We probably got what we deserved on Saturday, as Burnley left Molineux with all three points, writes Wolves blogger Nathan Lloyd.
With the TV cameras present, Mick started with Bothroyd in attack, probably thinking like most Wolves fans, that Jay tends to put in a better performance when we are live on Sky.
Ward and Collins at the back doesn’t exactly instil confidence and they were often turned too easily by the creative Burnley attack.
Those defensive frailties were punished with Burnley taking a well-earned 3-1 lead into the break.
Now I’m a big fan of Mick McCarthy’s and I always back him in this blog whatever the result.
But some of his decisions on Saturday had me slightly baffled.
Although Freddy hasn’t scored since August, there have been signs in the last two home games that he could be turning a corner.
So Mick drops him in favour of an Elliott, Bothroyd partnership up front, which I think most fans found a little odd.
He also decided to substitute one of our better players in Gibson, when really Henry was having a bit of a mare on Saturday.
Anyway, those little criticisms apart, I think we got found out a bit on Saturday.
We currently have a toothless attack and with both Breen and Craddock missing at the back, our defence looks nervous, slow and disorganised.
It alarms me a little that MM has already dismissed the January transfer window as too chaotic and not really a great time to strengthen the team.
Although a straight talking Yorkshireman, Mick has to realise that these sound-bites will not sit well with the average Wolves fan.
Perhaps he is just playing his cards close to his chest and has already identified some potential targets.
But this is our last chance to really stake a claim for a top-two place or even just cling onto a top six spot.
Steve Howard, the target man from Derby who unfortunately (for us) scored against Man Utd at the weekend, has been touted as one of the players that Mick has his eye on.
He was excellent for Luton, scoring nearly a goal every other game, and could certainly do a job at Molineux, but I actually think that Jay Bothroyd already has some of the ‘target man’ skills in his locker.
Jay held the ball up well and brought others into play on Saturday.
Ok, he overplayed the ball a little too often and wasn’t helped by the fact Elliott really wasn’t on his wavelength, but he was on TV!
I hoped I’m proved wrong, but Jay will probably leave Molineux the enigma he was when he joined and Wolves will eventually be just another club added to the list that thought that “they” could get the best out of his undoubted talents.
Anyway Howard is one name mentioned, but where else do we need strengthening?
We have been ok at the back in recent weeks, if not a little lucky not too concede goals in some games.
Even with Craddock back, we still need to try and sign a decent centre half with a bit of pace, which is easier said than done.
And with Olofinjana gone on African Cup duties in January, who will step up to the plate to replace him in the middle alongside Henry?
Hennessy has been fantastic and if you take away his ‘Carson’ type blunder on Saturday, he is beginning to look like one of the brightest young keepers in British football.
The number of scouts from the Premiership at recent games proving this fact. His incredible double save brought the majority of Molineux to their feet.
One thing is for sure, we need the return of Kites to be sooner rather than later if we are to inject a spark back into the team.
And although it was great to hear the crowd give Mick their full support on Saturday, I fear that unless he gets it right in the January window, that support could start to wane.
Wolves fans, what do you think? Have your say below
33 Comments
I think your being too loyal Nathan.
People are backing Mick because he had a fairly good season last year.
This year we have done nothing and without the confidence we are starting to sink.
We have no creativity (similar to most of MM’s teams) and depend on our enthusiasm around the pitch to get points. With that gone we are nothing but an average team.
Mick has had ample opportunity to get the players in to make a difference, a fast center half, a flair midfielder and has done nothing.
Interesting times ahead, as I said before in a previous thread as much as I like MM, I think the standard of football been dished up this season is really poor and getting worse. Steve Howard - ROBERT TAYLOR ring any bells!!!
Interesting snap shot of Steve Morgan. He is a owner, a football fan looking to get to the premiership sooner rather than later….
Wolves are a good side this year but there are ten good sides. The holes in our ability are obvious NO confidence in front of goal… Theese players are proven scorers at other clubs, so there lack of confidence rests with one person.. The manager.
As another point BBC this morning Mark Magoo for Scotland Has the world gone mad!!!
i agree wolveswolves. some of micks decisions really are baffling and i think thats what is annoying the fans most.
