Kevin Kyle is one Wolves new boy who won’t need an initiation speech about the ‘Molineux factor’.
It’s been a tricky season for some of the Molineux young guns but the 26-year-old Scottish international is one player who won’t sweat a few moans and groans after the 18 month nightmare he’s endured at former club Coventry.
Yesterday’s loan deal provides a chance of redemption for the former Scottish international after a Ricoh hell that ended up with him being reduced to tears after being jeered off by his own fans.
Things got so bad at the Sky Blues that he even stopped his dad from coming to watch games for fear of what the hostile home crowd would say next.
Kyle is now eyeing a fresh start and a chance to rebuild his shattered career at Molineux under Mick McCarthy, the manager who first gave him his big break.
Today, in a frank and revealing first interview at Wolves, Kyle lays bear his Sky Blues torment and appeals for his new fans to give him a chance to prove his worth.
“If the fans give me a chance at Wolves that’ll be great because I didn’t get a fair crack of the whip at Coventry. It honestly makes a difference if the fans aren’t on your back, believe me,” he said.
“I would like to think they’ll give me a chance. Hopefully in three months they’ll say I’ve proved my worth.
“At the end of the day it’s a game of opinions and for every one that hates you there will be one that rates you.”
Kyle admits there was scepticism from the off at Coventry, and things got progressively worse for the striker as he struggled with injuries and a team that was inconsistent.
The Scottish international freely admits he caused himself problems by getting involved in an altercation in Stranraer after Scotland’s home win against France – an incident that saw him hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.
During the subsequent court case it was revealed that Kyle earns £410,000 a year – something that turned even more Sky Blues fans against him.
“I chose to join Coventry even though I had a few clubs looking at me but I knew Adrian Heath who was the assistant manager at the time and I thought I’d take my chances.
“But then the day I arrived I remember picking up the local paper and seeing a poll saying 95 per cent of the fans thought it was a bad signing. It didn’t feel like a great start.
“On the pitch I started well. I scored on my home debut and was doing well but the team hit a bit of bad form and as a striker you weren’t consistently getting chances which made it difficult.
“Slowly the fans were getting on my back and I didn’t do myself any favours by getting into trouble with the authorities back home either. Things got published around the court case – including what money I was on – and from then on they chose to hate me.
“I went away in the summer and got myself fresh and worked hard and the fans were praising me for the way I came back. I scored in the first game of the season and was doing well but | got an injury and since then it’s been one thing after another – a niggle, a loss of form or the fans heckling me.
“Iain Dowie said to me ‘From Monday to Friday you’re different class and I want to pick you but as soon as you get out there the fans are getting on your back’. He said it was like having two different players and I told him that it does affect you.”
Kyle admits the boos of the crowd started to have an adverse affect on his private life – even though he knew it was only a vocal minority who had taken against him.
“I’m sure it was a minority because I’ve had some great letters of support and when I’ve taken the wee man (son Max) out for a treat to Pizza Hut or whatever people have come up to me and said ‘Don’t worry, thats the way they are down here’.
“All I could down was knuckle down and work hard – I’ve had worse than that in my life. But the minority who were doing it were making themselves heard and sometimes after games I was close to getting properly angry because it does really affect you.
“It got to the stage where I didn’t want my dad to come to games because of what he might hear the crowd saying about his son. I think that’s a bit unfair – I’m a human being and I don’t go out there to play badly.
“The final straw was being sent off a fortnight ago. The sending off was my fault because I was that eager to do well that I was chasing everyone and I put in a silly challenge.
“But I got booed off and I was really upset in the dressing room afterwards. I was crying, I was devastated because I was that eager to do well.
“I couldn’t believe the stick they gave me. I think I read somewhere that Craig Bellamy said that of all the clubs he’s been at in his career the Coventry fans have been the worst and I think I’d agree with him! To be fair it’s not the worst place in the world, it just hasn’t worked out for me and that’s not the fans fault.
“I phoned my agent and I said ‘Look, it’s just not happening for me here’.”
Kyle admits that a “dream move” to Wolves represents the best possible end to his Ricoh hell.
He joins the club as they are starting to challenge for the play-offs again, and will be playing under a manager who is fiercely loyal to players who serve him well.
Kyle is the fourth former Sunderland man to join Wolves since McCarthy took over, an indication of the manager’s desire to stick to players he trusts. Kyle joins close friend Stephen Elliott – godfather to two-year-old son Max – at Wolves and says he has been impressed by the way the manager has backed the striker during his difficult period.
