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Wolves swoop for defender
Tuesday 26th June 2007, 12:00PM BST.
Wolves are set to make Crystal Palace defender Darren Ward their second signing of the summer after clinching a deal worth £500,000.
Ward was due at Molineux for a medical later today as he prepares to reinforce Wolves’ defensive line ahead of their promotion push next season.
Wolves have fought off interest from Premiership clubs Sunderland, Reading and Birmingham to clinch Ward’s signature. Charlton, Coventry and former club Watford were also believed to be in for the highly-rated 28-year-old.
Ward has been sold on Wolves as a club with the potential to mount a concerted push for the top flight and – with Steve Morgan’s impending £30m takeover just days away from completion – the resources to stay there.
Read the full story in the Express & Star.
Wolves are set to make Crystal Palace defender Darren Ward their second signing of the summer after clinching a deal worth £500,000.
Ward was due at Molineux for a medical later today as he prepares to reinforce Wolves’ defensive line ahead of their promotion push next season.
Wolves have fought off interest from Premiership clubs Sunderland, Reading and Birmingham to clinch Ward’s signature. Charlton, Coventry and former club Watford were also believed to be in for the highly-rated 28-year-old.
Ward has been sold on Wolves as a club with the potential to mount a concerted push for the top flight and – with Steve Morgan’s impending £30m takeover just days away from completion – the resources to stay there.
The London-born stopper played his last game for Crystal Palace back in January after being squeezed out of the first team by Mark Hudson and Leon Cort.
Ward only had a year left on his Palace contract and Eagles chairman Simon Jordan admitted last week that the defender would leave Selhurst Park in the summer.
Ward’s move to Molineux takes him out of the capital for the first time in his career. He started out at Watford in 1995 before joining QPR on loan.
He left for Milwall in a £500,000 deal in 2001 and played in an FA Cup final for the Lions before signing for Palace in 2005 for £1.1m.
Ward first caught the eye of the Wolves chief during Millwall’s FA Cup semi-final against Sunderland in 2004. The Black Cats lost 1-0, and then boss McCarthy said Ward and his defensive partner Matthew Lawrence had played “as well as Sol Campbell and John Terry”.
He played in the top flight during his spell at the Hornets – and with 301 starts under his belt he will provide vital experience.
At 5 ft 11 ins he is good in air and boasts excellent positional sense.
Wolves’ newest defender was also nicknamed the ‘Peckham Beckham’ during his Watford days – because his haircut mirrored the style of the former England captain.
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AWESOME PLAYER, FIGHTS FOR EVERYTHING, ANOTHER LESCOTT! WELL DONE AGAIN JEZ.
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Well done mick, whats that joker got to do with it? I cant beleive some!!
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Classic MM signing. Great value. hungry and ambitious.
The guy has good judgment selecting Wolves over the other Clubs.
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A GREAT SIGNING!!
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Good signing, he’s 28 and 6″4′ so he definately has experience, we still need a LB though as I dont think clapham can cut it, neither can mulgrew, yet.
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Terrible Player form what I saw last season.
Very slow no better than Cradock or Breen or Collins.
Got dropped all last season from the Crstal Palace team.
Cystal Palace fans cant believe their luck at the £500,000 paid for him they feel Jordon has made a real coup.
However in Mick we trust.
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Fantastic signing!!
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A deal worth £500,000 doesnt mean £500,000 up front in cash, could be add ons………
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Good Signin Mick, Lets Get Shasrp & Eastwood Now!!
Gold & Black Army
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Fantastic .. people have been asking where the defenders were commin from? Here’s you answer. This bloke must have something in his locker to be wanted by Melin Mick.
All we need now is Billy to get Sharp and do the Wright thing by signing as well.
IN MICK WE TRUST … WE ARE THE WOLVES!!
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The reason he was dropped last season is he fell out with the manager
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100% correct Neil, no quicker than Craddock or Breen. His sstyle of play reminds me of Darren Peacok. How bad was He?
