If there’s one thing that’s surprised me this season, it’s the lack of goals.
Wolves managed 89 last term, which was of course at a lower standard, but very much reflected the type of vibrant, attacking football the team were playing.
The personnel and tactics haven’t changed dramatically, so to have registered just 33 well past the halfway point has to be considered disappointing regardless of our position in the table.
At Molineux the team have managed just 17, lower than any of the top six and puny compared to Watford who one place above us have netted 35 times.
Football is of course about defence and attack, but if the team can sharpen up in the final third things could get very interesting down the home straight.
Reading
I’ve been swapping some thoughts ahead of this game with Reading blogger Dan. You can read his blog, The Tilehurst End, here. Here’s what he had to say ahead of this weekend.
After a dark end to 2014, things are finally starting to look up for Reading Steve Clarke slowly imposes his stye and methodology on the squad. The return to full fitness of key players like Garath McCleary, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Danny Williams has helped him a lot in that regard while the signing of Nathaniel Chalobah has added an extra touch of strength and quality to the midfield.
The biggest transformation has been with the defence, who have three clean sheets in their last four games and look a much more composed unit compared to the mess that was regularly conceding three or more a game under Nigel Adkins.
The signing of Yakubu on deadline day adds another interesting talking point ahead of the game but given Pogrebnyak’s superb performance against Sheffield Wednesday I doubt we’ll see him start. We could also see top scorer Simon Cox sacrificed for another midfielder in Oliver Norwood or Jem Karacan but otherwise I wouldn’t expect many changes from last weekend’s game.
Sadly from a Wolves point of view it’s not a good time to play us and that coupled with our previous good form at Molineux does give us some genuine optimism heading into this one. With that being said I just think you’ll have a little bit too much for us and it’ll probably be a 1 goal game, likely in your favour.
Wolves
The good news is Sako returns. The bad is Carl Ikeme’s training ground injury means we’re without our undisputed number one for a couple of months.
The major positive is that we have an experienced and hopefully capable replacement in the form of Tomasz Kuszczak. The downer is that I’m now forced to remember how to spell Kuszczak.
You often don’t know you’ve got a top goalkeeper until they’re out for a sustained period of time and the horror of their replacement is presented forth. We all know Ikeme is top notch but I feel confident about Kuszczak. Famous last words.
James Henry must have given himself a good chance of a start with that howitzer last weekend. His best position is wide right, so he’ll be pleased to see Sako back down the left.
Predictions
Call it arrogance but with maybe just two or three exceptions, I think Wolves best team playing to their maximum beat more or less any other team in the Championship.
You look at a team like Reading and they have some decent individuals and a capable coach/manager who has proven himself at a higher level.
But I think they’re a team in transition, who could of course win the day, but I think Wolves should be considered firm favourites, particularly at home.
I’m hoping Sako has brought some goals back from Africa.
3-1
Up The Wolves
* Ben is off to the next Fans’ Parliament meeting next week. I’ve added a new post from him here, so can we all add questions to that for him to take along? He kindly gives up his spare time to go along and make the case for us all, so it would be great if we could back him with some ammo. Thanks guys.
nailed my prediction last week – and going for goals again, but despite confidence in our ability to get results there isnt the defensive solidity we had earlier in the season (though there should be given the quality we have and Super(Stear)man). Sako to be the spark that reignites or promotion charge!
Hopefully onwards and upwards
From another Stratfordian (Not by birth but by choice) it’s 1- 0 I hope it’s to us but only one goal difference in this game.
I still have nightmares about Pavel Pogrebnyak’s hat-trick in the 5-0 drubbing at Fulham in the midst of our fall from the Premier League, so understandably I get sweaty palms any time his name is mentioned in an opposing side.
That said, hopefully at home and with Sako back in the side we’ll conjure up a bit of flair and just enough to pick up three points.
Ikeme being injured is blow but surely Kuszczak is good enough for the championship.
The return of Sako should spark some like up front so for once I am reasonably confident that we will be too good for Reading.
Couldn’t predict the date tomorrow at moment but remaining optomistic.