Wolves try to loan their former striker Steffen Iversen from Rosenborg when the transfer window opens. This is confirmed in Norwegian media today. Wolves has made it official to Rosenborg and due to Iversens advisor “this will be a right move” for him.
dare i say it but we need a koumas style creative playmaker
Iversen? NO NO NO!
Howard I’m not convinced with either.
Regretably MM is one dimensional in his football strategy, he also has his favourites regardless of how bad they play he still insists in playing them, which is bad management.
I regret I still recall his opening comment of the season that Breene was the best talent we have. If that is so god help us.
Totally agree with Deby Wolf.
The team under MM is bereft of ideas. Too many yes men and favourites in the team.
Dont give Mm any more money to spend on the Irish lottery just give him his P45
I think that MM gets too much credit for last season. We had a lot of home grown talent in the team. Hennessey, Little, Jones, Gobern, Davies. That helped to create a good team spirit. He had Olofinjana as an experienced midfield man, so I do not agree that we were going nowhere when he arrived.
People had been wanting to see our home grown talent be used much more and they got it last season and much of it was a breath of fresh air and a joy to watch.
He added to the squad well with Mcindoe and Kightly, but not so well with the defence. I don’t really feel that Breen/Collins and Ward added much to what we already had. Also his strike force purchases have been awful!
The last couple of games while being made worse because of defeat are no better or worse than the team has been playing all season.
For me you need to look at the problem in a balanced way and his short comings are there for all to see. I can not see a plan, as soon as one injury hit the team that was the end and we can argue until we are blue in the face about who should partner who but it doesn’t alter the fact that there isn’t a plan!
Give MM until the end of the season for two reasons:
1. There will be more choice for a replacement in the summer.
2. It will bring everyone to the same conclusion about MM
The best manager for years, you really are having a laugh!
Irish Lottery I like it! We have potential banana skin matches in Dec, I fear we will be left playing catch up in Jan.
No worries Moxey will be made to grovel to Paul Ince. A good mate of Morgan.
We all want new players to come in, but what happens if some of the premiership clubs come in for our players.
Kites has been getting watched all season. Everton like the look of Hennessey and Foley is apparantly a target as well. What happens if these club’s come in with 3 or 4 million bids for the first two and a couple of mill for foley. Will this board put there money where there mouth is to put off these clubs. I would like to think they would not sell but MM has already said the money morgan put in is for running the BUSINESS and the sale of these players would play nicely into the Director’s pockets.
We need to get out of the rutt we have made for ourselves, start playing with confidence and start making it attractice for our players to stay and to tempt some new ones in.
C’Mon the Wolves, Keep The Faith
I agree with number 1.
I find it worrying that yet again, we are in a false position on the back of some great goalkeeping! I was shocked to read MM’s comments on the January transfer window, i’d like to think that we would be building a team not only for promotion, but with some players who could cut it in the premiership when you get there. At the moment we only have a couple with that potential. In principle i agree with MM’s policy of young hungry players, but we are being outclassed by teams like Burnley.
We need a settled side,MM keeps changing the forward line and at this stage of the season this should not be happening(apart from injuries).I totally disagree with his comments concerning buying players in the January window as Blues and Sunderland have shown that if you buy wisely you can get automatic promotion.I have said in the past the level of the club’s transfer activity in the window will give us a very good idea as to how serious the club are in getting promoted.I hope I am wrong but I have been convinced for some time the club are happy to be where they are and are not particularly bothered about achieving promotion.
I agree with comment No.10
Why has mick not used any of our home grown players ?
Gobern & Davies have been injured admittedly, but it would be a better choice than putting Gibson or Potter on the right wing.
Stephen Ward has done a great job on the left wing, but i’d rather see Dan Jones on the left back or wing as i dont see Mick dropping “one of his sons” (Gray) at left back.
Just thought I would pick up on the thread of Mick McCarthy being our best manager for years.
