Three Ms driving Wolves upward

moxeymccarthy They’re becoming known as the Three Ms – but they’re also Wolves’ own version of the Three Wise Men.

Steve Morgan, Jez Moxey and Mick McCarthy – chairman, chief executive and manager, are the tight-knit trio that don’t just run Wolves but have given pride, inspiration and a rise to a new, slick Wolverhampton Wanderers on the march to what is, hopefully, a bright new era of success.

Over at Albion, they’re doing things differently with the continental path seen as the way forward.

But at Molineux, tradition reigns supreme as Wolves have proved you can learn from the past.

The three have stuck rigidly to their plan of recruiting young and hungry talent to Molineux, a vision that has already paid handsome dividends.

Promotion for a £12m net spend? Critics would say you’re having a laugh. But that’s the sizeable achievement and landmark milestone they have achieved for Wolves, not to mention the legacy of a squad full of young talent worth many millions more than they paid.

Talk to clubs up and down the country and you will find Derby and Sheffield United are to name but two similarly sized clubs now modelling themselves on the ‘Wolves Way’.

“There’s been a commitment made here through the input of Steve Morgan,” said Moxey, who, along with the club’s owner, is staying back in Blighty while McCarthy leads the troops in Australia.

“He’s bought into this (strategy) hook, line and sinker. Sometimes, all owners are worried about is saving or not spending money. Well, we think we’ve been smart with ours.

“We’re not going to be stupid – value for money is important and I think Steve represents all that.

“We look at the mapping of our squad jigsaw all the time and move it around – it’s constantly evolving.

“We’re not just like separate entities working for the same club.

“The club knows what it’s doing and what we’re trying to achieve. That maybe doesn’t seem too unusual – because many clubs may feel they’re going the same way.

“But at many clubs, you have a manager who is kind of allowed to plough his own furrow and do what he wants, and the club supports him with funds.

“Here, though, we’re open and inclusive. We talk about what we’re doing all the time.

“We say ‘if we do that, then what happens to that?’

“We constantly look at that squad jigsaw – I do it with Mick all the time and Steve is included in that too.

“People might think that’s strange but it has to make sense.”

The process of Wolves evolving into a blueprint for other clubs’ success wasn’t easy or painless, and, like any business, there have been hiccups along the way.

But two weeks short of three years after McCarthy was appointed, and two-and-a-half years since the arrival of Morgan, Wolves have been transformed to be in their healthiest state in decades. A key plank of successful management is all about recognising good in their staff and allowing them to get on with the job.

And far from early suggestions that McCarthy would be a scapegoat of his takeover, Morgan found a man who not only talked the same open, honest language as himself, but someone he could believe in – even someone to help him achieve his dreams.

Both had recent footballing disappointments to overcome; Morgan from his failed takeover of Liverpool, McCarthy from being sacked by Sunderland.

But both shared a burning hunger to have another go and they found a willing horse in Wolves and Moxey.

For the once-maligned chief executive can surely hold his head high as someone who has achieved maximum success for the club with the shrewdest business head.

Wolves, perhaps unfortunately regarded at times as a bloated cash cow in the Hayward era, have now more success at a fraction of the cost. Morgan’s ability to listen and provide the finance, Moxey’s diligence to put the plans into practice and drive a hard bargain and McCarthy’s ability to pull it all together on the pitch through his excellent scouting staff and man-management skills are the vital cornerstones on which this revival is built.

And, as Moxey acknowledges, it is the input of the three that is key to Wolves’ development, on and off the pitch.

Moxey believes this transparency of roles was a key factor in attracting club record £6.5m signing Kevin Doyle to opt for Wolves.

“Take the Kevin Doyle signing – I think that’s a much bigger signing than we trumpeted,” he said.

“He wants to be part of something that’s wholesome and good and what we’re building.” Morgan is proud of being part of the process that has almost reinstated the ‘Wolves Way’.

“What we want is players determined to bring success to this football club by being proud to wear the shirt,” said the chairman.

“Kevin will fit in here perfectly because he shares the team ethic we insist on and that everyone else here has bought into.”

Moxey believes that along with being so impressed with Wolves’ history, Doyle is a throwback to a bygone era after ultimately refusing to allow his head to be turned when he had given his word to McCarthy.

“Everton tried to buy him in January and I think Villa, Bolton, Sunderland and Tottenham – if they could have sold Darren Bent – and one of the other London clubs were interested in him,” he said.

“Transfers are never straightforward but this one was handled in a traditional fashion and it says more about him as a player.

“He’s unique. He’s not only got a bit of everything, but he’s smart, he looks after himself, he doesn’t need people looking after him. Plus he’s got the big Irish connection, so he’s well received with Mick, Andy Keogh, Kev Foley and Stephen Ward here.

“They’re all young players, all of a similar sort of age and he’s got this burning desire to be successful.

“Our guys have got that and I think that was the difference between us winning the title last season and them (Reading) not.

“We actually had more of that than most teams and he’s got that in abundance.

“We want goals and we want Premier League experience and we’re building something here.

“Nenad Milijas will score goals and we’ve got wingers who provide opportunities, we’ve got goals in Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Chris Iwelumo, we’ve got legs and quality Andy Keogh, and Doyle has got it all.”

* Wolves utility man Alex Melbourne is one of six released professionals on trial at League Two Exeter.

The Perton-based 19-year-old, who can play right-back and in midfield, was one of three home-grown players released by boss Mick McCarthy at the end of the season.

By Tim Nash.

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