Can see it being another frustrating draw unfortunately where we take the lead and then fail to capitalize… Hope I’m wrong!
I agree GroveWolf.
After the away game at Reading in September, I was fuming at how we couldn’t hold on to our lead in the last 5 mins.
My thoughts then to my Reading season ticket holding mate were that these are two average Championship teams who would finish mid table and he agreed.
I haven’t seen anything since to change that view.
The appointment of Steve Clarke has them more solid and harder to beat and we need improve the tempo at which we play and the quality of the final ball into the box.
IMO we are too slow and predictable going forward, but hopefully Golbourne and Sako combining down the left flank like they did last season will relieve a bit of pressure on the inconsistent RVLP or James Henry.
I too hope that the lads prove me wrong!
COYW!
Sako to be the difference, possibly from a dead ball.
That Reading fan site has a really nice “pick the squad” feature – good to see other teams having dedicated blogging fans too. That sort of thing is the lifeblood of football. On that note, thanks again for all your work Thomas and Ben, on the site and at the parliament.
You can grovel all you want, Chris, you will still never get a free pint from them!!
Back to winning ways – just!
My university town, Reading, so I have a soft spot for them. However, with Sako back, Dicko fully match fit and Afobe pressing to make his name I think we’ll have a little too much up front for them. I like as well with this team that we play right up till the final whistle. It used to be that we throw games away in the last quarter.
I’ve moaned and moaned regarding our home performances..but surely as St. Sako is back we will take this fixture by the scruff of the neck..
Clean sheet at the back perhaps..but as we should be attacking like hell we should be in their half of the pitch most of the time anyway…. Adobe is due 1 Sako 1 for the hell of it and
Dicko 1 as usual..
Our replacement goalie (who is good) will be scratching his arse contemplating whether to go up for a corner…
My glass full ..like CH
COYW
Wow, I admire your confidence.
I agree with your team 100% Thomas, so that’s probably worrying for both of us. Reading are definitely on the up and will be looking for a point tomorrow but we should be good enough to contain them. Looking forward to seeing Scotty & Sako combining again.
It’s funny.
Over hear, Reading is pronounced Reeding, and I’ve given up trying to educate the uneducateable!!
I remember the play off semis from a hundred years ago, when we did the double over them,( I think) and their strip is like a sideways shit shirt, so no danger tomorrow.
An easy stroll in the Spring sunshine and three more precious points for our promotion cakewalk!!
I see Pulis has already started getting love notes from some of his “star” players, with Bourhinio ( I don’t care if I spelt his name wrong) already thinking he’s great coz he scored a hattrick against mighty Gateshead.
The only great player they ever had was sold to us by their then far seeing manager, Ron Saunders!!
FOwb
Clive an old business acquaintance of mine use to say “You can’t educate pork”
We don’t score often enough, their defence has kept clean sheets recently, its got low scoring draw written all over it. Again our lack of midfield creativity will mean few chances for us, and another frustrating afternoon at the Mol.
Again I think we’re about at our level now, just below the top teams in the division, but we’re a side who can beat anyone home or away on our day, but don’t quite have the ability to break down teams set on defending in numbers.
Looking forward to Sako being back in the team. I’ll opt for a 2-1 win.
The unbeaten run to early March (minimum) continues apace and will be augmented by a relatively comfortable win on Saturday. We play better football against better footballing sides so I’m hoping that Reading come and play, rather than park the bus and we end Saturday on a positive goal difference.
Good to have Sako back. Henry, van La Parra, Edwards and now Afobe have all been tried in the wide left slot and none of them are able to offer the balance that Sako gives us. Reading’s recent revival seems to be pretty much based on a couple of good away wins in the Cup. Its not really happening for them in the League away from the Madejski. Think this could be a tough one, but if our midfield steps up to the task we can take it.
Ikeme out for six to eight weeks Eh?
That is a BIG blow for the team.
I was going to comment after the last match that his attempt to stop the second goal was a bit feeble but I thought better of it when I remembered the number of times he has saved our bacon over the last couple of seasons.
