It says everything you need to know about the Championship that Wolves are four games without a win but only three points outside the top two.
Watford and Derby are the latest duo to attempt a break from the pack, but the opportunity exists for any team who can put together a run of victories.
Middlesbrough are upwardly mobile, unbeaten in seven league matches and looking strong again after several seasons of mediocrity.
I always used to look at this fixture as a home banker (and it often has been in recent times) but their away form this season suggests a tougher challenge.
Middlesbrough
Any manager that worked under Jose Mourinho for three years at Real Madrid must have learned a thing or two. In that sense Aitor Karanka always looked a shrewd appointment.
Some cash has also been splashed at the Riverside, chiefly on forward Kike who cost close to £3 million. With the likes of Lee Tomlin, Albert Adomah and Patrick Bamford knocking around too, they have good options in the attacking third.
However, it’s defensively where they’ve excelled so far, conceding just nine goals to boast the Championship’s best defensive record.
Kenny Jackett believes they’ll sit off Wolves tonight and look to break quickly. It will be interesting to see if that proves the case.
Wolves
In the same interview (video below) the gaffer suggests he made changes to Saturday’s defence to combat a perceived physical threat from Millwall. Personally, I hope he reverts to type for this one:
Stearman and Golbourne are the best players we have for their respective positions so must play. I was glad to see Ebanks-Landell given a chance in the center of defence, which is where I think his future lies, but Stearman brings much needed experience. I don’t need to make any argument for Golbourne.
Further forward, I would like to see Michael Jacobs given a start. Perhaps Dave Edwards engine could be deployed deeper to help out our struggling defence? Just an idea.
The gaffer
Predictions
Hard to believe nobody said 3-3 for a second consecutive away game isn’t it? Well done to everyone who picked up a point for correctly guessing the draw though.
Tonight will be about defences.
Can Wolves firm up again and rediscover the shape that has been so effective over the last 12 months? Equally, can Boro keep up their outstanding record?
I’m going to back us to just edge it.
2-1.
Up The Wolves
Going for a tough 1-0 win with fingers crossed.
dont have a good feeling about this one….
Come on me babbies
After reading some of the comments on the e & s im so glad ive made the conversion to wolvesblog. What a bunch of idiots they are on there. Anyway, hopefully back to winning ways tonight. Dicko to score. Safe journey to anyone going tonight in these horrendous winds
Two more for the Sak Man.
A George Friend screamer for Boro.
Hope we really do come out all guns blazing and keep our back line nice and tight. I do however believe that Boro will be too strong for us tonight and sadly predict a tight loss.
I’m a bit concerned we might have to take a few more knocks before we get back into our stride.
All good runs come to an end, so their unbeaten streak and our unwinning streak will both end tonight.
A big kick up the arse has been administered by El Maestro, and our season will blossom from here on in, unbeatable from now until the end of the season!!!
I shall be at Mother in law’s in St Louis on Saturday, and as it is Clivemas, I expect a wonderful birthday gift from Elland Road.
WE ALL FUCKIN’ ‘ATE LEEDS!!!
And the shit.
But, I have to hold my hands up and acknowledge that they scored two very good goals last night, against manure.
Hold on, we could have scored more than two against manure, with their crap defense, so what am I going on about???
Back to sleep, Clive, it’s still early o’clock over here!
FOwb
We deserved to win but another late equaliser.
Another tough one to call. Boro are on a good run but I’m hoping we can take something from this game (3 points would of course be fantastic).
We will lift against a team higher on the table – i hope.
Thomas, I quite like your choice of team with Edwards further back and Jacobs given a start.
If ‘Boro are going to sit back and hope to catch us on the break, Edwards will be a definite asset in that more withdrawn role.
Although we don’t want to compromise his strength. He’s one of our more threatening attackers and always likely to ghost into a goal scoring position.
Like most bloggers, I am finding it impossible to predict anything this season – apart from the fact that the Championship is going to be a complete lottery – so I am going to stick with going a win, at least until we manage to get one.
Sako, Dicko and Edwardso.
And one for Boro.
‘Going FOR a win’
I bloody read that through THREE BLOODY TIMES and still got it bloody wrong.
Were you smoking when you checked it?
Or dreaming of Mrs DOOGoder in the nurses outfit?
Not guilty on both counts, unfortunately.
I was trying to do some proper work.
But it doesn’t get any easier.
Slightly disagree with Thomas’s team, would have Ricketts in for Stearman and Henry for van Le Para. That being said I am pretty confident about tonight as we always seem to beat teams above us whilst losing to teams at the bottom.