Rubbish Signing. Would never keep wolves in the premier league.
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Lacks pace and the same quality as Craddock as far a sim concerned. Waste of £500k
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we at palace was sorry to see him go…was a brilliant defender,,ide say one of the best in the championship.. good luck wardie
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I’m relieved.
I feared we were going to finish up with 75 strikers and no decent defenders.
Let’s hope he’s quick, strong and mobile.
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THATS THE TROUBLE WITH US WOLVES FANS, IF WE ARENT SURE ABOUT SOMEONE WERE ON THERE BACK BEFORE THEY EVEN KICK A BALL. LETS TRUST IN MICK. HE AINT LET US DOWN YET.
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neil what are u on about mate!! he is a good player! he can’t be that bad with 3 premiership clubs after him!! and he made 23 apperances with none has a sub!he didn’t play more because he fell out witrh taylor!! millwalls player of the season when they were in championship! and named crystals palaces president player of the season a year later he takes the set pieces puts a good ball into teh box! his a true professional!
i wish some ppl will check out the facts before commenting on a player they don’t know anything about!!
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He cant be slower than craddock and Breen unless hes got one leg.
In Mick we trust
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I just hope MM knows what he’s doing. We could do with a lot more pace at the back in my opinion.
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WHO…..
WHO…..
I agree with what neil has said…
Up the Baggies
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I believe we should just have faith in Super Mick’s judgement, which has not been too bad as yet. Not read or much about Ward but let’s hope he’s another gem of a signing – bring on the new season!!!
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keith (bloxwich… jez moxey makes all the signings work, MM just pick who he wants. i take it u sit in the south bank and u r still a little bitter that a baggie sat in ya seat last year….get over it kid.
up the wolves!
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WeRWolves. I think you will find that he is 5 foot 11 not 6 foot 4. He only played 20 goals last season as it was not felt that he could add to the goal threats that Leon Cort could offer as a central defender. He might have something to prove though and should certaintly do better than Breen who was poor at the end of the season. Whether he has the experience having only played for lower league clubs remains to be seen.
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what has happened to eastwood,its gone very quiet on him,he would be a great asset to us.
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He’s got be a good player if all those clubs we’re in the hunt for him.. Plus Palace have two very good central defenders, hence why he was on the bench for half the season. Another piece of the jigsaw, not the final piece, but we’re getting there.
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of wat ive seen of him a good player well better than breen and thats all what we want In mick we trust
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dropped from january onwards & if it’s true he’s slow i’m worried.ashley williams at stockport is highly rated,very quick & a wolves lad but hopefully mick can get to work on ward because he was a good player when he was at millwall.
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Neil, He has got to be quicker than Breen and super MM may have time before 11/8 to train him to be able to pass it to one of our players [collins!]. Anyway with Sharp and Eastwood we wont need a defence! Can’t Wait for 17.20 on 11/8/07
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hopefully billy sharp will be the next signing,think he can acheive big success with us than any where else PREMIERSHIP GET READY CAUSE WE R COMIN
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Good buy that is. May god be with you this season!
Boing Boing
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been out here I didnt see that one coming however not a bad signing as no other defenders have been in the frame. us exiles trust in you guys to let us know whats going on so whats going on Sharp and eastwood etc
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don’t know much about him but mick wants him and what mick wants he gets….sharpe..eastwood next then a left back..mm knows best trust him he’ll get the best out of any player he buys….
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Neil, you are totally entitled to your own opinion which I respect but seriously, name me a player signed by Mick who hasn’t made at least some impact. They all work hard and want to play for our glorious club and I believe his judgment and character assessment are second to none and thats not including the judgment of our fantastic chief scout. I think if given a chance he could do well,
I’m not knocking your opinion in the slightest Neil, just disagreeing with it !
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mick will get the best out of him.