Everyone is entitled to a slip and when a goalkeeper is less than perfect we are normally a goal down as a result.
Get well soon mate – particularly before the Ipswich match – because he might be a good ‘keeper but the Kuszczak buns don’t quite stack up the way Ikeme’s do in the eyes of the PMDG’er.
As far as tomorrow is concerned, we have all been desperate for a goal rush and, with Sako back and firing on all cylinders, Saturday could see it happen.
Two goals at least please lads – Dicko, Sako (and maybe another from Edwards).
I was watching, through misty eyes, the official Wolves video of Sir Jack’s funeral and spotted Joleon Lescott in the congregation.
Respect to the man.
It is certainly not a game I would like to predict, as we expect to be better now that Sako is back, but Ikeme is out and he has saved us from several defeats so far. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, oh bollocks:
A day at the office.
Well I`ve decided to travel over from Chesterfield by train tomorrow, with my darling wife collecting me on my return straight to a local curry house for my chicken madras. If we lose there won`t be much conversation over dinner, so to make sure we have a pleasant dining experience I need my black and gold heroes to win 3-1. Don`t care if its two in the last minute of added time, or who scores, own goals will do for me. I just hope England are up for beating Wales tonight which would make a wonderful start to the sporting weekend. Fingers crossed on both counts.
A goal fest, I hope, but it could easily be a defeat, funny old team Reading, they too can beat anyone on their day. But I can’t predict anything but a wolves win as I live 15 miles away from Reading, and hate them!! Will be listening to the commentary on Radio Berkshire.
Hopefully we can start improving the goal difference ready for the run in.
Joy at Sako staying will translate into a comfortable win.
The returning Sako to spur us to victory!
Just back from my jaunt to the remote Scottish Highlands to visit my son. We went for a meal and when I was paying the Bill the girl on the bar asked “where I was from”?. She then informed me that her Mother-in-Law was from Wolvo and her and her son were crazy die hard Wolves Fans. The Womans husband comes to a few games 460 miles Dornoch to Wolvo 900 round trip, now thats the Pull of the Wolves.
Next time I’m up there I will get him Blogging, missed opportunity, Dohhhhh
Anyway, after last week and even with Sako back, I’m not that confident, we are standing too far off the ball, thegames where we close teams down are our best performances, so come on Kenny wake em up.
Golbourne left Back, Hause left Midfield, Price left on the Bench and please – Evans left at home. He’s like Father Christmas gifting balls to the opposition.
Onwards and optomistic
🙂
Hause left back, Golbourne left midfield I would prefer.
Yep well spotted, too much Highland Air, and a 450 mile drive home.
Brace for the returning Sako and we edge closer to a playoff place 🙂
“The personnel and tactics haven’t changed dramatically…” The tactics certainly have changed: no attempts to play ‘between the lines’ or through oppositions’ back four/three; most build-up play is now at a slow tempo. This season we have increasingly caused fewer problems for defences, allowing them to keep their shape very easily. We can only play to the ability of our squad, but their is very little intention to do anything but get the ball wide, slowly!
Hopefully wrong….
I ve been knocking my pipe out at work trying to get Saturdays work done so I can get my self up to the house sir jack built .. Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen . The yids and the gooners on the gang ain’t happy either . Saying that I think this could be a goalless draw .
I would be a bit more confident if he puts hause back in the team . As much as I liked him going forward , putting goldbourne in the team means conceding goals . Put the Brick wall across the back and stop conceding goals and the wins will come .
I f I do make the kick off I would be looking forward to seeing how afobe gets on with Sako . U t w
Still can’t get optimistic about our likely goal scoring ..the build up all a bit ponderous by accounts…expect a defensive battle and a win by the skin of our teeth
I’m going for a win. Didn’t think there would be an avalanche of goals as in the away fixture, neither do I think it will be close fought ….. somewhere in between suits me .. Sako and Dicko doin the bis ….
These teams do seem to like to score against each other, as I witnessed when I went to the Reading game (I live just down the road).
Sako is back, which is good. Ikeme is out, which is bad. I would consider Ikeme our key player and his loss is a big blow. Kuszczak has the gloves and he is a decent keeper though not as imposing physically as Ikeme.