Agreed Tipton, but I’ll settle for a draw, given Boro’s form and firepower plus our shocking defending of late. Surely Jacobs deserves a chance, even if only as a sub, particularly as RVLP isn’t pulling up any trees?
Prove me wrong boys!
UTW!
Our defence is becoming a worry especially Danny who for the first time as lost a bit of form. With no replacement he will just to have to play himself back.
boro look a decent team so a point maybe our best outcome
This looks like a tough one.
I think it’d be harsh to leave Evans out, myself. Sure, his concentration lapsed after we went 3-0 up, but he certainly wasn’t the only one. His task of shoring up gaps in midfield is a thankless one and he does it well.
Back to the Mol with the visit of one of the Championships form teams.
‘Boro are in fine form, we are not with 1 win in 7.
On paper it looks like a score draw but I have faith that KJ’s kick up the arse will be enough for Wolves to get back on track and winning ways.
I would have Evans – McDonald-Saville in midfield with Edwards in his usual position. Van the Man needs to get his arse in gear and find the form he showed in his first few matches, looking at him on Saturday he was out of the game far too much.
Onwards & Upwards
Back to winning ways.
Let’s grab the lead and hold on to it this time.
Hoping Ricketts will come into the backline and add some resolve. Does anyone know if he’s injured?
COYW
Apparently he’s been carrying a hip injury most of this season and had an injection to play one match, but nothing else been elaborated on since that snippet from Kenny.
🙁
Thanks StuWolf,
I agree with your comment below to bring back Ricketts. I’m surprised he’s not in the team but then based on the result (which was great to see) I think Kenny with stick with what he’s doing. I have no reason to question him – he’s been amazing so far but why Rowe instead of Goldbourne. I know that’s a question that a lot of us are asking – let’s see what happens on Sat.
Thomas,
Really do like your team, but again I for one would go for Ricketts…….. Wait for it, in place of Danny Bhatt. I love the guy to bit’s but IMO he is the lad who needs a rest. Me thinks, recharge his batteries, realise he’s only human and come back fighting. We cycle past the training ground most days and let me tell you they were getting a right rifting yesterday morning. So I hope the invites to the Arse kicking party were effective, so going for Wolves win.
Wolves Ay we
🙂
StuWolf,
I’ve just noticed that we have predicted the same score. The DB/Ricketts debate is an interesting one, I am a simple fellow whose instinct is to not play anyone who isn’t fit, or isn’t up for it. I was impressed with Iorfa pre-season, maybe he should be given a chance? It’s a pity that E E-L didn’t do well on Satirday, I lkke him too. Finess permitting, I would keep DB with Stears.
Jerry
In case my prediction got cut off due to the stupidity of having a team name so long it contains four syllables, I’m going for a 1-1 draw but lots of twixes from the man to my right!
Your wish .. is my command.. but don’t get too fucking cheaky and ask for another wish !!
You’re only getting a Twix…
Aye – here’s back to winning ways.
It’s windy, let’s keep it on the ground, in contrast to Millwall M’boro will hopefully let us play a bit
Might be a night for Sagbo to get physical.
Not sure they’ll let a chance to go top pass them by like we did. Hope I’m wrong.
As we’ve tended to fair better against the stronger sides in the division and Brough are likely to be a bit more open then recent opponents gotta hope for a return to winning ways tonight. Goldbourne and Jacobs in.
Think it’s going to be a tight game, with plenty of nerves.
I will have to get to Molineux early tonight. You know how it is, be prepared for traffic, the wind and the ATLCheerleaders!
The league table is being generous to us with our form over the last 7 games. Don’t know what has happened to the defence.
Goldbourne must return. I wish we could find a place for Ricketts too, as we need his leadership on the pitch. This has not been a ‘lucky’ date for us with just one win since the war! Drew 2 Lost 6. Uhm!
Why not? 🙂
I can feel it.
can’t see a dramatic change in form in the few days, so reluctantly prediction the loss, naturally hoping for the reverse scoreline. either way, a few goals likely.
A definite return for Scotty to the team, missed him badly on Saturday. I’ve been a miserable git of late and predicting doom and gloom but I do actually think we can take this one.
Tough game, hopefully we can turn our form around
UTW
Hope my prediction is wrong…
However am not convinced we are in form.
Wolves 1 Middlesborough 3
I’m nailing my colours to the mast tonite .. coz it’s howling a gale at the minute.
Unbeaten runs don’t last for ever .. Middlesbrough ends tonight, and winning then being pegged back runs will also turn tonite .. to my delight.
I was gonna go for doom and gloom but CfH cheered me up with his commentary rather than his prediction so im going for the win. We have the ability to score three as we’ve seen in recent weeks ……question is can we keep the ball and keep the oposition from scoring the same or more?
