Wolves are being linked with a second attempt to recruit battle-hardened Derby striker Steve Howard in the January transfer window.
And Mick McCarthy’s silence over the fresh speculation was deafening today as Howard emerged once more as a prime target for the Wolves boss.
The 31-year-old Derby striker was on McCarthy’s list during the summer but a deal never materialised.
The Wolves boss admitted earlier this week that he will be looking to make two signings when transfer business re-opens in the new year and a tall, powerful striker with aerial presence is known to be a priority requirement.
Howard fits the bill but after a 19 goal contribution to Derby’s promotion campaign last season, he has struggled to start regularly in their so far ill-fated Premiership campaign.
The key to a successful Wolves bid, however, could be how Howard fares under new Derby manager Paul Jewell after he re-introduced him to first team duty in his first game in charge last weekend.
McCarthy wants to strengthen a squad which must again handle tomorrow’s challenge from Burnley without captain Jody Craddock, the latest casualty of this Championship campaign.
Craddock still hasn’t recovered sufficiently from a groin injury although McCarthy does have utility defender Rob Edwards fit again.
Key figure Michael Kightly is also making typically determined progress and could be in training again next week but Wolves try to overcome a visiting side who have recently won at Watford and Charlton with the cast which came up short at Oakwell.
He is again left toying with which striker partnership to utilise and also has the worrying dip in form from Seyi Olofinjana.
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75 Comments
Why does McCarthy love strikers that can’t score goals?
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No doubt lots of you will moan about this, but i for one can see the sense in it. He may not be cutting it in the prem but thats not why we’re after him, its for his abilities in the Championship.
And if we did get promoted (which i detest talking about!) he would be unlikely to feature and we would have money to spend on players then anyway. So for 1.5m for this season if he bangs them in and shows our other misfirers where the goal is, than it makes sense to me!
So please wolves fans don’t come on here moaning about the club buying has beens, as generally speaking we don’t these days!!
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we really need a Marlon King or a H Bouazza big target man cause problems in the box, a player capable of doing the same in the premier, successfully against Fulham,Wigan Brummies etc. cause that’s whats required. Steve Howard has some of those attributes but not all and as such i’d have to say does not fit the bill. Midfielder, we lack an Ince midfield experience general and on the pitch leader. Not sure Pymouth is the right place to be going shopping!
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Could be inteesting.
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Might not be premiership standard, but who cares. As long as he can scoreat this level and help get us there. Remember the goals Sturridge scored for us when he came and he was never premiership class. We do need a striker who can put the ball away, in the target man mould.
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As I have said on a previous thread - Would you really buy a striker who aint wanted by or good enough for a team that has scored about 6 goals all year ?
Is Howard going to combine with Eastwood ? I doubt it as they play the same game…
As for saying he scored against us at Wembley - yes he did - but are you really gonna pin your promotion hopes on THAT ?
Sorry for the repetition but this thread is more relevent
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Happy Baggie Pearson got the goal at Wembley not the big lump that is Howard.
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baggieheart - oh yeah, I had wiped it from my memory… but now its back - thanks a bunch !LOL
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6.
Is Howard going to combine with Eastwood?
Hippy-Baggy now you’re just writing headlines for new E&S award winning articles…just wait till Mondays edition….
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Its that time of year again. Its always the same prior to Januarys transfer window. No doubt this will be one of many names being banded about. There will be signings in January but we will just have to wait until signed and announced officially.
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Experience is the key, i have bought all my wealth of experience to my successful 7-a-side team and we are flourishing as a result.
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9 - “hippy” baggy ??
Hey man, like WOW - is that like the best you can do dude ??
Like, hey - leave the hippy alone you suit.
Peace and love !
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As I live near Luton the fans down here absolutly worshipped Howard and Foley.
It has to be said that he does score goals but if you play off him as small fast striker ie Eastwood or Elliott you will score a hatful. He is a play maker for back end strikers.
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Personally I think it would be a bad move to pay £1.5M for a player for only 4 & a bit months to then sell him if we gain promotion and at 31yo, how does that fit in with the young player ethic at Molineux?
Agreed we need someone to add bite to the strike force, particularly someone who is not goal shy and is in scoring form NOW but Howard?Howard scored the goals LAST SEASON but then so did Freddie but for many reasons it has not happened for him this season! I hope MM looks elsewhere for there must be other experienced players who are younger and can do the business. Anyway the news about Howard came via the “Sun” newspaper I believe and what have they ever got right?