Whilst we never lost whilst Sako was away his presence on the pitch certainly has a big impact on Dicko. Expect Henry to be on the bench with VLP starting. I also expect Golbourne to start.
I have gone 2-1 to Wolves but this game could end up 4-4.
Pavel Prog is a big danger up front for Reading, Stearman and Baath will need to be on the ball.
Onwards & Upwards
🙂
Another desperately close game but fingers crossed we can scrape another win.
We’ve been struggling at the Mol of late against teams with a don’t lose mentality. I don’t expect Reading to be one of those. They are a team on the up with some useful acquisitions recently(especially Yakubu) and I reckon they’ll take to the pitch thinking they can do one on us.
Likewise with us. With Sako and Golbourne renewing their acquaintances on the left and Afobe pushing Nouha to even greater efforts up front, we too will be looking to boost our goal difference.
So I think this could be a real blood and guts affair with no quarter asked and none offered. Open, end to end, loads of chances created and several taken. Last ditch tackles, disputed decisions, this is gonna have it all. Lucky the people who will be there, very lucky.
We snatch it at the death.
really fancy us for a big win at last
Wishfull thinking but its about time at home’with sako back and raring to go after his spell in the sun,who knows .
I would play 2up front at home with the van man on the wing instead of henry even though his goal last week was a screamer.
Its no good having goal scorers on the bench that’s what we bought them for so play them I say and see what happens’we need more goals so if it doesn’t work change.
Let’s give jack another send off.utw…
I hope Golbourne and Sako, and Afobe and Dicko going for it it could be more than three. I just hope that Kuszczak has been keeping fit all the time he’s been in reserve.
After one or two less than convincing performances, this one is really in the balance, but I think the return of Sako will just give us the edge. We’re definitely capable of winning this and a playoff place, but the carburettor isn’t completely fine tuned yet. Carburettor? More a question of fine tuning the computer now. Bit like football now. The boot room becomes the Prozone terminal. I ramble.
On the basis that Reading play in hoops and The Gap Band sang ‘hoops upside your head’ it obviously means Reading will leave ‘Gaps’ at the back for Nouha to exploit. 2-0.
Hoping Sako can give our side some much needed life going forward
Humm, potentially a tricky one. Think we will edge it.
Come on my baby’s don’t let me down
Not confident about this one but hope we’ll edge it as we have a near full strength squad. I agree with Thomas’s team and think RVLP has flattered to deceive over recent weeks. I’d play Henry ahead of him most weeks.
We need to score more goals
Great that we still have Sako. Means we have some real options up front now and can change the game if we need to.
Expect another low scoring game, as Clarke has concentrated on sorting out the defence.
Would like to see increased tempo with more positivity in midfield.
UTW
We need goals which means we should be playing 4-3-3 with Sako Dicko and Afobe as our front 3…
But I doubt it will happen
football is a simple game Jackett… Defence and Attack…
Reading 1-1 Wolves.
Sako back with a bang
I feel relatively confident and am going for a win by two clear goals.
Would love to see a wolves goal fest, can’t see it though, not just yet any way.
I noticed one of the wolves players made the comment this week that the team want to gain
promotion for Jack Hayward and I’m sure they’re sincere about that.
So come on wolves do it for Jack and the Fans.
To do it though i think they’ll need a run of wins like last season 9 or 10 on the bounce.
Can they do it though ?
I think they can, starting tomorrow maybe, we’ll see i guess.
I’ve bad memories of Reading and Elm Park in particular, McGee winding them up all those years ago they were our bogey team.
This fixture still fills me with dread thats why ive gone for a draw in the hope that im wrong and we win.
Tight game but think we have the quality to nick it
With Sako back teaming up with Dicko i see us winning.
Hopefully Henry can score another cracker.
UTW.
Just worried about losing Ikeme.
Would love to have a good performance n high score from Wolves today.
Wishing Ikeme a speedy and full recovery. He has served us well and deserves respect.
Wishing Kuszczak the best of luck to continue where Ikeme signed off.
