Moments are what make being a football fan worthwhile and in modern times, Mick McCarthy’s side have unquestionably delivered some of the finest.
I wasn’t around to savour the glory days of the 60s and 70s, but this never-say-die Wolves team are now writing their very own chapter in Molineux folklore.
And whatever happens this season, I’ll always be able to boast ‘I remember us winning at Anfield’ and following these latest heroics, ‘I was there that night when Wolves beat Chelsea’.
Thanks Mick.
And thank you to every single player in old gold, for producing a performance of such astonishing discipline and courage, which defied all logic and quite simply strangled the life out of the reigning Premier League champions.
Nobody encapsulated the fighting spirit more than Zubar. He could have gone into hiding after his Upton Park horror show, but instead came out of the traps like a man possessed, thundering in a left-foot drive from all of thirty yards, which forced a top-class save from Petr Cech. That set the tone and the Frenchman was it all night, defending resolutely and even robbing the ball off Ashley Cole at one stage and rampaging towards goal. C’est Magnifique Ronald.
And what about Stephen Hunt? Performances like this one are the reason we ponied over 3 million smackers to Hull. He never stopped running, closing down the opposition, prodding, kicking and climbing all over anyone in a blue shirt. ‘Nuisance value’ I think they call it. I prefer ‘bloody brilliant’ myself. Yeah, just carry on booing him, it just refills the tank for another lung bursting surge down the wing.
It was a predictably hostile reception for Hunt, but you certainly can’t accuse him of shying away. In fact, it was little surprise when John Terry lost his rag and shoved him in the back of the head, with the referee enjoying a front row seat. On the same night Emile Heskey was sent off at Villa for an identical offence, big questions have to be asked as to why the England skipper wasn’t at least shown a yellow.
But to merely focus on Hunt’s ability to irritate would be doing him a great disservice. After all, it was his delicious inswinging corner that forced the only goal and even though I can’t envisage the powers that be awarding him the strike, he definitely deserves all the credit. He also went close to scoring outright with a dipping free-kick that clipped the top of the bar on it’s way over, but regardless, this was his finest hour in a gold shirt.
What a game for Big George too. If the charismatic left-back has produced a finer performance for Wolves, I certainly can’t remember it. He repelled everything and even discovered a majestic first-touch and cultured passing range that nobody knew he possessed. On a night where five or six players might lay claim to the man of the match champagne, Elokobi was right up there with the very best.
Of course there were occasions where Chelsea threatened. Many in fact. Drogba crafted an opening with trademark power and neat footwork but was only able to strike the outside of the post. Malouda and Kalou were also guilty of wasting excellent chances to equalise, skewing wide from close range when clean through. But when you’re playing the top sides, you always need a bit of luck to get the three points and Wolves deservedly got just that.
The important thing is to not give anything away and with Stearman and Berra imperious at the heart of our defence, that never looked likely. Hennessy in fact had very little work to do for his third cleansheet of the season, but got a vital toe on Kalou’s speculative effort that was dribbling inside the near post just prior to half-time. A goal then would have completely changed the game.
Alongside the infectious Hunt, the midfield trio of Jarvis, Foley and Edwards put in the mother of all shifts to constantly track back and make life as difficult as possible for Chelsea to find a way through. By the end, Ancelotti had deployed no less than four strikers, but they completely ran out of ideas on how to breakdown the impenetrable barrier that stood before them.
Our £14 million strike force endured a largely thankless task in defending from the front and chasing down long balls forward. Still, they stuck to their guns well and made life uncomfortable for Terry, Ivanovic and co all night. Doyle did what he always does, tussling for possession and using his remarkable touch and control to ask questions of the opposition. Fletcher found the going harder but unquestionably put in the work rate to more than justify his selection.
In fact, every single player justified their selection and that must make victory all the sweeter for Mick McCarthy. There would have been a few eyebrows raised prior to kick-off with Milijas and SEB dropped and a forward thinking 4-4-2 formation employed, but the gaffer got it spot on. And for that, he deserves enormous credit.
It’s onto Donny next in the cup before tough looking fixtures against Man City, Liverpool and United.
