Last week’s key subject with Wolves fans was the defensive frailties, this week it’s the attacking options and the argument as to whether MM has chosen the right starting pair, writes Wolves blogger Nathan Lloyd. We have Eastwood in the blue corner and Elliott in the red corner, both fighting for a place along Keogh.
With MM publicly backing his starting pair of Elliott and Keogh, the debate this week has raged on as to whether this is the right choice or not.
On paper, Keogh and Eastwood should work. Keogh working his Irish socks off, collecting from deep and holding the ball up, with Freddy being the penalty box predator and scoring the majority of the goals, or so you would think.
I wasn’t personally convinced that Keogh and Elliott made a very convincing partnership against Norwich.
Yes they were both industrious, and Keogh scored a good goal (it wasn’t a wonder goal).
Elliott certainly looks sharper than he did at the start of the season, but I’ve yet to be swayed that he is any better than Jemal Johnson.
As for Eastwood and Keogh?
It has looked promising in glimpses, but even with the 3 league goals that Freddy has so far, I don’t know if this is the way to go either.
Freddy ‘defending’ himself in Essex at the weekend won’t have helped his cause to be back in the starting 11, but if, like Bothroyd, he is motivated enough to fight (ahem!) for his place, then hopefully we will see a fitter and sharper Freddy when the time comes.
So, who do Wolves fans genuinely want to see starting up top?
Some have suggested that Keogh should start behind the front two, which I can’t see MM ever doing, but if he did, who would you drop from Midfield?
Or do you think the cheque book should come out again in the January transfer window?
36 Comments
freddy and keogh.2 internationals with and eye for goal.Need we say any more.Ward and Elliot as cover.Strength in depth.End of Convo!
All positons should be contested for. MM going public on his first choice striking pair, is obviously a mind game for the other two. Eastwood was launched into his Wolves career with the same gusto as Halo 3. I think its good to keep his feet on the ground.
I’m going for Keogh and Eastwood!
I’m going for a rafa benitez rotation system. Eastwood and Bothroyd are too volatile to be in the first team every week. Besides, we also have Ward back in contention when Jarvis is fit.
As i mentioned on this subject yesterday (have the E+S stolen your thunder on this subject Nath??) I think Wolves have great options in the striking dept. MM has to pick the right stikers for the right opposition, but hey its not a bad problem to have is it??
NATHAN, we can all be managers on this e&s site the truth is mm at the end of the day as to justify’ is spending to the board and the fans.whatever he does i for 1 will stick with magic mick the grey wizard solely’on what he achieved last season,its true you have to have ambition micks got plenty of that so does the board! but maybe the board should realize a little more fans want instant success, hopefully the pay structure moxey is determined to keep comes into question! but as time goes on and wolves are not looking like promotion certs I’M 100% certain it will happen football is money driven today and its all going one way who wants the (dosh) slang for cash the most.
X says this Y says that Z claims he is ready etc. etc. One game against Norich doesn’t make a season or kick start, blueprint, foundation anything. There are 4 forwards after 2 places the best will pick themselves with goals scored, nothing else.
Wolves blog: striking options
Made me LOL you mean -
Wolves blog: eastwood striking options right in the nose….
muhahahahahahah
wednesbury 1 - I whole heartidly agree. Football is all about opinions and its what makes the game what it is. But lets face it, any professional manager knows more about football than I, or most of the people who write on this site will ever have in there little toe. Its their job, profession and livelyhood. Stick with Mick. He knows his players inside out, meets with them regularly and even know what they eat for dinner. Alternatively, to solve the striker caffuffle, we can get them all in a field, pistols at dawn, decision made! Keogh’s would miss the target 90% of the time…..now there’s and argument coming…
Well said Bomber. It’s horses for courses in any sort of game. Personally I agree with a blog I read the other day that I would like to see Keogh just in behind a front 2 of Eastwood plus 1 (probably Elliot at the moment because he does work hard). I think with Keogh’s work rate he can help both forwards and midfield.