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Its ok getting Howard but Mark, Jason and (the other one..) aint gonna be happy about it.
They may be a “Back Four Good”… GROAN.
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Yeah! Bring him on!
Could do a job.Baggiebutt and H_Butt,we don’t need your views.
You should thank your lucky stars we are not going for Misfud. Now run along both of you. MUms waiting at the TESCO!
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trappy_baggie what memory you aint got a brain if you support a team like the baggies…plonk,plonk
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12
Sorry Dude…just a typo, obviously it should have been…
Lippy-Baggy
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I agree with the baggie fans he is complete tripe, Howard is 31 and past it. For god sake Mick wake up we need a striker like Clinton Morrison not Premier League Rejects that Hoddle could sign, Id Rather Darrel Murphy for 2m
ps: we need a centre back! James Collins of West Ham would be a good move!
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Howard!
One of MM’s better calls, he scored 19 last season.
I wish we could have a go at getting Nugent on loan too!
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too old, too slow, too rubish
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Happy Baggie. How do eastwood and Howard play the same game?
One is 18ft 2 and built like a brick poo house,and scores scrappy goal poacher goals. Holds the ball up and involves other players
The other is 5ft 10 scores great goals and very rarley scraps it out. Does not involve other players and is very keen to have a go at goal.
Whay do you think they are the same?
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Happy Baggie Pearson got the goal at Wembley not the big lump that is Howard.
Shows how much unhappy baggie knows about his team…
Anyway, £1.5 million for a 31 year old. A case of deja vu here.
I’d rather pay that money for Billy Sharp.
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Last week the Sun had us signing Billy Sharp…..I might have been keen in the summer but with the “Eastwood” experience and Sharp’s failure to make an impact at Sheffield..now I’m not so sure…
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Can we not find an older striker to build for the future?
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I despair. 31 year old who is slower than Breen!
Mick has lost the plot if he ever had it in the first place
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Is he going to spend £1.5 mill on Howard?
I don’t care how old they are, it is just important to score. we have quick already!
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I see the albion fans are scraping the barrel again.
Howard, at 31, I feel is NOT the answer. We need to spend 3-3.5m on a decent striker around the 26year old mark who will score us goals in the short and LONG term (although I don’t know who fits the bill best). Howard would just be another stop gap player and I think we at wolves are all too use to seeing.
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i would rather make a bid for billy sharp who is not even keeping the bench warm at sheffield but i trust mick he has done a very good job so far and back him 110 percent !
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28 - you are looking to buy Howard and accuse US of scraping the barrel - LOL
22 - I meant they both play a very singular game down the middle - i didn’t say they were twins.
17 - ?
18 - Lippy Baggie ? Thats either a song by Bad manners or you will have to trust that I am typing this in a Mick Jagger accent.
Come on - bring it on…. !!!
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Happy, you are in good form today, some good stuff here.
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At 31 howard is too old, why not look mat the loan market again or ask kenny miller to come back home
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Another Stephen Elliot.
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Kenny Miller? No thanks! He left us for nothing & that is the true value of a player who only goes after the money, ditto Camara.
I’d rather Wolves sign someone in the Emile Heskey mould.
I think the only Miller we should go for is currently injured & plays for our friends and neighbours “up the road”!
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Howard OH NO,,, shades of Robert Taylor!
Why is he going for a 31 yr old, who is mostly injury prone and he cant score in the premiership. I rather we go for Sharp and have him joining up with Keough. And for Gawd’s Sake I hope MM drops Stephen Ward who is woeful. Seyi is off form so I hope he gets dropped too. Bring in Gleeson, Rosa, swap Jarvis to the right, anything is better than playing players who are out of form.
But hey what do I know…
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howard can score penalties
i would just purely sign him on that one fact
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We need a decent, proven striker, grafting midfielder & full back. If you were playing the Woffs who would you be scared of putting a tackle in - think Ince, Muscrat, Downing, Baily, Clamp. Er, hate to say it Robinson at the Crem. Olypyjama - powder puff…. Potter?????
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i thought mick’s policy was youth so much for that!
we should be looking at getting sturridge on loan from man city he’s powerful and scores.
or even Nugent!
