive boxes, men in suits were looking at each other wondering what to do next.
Thomas (and Ben) I can only commend you guys for continuing to write these blogs. I’d be well on the road to jacking it in.
Honeymoon’s over for everyone. We need a new club from boot-boys to chairman. Simple as that.
I gree according to Martin Swain Morgans the best thing since sliced, built new stand we did no need a museum that only reminds us of what could be if our owner put his heart yes heart and the £150million Prenier money from tha last three years the parachute money the money from his land deals in Wolverhampton not to mention £12million from Sale of Flecther, £3million fron Knightly £1.5millon sale of other players Vokes and the lad who plays for Forest who scored against us the other night Morgan says he committed to Wolves so what’s he do kept Mick to long did not listen to fansspent money on thing we don’t need. I not just saying it for the sake of it go Morgan go back to your first love and sell up, to someone who really does put there heart into getting us back to the Premier League . Do the Mathis Mr Swain Morgan getting a lot more out of Wolverhampton than wolves are getting out of Mr Morgan I have friends in Liverpool who support Liverpool theey take the mick saying ONCE ARED ALWAYS ARED I think they might be right.
who is this multi millionaire with a deep love for the Wolves who is waiting in the wings to replace Morgan, and why the fuck has he not come forward yet?
Is it cos he doesn’t exist?
So would you rather some foreign investors like the Venkys take over?
Careful what you wish for mate, Morgan ay that bad
You couldn’t make it up, could you? I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s just typical of us, when another ex-player scores the winner against us, two games running.
Top post mate. There’s little else to be said, but I’ll give it a go.
We need solutions, not questions from now on.
All the club offer right now are lots of the latter and none of the former, as there simply appear to be none.
If Stale wants to retain what dwindling levels of support he currently receives, he needs to do the following – for the sake of his job:
1. Play Batth instead of Berra (nothing against CB, but he clearly doesn’t want to be here)
2 Drop at least 4 of the current squad from the 16 and bring 4 youth/under 21 players onto the bench. The current bench makes me squirm -it’s SO one dimensional. SEB, Edwards, Foley and Pennant would be my first to go. Throw Stearman in as well.
3. Recall Cassidy and Leigh Griffiths. DO NOT allow Griffiths to sign for Hibs. It is hairbrained, blinkered rationale that we thought we’d got rid of when MM left. When the pair do return, drop Doyle.
4. Give an honest appraisal / update on Georg Margrietter. What the f**k was this signing all about?
5. Play 4-5-1. We are in survival mode. Remember Blackburn away Stale?!
These small steps will at least buy some time, in the absence of anything else currently being available for Stale.
What the club can do:
1. Supplement these changes with cash. Lots of hard cash that’s currently burning a hole in the bank. No, I’m not talking about ‘doing a Portsmouth’. I’m talking about a slice of the Sky gravy train money / parachute payments / sales of Fletch & MJ & MK / £30 ‘treasure chest’ Morgan promised us.
2. OR: Sack Stale now to allow for the transfer window. i.e. learn from Novicegate last season and its timings.
Irrespective of 1 and 2, the club MUST do a 3 ASAP…
…Speak to us one way or another.
IMO, attendances will continue to plummet without some solutions being implemented now.
You’ve said it all there Ben.
The “Young and Hungry Wolves” mentality needs to come back. Pardon the pun but we’ve gone “Stale”. Doyle, Ward, Berra, SEB. They’ve not got the bite we need.
Sigurdarson, Sako, Cassidy, Griffiths, Ismail. Get them playing together, get them working together. Get them scoring.
Drop Ward, Bera, Doyle to much of a luxury, lose Stearman all together get lad back from Tramere put kids in defence with Craddock if fit at least they will have a bit of fire in there belly and want to do well this defence, Foley apart has been making the same mistakes year on year thats why we are 18th in the Championship STALE, JEZ oh and STEVE are you listening what do we know
Nail on the head Ben. It’s the big question: What are the people running the club going to do about the current situation? If they continue the ostrich approach it won’t get better.
Margreitter is back in full training now, full expect him to be in the first team in next couple of weeks.
The only thing I’d say in argument against this is that the Manager has to go, & then a new manager would put right a lot of the damage done, by a novice mgr in terms of English football.
I thought Edwards, Doyle, Johnson & Sigurdarson were very good last night. The other outfield players were well short of the standards required to wear a Wolves shirt. Stearman looked particularly out of sorts, he did not know what to do with ball when receiving it.
I also think Ward could do a good job as a left midfielder so I would’nt damm him too much, although as left back he is far short of quality at this & Prem level.
I’d like Mark Hughes & I know this is not popular, but is there anyone out there currently better?
If the board had ambition, & commitment they would be looking to change not tinker. I suspect they will do nothing or wait until yet more humiliation pours down on the faithfull.
I maybe impatient by wanting Solbakken out, but I see nothing in his side to suggest he can turn it round.
Perhaps Roberto Di Matteo is better, but since no Prem clubs would touch Hughes we might be a good move for him at this juncture.
Problem is he left Fulham because they ‘weren’t ambitious enough,’ so good ness knows what he’d think of our current ambition to be in League 1!?
Novice managers never cut it in British football do they? Arsene Wenger, what an omnishambles his appointment was. RDM did awful with the a****n, Di Canio at Swindon, I could go on.
When we had an unbeaten run earlier in the season and were even getting a run of clean sheets, did you see anything in that side to suggest SS can turn it around?
He needs his players that he’s signed back fit, he needs better backing from the board (signing Frimpong would have been a start, lots of signings in Jan are the bare minimum), and he needs time.
Sacking him now would be a terrible decision, with the players that MM left behind promotion was always going to be a difficult ask this season. As long as we’re not embroiled in a relegation scrap (which I highly doubt we will be once SS signs some more quality in Jan) then we can continue to invest in the team next summer and look forward to a great season to follow.
So, until then, wind your neck in and start supporting the team. The sack Stale bandwagon is a little premature if it’s already rolling now.