Freddy has to up his work rate,Bothroyd is the same One Flash from freddy in the game v hullWe want more from him
Eastwood, Bothroyd, Elliot, well how do you split them up? None are 20 goal a season strikers! I hope one of them proves me wrong. Keogh, well we will be lucky if he makes it to double figures. Who will be the top scorers in the division at the end of the season? My guess is that Fowler, Hasselbank, Philips and Beattie will be in there and MM didn’t think it was wise to sign any of them instead we have to make do with a crock a couple of petulant big time charlies and one that couldn’t hit a barn door with a Banjo! Last season was great for MM because he didn’t have any money to sign anybody with a price tag. He got lucky with a couple but now he has got a bit he does what most average championship managers do and that is raid their previous club! Can anybody remember how Dave Jones got us out of this division? It was with proven quality that he knew he could trust. Ince, Irwin, Blake, Rea, Sturridge, Kennedy, Newton etc…etc…
Lets hope that Norwich was not the highlight of our season! We have left it too late again everyone has already been snapped up. My advice would be to put all four names into a hat and just pick a couple! This club has no ambition, who the hell is Steve Morgan and has he got a plan or is it going to be more of the same?
You all probably think I’m an albion fan now!
Keogh & Bothroyd get’s my shout! And then Eastwood if it doesnt work (well, if Bothroyd cant be bothered that day)
Richard,
I can tell you now that Beattie will not be in the top scorers this season. Miller possibly!!
Richard. Shut up. Blake, Sturridge, Kennedy and Newton proven quality. Is anybody else hearing this? Jesus Christ, some fan you are.
Elliott better than jemal johnson!
12, You really expect us to think your a wolves fan??
Do one no brains.
For me Bothryd and Eastwood..they are the most prolific - give them a few games together PLEASE and watch. Keogh I think would do the job on the flanks and floating in from one side with knightly on the other side…That to me spells plenty of goals….
Would love to see MM try that!
hkdgdgh - they might be reading it but they won’t be hearing it!
Shut up Richard and jog on, you sound like your Albion through and through!
if you are a Wolves fan you have no concept of what it means to have faith and have taken no positives from a game that saw us returning to the stile of football that upset all the bookies last season who tipped us for relegation!
Go back to Sandwell town where you belong with terrywarsallbaggie and happy_baggie and all the rest of the baggie faithful that plague our pages!
WOLVES 4 EVER & WOLVES 4 THE PREM
19 - thats just cruel - he will be thinking about that for days….
That will teach you to have an opinion that disagrees with the party line - are you SURE you ain’t a baggies fan ?
I agree with Goldenballs, give Freddie and Jay a run with Keogh on the left wing (at very least until Jarvis is match fit). I cannot see it happening though.
Just compare eastwoods goals per game ratio this season with the other three, it tells a story.
It really doesn’t matter if we agree or disagree, facts are facts! Everything needs balance and direction and Wolves don’t have that this season. Too many of the same type of players and not enough quality. We have some very good players but I fear that we lack a back bone! If you look at a Dave Jones side you will see it running right up the middle, goalkeeper - Central Defender - Central midfield etc… We had everything covered plus good wide men. Who cares how old they are? Where is our Ince or Rea? Lescot or Buttler? Blake or Sturridge/Miller? We have plenty of squad players but not much quality where it counts. I hate to say this but if Albion/Shefield Unt/Watford or Cardiff had been playing Norwich on Saturday they would have scored 7 or 8! Thats the difference and that is what will keep us in the same division until the powers that be decide it is time to bring in real quality!
24 richard, yes just like man city managed,tuesday night! when did they score 90th,minuet: the fact is richard everyone knows your a baggies fan.
Richard
How dare you disagree with fellow dingles !!