And don’t ask me what’s going to happen.
Because I haven’t got a clue.
What a result, what a team selection – for once I actually agreed with the selection decisions McCarthy made (except Milijas).
Ward dropped to the bench – who would have believed it?
I lorded the signing of Hunt as the best bit of business McCarthy did in the summer only to feel like I had egg on my face. But for all the reasons we saw last night, I hope his slow start has been down to fitness and lack of match practice. More of the same please – and we will have our very own Robbie Savage!!!!
Really pleased with three points, really pleased to be out of the relegation places, really happy to see Villa in the bottom three (but disappointed not to be top of the predictions league!!).
On a negative note… I still want McCarthy out though (unless he can continue to make these sensible team selections). But for the time being lets just enjoy the moment, as Wolves fans these don’t come round very often.
There are numpties galore today. I cant believe we are still hearing Mccarthy out. I wanna be entertained I dont wanna win all the time. If I did Id support Manure. I was over the moon about Liverpool and it happened again before my own eyes at Molineux last night. Mick you can stay for ever for me. Keep on doing what your doing and if we go down C’est la vie! Dont give the Numpties one second of your brain time, in fact, the time you have spent to come up with the label is too long. Wolves 1 Liverpool 0. Wolves 1 Chelsea 0. Who would have ever believed it. If we beat Albion we can go down as far as I am concerned I dont care!
Numpties who go week in, week out spending their hard earned who have an opinion?
MM is not beyond criticism!
“If we beat Albion we can go down as far as I am concerned I dont care!”
Who is the numpty?
Of course you can criticise but to ask for him to go after last night or the performances (other than Wigan) is not right for me. I go week in week out too. I think the point is – I am happy being a Numpty. Who cares. Would you rather be a Numpty and be entertained or would you rather not be a Numpty always be right and never lose. I think the answer for anybody who is reading this blog, let alone those who care to write on it, should be abundantly clear! Macarthy or Big Sam? Up the Wolves 1 – Chelsea 0!
jezza, matt and countless of other fans are just frustrated at bewildering decisions that HAVE cost us games. to use 1 well known example, the consistent selection of ward at left back where countless goals have been scored from crosses from that side of the pitch.
Liverpool and Chelsea are more exceptions to the rule, rather than the norm. I dont expect any manager to get things right week in week out, but the scales are tipped the wrong way for me.
Having said that, what a wonderful run of form we’re having (touch wood), it would be better for the table that we beat the smaller teams but boy oh boy is it so much more satisfying beating the big guns!
Up the wolves!
I accept that and satisfaction is what i am after I spend a fortune supporting the club home and away. If the scales are tipping thats genuinely a shame because for me we have had the most seccessful run for nearly 30 years. We are playing the best football I have seen from a wolves side for a very very long time. Ok we havent won every game which is a shame but thats football unless u follow Manure. I am asking do we really want a new manager? Well I dont and after last nights Historic victory I had to come out and say it!
Just to clarify – i meant the scales tipped the wrong way as in MM has made more wrong decisions than right ones. and no im not a premier league coach, but thats what i can see from my armchair haha. and when i say i want MM out, i do say this purely from the frustration of bewildering team selections and tactics, not so much the results. if we had a shite team then fair enough, i just believe we’re not playing anywhere near our potential.
and yes i do agree, i love it that we’re playing attractive football, and i would rather be coming say 16th rather than 12th… but would not swap it for relegation.
but having said that, last night was near perfection, with a little sprinkling of luck, which made it an absolute joy to watch.
Yes indeed. Though I think we probably are playing near our potential a lot of the time. We have had a lot of bad luck, some poor refereeing decisions and a few individual errors that has lost us games aorund the margins. What is true to say is that we are just not getting the results that our playing deserves (except Wigan). That is why, as well as the sucess we have had since Mick joined us, for me, he should stay!
Fair enough!! well we’ll see if our luck changes / MM’s tactics turn the corner and i will gladly eat / drink / drip feed humble pie!!
Here’s to a great second half of the season 😀
Here here. If we lose both games to Albion and we go down then fine he can go with my thanks for a great few years. Until then! hands off my Mick.