I had a think about it and came up with my own list of heroes and villains:
1. Dave Jones - The only one to succeed and gave us a day to remember, at times we were swinging from the rafters!
2. Graham Taylor - The one who ’should’ have been given more time!
3. Graham Turner - Fantastic at lower league football but stayed too long
4. Mark McGee - Exciting but flawed
5. Mick McCarthy - In the words of McGee “He huffed and puffed”
6. Talented but didn’t want to be at Wolves and it showed
7. Colin Lee - Why?
Sorry - 6. is Hoddle!!
Although we may have funds available for the “January Window”, I feel this is only one thread that we should be looking at. There is talent out there in the non-league clubs if we have the right people to spot them (as we did with Kightley). How about getting Bully out there to look for that prime requirement - a big strong centre forward who is hungry to take every opportunity to score be it by foot or head (so long as MM lets him). That’s what we need - a goal poacher!
What annoys me is when MM was quizzed about his team selection on Saturday, in particular his forward rotation, he implied he was still searching for which partnership can put the ball in the net. Our forwards are good enough for this league, no question but the supply, Kites the exception, is absolutely shocking! Pele and Muller would struggle to notch with the service given from a slow forward in the guise of a left winger and two negative midfielders. We bring in Gibson, who looks to have vision, and stick him on the right wing. In short we haven’t reached the exciting heights of last season as IMO Mcindoe hasn’t been replaced and the balance of the side has disappeared. Why has Jarvis not been given a run? Eastwood should never be left out and told his ’shift’ is to come alive in and around the box and not have to worry about chasing back, we have enough work horses for that. Rant over!
Moxey looks worried in that Picture! Oh dear!
As far as Wolves are concerned even if MM is allowed to bring in Rooney and all the Brazillian strikers it wouldnt make much difference!
We have strikers in our squad that are capable of scoring - BUT we need to create chances from the wings or bring in creative midfield players who can regularly give them ammuntion to fire with!
The defence needs some attention BUT if we dont create chances more often then we will have more pressure on our defence for most of each game
1 goal per game average speaks volumes - Not enough chances made and MM expects the strikers to create their own chances - WHY? So that he can deploy an eight man defence?
If we play with wingers isnt it common sense to have two - one left and one right? Not one right and a centre forward that struggles to play out of position?
If he wants a different style of play - say a creative midfield player then the rest of the team have to have balance throughout?
Is it the players or is it the makeshift tactics and poor man management?
No matter who we buy MM will keep on with his one trick pony tactics
Nathan your loyalty so far has been honourable but it seems that finally even you are beginning to recognise the cracks are getting bigger! I read pre-match about Burnley, that they had played the same 11 for the previous 4 matches, this helps with continuity but how many times has MM done that? He cannot even play the 2 strikers for 4 matches let alone the team! MM may well be the best manager at WWFC since Turner (a general opinion) but last season is history, this season is ongoing and all Wolves supporters (and that includes you too) want to see attractive, attacking and entertaining football culminating hopefully with the right results. So far we have trundled along scraping wins here and there, hanging on to the front-runners shirt-tails without ever convincing anyone that we have what it takes to grasp this league by the scruff of the neck and gain promotion. The team may well be basically young and inexperienced but what they achieved last season was no fluke, it was earned by endeavour, graft and skill and Wolves fans want to return to that ethic and produce performances at least equal to last season. Win or lose, if the effort is put in, the crowd will be appreciative but if not then what occurred on Saturday could be the normal way of things which will not achieve anything, will it? Saturday sees us at bottom club QPR and a win is a necessity, no points from that game and we will have a confidence problem and with so many matches upcoming will see us drop down the table and lose vital ground to the Burnleys, Ipswichs etc. With the transfer window about to open, MM MUST bring in some quality, be it loan or purchased or our season could be over before the start of February. Anyway rant over, let’s see what happens on Saturday!
We must win saturday now. Just remember people, the top of the table is still firmly in our grasp. The Watford/Stoke game was appalling and neither team should worry us!
Watford/stoke wont worry us…. yeah I bet they are quaking in their boots.
Every team that plays us knows that we average 1 goal a game - and if they score two we will end up losing or drawing at best!
We have had the time this season to bring in players who can add the balance and creativity to the side BUT the question is - Is it really all down to MM or is it the wage budget that has restricted MM to bring in the required players?