I think you’re spot on Ben and this is all good constructive stuff. I see tonight that Norwich are linked with Griffiths – could be saving this one up as ANOTHER future player to score against us!!!
Personally I hope they keep Stale. I think he’s massively underperformed, and I don’t think many might have predicted our being where we are now back in Sept. I think we do have quality players in the team but they’re not performing a the moment, and I think the manager’s largely to blame. But having appointed him we should persevere.
In some ways I am glad the fans have been largely patient with the team and Stale and are blaming MMs. I do think that some of the conspiracy stories flying around are utter rubbish, though. Like buying Wolves was the best way for Morgan to line his pockets. Get over it. He wants the team to do well.
I’m sorry, but I see no evidence whatsoever of him wanting the team to do well.
All he seems to want is money.
We never see him.
We never hear from him.
We never see his wallet.
Strange way to want the team to do well.
I say sack Stale and appoint Ben. Made more sense in his post here then I’ve seen from Stale all along!
Thanks for that Thomas, just watching it must be bad enough!
Just can’t see where the next point’s coming from. Has anyone else noticed that we seem to have got even worse since they appointed the new German coach? And of course if they sack Stale you’d have to pay off all three of them wouldn’t you. Can’t see that happening.
Do you think we need to change the prediction league to the guess how many league instead?
One question Thomas – when we are in Division 2 and the crowds have long since disappeared will you and Ben still attend the matches or will The Wolves Blog be no more?
I can see it all now, the crowd comprising the two of you, Bob the Builder (planning how many houses he can get on the Molineux site) and the Man who ate all the pies (counting his latest bonus).
The way things are going even now I should think you should ask for a whip round from us stay away fans just for turning up and having to report on such rubbish!
We’re both seasoned gluttons mate, so don’t think there would ever be a time we wouldn’t go.
Honestly speaking, the only time I’ve ever considered closing the blog was last season when people were giving us both dog’s abuse for articles.
Ben in particular took some nonsense and knowing first hand the effort he puts in, that’s just not on.
I started seeing some of those comments creeping back in at the start of this season, but some moderation and a clarification on what’s acceptable seems to have made things more harmonious.
Long may it continue.
You’re like the big bro I never had mate – and you’re years younger than me, thanks!
Did you notice Swain’s piece in the E & S and most notably, the ‘toxic advice’ bit?
Wonder who he’s getting at there?
In the land of E & S, even being disgruntled is portrayed as being mildly unfair (or am I reading too much into it?)
I don’t care about the toxic bit, but would just prefer it if we could get some answers. It seems the paper misses the point.
It’s funny how, as supporters, we’re deemed ‘toxic’ for questioning performances or how the club is being managed. To criticise is, in the eyes of some, an unforgivable crime that ‘true’ supporters will never commit.
I gave up on the E&S actually asking some serious questions long ago. I often criticise (there’s that grossly offensive word again) Tim Nash on Twitter, who never responds. Far be it for him and his colleagues to ask Morgan and Moxey what they’re doing to turn things around. No, they’d rather give us the same old guff about Stale claiming he’s the right man for the job or Ward/Henry/Edwards challenging their team-mates to perform. Dreadful stuff.
As for the team, Stale might want to consider implementing a new system that the players are comfortable with. Or he could stick with the current plan and consign us to league 1.
Completely agree Rob.
I just thought it was a bizarre choice of wording. There would appear to be SO MANY questions worth posing to Stale, Morgan and Moxey. No wonder Swain feels a toxic air about any line of questioning when fans don’t read that their questions have ever being asked? It sure winds me up.
Maybe I’m being toxic by my very questioning of the word toxic in the first place?!!
Ben you’re spot on with Swain and co. Investigative sports journalism died long ago at the E&S, it’s now nothing short of lazy. Swain should spend less time on trying to look like a 60 year old Paul Weller and more on being a journalist!
Never mind the ‘toxic’ advice from the passionate fans what about the toxic decisions that have turned us into a feeder club for the rest of the championship.
The best part of Wolves these days is this blog.
It seems morgan & moxey put ‘profit’ before ‘football’ in regard to Wolves.
Something has gone terribly wrong.
I still have patience with the manager but he has to show some balls.
As we are losing anyway don’t play Berra, Ward, Foley, Edwards, Pennant etc.
Play some players who show some pride in the shirt.
To me only Sako & Sigurdarson seems to play like they want to win.
The whole thing is a bigger mess than my life and that is saying something.
As I say, thanks Thomas and Ben for the blog.
Btw, in the ‘Metro’ there was an article about Wolves ‘auctioning’ the piece of dug out Ståle smashed – Talk about asset stripping!!!!
its for CHARITY !
Sack the lot, absolutely embarrassing, my patience is strong running out with SS, the players seem to have gotten worse since last season.
SACK CLUELESS STALE!
MOXEY AND MORGAN OUT!
THE WHOLE FIRST XI OUT!
PISSED!
agree … but what will happen is……………………………..silence then……………nothing then ………………….lose then …………………excuses- what a shambles of a once great club! pay the kids the same money to play 1st team and you may not move boulders but youd get a damn sight lot more than this excuse for a team are giving!!!!!!! well done ginger pubes and sad act – youve managed to destroy any hopes of returning to prem and at this rate of even being in THIS league next season
I follow and contribute ( In a small way) to this Blog as it mainly consists of sensible reasoned opinions and hope this will continue for many years to come, regardless of which division we end up in. What would really please me is one of the MM’s to write a piece for the Blog explaining what the hell they intend to do to stop the rot.
More chance of a****n losing form and getting relegated, Wolves turning it round and winning the FA Cup and the league, the entire torie front bench committing hari kari over the destruction of the NHS (did you know they are no longer legally obliged to provide health care for the British people? If you aren’t dying you aren’t getting an op…) and this blog handing over editorial decision making to the E&S.
In short, pick a new wish.
