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Wolves face play-off battle
Thursday 17th January 2008, 2:31PM GMT.
Mick McCarthy admits his side face an “uphill battle” to reach the play-offs as they aim for a rot-stopping victory at Scunthorpe on Saturday.
McCarthy has begun steeling his confidence-hit players for a major test of character at Andy Keogh’s former club when they go in search of their first win in nine Championship games.
It’s a decline which has brought flak for the Wolves boss who began the season aiming for an automatic promotion challenge but who now concedes: “We have an uphill battle to get back in the play-offs.”
Despite that slide, his players will be under pressure to get their season back on track against a Scunthorpe side second bottom of the division with only one win in their last 15 league games.
McCarthy accepts his team need a victory on Saturday to stay in touch with a promotion race rapidly fading from view – but rejects the view that his side will start favourites.
“It’s too simplistic to say we should be looking forward to it because they’re down the bottom of the league and we’re 12th,” says the Wolves boss.
“I would think Nigel Adkins (Scunthorpe manager) will be saying, ‘we’ve got Wolves coming and they haven’t won in eight, they’ll be low on confidence and it’s a right good opportunity to be getting some points.’
“If we want to be back in the reckoning we’ve got to go to Scunthorpe and win it. If we want to get back in the reckoning we have to start winning games.”
Although he has new signing David Edwards all set to make a debut, the experience of Jody Craddock and Gary Breen is still missing because of injury.
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So the manager fears a season of failure then……….
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For gods sake Mcarthy if a team like Wolves cant make the top six then you really dont deserve to be in management.
To be fair Wolves have a few decent players its upto you as the manager to bring the best out of them.
And thats coming off a Albion fan that should be chuckling to his self with the state of Wolverhampton Wanderers football club. I am actually starting to feel for the fans that week in week out follow your club and have to put up with the rubbish you churn out.
Regards
Baggie Boy
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FFS there are 57 more points to play for Mick!
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Time to prove your metal then Mick.Forget all this bull****T rhetoric, its getting boring. Can I suggest trying a bit of team re-bonding and change that stale, crab-like midfield. Use the squad and try some of our young players and try something different.
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start picking the right team then you twit, playing henry on the right and ward on the left has not helped, and thats without collins at the back and nothing in central midfeild. leave eastwood for a run of 5 games with new signing blake and lets see what happens
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dont know how many times i have to say this…
the board and the manager will come out and say this for rest of the season now “WE BELIVE WE’LL GET IN” “WERE CONFIDENT WE’LL DO IT” etc… etc…
we’ll finish 8th
next season mm will get off to bad start, being sacked in early october/nov time like dj was! then this will pee up two seasons and not just this one!
how do i know this?? well it happens every other year for us
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Soopa Doopa Mick.
Go Kermit.
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Shall I tell you the sole reason why MM is a failure?
He’s been here for almost 18 months and he STILL doesn’t know his best 11!!!!!!
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I predicted last weeks scoreline. and this week will fair no better the game will finnish 1 apiece.
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All we need to do is win every game until the end of season and we are in with a shout of automatic ;-)
Seriously we are only 4 points off the play-offs with 57 points availible. The question is do YOU want to reach the play-offs and lose or not reach the play-offs???
Reach them and win is obviously the ideal situation.
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If we cant beat Scunny, little scunny then MM needs to be asked some serious questions about his ability to get this potentially goos wolves side to gel. Lets all face it, we have got players who ought to waltz this league but it seems there are some who are not prepared to play for MM.
Says to me he has lost the dressing room
For the umpteenth time MM OUT!
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We need to win somewhere around 13 of the last 19 games to get Southampton’s 6th place points total from last season. Is do-able if we can put a decent run together starting Saturday.
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In the later stages of the Palace game we had Jarvis on the wing and Eastwood and Keogh up front and we played a more cavalier attacking football and looked a better team than we have for ages. Before that we had Henry and Ward on the wings and Bothroyd up front and looked the same boring team that we have looked all season.
If only MM would abandon his cautious negative style and throw caution to the wind and go for it, we have the players to be one of the best attacking teams in the division and getting to the play offs would be no problem.
Sadly I guess he will stick to the same old same old and we will draw at Scunthorpe and he will say if only we had taken all our chances, and he will say that an away draw is good and we should kick on from it, and the players all put in a good shift.
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THE TRUTH AT LAST,IN MICK WE TRUST BOING BOING
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Wake up and smell the gravy!!!! MM is trying to tell us something we already knew – we aren’t good enough – what does Steve Morgan think about this after his “promotion comments” at the start of the season?
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Come on Mick!
Stick Jarvis and Eastwood on from the start.
Give S. Ward a carrot and stick him out to pasture ‘cos he’s a donkey not a winger.
Tell the lads you don’t care if we lose 10-0 as long as they attack like crazy and give the fans plenty to cheer. We may have lost last Saturday but I would rather watch us play with the attitude we showed with Eastwood, Jarvis and Keogh giving them hell than the lacklustre half hearted efforts of recent weeks.