Unlike Thomas I’m always a bit nervous about facing ‘Boro. I can see goals in this one, but their confidence (and our lack of it ?) will probably see them home.
Unfortunately I’m losing confidence and Boro always feel like a bogey team to me.
Back to business as usual
I know DB and RS are beginning to look a little creaky, but has anyone noticed that we’re actually scoring quite a few? So I’m going to try to keep my optimism going, bury my head, and predict a good win. We’re due one.
Another point…maybe?
Still reeling with anger and shock after Saturday but I hope KJ and the lads are as positive about this game as I am with my prediction.
A real test on character this one after a choking disappointment and against a promotion contender.
Big game boys. Up for it!
UTW x
(correction) *of character
Remaining positive after the recent dip in form.
A home win tonight
Ambitious prediction..?I don’t think so if Ikeme can make a few saves..his confidence must be crap..I agree with Stu re Ricketts but DB to play… needs mentoring to follow the play more as in side ‘by my side’ in my opinion..but he still represents all that the new Wolves stand for…
Sako Jacobs and Dicko to score ..if we can win here ,I fancy us against Leeds…then we can move up back where we belong..
Optimistic ? ………perhaps
COYW
Steve.
No Wolves fan on Earth loves Danny Bhatt more than I, but on Saturday at Millwall the lad came trotting down for a free kick and he looked spent, shell shocked and to be honest demoralised. IMO only I feel we have enough in hand to give the lad a breather. Without a shadow of doubt he is the face of New Wolves, but we don’t want to expend them too quickly with burnout. Hero worship is another heavy burden to bear and he deserves our help to carry his huge cross.
They are predicting a low crowd tonight so us showing solidarity & getting behind them is essential.
One Team.
One Aim
One goal (well maybe two or three please)
Onwards & Upwards
🙂
I almost went for another draw, but I think this one might go our way. My forecast score takes into account the likelihood of some freak weather-affected goals. Who cares so long as we get three points.
Fingers crossed I’m wrong.
It doesn’t look like Jacobs, Ricketts or Golbourne are going to start they. Would be the first three on the team sheet after Ikeme for me. hy are they not staring only Kenny knows and the afore mentioned players probably, no in fact they probably don’t know why there not on the team sheet.
I’m sorry Kenny but saying Rowe and Ivan Lendelll did little wrong against Millwall is sugar coating it a bit in fact more like smothering it. They also did very little right more to the point apart from Lendalls goal but he ca nice led that out with be out of position and standing off the strikers for 2 of Millwalls goals.
No Kenny the time for ticketing is over we still in a good position 4 points off the top but we won’t be if you insist on experimenting with the line up. As I’ve blogged already im not convinced the player you’ve brought in yours or other wise are even as good as what we had already.
The last 3 mangers egnored the fans advice and options I would not like you to go the same way as them espeailly as you’ve done so well so far but as you know football fans and Wolves fans in particular have short memories it the here and now what matters not the past……..we traded on our past for far to long its gone…!
The current state of the defence and the unessary changes I can only see one out come………..defeat !
I thought we were mugged by Wigan and Millwall.
Watching the Millwall game the opposition players are in the WWFC players faces supported by a biased referee. The current opposition tactic is to prevent WWFC from playing.
Middlesbrough will believe they are better than WWFC and will be 2-0 down before they realise they are not. After half time a tense 45 minutes with a goal at either end giving WWFC and 3-1 win.
Just don’t see it at the minute, we can’t defend for toffee and concede goals for fun at times. Team have figured out our plan A, we need a few change ups, and step up to the plate.
Usual performance from us with all the possession but no end product hit by the sucker punches on the break by a team that has 2 strikers we wanted and another we couldn’t afford. We will be shown tonight what we missed out on.
and slowly we’ll sink back to the mid table team we are at present.
Expect us to lose 1-2 but would rather not predict a defeat, so going for a draw instead.
I am going for a clean sheet, in the belief that KJ has really manged to read the riot act. Ricketts for DB, maybe StuWolf, but for sure SG back in. Stears should be in too, he has had a bad run, but he will be back I hope. I would put Evans in the centre, although Thomas’ team has an appeal. Dicko and Dangerous Dave (who else) to score. We need a convincing win for all our sakes.
Reluctantly, I reckon boro will just edge it. Hope I’m wrong, COYW
Not feeling at all confident here but I’ll put that down to the fact that it’s miserable, cold, wet & blowing a gale! As usual I refuse to predict a loss so I’ll go for a welcome 3 points.
UTW
Another decent point gained.