We need to do what Birmingham did last year, loan talent then buy them
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BAGGIE BOYS KEEP OFF THE WOLVES PAGE AND GO TO YOUR OWN….YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT YOUR INJURED PLAYERS IN THE RUN-UP TO YOUR DEFEAT AT LEICESTER.DONT FORGET TO TUNE IN 17.20 SAT TO WATCH THE CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPIONS HAMMER BURNLEY.
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Happy Baggie (re 15) - lol, I must admit I was quite amused by that one!!!
Can’t see us going for Howard, would be very surprised if MM was targetting him for next month. I think he may go back in for Kyle Lafferty, tomorrow will be a good opportunity to ’size’ him up heheheh…
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How about Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi ?
That be the answer our goals
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39
You really are!!! Very apt name you’ve given yourself
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I hear that Ronaldiniho is about to leave Barcelona…..why dont u just sign him?!
stupid dingles
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39 - I don’t know why, but when I read a post typed in caps lock - I always imagine it being spoken using the voice of Barney, the drunk off the Simpsons..
Try it, it fits just right - BUUUUURRRPPPP !!
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Happy, this is like two way family favourites. A pal of mine ( Wilmslow Wolf ) has read some of our exchanges and gave me a ring to say hi. You are spreading friendship without even knowing it.
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I’m sure a straight swap involving Ronaldiniho for Potter seems fair………
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Having seen Ben Burgess (Blackpool)at the Mol earlier in the season win everything in the air, and then again on live matches on Sky sports then he would be the forward for me to go for
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The Thick Mick has become Mad Mick.
Guess that’s what MM really stands for
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Bobby Zamora! Pricey but would be lethal in this league.
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Today i saw a Slumberland lorry on the M6.Lo and behold…..it had a huge picture of John Hartson in his old A***** shirt on the side . I laughed so much i nearly cried.
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Malvern - glad to be of service…
I knew if i carried on sprinkling happy dust something nice would happen.. i don’t think I have enough happy dust for some people on here though.
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Howard is good at this level but I would rather have Kyle Lafferty as he shows more potential and is comfortable on the ball as well as in the air.
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This is crazy. £1.5 million?! Howard will be 32 in May 2008. We’ve seen this kind of short-termism before and we know it doesn’t work.
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boggies prove all the time that they are wolves fans - now they are worried about who we may be signing, most of them will watch with bated breath
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what happened to the youth policy?
he’s so slow that our defence would arrive in the opposition penalty area before he got there!
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Lets get Stuart Fleetwood from Forest Green he scored 24 goals already this season!!!
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Put Rosa in the team, that will solve all our problems , i have watch him 7 times for the res, and he is a great player, we just need midfielders that can pass, run and tackle, and most of all score along side the striker, i know if he is in the side we will start scoring goals. but thick Mick as not a clue, and should of gone.
Morgan bout time you listen to the fans views, and sort the matter out, rosa for first team!!!!!
Also Young Peterbough lad would be an opions if you did want to buy a striker, i still think we need defenders that are quick!! we are not conceding because of Wayne, not the defence, because face it they are all over the place disgrace..
rich
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Whoever we get in the Jan transfer window - we just hope that they dont get dumped on the subs bench in favour of players who regularly cant hit a barn door from 2 yards! BUT still get in the team!!!
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Big step backwards! He’s 31. What happened to the young hungry players MM wanted to develop?
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If he signs howard as a play maker then I bet he partners him upfront with elliot. He’s a one dimensional manager looking for another tall-short combination like he had with quinn & keane when he was ireland manager.
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I’m a Wolves season ticket holder who lives in Derbyshire and I don’t know one Derby fan who rates Howard. It will be another £1.5 million down the pan.
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Don’t overlook the fact that Steve Howard scored 100 goals (average 2 per game) over 5 years at Luton.
And scored 19 goals for Derby last season which secured their promotion. Including a winning goal against Wolves Sept. 06.
Can’t be that bad. Better than ‘have-a-laff’ Lafferty (Irish of course) who’s scored only 1 in 17 this season for the in-form team we play tomorrow (prefer to snatch Andy Gray — another Anglo-Scot who actually does score consistently.
One 32 year old forward is no harm — brings experience. And someone named Sherringham scored in this division just the other day.