Prepare youself for the backlash…
Nathan said “but I’ve yet to be swayed that he is any better than Jemal Johnson” That’s the most stupidest thing I’ve heard in a long time mate. You should give him a chance, and let him get fit like we waited for Eastwood to get fit. I like to read unbiased reports thankyou and I can make my own mind up on players.
We have Eastwood in the blue corner and Elliott in the red corner.
fighting for a place along Keogh.
this week it’s the attacking options
writes Wolves blogger Nathan Lloyd.
fighting ,attacking ,blue corner….are you talking about your strikers or Freddy’s night out in Essex ?
Keogh is the first choice of most fans. He’ll never be prolific but his movement and work rate will create goals for the rest of the team.
The question is who plays with him.
In my opinion, Elliot is a similar player to Keogh and should be competing with him for the same place. Eastwood and Bothroyd should be competing for other place.My first choice would be Keogh and Eastwood with Elliot and Bothroyd as cover. I don’t think Ward is serious competition against the other four.
My Sunderland supporting friend tells me I’m wrong as he believes Elliot will go on to be a top class striker if he stays injury free. He couldn’t believe they sold him as he believed he was the best forward at Sunderland.
I just feel that last weekend would have seen a lot more goals scored if either Eastwood or Bothroyd had played.
We all have our opinions but isn’t it great to have a choice!
Richard - your praise for Jones and his expensive assortment of ageing pros is laughable and look what a mess he finally left us in after spending £24m.
For me its Bothroyd and Eastwood up front for 10 games to see if they can make the impact which in theory they should. Keogh just behind them or floating back and forth from the wing. Elliott may do the business eventually but needs to sharpen up his finishing a hell of a lot.
However MM will plod on with Keogh and Elliott for some time I suspect unless the results are too awful to ignore. Can’t see many goals coming from the current pairing but Eastwood needs to buck up his ideas and Bothroyd needs to be given a proper run in the team.
Richard
Wolves fans, as much as you have ridiculed some of his points, Dave Jones did get you promoted.
Thus i am afraid his argument does have some weight to it, although by saying that the current squad has little or no quality is just wrong, and completly undermines his other observations.
I didn’t say that we have little or no quality! I said we have some very good players but we lack quality where it counts, that being in central defense, central midfield and center forward. Just to qualify my point about the Dave Jones side, I would point out that he is the only manager to get us promoted in 20 years plus. You have to go back to the 1970’s/early 80’s to find a better team. If anybody remembers those teams perhaps it would be an interesting comparison to see where their strengths lay!
Richard, back in those days we had many class players - early seventies we had the likes of McCalliog, Dougan, Wagstaffe, Parkin, Bailey & Holsgrove and in the wings we had a young John Richards amongst others. But although it’s nice to hark back to those days from time to time, at the moment we have to contend with the players MM has assembled. They showed last season what they are capable of, they just need to work out why things haven’t gone as well for us so far and put it right - sounds simple doesn’t it ?!! No doubt there will be one or two spicey remarks from certain quarters of the baggie empire but what the heck !!
I think it ‘is’ simple. You first need someone to get the ball then you need someone to keep the ball and pass it to someone who is good at putting it in the onion bag! There, I said it! Anyway, people keep saying that I haven’t said anything positive. In the hope of being accepted here goes; I think that McCarthy looks very smart on TV. He always has a jacket and tie on and his top button is always done up. Must managers look really scruffy!
how can mm cum out in public and say that keogh and elliot shub be a role model 4 our other strikers 2 look 2.a good striker doesnt need 2 have good workrate.they are there 2 put the ball in the back ov the net and we all kno wat freddy can do.get a grip mick ur having a laugh.why is it that every manager that we have ever had cant see wat us the fans are seeing?
There’s more to being a striker than just scoring goals……
Come on, Glen. Sort it out. Why don’t you bring the faith healer out. She was great with England. Just ask Bobby Charlton.
p.s. The picture of the two Wolves players above is a bit weird. Are they shouting at each other? I can’t work out if they’re happy or sad…….?
Keep up the great blog! Come in you Baggies!