Surely he is quicker than craddock and breen otherwise i will buy them a vespa each
Just some more defensive cover please (LEFT BACK/ WING-BACK)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Little is one season short of promotion and Gobern (i) his heart aint in it and he is’nt a wing back less tackle than a part-time fisherman !!
still curious of all this striker talk what would be the fans choice of : Bothroyd, Keogh , Ward,Lafferty, Eastwood , Sharpe, O’Donnovan ????
Time for a E&S poll i think?
My choice would be Ward Eastwood Sharpe with Keogh as backup
(granted i know little about O’Donnovan)
JB is too hit and miss sell him back to coventry … granted bes on his day but too lazy and idle.
P.S.
Any rumours on a centre mid to push potts and george and also pressure on McIndoe and Kights would like sinclair from chelsea but surely thats £4m min?
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WHAT A DONKEY,IF HE CANT EVEN GET IN THE PALACE TEAM THEN HE CANT BE THAT GOOD.
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IF MICK GETS IT WRONG HE SOON SORTS IT ! KEEP THE FAITH THE MAN IS A GENIUS. ALSO MOST OF THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS ARE FROM SANDWELL TOWN FANS PRETENDING TO BE WOLVES FANS! THEY HAVE TO JOIN IN BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ANYTHING OF THEIR OWN TO TALK ABOUT EXCEPT WHO ISN’T GOING TO BE AT TESCO STROLLERS NEXT SEASON !
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WE CAN’T HAVE TOO MANY FORWARDS WHO REMEMBERS THIS LOT? HANCOX, SMYTHE,PYE, DUNN, MULLEN. 100 GOALS+ EVERY SEASON. and one at the back! BERT WILLIAMS!! WELL DONE MICK, SHEWDS THE WORD.
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Fear not brave Wolves … for it seems that pace at the back will come with the arrival of Chelsea’s pacey defender Michael Mancienne on a year long loan.
This Lad is being heralded as the next John Terry …. Magician Mick does it again
Next stop Championship title and semi’s of the FA cup
C’MON YOU WOLVES
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He will do for me.
And to that bloke earlier-Joe Gallagher was a BAD centre half-never mind Peacock!
Super, super Mick
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Mick picked him, that should be good enough for us all.
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Lets just wait and see – As someone here very wisely said Ol’ Merlin does sort it out if it does go wrong but first lets give the guy(Ward) a chance – I can’t say I know much about him and i doubt anyone here has seen him play more than 4-5 times?! If thats the case lets wait and see some guys make click when they move, for some even with massive fees and potential it doesn’t happen. There seem to be a lot of opions on jere without foundation – Let’s keep the faith just like last year where the Wolves following was magnificent. It made me proud at times like I haven’t felt for a long long time.
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Moley –
He may not be good enough to keep us in the premiership but we arnt trying to stay up, we are trying to get up!!!
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ref. post 30 above.
Glenn, how apt you say ‘GOOD BUY’ in a weak attempt to mock our newest aquisition.
Being a Baggy, I guess you had better alter that spelling to read ‘GOOD BYE’ as Robinson, McShane, Davies all say “”I’M AN ALBION DEFENDER…GET ME OUTTA HERE !!”
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Javo – our best defensive m/f Karl Henry should be back next season. His injury cost us goals in the run in, no doubt in my mind. I think Potter is better as an attacking m/f so should be fighting with Seyi to see who partners Karl.
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Transfers require teamwork between Mick and Moxey. They seem to be really busy and making progress so its daft to decry what Moxet does. I’m sure he’ll do whatever he can to get the players Mick wants.
How would Dougan fare in the current team lads ????
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Tom –
You asked who , who??
Bet you thought the same thing when we signed Kightly and Keogh, who who??
Anyway, say bye to Koumas, Davies, Kamara, Mcshane and your other dufus centre half. You are going to have no-body left and be quite jealous of our young talented team next year.
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