I’ve only seen one live league match and a couple of friendlies this season, but this is how it looks to me.
Stale has given them all in- depth instructions on how he wants them to play, much of which is completely new to them, like trying to pass to people on their own side. They then go out there, concentrating like mad on keeping the ball and passing it around and they’ve completely forgotten what playing football is fundamentally all about, i.e.scoring goals and dicking the opposition.
It’s like thery’re giving a presentation of their new found techniques and have forgotten all about playing with passion and wanting to win.
I don’t think Stale can see thisr either; everything’s got overcomplicated and far too technical for this bunch of journeymen pro’s. Something’s got to change quickly or we are in very serious danger of going down. Either the players have to go or the manager, which would be the much quicker option.
A very short term temporary fix, bring in a simple football geezer who knows the game and speaks the same language as this lot. A sort of Harry Bassett type. Nothing complicated, very straightforward football and get the passion back. Meanwhile Morgan can take his time, think about what they’ve been doing wrong and start doing what the fans want, beginning with a manager and DOF who have complete control of football matters including transfers. Hopefully with Moxey just a nasty memory.
BRING IN A HARRY BASSETT TYPE ??? FOR GODS SAKE PEOPLE , DONT U GET IT ????? WE CANT PLAY DIRECT FOOTBALL TO GET PROMOTED AND THEN LEARN TECHNICAL FOOTBALL DURING PRESEASON TO PREPARE FOR PREM SURVIVAL !!!! THIS COULD TAKE SEVERAL YEARS WITH THE RIGHT PLAYERS !! WE DONT HAVE ENOUGH TECHNICALLY COMFORTABLE PLAYERS TO IMPLEMENT THIS STYLE PLUS THEY ARE TOO STUBBOURN OR TOO STUPID TO TAKE IT ON BOARD ! GLAD IM IN HOLLAND AWAY FROM THE BIG MOUTH SHIT FANS ! MAN IT MUST BE HELL BACK HOME IN WOLVES !! PATIENCE AND GOOD LUCK WILL SEE US BUILT TO LAST !! fwaw ! Aahhh sunny whitmore reans !!
Chill out hey?
We’ve played direct football from pretty much the first till the current day at the Wolves.
I don’t see why people harking back to it, particularly with the current state of things and the shit under Hoddle, is that difficult to understand.
Oh and btw, Norwich were very direct last season and if they’d keep their excellent manger they would’ve continued it this season and stayed up on a pittance.
The notion you HAVE to pass the ball to establish in the PL is utter nonsense.
Have you heard of a stripey lot from Staffordshire?
“Like trying to pass to people on their own side”
Made me chuckle!
Ade you’re back, i thought we’d lost you. Presume you’ve put your name down for the Wolves blog postcard?
Hi Martin, how are you? I never went away, but have become more of a lurker because tbh I can’t see any games, so it’s hard for me to comment. I’d feel a bit cheap chiming in and criticising something I don’t have any experience of.
Yes, Kowloon and myself have something in the works for next weekend!
Worrying times for the men in gold…not really sure what the answer is. I guess better defenders would be a start!
Thats far too sensible for Morgan, Martin.
Anything logical evades Dumb and Dumber.
unless he can rip the arse out of it alf
Old goldy you took the words out of my mouth.
Astonishing that we still have total silence from The Board.
either a sign of guilt,arrogance ,or because he is way in over his ginger head….OR all three..more likely . seems amazing when its something that makes them look good you cant shut them up..arses
I can remember predicting this slide before MM left we were at a cross roads then, the system we were playing (physical, wingers crossing into a big man up front) clearly wasn’t working in the prem, however it was good enough to get us promoted. We had a choice after MM left:
1. Hire a manager in Mick’s style (Warnock, Bruce, Alladyce, Pulis etc) aiming to get immediate promotion or at least a promotion challenge but unless we get serious investment in talent ala Stoke never really imposing ourselves on the prem.
2. Hire a manager that looks to the long term changing our style to possession based football that can be more successful in the prem and can be a basis for the team to move on in the future from 1st team to academy level ala Swansea or Arsenal. However, this risks a number of seasons in the doldrums whist we replace the current coaching and playing team and build those qualities into our youth set up.
We went for 2 and Stale is going about setting up a new ethos at the club unfortunately the majority of our squad simply isn’t good enough to play that way and you have to be good to be able to play football and win in the championship. If we stick with Stale it could take 4 or five seasons for us to get a squad up to competing and even longer for our youth teams to catch up and reap the benefits. It took Swansea 3 managers and a 6 years to develop their successful style. Are we prepared to wait that long? Are we prepared to flirt with relegation this year and possibly next?
However, if we twist, sack Stale and bring in MM part deux were setting ourselves up for going backwards in footballing terms and will it ever turn us into a side that can stay up in the top league?
I don’t know the answer, my gut says stick with Stale, the majority of his signings have looked leagues above what we have already in the squad (barring fitness!) and possession and technical football is definitely the way to go to compete in future. But my heart can’t stand the tired and dire performances we’ve had recently.
Then sack the players.
If I do not perform my job as per job description, I deserve to get sacked. (The fact that I’m self employed is beside the point )
Surely this should apply in football as well?
None of them are doing what they are paid to do, or doing it so badly they might as well not bother, so why noy sack the lot and start over?
If wording to this effect is not in their contracts, then sack the person at the club responsible for the ommision.
No skill, no passion, no commitment equals no job.
Simple.
Fuck ’em all off!
I agree Clive, how hard can it be for them to step on to the pitch and at least play some semblance of a decent match?
That IS all they’ve been doing since they were kids, and frankly judging by the performances described here (I’m more of a reader than commenter these days because I can’t see the games, so don’t feel very qualified to speak in specifics).
We were SO bad last season that i didn’t think it would get worse.
It has.
if the Premier League hypothetically had 20 Barcelonas, inevitably 3 teams would still get relegated, would you then argue that all these players should be sacked?