“From perspective I just wanted to get out there and enjoy my job again. The fact that it is at Wolves, and with Mick again, it is like a dream come true,” he said.
“The fact that they are doing so well is great as well because confidence will be up and I can get my own confidence back again.”
Kyle knows he has been signed as impact player to be used off the bench but is determined to prove his worth in that role. He has promised not to be found wanting for effort and commitment – however the loan spell ends.
“I’ll bring something different. I’ve got physical attributes – I’ll put my head where it hurts and if there are games where it’s going to be a physical battle and they need someone to come in and take responsibility for that side of it I’ll do that.
“If we can get plenty of crosses into the box – and Wolves do that from what I heard – I should get my head on a fair share of them.”
39 Comments
Fair play to the lad…. I hope he does well for the wolves…. As he said he adds something different…. I cant remember a time were we have had so many good strikers at the club… Exciting times!….
Anybody who thinks Coventry is a s%&*hole is alright by me.
All the best Kevin.
So give him a chance and see what happens people.
Although we have a number of forwards he is different in style to the others, i.e a tall target man who can head, so give him a chance!
You give your all for Wolves and i wont complain. Welcome to the club and good luck
I hope he does well and he seems to have had a rough time at Coventry. However the real point is not the lad himself but what the hell is Mick playing at ? He has signed loads of strikers but not bothered with any new creative midfielders or any quick defenders.
As for the argument that we have bought Kyle to be an impact player who changes our style of play in the last few minutes, its a bit sad that we are predicting we will need to use long ball tactics to get results and if we do why cant we aim for Keogh or Bothroyd who are both above 6 foot ?
i hope he comes and does a job but am i the only person who thinks we NNEEEEEEED a defender? cummon mick still a few hours left!!
Well you can’t ask for anything more than that,give the lad a chance eh, and let’s show him what true fans we are at wolves-boo boy’s take not!
OK i’ll admit I am one of the fans who’ve questioned his ability and why we signed him but if he comes off the bench and regularly puts in the winner fair play
i meant note!ah well.
Good luck Kyle. Score 35 goals before the end of the season and i’m sure nobody will boo you.
Good luck mate.
“But then the day I arrived I remember picking up the local paper and seeing a poll saying 95 per cent of the fans thought it was a bad signing. It didn’t feel like a great start.”
I hope he hasn’t looked at the top right of this page!
i had my reservations, but this guy seems to have had a rough time and seems determind to prove his worth. i feel with him on loan we have nothin to lose! i think its really hostile at molineux so i really hope for his sake he does well! we need someone who i brave as wen we have corners we have to rely on collins and craddock to put there head there as nobody else has the balls too!
good luck to him.
Post 2 that made me laugh!!!
Good luck to him, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for what he has been through, (but for £8k a week i could handle it).
Hope he does well and i think he could score a few headers for us.
All the best mate
Unfortunately Kevin, Wolves also have a lot of uneducated fans who’ll just as soon spit on you as support you…the lack of knowledge or understanding is embarrassing sometimes.
I wish you all the best…give your all, be brave, fight for the cause and you’ll get the respect you deserve. Be nice if you scored a few though…
what he says is fair enough, and if he does the business then we will all be happy.
BUT he has not performed well for a long time now for several clubs and has fallen out of the picture with scotland too. i honestly think he is no better than we have so we should not be taking players for quantity rather than quality. also this will mean freddie is even further out may not even get on the bench now which would be a disgrace.
i wish the lad all the best and i do hope he proves my doubts unfounded.
If you think the Coventry fans are bad, wait til you come down the wolves!
I really hope the fans do give him a chance because by the sound of things he’s got the right attitude and McCarthy got the best out of him in the past. And as he’s only a loan signing we’ve got nothing to lose
All he’s got to do to get the fans onside is come off the bench and score the winner against sandwell town, simple!
Good luck to the lad!
Good luck dont let us down
I have got no time for this bloke he is a donkey, worst signing ever!! This must be a bad dream, and this will probably spell the end of eastwood which just about sums it up!!!!
I remember coming up the pit one day about 30yrs ago to be told that the Wolves had signed a certain centre forward and when I was told who it was I swore that I was finished going to anymore matches if this was all they could come up with.
In the course of time I became his biggest fan and ended up thinking he was one of the best players that I have seen wearing the black & gold.
His name DEREK DOUGAN!!!