Moxey has gone from one extreme to another and is well known for placing the blame at other peoples door - you only have to look at the fiasco with Ghoddle to realise that! Moxey the man who was responsible for the club having a huge wage bill in the Championship and then the major kull that could have seen us do a Forest - Luckily MM put together a shoe string side and the rest we know!
We over achieved last season YES great BUT we are no better this season so far EVEN with a new owner and so called better prospects!!!
Is it MM and his lack lustre management and tactics, the players or Moxey and his bargain basement budget wage cap?
NB* Better players tend to go to clubs that offer better deals! Its easy to say if they dont want to come to us then we dont want them BUT If you were a player and have a family wouldnt you go to a club that offered you a better deal and prospects? ala McIndoe comments on Bristol City etc etc
As ever frustrating being a Wolves fan!
NB* SJH does the honourable thing and steps down - Morgan steps in and not much changes we struggle to go the extra few yards - WHY? Common denominator = Moxey Wage Budgets etc etc / the players or MM tactics and man management???
I’ve got another very bad feeling about Saturday. And has anyone else noticed that Tescos have got Charlton at home this weekend? I know we have our own game to worry about, but a win on Saturday for that lot and there is a definite gap opening up. Top two could be skating away from us before Xmas has even started.
Football the first half saturday was Crap to say we are promotion contenders. going to QPR away, want a much better performane. We need mifsud of coventry, someone who aint scared to shoot and runs at defenders and should get in Howard as a battering ram and flick the ball on for mifsud, bothroyd needs a rocket up his backside and collins needs to go out on loan
lets get real wolves are not a major force in the championship, no teams are scared of us, and to all the people that say the boo boys keep away, i am sure moxey would love that
We don’t get enough players in the box and not enough crosses.
Concerned about Clubs attitude if they think we do not need significant strengthening; no depth in squad.
To contemplate selling any of our better players would be tantamount to duplicity and disloyalty to the fans.
Comment 28 Ron Davies - yes agreed - we dont get enough crosses in BUT we have no balance on the wings/ wide left and right
MM is using S Ward as a wide left player and he struggles more often than he does well (he created the chance for Gibson to score) and then doesn’t tackle when Burnley go down our end and they score
Our defence stand off players rather than get stuck in far too long and Collins has a habit of tripping up players (normally resulting in a penalty) rather than tackling them properly before they get into position
If we are to use wingers why not play and keep the ball wide when attacking - this would stretch any team in this division and cause major problems and defend in numbers but make sure we get our tackles in first and properly - not stick out a foot and trip people
And you’re right about strength in depth
As far as selling off our better players - when has that ever stopped Moxey and his logic of breakeven - the man who has hardly ever/ never made the club a profit in his tenure as CEO
Rant Over - Phew!!!
I agree with 10. The focus on improving from last year was based on using home grown midlands talent to give us the passionate, committed performances we deserve as fans and yet the output from most players this season is far from that.
MM has tried to mix things up by changing starting line ups but this has not worked. The problem is not just which players we are using (Eastwood debate, effectiveness of Elliot/Bothroyd, strength of defence) it is the way in which they are being asked to play. I recall some great open attacking football last season, which is when we were at our best. Whereas the focus this season seems to be on getting every player chasing down the ball and defending, which has lead to hesitancy in the final third and ultimately the low goal tally that we see this season and saw last season. MM needs to have a few players committed to getting forward and creating chances/space to really open up the opposition. Until we see this change in the way we are playing we’re unlikely to see a turnaround in the gaols scored and can only dream of a top 2 finish.
I have faith in Mick as he has shown he can spot issues and mix things up. It is now just a case of him adjusting our style of play.
MM only knows one style of play as he showed with ireland and sunderland.
The best teams play with a creative central midfielder, the ideal being a fabregas ala koumas alongside a makelele ala k henry or olofinjana not both of the same type. Thats why wolves are not progressive and the strikers struggle. The defence is slow, with even slower players to come back like Breen who alwayslooks like a clown against any moderate player with a bit of pace about them. So you end up with a defensive team with 2 defensive midfielders trying to protect a slow defence. These tactics can only take you so far.