Football is not the same work as ours, the objectives are less clear and achievable, why should we always be calling for someone’s head to roll?? I don’t think that is always the right solution.
I’m giving SS (and his players) plenty more time (2, 3, 4 seasons?) to keel-even and eventually get us up and stay up.
You miss the point.
The players we have are clearly not up to the required standard.
If one is paid to do a job, then do it.
If you are doing your best and still the team fails, then so be it.
But if you are not trying and are clearly seen to not be trying then you dont deserve that job, therefore get fired.
And I would argue that football’s objectives are the clearest of any job.
Win every game you play.
That is not rocket science, and is why there are an unusually large number of “lesser intelligence” people playing the game!!
whilst in every game a win is achieveable iv a couple of arguments 1-don’t the oppo have the same objective?! and 2-its not a realistic target over several games.
Thats why the man utd game 3 seasons back never sat badly with me, MM realised what was realistic and ACHIEVED in the Burnley game.
U would be right in a perfect world, but I think you are the evidence against that 😉
I agree that some of the players are not up to scratch but we can’t go sacking them all (cost and not relegating ourselves) there has to be a transition. Ironically one of the players that was long ago decided by all to be fit for the trash-pile scored the winner on Tuesday!!
Sheffield, excellent analysis and agree with you completely.
THANK GOD SOME PEOPLE GET IT !! THIS NEEDS TO BE THE WAY THE FAN BASE MUST THINK OR WE WILL TEAR OURSELVES APART ! IF U DONT LIKE IT STAY AWAY ! BETTER 10,000 POSITIVE FORWARD THINKING SUPPORTERS THAN A STADIUM FULL OF UNREST !! PLEASE COME BACK WHEN IT IMPROVES ! BECAUSE OF THE COST PEOPLE HAVE LESS PATIENCE THESE DAYS , THATS UNDERSTANDABLE WE NEVER MISSED A COUPLE OF QUID BACK IN DAY ! MANY OF US ARE IN THE 92 CLUB ! IVE FOLLOWED WOLVES ALL OVER AND THIS IS KILLING ME SLOWLY MAN AMONGST AJAX FEYENOORD GALATASARAY AND FENERBACHE FANS IN HOLLAND THE 2 DUTCH AND 2 TURKISH CLUBS FANS DONT UNDERSTAND THE WORD RELEGATION !! hang in there lads and lasses ! fwaw !
Hi Harlem. To start with, if you’re calling me a big mouth shit fan i think you’ll find that’s considered unacceptable behaviour on this site.
Secondly, if you can’t read something and understand what is being said i suggest you keep your toys in the pram and and keep your insults to yourself.
I never suggested a Harry Bassett type would get us promoted; i clearly said if we carried on in this fashion we were in real danger of relegation. We have to stop the rot somehow.
I also said this would be a short term fix giving Morgan time to reconsider his long term plan and realising at last that money needs to be spent on top players and coaches, uninhibited by a meddling CEO.
‘ WE DONT HAVE ENOUGH TECHNICALLY COMFORTABLE PLAYERS TO IMPLEMENT THIS STYLE PLUS THEY ARE TOO STUBBOURN OR TOO STUPID TO TAKE IT ON BOARD !’
Well said, exactly my point. And as i said, either the players have to go or the manager and getting rid of ‘stubborn, stupid players’ will take time.
If we carry on trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear then we’re going nowhere but down and trying to come back from division 1 is something i’d rather avoid. I’d rather like to think also that the diehard season ticket holders who are still back in Wolves might see the team win a game now and again.
i actually think hes agreeing with you, what he says about the shit fans is aimed at those who are third in the prem whilst we are languishing in no mans land. i personally have had enough of texts and facebook comments taking thwe piss an i would also rather be else where
THANKS MATE ! NO POISON INTENDED TO MARTIN . YE DIG ! OH MAN IM GONNA TAKE LIKE A JIVE TURKEY FROM NOW ON ! right on !
martin , i meant that because i now live in the netherlands i dont have to work alongside big mouth albion fans like many of our fans do ! im in HAARLEM in holland not HARLEM in new york USA . i ain’t no jive turkey sucker !!
Ok Haarlem sorry, got the wrong end of the stick there.
Those bastards got us arguing with each other now and we all want is the best for our beloved Wolves!
Oh and by the way, that was my 1000th post on here!
Wow, 1000 posts , you’ll be up for a testimonial should you ever decide to call it a day. How do you keep track of the number ?
It’s easy, check the Top Commentator on the blog home page, see who is top blogger……………………and weep!!!
Ha Ha Ha that makes it 2007.
Oh to be self employed, ya Lazy git, looking forward to 2008
You got it!
And lets have some respect on here, its MR lazy git!
Swansea were in league 1 mid table under Kenny Jackett just over 5 years.
It hasn’t taken them 6 years at all, utter nonsense.
I rounded up from memory I apologise. Martinez took over in February 2007 it took them three managers and the best part of 4 years to develop their style and make it successful. The point I was making is it certainly didn’t happen in 19 games and it wasn’t immediately successful at this level.
Sacking Stale at this stage in the process would be ridiculous if were looking to build a team to play possession football. His signings (when fit) have looked technically superior to our old team. He needs the funds and the time to mould his new team together. Unfortunately, I don’t think many if any of MM squad or the youth players (if Davies is anything to go by) will fit in.
We may as well face it football (especially at the top level) in England is tending towards the more possession based and technical style we can either change now and end up at the forefront of the shift or miss this chance to rebuild and end up being left behind. Stoke and West Ham have proved that old style physical (kick and rush) football can be successful and its still the predominant style in Championship and lower leagues, but its not the future.
Fair enough, perhaps I was being ultra pedantic but I think comparing us to Swansea is disingenuous.
10 years ago they were playing in a shed at the foot of the football league.
The only way they could’ve succeeded is by doing it how they have.
They have had no money until recently when the PL money has boosted their coffers.