14, you are so right. If he was upset at the Coventry treatment I dread to think how he’ll be after getting the typical boo-boys reaction for not scoring on his debut and every match thereafter.
Good luck to the lad, but I can’t see it being an easy ride.
Now’s the time to prove a point KK
I am one of the doubters, but have never booed anyone in the old Gold and Black, nor any of it’s managers. I will not start that with this lad. Go out there and prove me wrong. In the immortal words of Kevin Keegan, “I would love it…”
Good Luck mate, prove the critics wrong and score some goals!
Good luck Kev, just make sure your energy and aggression are channelled correctly. & for the doubters on this page, try to think beyond your blind ignorance, Kyle gives us a different option. As much as I hate the long ball, there are times when you need to change things round and try something different. I can see why MM has brought him and and much prefer Kyle to Steven Howard. Stil think we need a young pacy Centre Back though!
Good luck Kev, just make sure your energy and aggression are channelled correctly. & for the doubters on this page, try to think beyond your blind ignorance, Kyle gives us a different option. As much as I hate the long ball, there are times when you need to change things round and try something different. I can see why MM has brought him and and much prefer Kyle to Steven Howard. Stil think we need a young pacy Centre Back though!
fair play to kyle
good luck
i hope he does well
and scores some goals
good luck
A brutally honest self-appraisal. I can’t say I support his purchase, but would hope ALL of us get behind him now he’s here. For a big bloke, it’s remarkably honest to say how much the comments of the fans get to him. Let’s hope our boo-boys don’t leave him with the impression it’s a West Mids thing…. Good luck, KK, and welcome to the club!
Welcome to Wolves Kev, I hope your time here proves successful.
All the best and good luck mate.
Dislikes Coventry fans? Thinks the town is a dump? Not afraid to get his head in? Sounds alright in my book!
Realistically we have very little to lose from signing him on loan for a few months. If he doesn’t perform then he’ll go back to where we signed him from (although for his sake, let’s hope he doesn’t have to endure that!!)
All the best KK.
Traditionally Wolves fans have got behind players that give everything for the cause. Its not unusual for us to resort to the long ball when times running out so a super sub role could work well for Kyle. Certainly having him on the bench gives Mick a different type of attacking option, so what harm could it do. Its not like the good old days when you could only have 1 sub, so its no problem if we don’t even bring him on.
I think most of our games will be decided in the last 10/15 minutes, and many of those will be Wolves trying to turn draws into wins, dominating play against 10 defenders in the box but getting nowhere.
Think of how many corners have we been having that are automatically headed clear cause there’s no one to flick it on or even score with a header. So I think Kyle could do very well.
He’s almost certain to score away at Coventry, 2nd last match of the season, cause players you hate the most always come back to haunt you, & maybe send us up & them down. Who knows.
…& anyway, how can anyone argue with 2. Thommo’s Left Boot.
Simon
Where’s all the tesco’s comments today, i think they might be a lil scared to post at the moment, remember when we were 11 points clear and they pip’d us? well what goes around comes around
ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
still hate the albion clap your hands
Good Luck to him as long as none of the other strikers are being off loaded. I’ll give him his chance. Shame Mick won’t do the same for Eastwood. Anyway, it sounds like them Coventry fans are absolute BLEEPING BLEEPS!
good luck to him
Great we are turning into Sunderland,what a receipe for sucess that is!!he,s a donkey trust me
Regular in the southbank. I no all about the boo-boys. Iv been one from time to time, Hoddle, stephen ward startin in place of jarvis etc etc.
But every1 deserves a fair crack of the whip .
And any1 who hates coventry as much as me is sarnd(Y)
Great impact player.
If were loosin come the 70th minute bring him on ebanks blake eastwood or keogh playing off him and were alright (Y)
(8) LETS ALL GO TO TESCO’z WHERE ALBION BUY THERE BEST CLOTHES NAA NAA NAA NAAA HEYY !! (8)
Welcome Kev, hope your time with us is happy and long, jus hope our boo boys lay off yer. Up The Wolves.
Lets just give the kid a chance, it ain’t is fault he’s at Wolves, I’m sure he’ll do is best, and from a player that’s all you can ask.
sounds like he has heard what the wolves boo boys are like. He must have been speaking to Elliot.
Don’t take ur old man down the Mol Kev,cos he ain’t gonna like it.If the Sky Blues don’t take to you,yo ay got no chance here pal.
well Kev welcome, just remember that Wolves fans require a high standard, give 100% always and you will be always welcome, do what you are here to do and do your best, no one can ask more than that .