Jezza? It couldn’t be could it? You know as in Nigella…..Lawson, Jezza……..Moxey!!! Personally, Jezza i’d think winning every week would be perfect entertainment, good football, goals galore. That would do me mate. Sorry, miss!
‘[John] Terry said we were as good as anyone they’ve played home and away’
He might be a cock but knows what he’s talking about!
I just watched the video above, how do you lot over the pond put up with that little big – eared prick Lineker every week??
That is a numptie!!!!
Said it before, and I’ll say it again, Ward is and always will be crap, and McCowardly needs to go………………BUT, I will take McCarthy at the Mol over relegation every time.
He got it right last night, and kudos for that, and long may it continue.
Frustratingly, why didn’t this mental aberration start at the beginning of the season?
Having said all of the above, a night to savour.
What chance of being the first team to beat Utd when they turn up?
I must admit I had a bit of a moan before the game about SEB and Milijas being dropped, Mick would have got some serious abuse if we hadn’t won. Fortunately it worked and I thought Edwards easily justified his starting place. Great performance by our defence as well, Zubar was back to his best and seems to lift the whole team when he plays well.
My only concern was how quiet Jarvis was. He’s been pushed over to the right to accomodate Hunt but we all know he prefers playing on the left. I quite like Hunt but don’t think he’s as effective as Jarvis is on that side. Jarvis was up against Cole though so it was always going to be tough for him. As much as I think Cole is nasty little turd, he’s a deent player.
What a result!!! I only got to see the game 15 minutes in, after the goal and the zubar piledriver that i only watched on the replay afterwards. and how nice it was getting up at 7am instead of 2am or 4am for a change!!
the team played absolutely amazingly, and although we seemed to have a forcefield around our goal at times, i do believe the old saying ‘you create your own luck’ more than applies here.
and although no one really should get a special mention above others – my goodness elokobi was in his element. there was one passage in the second half where he intercepted, hit short pass after short pass, before gifting a long through ball to hunt before he was tackled by essien. that just summed it all up for me. so much confidence, and dare i say it, class!!!
well done to big mick for getting it right this time. i stand by what ive said and felt about him in the games past, but today he hit the nail on the head. i hope he gets it right most times here on in!!
I love wolves.
What do we all think about the potential signing of Sidwell?
There’s a definite sense of irony given that we probably wouldn’t need him had he not broken Guedioura’s leg.
And what about being linked with Cuellar from Villa too? Surely that rumour can’t have legs. He’s an excellent player and I’d be gob-smacked if they let him go, especially to us.
Sidwell is well down the Villa pecking order both in their manager and fans’ eyes. At a time when we are struggling with injuries he is a sensible move, I remember him being a box to box player, which when Edwards was out we really struggled to replace, so in that sense, decent move.
As with all Mick signings, don’t expect him to start every game, I see him being in the quality of the clutch of midfielders we already have, as opposed to anything significantly better; however, given his attributes and the fact his old Reading pals are here its not a bad move.
Just turned Sky Sports News and they are saying the deal is as good as done now! After some of the names that have been banded around i’m chuffed to have a player of genuine premiership class coming in. I think he will work well with Hunt and Doyle from his previous experiences with them so might help him hit the ground running. He can tackle, spark attacks and he has a decent shot on him. As for Cuellar from what the Veella fans I know have been saying they need him themselves so I cant see that happening!!!
Is he going to be another bench warmer, and is our wonderful Algerian going to smack him upside the head with his crutch??
Dont worry about it – the ginger tosser has pimped himself around all clubs and ended up at Fulham!
Robbie Keane – please dont sign for Blues.
Excuse my ignorance, but can someone enlighten me as to what happens to our 25 man squad system if we sign a couple of players?
Does the squad system go out the window, or do we have to get rid of the same number from the squad as we sign?
Changing subject, I think that the season changing event occured last night, and it was Wayne Hennessey’s right foot.
If his foot hadn’t stopped that pathetic shot, the result would have been different, and it would have been another ” we played well but lost” story.
Now I wish we didn’t have the cup this weekend, but another league match.