Rodgers took over and got them pretty much straight up. I think the Paulo Sousa reign is often forgotten. It was a negative, dour side which didn’t replicate what Rodgers and Martinez did either side.
We are a wealthy PL club in all but on the pitch. A good manager could make things work in a season I think and that’s why I’m prepared to give Stale a season, after much reflection mind.
After all, all we’re asking them to do is pass the ball a bit more! We aren’t retraining them to play rugby!
Just stole this off a Telegraph blog.
If you change some names around it is apprpriate.
Food for thought, seeing another manager playing the kids.
“It was obvious to those close enough to the club that the squad inherited by Lambert was simply not good enough, and certainly not bearing in mind the salaries many of them were ‘earning’. Many of the fans had also lost faith in some of those players, and I can tell you that in spite of the results to date there is a much more positive atmosphere around the ground – I mentioned to my son as we walked to the ground last night “Considering we’ve picked up just one point during the last three games, there is still a sense of optimism, and that must say something about what’s happening”.
The Villa squad really needed shaking up – a group of the senior pro’s had become an issue within the club and Lamberts “Shape up or ship out” attitude is exactly what’s needed. The young players he is entrusting the clubs immediate future to would most probably walk through the proverbial brick wall for Lambert right now, and that has something to do with how he is prepared to deal with the likes of Bent – a player who thinks the side should revolve around him alone.
Wake up call for Mr.Bent!!”
And bigger wake up calls for Solbakken, Morgan and Moxey.
The intelligent and considered analysis by Ben and Sheffieldwolf says much that i would have wanted to try and say.
Personally i would gamble with Stale for longer – if he was sacked now the board would probably go for someone they consider a safe pair of hands which might mean an experienced manager who will just work at the percentages.
Would like to see JM sacked or demoted to comercial manager and possibly a director of football who could work with Stale someone like Ray Wilkins (?).
Here’s some good news!
Because George Elokobi fractured his ankle and is out for the season, he won’t be lining up against us for Bristol City at Ashton Gate this coming Saturday!
and mc kindoe has ended up playing sunday league football as his feet are as big as his gob so we should be fine saturday….apart from the fact we are a pub team at best..
Quote from Ståle on the BBC Sport website.
“I rested Tongo Doumbia for the Millwall game as he feels weak and that his legs have gone a little bit. We have to find out what is happening there.”
HE’S NOT BLOODY FIT, THAT’S WHAT IS HAPPENING!
Apart from lack of confidence (and basic ability) the common factor in the recent performances has been running out of steam in the second half.
I’ve banged on about this before but the absolute minimum requirement in this division is the ability to scrap and run for 90+ minutes.
Respect to Sako for insisting on playing with an injury but as for the rest of them, if they’re tired this early in the season, don’t rest them, work them harder – GET THEM FIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fagin & Greasel will only be concerned with the attendances, when they drop to around, 14,000, then they will spring into action sacking this incompetent manager and offering limited funds for the January window. I really hope its not too late and they can learn from their serious mistakes of last season. A lot of fans that I spoke with are going from angry – disappointed to even worse “don’t care” its criminal whats happening to our club.
Concerning the 2 styles everyone is banging on about, a quality manager will be able to incorporate both styles and make the transition to premier class football steadily given the resources. This mess is lays at the feet of the two money grabbers in control.
Absolutely agree, its the numb don’t really expect a decent result from this team that gets me. Its Wolves isn’t it still? But my, my we are just a shadow of Mick’s Championship side now.
How did it happen? Poor Managerial appointments thats how. And if I understand some of the texts above correctly why is questionning the direction of a team who have’nt won in 9 games toxic?
Never seen the bottom of the Steve Bull so empty, even for a gate of 18000. Must have been a lot of absent season ticket holders then, and much more of this garbage I`ll be joining that group.
Millwall realised at half time they only had to raise their game and we were in trouble. In fact they had two pacey players we couldn`t cope with – not for the first time. Edwards and Davis, probably the least mobile and effective midfield we`ve had for years, both lack the pace and mobility to play as a two man midfield.
I thought MM was a dinasaur with his 442, but Stalle sticks with it, at this rate maybe straight into division one. I see MM`s tractor boys are catching us up – and as for driving over from Nottingham for a 5.20pm kick off against Blues on 8th Dec, you can forget it. They`ll be lucky to get 10000 in for that. Utter shambles Morgan & Moxey.
I’ve just been on the insanitised site and picked up another gem of a quote, this time from K. Doyle Esq.
“We just need a win”.
So that’s the answer! Brilliant!
Sack SS and make the boy manager!
Oh Dear! Where do we go from here?
Players who go from Wolves to other clubs always manage to improve becoming integral cogs in other clubs teams – why is that? We saw Jodie Craddock go to Stoke on loan because quite simply he wasn’t playing well enough at Wolves – he comes back a different player and the rest (as the song goes) is Golden palace history. Keith Andrews, Mark Davies, Andy Keogh, Andrew Surman – the list goes on! What on earth do we do to coach players? As an MD who has restructured a company over the last two years I saw the framework for improvement of my company as relatively simple. Its a long hard slog but it started with a strategy followed very quickly by a business plan. The personnel have changed significantly over those two years leaving very few of the original team. I wanted the best and most appropriate people for the shape of business in my vision. One thing I have ensured we achieved on the journey was continual improvement.
I look at the current mess at Wolves remembering first and foremost our product is the football team. I see regression in almost every area of the product being produced. The value of our stock (the players) has diminished and the buying power of the club will go the same way given the value our business managers place on everything as against other clubs.
I am also of the mind and understand we do not want to do a Leeds, Portsmouth etc but we are a million miles away from that – or at least I assume we are? I am afraid the people who run our beloved Wolves FC want the finest Champagne at Cava prices and that is why we are in our current predicament.
I am ok for Morgan and Moxey to stay so long as they communicate with the one constant in this scenario – the fans! They have to tell us what is going on, where they see the club going and how they intend to get there. At least then we know – this constant wall of silence and dare I say it appalling appointments/decisions (on the football side of the business) is just creating apathy and dejection.