There was a time not long ago when we cheered our boys off after conceding six. We’ll cope with losing some if we attack like we mean to win!
I still think Eastwood looks like the most likely to score. He does at least force saves and poses the least threat to passing aircraft! He has to be given a good run and the chance to forge a partnership. Changing the forwards every week is not helping matters at all.
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Play offs? sorry did I miss something? Have they been introduced for the RELEGATION spots?
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ANOTHER WASTED SEASON, I SUPPOSE WE’LL BE TOLD WE’RE BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE AGAIN.
THIS TEAM IS WORSE THAN THE SIDE THAT GOT US INTO THIS DIVISION 20 YEARS AGO, WE’VE GONE BACKWARDS.
SACK HIM MORGAN
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A WIN AGAINST THE MIGHTY scunthorpe!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOUR TAKING THE P*** MM, IT WILL ONLY PAPER OVER THE CRACKS.
IF THEIR MANAGER IS SAYING WHAT YOU THINK HE’S SAYING IT SHOWS HOW LOW WE’VE SUNK IN OTHER PEOPLES EYES.
JUST DO US A FAVOUR AND RESIGN
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Well said Baggie Boy
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Hate to admit it but I agree with Baggie Boy. With all the money, the team (some of them are good…), the training facilities, the youth setup – one that has produced many good players and this muppet reckons it will be a struggle! I have defended him for a long time now. But now I have to agree with most. GET THIS IDIOT OUT and TAKE MOXEY WITH YOU. Bring in Big Sam!!!
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Following Sylvan-Blakes experience at Molineux last Saturday when he was substituted because of his travels ,I fear that the team will be too tired to complete a full 90 mins. on saturday at Scunthorpe,
due to their bonding session driving around the indoor racetrack in the week ,at Coseley,followed by the journey to the game on Saturday
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We cannot trust this mans judgement only two weeks ago he said we would make automatic promotion now he says we will be lucky to make play offs so how can we trust him with the team
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DJ is absolutely right! I really think that when we finally get Kightly fit along with Jarvis and Eastwood up front with a suitable target man then I really think we can move back into contention. Just a few changes and a few sparks can re-ignite the campaign, which arguably has been a bit of a damp squib from the start!
I think short of 1 or 2 players Wolves have the players to get out of the division. If MM can’t get them up this season then I’m sure that Morgan will find someone next season who can!
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spot on 8 Jonny Rohnsen and until he does we are going no where but you never know he might wake up and start playing players in there right positions
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“might not make the play offs” then mick in this poor league, we must be bad then, cos there aint a good team in it and thats the truth, you should be sacked for that statement alone
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Another pathetic and futile comment from Terrywalsallbaggie. Just like the ones he posts on telex.
Like all WBA fans he hates Wolves. I will therefore for all of you define Hatred :- A SENTIMENT APPROPRIATE TO THE OCCASION OF ANOTHER’S SUPERIORITY.
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Creation,its a big word i know,but MM,does not know, how to use it to get the team to score!!!KEOGH,WARD,ELLIOTT,wont score in a million years!!!Why the hell does he stick with them !!!!for gods sake m m get your head out of the sand,hold your head up and admit you have bought rubbish players,who TRAIN WELL ON THE PARK but cannot put it into practice in a real match!!!!Get your act together mick ,YOU HAVE HONESTELY LOST THE PLOT AS TO WHY THE WOLVES FANS HAVE TURNED AGAINGST YOU.THINK!!!!!!!!!!USE SOME GREY MATTER!!!!
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It’s sad to read so many moaning, , Bellyaching Wolves supporters who must be still living in the 60′.
Do you honestly think that a new manager as in MM can get wolves promoted in one and a bit seasons?
Wolves supporters all around the world would love to see Wolves once again be playing in the top flight English league and even European football, however to get there any manager has to have the time to put together a squad of players that will win games and if and when Wolves gain promotion can stay in the top flight.
Support your team………Wolves have to earn the right to play in the Premier League……it’s not our god given right to be there!
There’s about 60 plus clubs below Wolves that would also love to be playing Premier League footy…..
Now go support your team win, draw or lose……….and just may be Wolves can in the near future gain promotion.
Swampy
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If Paul Ince took over you would see a kind of excitement as much as keegan generated at newcastle. Remember Keegan had no experience managing a top team and they were languishin in the championship then called the old 1st division. And the following season he took them up as champions playing some exciting football. I hope Morgan has the guts to sack MM, if we lose against scunny then the board must act and axe him. Sod all this old pals act, he nneds to get rid of him and bring in Paul Ince and his backroom staff. From reports at MK Dons it is no fluke they are top and are playing some exciting attacking football, non of this safety 1st huffing up football that wolves are producing. We need defenders who can both defend and play the ball out of defence. Midfielders who are willing to tackle and create chances and give strikers confidence to put the ball in the back of the net.
Lets face it, this season is over, finished, we are not going up, and we are not going down. Another wasted season and the board need to act quickly, stop dragging their heels and sack this buffoon!
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