We have to name a new 25 man squad at the end of this transfer window; if we signed nobody we could name the same one, or if we signed 25 new players, we could name an entirely new one.
A better explanation can be found here http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8858634.stm
I think the question was more – we have named 25 – if we bring more in how will that fit the 25. My answer – we’ll lose Halford and Jelle Van Damme, so we can bring in 2 over age players.
Clive – Hennessey has been absolutely top drawer since he came back in. Think the fingertip save on to the bar, one on one with Merieles, toe save vs Chelsea. And he’s been better at all the things he was criticised for last time (timidity, organisation of defence, command of area). Even if Hahnemann never plays for us again (back stateside at the end of the season I think) his time with the gloves is worth millions in terms of his effect on the side last year and on the improvement in Hennesseys game working with him and competing for the #1 shirt.
I don’t know about anyone else, but it just felt like a huge breath of fresh air when I heard the team and Fletcher was in it.
Taking Nico’s pre-match anxiety into consideration, I was quietly chuffed to see Fletcher and Doyle up front together, harsh as it was on SEB.
I remember Walsall in a pre-season game when the pair of them came on for the last 20mins. We were all so excited that this would be the first team partnership for the new season.
While injuries have deprived us of this to an extent, there have been a number of chances to put the pair together in the team, which is where some of the negativity that Jezza alludes to stems from.
Having a £7 m signing on the bench for so long just hasn’t made sense.
It all just felt right last night. The team felt right, the balance, everything.
I will be the first to hold my hand up for criticising Mick. I will be the first to apologise too.
Playing Foley in midfield, making him skipper, is something few, if any of us would have done, but he is bloody brilliant.
Sticking with Stearman through the abberations (and Berra to a lesser extent) is also bearing fruit, and George gets better and better.
The biggest plus for me last night was Stephen Hunt. I didn’t know he could play as well as that. I thought his injury had deprived us of the player we all admired at Reading, but it looks like he is still there in a Wolves shirt.
He was like a rabid, feral, frenzied animal, screaming around the pitch like a depraved devil. Waspish, spiteful, and an all round hyper active lunatic. I loved seeing that because he’d not given any indication that he was able to do that kind of thing when I’d seen him.
I’m still buzzing over last night. As Thomas says, a moment to treasure.
It is stored with Sheff Wed (FA Cup), Play off final win 03, beating Blues 3-2, and a handful of other special days.
Elokobi you beast. Great performance without the ball from Edwards too.
For all their limitations, we should probably all remember that for about 15 years from the early 90s until Mick’s arrival, most Wolves fans were crying out for a team that would just give it everything they’d got. We’ve got it and I’m a proud Numpty this morning.
Agree Adam. Me too.
How good was Elokobi’s goal celebration. How good was it after beating Brum 1-0 and he and Zubar saluting the crowd. Loving every moment of Big George. Edwards was also immense.
What a night of contrasts. Bought the programme with Ward on the front and our squad (so many more names than Chelsea) on the back which reminded me of our problem of quantity and not so much quality. Not a good omen I thought.
However, I don`t think in my 50 odd years of watching Wolves, I have ever witnessed a harder working, more commmited performance from 11 players wearing the famous gold and black. They were simply magnificent, every single one of them, and they deserved the win.
It is a defining moment, maybe the players now realise what they can achieve, and what is required to stay in the premiership. Mm got this one right – at last, more of the same please Mick. Thanks for an unforgettable night!!.
Thanks for putting the MOTD clip on Thomas. I’m in Cyprus at the moment and what with no Sky tv and the two hour time difference, i’ve missed a lot of the action. Any more would be lovely.
It’s a depressing sign of the times that beating Chelsea, a side that got a gate less than 10,000 for a top flight league game in the early 90s is seen as such a scalp. However as Dylan sang, the times are indeed a changing and they did win the double last year.
Fantastic result. Just when I think Mick’s a a goner he makes me look a total numpty again.
Here’s hoping Mick will make me look a numpty many more times this season. After let’s face it after our recent upturn in form, winning every other game, he’s going nowhere this season.
and thanks goodness for that!