Our club is run brilliantly apart from the reason we are here – the football! My fear is the appointment of SS was a clever PR stunt with no real understanding behind it. If i’m wrong what’s the harm in Messrs Morgan and Moxey coming out telling us exactly what they are attempting to do? As you all so eloquently put it the writing is on the wall, attendances down, bottom half of an average division and a team with no shape, no energy, no potency and no direction. Wake up SM and JM you are presiding over an impending catastrophe both unnecessary and unforgiveable.
P.s – I am boiling angry inside but have never won an argument being abusive. SM/JM try treating us with a bit of respect for a change!
well put tuba…… nice stand but half empty- nice training facilities but as you put so fluently whats the point-all top show no substance….morgan you listening or cant you hear up there in your ivory tower !
We sign a £3m player and he is too tired to play in a must win game. Un-fuckin-belivable. He wasnt too fuckin tired to pick the pen up to sign the contract. Why didnt the club say he had a strain or a knock. Too say publically he was too tired sums up the stupidity of the management team. Imbeciles. Too fuckin tired. Im tired of all the bullshit bollocks that has been coming out of my club for a long time. Get lost morgan or get a management team around you that understands football.
It was a very disappointing evening for those who were at Molineux, but as usual it could have been so different, if they had taken one of several chances they made in the first half – and we were denied a penalty.
However next time we’ll have Henry back, and Doumbia will hopefully have recovered and be able to play the attacking role he’s best at. Doyle did play well last night, and with Sigurdarson and Sako always likely to score we can surely beat Bristol City. Blake has surely had his last chance (he missed again) and should be shipped out – no doubt to come back and haunt us !
John your point sums up part of the problem beautifully – I guess unbeknown you see it from the Moxey/Morgan view point (and I am not insulting you as you are looking for positives where unfortunately there are very few – I guess they do too)
You say it could have been so different, how many times could you have said that over the past four/five years? The reason it is not different and is consistently the same is we have a group of average players who occasionally click and play half decent football. The difference between us and teams who are successful is 1/ this decent football would more often than not produce an end product – a goal! 2/ decent teams play consistently well most of the time, not occasionally like our lot and often only one half per game
The players you mention who are set to return will not make much difference – who have we got who can score 20 goals a season in this team (and decent teams need two)? Who have we got who can create a goal scoring chance when confronted with a 10 man defence? Which one of our midfielders has defensive pace? Which one of our current crop of defenders inspires any confidence in you? Where is the captain who puts the fear of God in his team mates when they are not putting in a shift?
I could go on – I applaud your never say die attitude but sometimes we have to face the truth, this is a team requiring total rebuilding with an actual plan ‘A’ and ‘B’. We need second string players who are good enough to fill the positions of players who get suspended or injured. This requires coaching, scouting skills of the highest quality, a junior academy working to a specific plan, a bit of luck and a fair amount of money.
We are very very average, if that, and I am looking for the owners of WWFC to tell me where we are going and just how we are going to get there! Quotes such as “It will get worse before it gets better” just make me angry. It is a glib comment without substance – tell me why it needs to get worse, why it is going to take time and what are the club doing to mitigate the risks involved?
The sadest thing for me in all of this is the last 2 games ive precicted the correct score but my phone hasnt let me post my comments, i should be riding high in the table instead im doing about as good as wolves.
The dilema for me is we just dont have the players to play the way Stale wants, so unless he changes his style we are shafted. Yes possesion football is the way forward but at the minute its taking us backward, the most important thing is 3 points and i dont know where they are coming from, a 5 man midfield for me is a must. January is gonna be massive. Anyone else feel being a wolves fan the light at the end of the tunnel is never quite reched?
Make no mistake, the club is in a calamitous position now
There is not going to be simple solution to the current ills.
Regardless of where the long term future lies, a prerequisite has to be that we stay in this league this season. Failure to do so will introduce financial calamity as well. Imagine trying to pay even a few of these players on Division 1 income.
Some want Morgan to sell the club. If Morgan tried to sell the club now he wouldn’t find a buyer; look how long Jack H took. Rich people want big clubs or at least clubs in big cities and like it or not Wolverhampton is a badly run down city that needs massive investment which in the current climate it isn’t going to get. Noone is going to pour money into Wolves.
Morgan could put money in… but who decent would want to join a sinking ship anyway? Perhaps we could sign an unknown who happens to be brilliant but our scouting staff has just been dismantled and the hit rate on such signings is less than one in ten. Add to that the need to keep the wage bill down as our income could be about to fall dramatically and attracting new players will be very difficult.
You could sack Jez but I doubt that will change the performance on the pitch. A new exec will make further cuts to get ready to balance the books in case of relegation. High wage players, regardless of position or ability would be given away to cut costs. This cost cutting is why we have so many players out on loan.
The target now must be 48 points by the end of the season. We need 26 with 27 games left. That means winning about 1 in 3. Sounds easy but at least 3 teams won’t do that and we could be one of them.
Now can Stale Solbakken make that happen ? So far he’s got 22 in 19… admittedly front ended (3 in last 9) but we can’t say he can’t do it. We also can’t say that these players can’t do it as they have clearly shown that they can earlier in the season.
Looking back to when we were winning the team looks something like :
Ikeme, Stearman, Ward, Johnson, Berra,Henry,Doumbia,Pezsko,Sako, Doyle, SEB.
Today you can’t have Ikeme (only doris left) and can’t have Pezsko. We’ve tried Davis, Edwards, Pennant and Forde as replacements for Pezsko. We haven’t won (many ? any ?) with them in the team. We have to come up with another name. As things stand I don’t see anyone else who is available. So given that all our Strikers are fit, Pull Doyle back into attacking midfield alongside Doumbia, and put Sigurdson up front as SEB doesn’t look like scoring.