And Robert Taylor arrived fat and unfit and left in the same state.
I don’t think Merlin would make a mistake in buying an unfit over-the-hill forward. I trust his judgement in buying palyers — that is his strength as he has proved since arriving at Wolves.
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Titter ye not !
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I understand buying players to get us out of this Div. but look at it the other way, how many players do we currently have that could cut it in the prem. if we go up, I say maybe 4. S.M. is not a Russian billionaire, we need to start picking up players with that in mind.
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If Steve Morgan has got so much money why do’nt we bring back Robbie Keane (he loves the club)
and in 5 months time he will be back in the premier league after he gets us promoted then we do’nt need to buy a defender he will take the pressure on the defenders by scoring to many goals what defender can stop him in this league?
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I agree with 56. Wulf, Stuart Fleetwood would be a better buy. He scored a hatrick against Coventry when playing for Hereford in the Carling Cup last season as well. And he is only 21, makes more sense. However, I’m sure he would only be warming the bench up like Freddie if MM has anything to do with it
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DudzieWolf We should start a campaign for the purchase of STUART FLEETWOOD, I mean Kightly is arguebly our best player and look where he came from
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Exactly what we want. he can score in the Champuionship, he is experienced enough to help the kids and he is different to the other strikers. Freddy is not a big hit - man.
I think this guy would do us ok for a short time. However are there any strikers from lower leagues who are in mid - table teams that we could steal.
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Great!! ha ha ha 1.5mill for useless lump!!
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Nice one Mick
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Some mixed comments again but Howard fits the bill….
he’s big and powerful and WILL score goals in the championship, its not just his aerial ability in the box, its his ability to hold the ball up too, a bit like carl cort did and wether you liked him or loathed him, cort was a good servant to this club and did his job reasonably well and if mick wants a slightly older more experienced front man that just happens to know where the goal mouth is then all power to him.
Go get him mick…
We do need someone in that type of mould, like a Dion Dublin type of player to play off a smaller striker. Dublin and Earnie pulled it off really well together and I think anyone from bothroyd, eastwood or elliot could pair up well. we could even try playing a 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 formation with a big man at the front and two attacking wingers flanking him then three holding in the centre and the standard four at the back.
does anyone else agree ?
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The team cant score goals because there isnt enough creativity from the midfield and without the lieks of Kites we cant rely on our defence to keep us in the game all the time - sooner or later our luck will run out!!!
A boxer the cannot hurt his opponent will never win - likewise a team that cannot put the ball in the back of the net often enough is destined for mediocrity
When we were third the stats said the same thing - an average of a goal a game - Promotion material? Now surprise surprise we are back to 6th and clinging on by the skin of our teeth - coincidence or do we reap what we sow?
Is the squad good enough or are the tactics far too predictable?
What do you think?
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How about Colchester Wolverhampton born striker Clive Platt. He has got 6 for the season in a struggling side . He wouldn’t cost half what is being talked about for Howard. And he’s 6′4. Probably less in wages two. Worth a punt I say - get him in
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62 We’re Wolf says ‘Don’t overlook the fact that Howard scored 100 goals (average 2 per game ) over 5 years at Luton.’ Wrong! He scored 103 goals in 224 games at Luton which is less than 1 goal every 2 games at Luton.
62 also says ‘One 32 year old forward is no harm - brings experience.’ The problem is that old forwards tend to be injury prone after all those years being hammered by centre backs. They reach their peak around 28; that’s why Alex Ferguson tends to sell about that age eg Yorke, van N, Hughes and Cole. He gets a good price knowing that they are best years are past them. Wenger has done the same with Henry who has not been successful at Barcelona.
Buying Howard would probably require offering a three year contact at wages above many of our up and coming players. This would mean keeping him on our books on big wages until he was 34. He would then go for nothing.
Strategically, this does not make sense. Given Morgan’s millions, it makes much better sense to pay a higher fee for a forward who can score goals and improve with the rest of our predominantly young team. Buying well now for the longer term may mean that we do not have to buy again in this positon when/if we get promoted.
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And Steve Howard scored against Man U — away — today!OK they still lost and our Kenny failed to score again. But the man does score — it’s not his fault if his team mates can’t defend. And Derby are missplaced in the Prem. But will they sell him after scoring? The ‘Tupp’ fans’d go berserk.
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