Go Wolves !!!
I think we need to be careful about the impact Sako will have today. When players come back from something like the African Nations their form can take a dip so let’s not put all our hopes on one left foot. I think this has all the makings of a bore draw. Hope I am wrong.
could be a tough game , hope we are up for it and raise our game
UTW
Come on Wolves.
Feeling confident we have enough to get all three points.
Back to business after our emotional week. S-A-D to make us Happy.
We need to win games like these to be genuine challengers this season. On our day we can beat anyone in the division, so let’s do it today. I don’t want another frustrating draw or, god forbid, a loss. We should also start finding the net more regularly. I’m looking for two goals from Sako, Dicko and Afobe between them. I’m not devastated by Ikeme’s injury as we need to give match practice to whatisname (can’t spell his name!). Ikeme could have done better with one of the Bolton goals.
Massive blow losing Ikeme so wishing him a speedy recovery. Glad we held onto Sako but like Thomas I am concerned re our lack of goals, it’s about time Sako & Dicko starting firing a good few in & Afobe can join in the party.
Hoping we’ll just edge this but suspect it’ll be a tough match.
UTW
Nice to have Sako back.
Expecting a tight game,hopefully the return of Sako will be the difference
But like they told me when I bought my Enron shares past performance is no guarantee of future results
Danny,
Alex Feguson said ” your’e only as good as your last performance”.
So we’re screwed!
Tried to press 2 but with my fat fingers and small phone keyboard, hit the 3.
I thought about correcting my error, but just for a second.
And why not…..The Sak Man is back, and plenty of interesting attacking options at Kenny’s disposal.
Come on Me Babbies!!!
Let’s have it.
If we’re going to get in the playoffs these are games we must win and i think we will
Recent results suggest Steve Clarkes’ message seems to be getting through so I’ll predict a draw.
Feeling confident with Sako and Dicko back in the side together.
Here’s hoping for a good result today…
I think with Sako back we will give them a lot more to worry about…
Come on Wolves….
Missed last weeks preddo league as was on an a****n fans stag in Amsterdam. Took lots of Wolves tops for everyone to wear (obviously) but when I woke up at about 5pm on the Saturday and asked what the score was, the bastard told me we’d lost 4-0, so I didn’t even bother checking the result or giving it a second thought as I was there to have fun. We’ll call that one a draw methinks.
Classic 2-1 prediction, law of averages says I’ll be right eventually.
Brill photo!! That’s the way to have an A****n fan remember his stag do!
Come on me babbies
Goodbye Playoffs ..just can’t win at home.
Poor second half. Play offs are a million miles away. Sako gone in the summer so prepare for a long hard slog next season as he is the only quality player we have. Morgan will not invest on the pitch so we have to get used to mid table championship stuff with the odd academy player that gets prised away by a premier league club to make a profit. If you thought 19 years was a long time out of the top flight I fear we have seen nothing yet!
Perhaps we have found our true level?
Yeh totally agree, poor, mediocre, but to get it in perspective I don’t think anyone really expected much more than a season of consolidation so we’ve done well so far given where we were a few seasons ago.
Jackett’s challenge is to move us on from where we are now which is a goodish Championship team with promise to go one better.
Its the midfield area that gives me most concern, not just the middle two but the wide areas, too many attacks break down on the wings, RVLP misidrects too many passes & crosses for me. His misdirected header in the first minute led to the attack that they got their goal from.
James Henry as well blows hot & cold. I prefer Jack Price to Evans as he looks more assured, but we have to be confident enough as a team to have two front men, but are McDonald & Price strong enough to cope with this more attacking format?
Jackett has to look to make some subtle changes if we are to mount a decent challenge in the business end of this season.
We had gone 8 without defeat before our nemesis team Reading, so its not all gloom & doom. But 2 very tough away games to come & we could be nowhere to be seen in terms of glory this season.
Boring end to the season, or the promise of a Wembley day out? I’d love the latter and what a way to bury our recent woes that would be. However in the cold light of February I see us toiling in the mid-table regions. But hey thats the conditioning of a Wolves fan!