Next , an assessment of the morale, the up for it ness, of the team. Tell them that they are a winning team from earlier in the season. If anyone in the defence is not up for it ( and a good manager can tell) replace them with Batth or Foley. If any striker has any doubts replace him with Nouble. If anybody in midfield has any doubts, replace him with Edwards who has at least some skill. But most important , every man in that team running on the pitch on Saturday must believe they are going to win. And finally Solbakken has to tell the players to play their natural game. Use simple man marking. Shoot at every opportunity. And counterattack quick and long to Sigurdson, Doyle or Sako.
What I don’t see is how changing the manager will help while only these players are available. Margreitter, Boukari and Peszko will be back soon. These are Solbakkens men and he can try his fancy passing game when they get back. But in the meantime, he must change to a system that will get us 48 points quickly and then he can spend the rest of this season and next honing the Premiership skills. Because if we go down the financial disaster that ensues will keep us there for a long long time
Some realism here which unfortunetly i have to agree with.
Agree for the most part. Where we differ is ‘What I don’t see is how changing the manager will help…’. You propose a plan B like a lot of us did for McCarthy. I don’t disagree with your plan B but won’t see that implemented under SS. That’s why he’s got to go.
The most worrying thing about the second half performance last night was that I just didn’t care about it. I’ve seen so much turgid rubbish (last season and this) that I now expect it. At one point during the second half I just sat down and though I could be at home, warm enjoying the telly! – The real danger for the club is that a fair few STHs didn’t attend last night, (16k max I’d say (the official 18k doesn’t allow for seats sold not used)). Even tho I’m a STH I’m starting to think about missing games in the run run up to Xmas and that means that I’m more likely than not to not renew next season.
Just read that in the last 2 years we have won 2 games at home when we have played on a saturday. Amazing. And the fans are over-reacting with “toxic advice”
shocking eh that we should be expected to be silent..
Sack him now? Or wait until televised humiliation with a home defeat to Blues on 8th or humiliation on TV on 21st? I tell you what, why not wait until Boxing Day defeat to the bottom club? That will make everybody’s Xmas just like the Wigan game a couple of years ago. No! I know Morgan and Moxey. We’ll lose to McCarthy’s Ipswich on 29th Dec and by then it will be untenable. Better still that means we can waste the whole of January before deciding to put Tony Daley in charge and save a fortune by not having to sign anyone in the transfer window. SS must go and the sooner everyone realises that the better. Believe it or not, I’m a patient man but this is NEVER going to work. I was a ballboy in the Bhatti years. I’ve ditched my season ticket in the McGhee years. I’ve seen some crap but this takes the biscuit. Ståle Solbakken or stale bolsakken? I’m no linguist but if it sounds like a stale ballsack, it looks like a stale ballsack and smells like a stale ballsack…
its sad whats happening but i think you are right and that did make me laugh….nice one
So I’m getting in the Christmas spirit (Captain Morgan’s spiced rum ) and going round the house singing
” Dingle Jells, Dingle jells, Dingle all the way, oh what fun it is to see the shit and liverpool lose away!!!
Note to self…drink less.
Raffas Chelsea are fact well and truly fact.
We are on a bad run, and everything looks doom and gloom, but I still reckon (somehow) that Stale is right for the job. Unlike Mick and others, Stale said it’s his responsibility and the pressure is on him. He admits it not like others blaming the refs or injuries. Most of his signings are better than the current squad and most of them are injured. 1st halves aren’t that bad most of the time, but its the 2nd that always kills us but in most of the games we lost, it was pretty close and vise versa. I think it’s not Stale or Morgan to go, rather Moxey. Get that fucker out.
UTW!
Apparently Norwich are interested in buying Leigh Griffiths who the **** is he has anybody seen him play ?
Just checked and apparently he’s a Scottish striker on loan to Hibernian.
Bought in January 2011 and never played in the first team.
We wouldn’t want him though because he seems to be a regular goal scorer up there.
I find it inconceivable that Express and Star are not pursuing the two M’s about the state
of our club. What do you think?…they have asked repeatedly and reported nothing about
what is happening. Has Morgan a controlling interest there as well?
So much for investigative journalism.
The E&S was once a great newspaper, David Instone was just right for that newspaper and gave fair and honest reporting regarding Wolves.
However this Martin Swain dick talks complete bollocks and is always sucking up to Moxey and Morgan. I’m convinced the E&S has been infiltrated by WBA and Villa fanatics, because all they do is put out shit that they know will piss the Wolves fans off.
They never ask dumb and dumber any awkward questions, like they should be doing now.
It’s as tho they are scared to piss off the Wolves Chairman and CEO, for whatever reason I don’t know, but what I can say is that I ain’t bought the paper for a few years now although I do go online and read it, but won’t give them any of my money.
There is something rotten at the E&S just like there is at Wolves, they deserve each other….
I’m not a big Karl Henry fan and we know referees are targeting him now, but I note that we haven’t won a match without him this season and he’s only played in 4 of the 9 defeats.
Perhaps we miss him more than I thought at this level.
today’s E&S covers a supposed uprising against SS’s zonal-marking tactics. I would imagine this is as decisive argument on the blog (probably the same divide as usual!). Is the tactic noticeable in the games? I only wonder because as a rookie coach i’m a massive advocate for it, but it’s difficult to find many teams using it yet. In 10 years time everyone (bar Stoke) will probably be using it.
From what i could see on Tuesday Wolves were man marking at set pieces. 3 marking space in open play in the penalty area while Millwall scored though.
As a serious question:
Does zonal marking work in the championship? I’m not a football expert by any stretch but surely it’s a difficult system to pull off against the kind of “run and gun” style a lot of lower league teams employ? Surely it affords them a bit too much space that they can exploit with a bit of pace?
I’ve been thinking lately maybe Stales trying to play a bit too much of “the beautiful game”. I’ve seen we’ve had a lot of possession but not end product. The correspondant on sky sports described our performance the other night at milwall thus:
“Wolves are playing like they’re on a first date, they can get it in the box.. but they’re not quite sure what to do with it”
it should work at any level. I have 16 year old kids doing it 2nd nature. They can still ma-mark because that’s easy.