Interesting to see Stuwolf’s reference to Ricketts carrying a hip injury, and that it has only been mentioned by KJ in passing. If that’s the case, surely it should be more widely reported, because otherwise his absence is a troubling mystery. He dropped down a league last year to give us experience and leadership, presumably expecting it wouldn’t be long before he was back in the Championship. He did a great job. Then there was that summer report about him wanting to be at Wolves forever! What do we need now? Experience and leadership, so he needs to come back or we need to know why not.
I think we need to get back to as near the earlier settled team as possible, possibly with Henry or Jacobs instead of La Parra.
Even then, ‘Boro have been working towards this position for quite some time and I’m not sure we’ll penetrate their defence, while ours is shaky. So I’m pessimistic about this one, but hope we can get back to winning with a stuffing of the Leeds on Saturday!
Expecting our worst performance of the season
I’d bring ricketts back and drop Van last para. This league is incredibly tough with 10 teams all thinking the play offs are very achievable which is why it’s so hard to predict I’m going for a win anyway as we are at home I think we will edge it
I agree with those calling for the experience of Sam Ricketts to stabilise the defence but the doubts about his fitness will probably mean it is unlikely to happen just yet.
I’ll settle for our previous habit of not conceding but their excellent defensive record suggests scoring may be a problem for us too.
Hopefully we may nick it but a point against a very good side would be an improvement on our last few efforts.
Any defence with Stearman in is going to be shaky. Can see boro doing us
Assuming Ricketts’ hip injury isn’t really the reason he’s not getting picked I’d hope to see him start.
Otherwise I reckon it’s a case of our forwards scoring some goals, they owe us some; more than our defence concede hopefully.
The thought of them sitting deep and breaking with that array of striking talent is frightening. I do wish we had a Lescott or Paul Butler to stop them, one with finesse, the other the other way !
Don’t fancy our chances tonight. Hope I’m wrong.
Wouldn’t leave out Evans unless he was injured.
Great result – delighted to have my prediction blown out of the water.
Hope I’m wrong
It’s beginning to look like we have a Championship attack and a League 1 defence. A defence which is too easily bullied into submission.
Not been a good week.
Two goals for Sako and we climb back up the table
Just seen the line up, not convinced, but hope I’m wrong.
Must win this one.
Just in the nick of time!
A late winner to match my late prediction
I’ve got to get it right at least once!!!!!
Up the wolves. Sako with a dink chip :p
YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Told ya, all good runs, and bad ones, come to an end!!
Come on me Babbeez
Hallelujah ….as they say..
Bit late to predict now! For the record I was going for a loss so glad I was wrong! I’m one happy honey badger
Gold and Black at the end of our Rainbows here in Wolverhampton.
Happy Days are here again
🙂 🙂 🙂
What a difference a game makes…
Looking at the last few weeks with most games being draws for most in this division, if I were to play the pools I’d be sticking most of my x’s in this division! (for the young ones… the pools was the thing we played before Sky screwed up the schedule and the Lottery came in). Now you have a lazy guess at numbers instead of trying to go on form (or a lazy guess).
As everyone is beating and drawing with everyone else, I can’t see a clear favourite (which is unusual by this stage of the season) and I don’t think we’ll see one till the last 5 or 6 games at this rate.
In my last post I did mention that Watford would not be able to keep the run up and that a win against Boro would paint a different picture… Well how’s the painting looking now cocka’s?…
Well as it stands Norwich and Forest are in danger of falling out of the pretty picture from favourites just 2 weeks ago and we’re still firmly in the chasing pack.
Back to a clean sheet, did not catch the game but did get a sly look from work on the PC to see we were back to around 60% possession at the last time I looked. Don’t know what it finished on though.
KJ was pissed off in his last interview and I can only imagine he got the Ferguson branded hairdryer out and scorched a few beards! Just need a good run again to get the confidence back.
I’ve been predicting 2 – 0 for some time now, the minute i don’t they go and get one.
Wouldn’t you just know it ?
I think we’ll win 2-0 with goals by Sako (penalty) and Dicko, and thank God for that. Maybe hit the bar a couple of times with Boro putting us under the pump for 10 or 15 minutes at the end of the first half. Next time I’ll try to predict beforehand.
Sako, That penalty was cheekier than les fesses de bébé. Absolutely class.
You don’t see that very often outside of the top divisions.
Dicko is a firm favourite of mine, his industry is so commendable. And the video on E&S of him just makes me like him more, what a guy!
I’m interested to hear from anyone who was there who saw Clarke’s minutes on the pitch. How did he fair?
4th place Wolves march on. Leeds better be ready.