Theres number crunching evidence: basically the key is if you mark zonally then the ball tally in creative positions (and with creative players) is less and so in goal scoring positions less often and so forth. Note that a corner is a really shit piece of creative possession, but you are still trying to coax them to deliver the ball into a less dangerous area ie not level with he front post. Because there are even less creative players in the Champ it actually means man-marking is even less necessary. Don’t get me wrong if I were playing Messi, i’d mark him out the game if I could!
Man-to-man actually requires more discipline, as its more defined, but it does not allow for quick transitional play (other than, say, the long ball) unless you can build more levels into the structure ie 4-2-3-1 (=4) rather than 4-4-2 (=3), which is what Mourinho did at Chelsea. With zonal marking the structure is more fluid (its a theory not an exact science) and more easily practiceable, meaning its more efficient and thereby effective.
sorry to carry on, but one thing zonal marking does permit is man marking near to goal as the ‘zone’ becomes the man.
Do you think the E&S bit was written on any foundation or was it designed to take any heat off M&M and put it on SS? I begin to wonder. Has there been any comment from the players? A short time ago they were commenting in favour of these methods on the E&S. Doesn’t quite add up for me.
Ironically, if SS is their man then now is the time for M&M to come out and state this publicly. In fact now is the time for them to state something, anything, about the direction the club is taking to the long suffering fans.
“it also shows he has group of players who don’t seem to be able to adapt.”
This from the E&S.
Almost heresy and treason, but they finally print what we’ve all been seeing and saying for months.
Wonder if an E&S reporter will be let in to the ground from now on?
So much on here that is dead nuts on the mark.
As tuba said above turning things around requires a plan and execution. Moxey has done neither.
If you keep doing the right things, good things happen. But firstly you need some who knows what the right things are. I am not exactly sure of Moxeys tenure (11 yrs) but simply put he has failled and must pay the price.
I have said many times it is not that hard to balance the books, there are 1000s of accountants who can do that, you just spend less than you take in. That is great short term but in the long term you need a creative knowledgable guy to grow the business at the same time.
Moxeys method of continually cutting the cloth to suit the reduce income is a doom spiral. I can see him bragging that we are the most profitable team in the Conference and spending 125 quid on signings because thats all we can afford with a gate of 200.
The debate about zonal marking and tactics is i find hilarious sure it works BUT you need quick and competent players who have complete and total confidence in each other. Both of which we are generally lacking. To introduce such a system with what we have was a very big stretch. I will give the club this term to sort it and get in the players they want but there better be some significant improvement come January.
Right now SS is between a rock and a hard place, as to if he should compromise a little to get short term results. For me the sign of a good coach is flexibility and making the best of what you have, you can not keep crying that the system is good but they are not playing to it. Thats BS.
You have got to get the best from what you have. To me the classic example of this Arry at QPR, he obviously aint happy with what he has got but the first thing he has done is to frighten the crap out of them and make them work.
SS has to face up to the challenge and get results with whats there, and make Ward into the world class Left back that sommeone obviously thinks he is.
Haven’t been on here – haven’t dared to to be honest, have only read the verdict – but a quick shout-out to the useless fucker who thinks that vandalising the manager’s car will help! This sort of shit is unacceptable whatever you think of the manager and he’s just gone and tarnished the reputation of the rest of us! I’m disgusted!!
Moronic behaviour Hamlet, you are spot on and every decent Wolves fan I am sure echo’s your condemnation of the person responsible. It doesn’t matter how angry we are or how frustrated we feel there is a line of decency that should not be crossed.
Whoever you are i’ll pay your fare to the amazon jungle where your behaviour belongs!
Finally something we agree on, Hamsterlet!!
I bet it was greasel, so he can claim some insurance money.
Seriously, whichever brain dead prick did it needs banning for life from all thing Wolves.
In all my time in The States, I’ve never had a vehicle vandalized, or any of my many Wolves stickers and magnetic signs nicked.
Stolen ,or jacked up on blocks with no wheels, but never vandalized.
On the car topic, if Wolves bought all their players Smart cars, would they improve???
Well said Hamlet good to see you back we need contributors on here brave enough not to just follow the herd.
Having been brought up in Wolves, and somewhere I visit at least twice a month, I share all our frustrations and the majority of fans sentiments that no one should be subjected to such an act of mindless violence. However, it is WOLVERHAMPTON. Being born and bred, i count myself in that pack. Like we should not expect such idiocy, we cannot expect all the fans to act as the majority would.
Of course we have healthy debate, but even on here we are divided. Im very much in the camp to keep Stale and change the personnel through evolution to play his system. Strengthen the defence, bolster the midfield and get a man who can hit the onion bag at least 20 time a season!
But there are many of you who disagree and I respect that! It doesnt make me right, or stop me loving my Wolves!
We can shout out about the violence, but I doubt the individual would be reading these blogs anyway!
Someone somewhere knows who this was!!!!!!
Back to the matter in hand, Morgan, Moxey we need some answers…..
What are your suggested solutions to help build this proud club to where we rightly belong?
ill second that hamlet mate….brain dead chav dont belong at wolves!
Just read about Solbakkens car. Thats not on. Whether it was one of our fans or rival fan or even nothing to do with Soccer, any chance we can have a comment ben or thomas condemning such action.
This guy and his family are in a foreign country; haven’t been here long and this is no way to show them what England is like. I am disgusted and ashamed of my countrymen.
Apologies to SS for the mindless attack on his car. Obviously is going to upset his family as well.
Nothing warrants this and i hope they catch the mindless asshole.
They could actually make him watch everygame for the rest of the season, that would teach the cretin.
great comment! hilarious! thanks for the wolvo humour
obviously related to the tosser who thought it acceptable to push ohara while he was carrying his kid!! bleeding inbred!!
Agree 100% with you and Hamlet.