Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Wolves boss blames expectations
Monday 28th January 2008, 11:30AM GMT.
Mick McCarthy has admitted for the first time that the weight of expectation on his Molineux young guns may have been the reason for their early season struggles.
Wolves were widely tipped to finish in the top two and McCarthy himself set the team the target of improving on last season’s fifth place finish.
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But looking back on a season that has so far failed to match expectations, McCarthy feels a bit of breathing space may have helped them.
“We were all talking about it being a promotion season and maybe some of the younger players should have been allowed to develop and evolve and keep getting better rather than having everyone – including me – expecting promotion,” he said.
“We all know we wanted that but it became expected and maybe it had an adverse effect on one or two, certainly on players who were not tried and tested but were expected to go on the same.
“I probably got wrapped up in it as well because we’ve had a good season and then the ownership changed and the expectation has been hyped up.”
McCarthy believes the recent poor form can be turned into a positive if it toughened up his young side.
“Maybe the run of defeats has toughened us a bit and put a few feet on the ground – not necessarily from the players but other people.
“It certainly puts a different perspective on it when you’re chasing from tenth position anyway.”
Instead McCarthy hopes to emulate the Reading model of building for long-term success by taking a settled young team into the Premiership.
He believes the Royals are the perfect example of what can be achieved with careful planning and investment – and is using them as the blueprint for his continuing ‘new Wolves’ project.
“We’re trying to build for the future and to get promoted absolutely, but not to get promoted on the back of a senior team that then has to be disbanded.
“The one that did it for me was Steve Coppell at Reading who maybe had three attempts at it and when they got there they’ve sustained it by doing that. I’d like to think that we could emulate that.”
McCarthy believes the recent poor form can be turned into a positive if it toughened up his young side.
“Maybe the run of defeats has toughened us a bit and put a few feet on the ground – not necessarily from the players but other people,” he added.
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maybe its something do to with team selection MM, for example Stephen Ward keeping Jarvis out of the team?
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ALL WE NEED NOW IS POSITIVE HOME FANS AND WE’LL CLIMB THE LEAGUE !!!
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Here we go again ! So it might be the players fault for being a bit inexperienced, it’s definatly the fans fault for wanting the team to win.
However none of it is Micks fault, for all of you saying he’s great it just shows, he has learnt nothing from our poor couple of months.
This man is a liability
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This is silly. Of course the fans have high expectations, this is sport. Naturally, being human the players may struggle to handle these expectations, but it is the clubs job to equip them to cope. Other clubs seem to be able to handle pressure, that’s what winners do. Is MM suggesting that we are not winners. Come on Mick manage. Try asking Wenger if he’ll do a bit of mentoring of you, he’s got a young side with enormous expectations!
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maybe some of the younger players should have been allowed to develop and evolve and keep getting better rather than having everyone – including me – expecting promotion….he hasn’t played any of them!!!!
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We started this season with Mick admitting there would be greater expectation this season and saying both he and the players could coup with it.
Maybe he should have been preaching a little bit of patience and cautioning over expectation rather than encouraging it so much.
Maybe not being able to, or not choosing to put out the best team, as had something to do with flagging confidence. Hopefully lessons have been learned and we can move on from here. I certainly hope so!!!
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2 Wolfman
Great comment when will fans realise all the negativity and nastiness towards Mick and the team serves no purpose, it certainly dosen’t make the team play any better in fact quite the opposite.
Hopefully we will have a positive atmosphere at tomorrow nights game and our recent improvement will continue.
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You really are a plank MM
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We are all guilty of high expectations that includes the Management, The Board and the fans.
We need to get behind the lads and make the Molinuex a Fortress and very loud vocally where the opposition and their fans fear to come.
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How can we get rid of this bloke ?? He’s an idiot.
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Nice to see individuals who are completely unqualified to do so, criticing Mick again.
Mick is not a liability, I would call those fans at Watford who threw objects at Stephen Eliiott after he scored for us a liability, and a disgrace. Those of you who don’t want to back the manager, please go and support the Albion. They need the support these days now the Villa are playing better and I don’t want to be associated with you.
Some of you are a disgrace to our club, you know who you are, individuals who aren’t happy unless they have something or someone to whinge about, please stay in your armchairs, you’re not wanted!!
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Lee you are the idiot here, he is only saying what was true at the start of the season, everyone was talking about automatic.
Well it is still on actually and a good run starting tomorrow night will put us right back into contention.
Yet again the morons are on here trying to put the team and Mick down, give it a rest and start supporting! Some people will never learn.
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OMG – can’t anyone shut this guy up ??
You have just had 2 great results – surely now is the time to keep his head down and push on – not come out straight away and rollack the fans (again)…
This exposes your team, your club and MM to more controversy – just keep him quiet.
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Andrewhos, maybe you should read what happens, elsewhere that the E & S. Jarvis has been working his way back from a long-term injury. Have you seen what has happened to Kightly and Bellamy from coming back too soon? Still, I suppose if all you want is to be negative towards MM you won’t let truth or common sense stand in the way of stupidity. (Are you also writing under the pseudonyms Andy and Andrew, thinking if you put more than one comment you will make a majority?)
WolveWolves, if this man is a liablity, why has he bought Ebanks-Blake, D Edwards, Kightly, Jarvis, Keogh, Foley, and others in, all of whom look good enough for the Prem. (All at very low prices. Just carry on bleating with the other sheep that love to foster negativity.
The comment that he has “not played any of them,” referring to younger players beggars belief. Kightly, Foley, Keogh, Ebank-Blake, Jarvis, Hennessey, Collins, Henry, Gibson, Potter, S Ward, etc, are all young players. He didn’t say only home-grown ones. Gleeson, Davies, Gobern, etc are, or have been, injured for most of the season. Other younger players that are home grown have been sent out to gain experience in the lower leagues. They are not yet ready for the first team, but will be played when they are ready. Football is now a squad game, and Mm is planning for not only this season, but for years ahead. It’s a shame that you know so little that you cannot see beyond your nose-ends..
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Every time Kermit opens his mouth he shows he is no manager.
There is only one reason for the last two dire months. I would be prepared to give him a second chance if he just came out and admitted it.
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Wolves expectations have nothing to do with wolves being 10th in the division at all!!! I agree with one of the comments above about playing Stephen Ward on the left. He has now decided to play Jarvis who is looking fantastic in that position, Elliot on the right looks good until kites (finally) comes back. He has made 2 good signing in Jan, maybe he should have signed an attacking midfielder in the summer because all the fans new that we lacked flair and creativity in the middle of the park.
I also agree with 11 soggy. Some of the so called fans in the south bank i would prefer not to be associated with. During the palace game there was fighting between fellow wolves fans about MM and his team selection, utter disgrace!
Come on wolves, top 4 is my prediction now!
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Hang on a minute – who are these young players? He hasn’t played most of them. Dan Jones, Mark Little and others must smile at this.
The problem has been poor selection decisions by Mick (Ward in place of Jarvis, a centre midfield with no creativity, continual swapping of strike pairings, totally overlooking Rosa, etc. etc. etc…….)
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5 Andrew:
Collins – 24
Kightly – 22
Henry – 25
Keogh – 21
Stephen Ward – 22
Potter – 23
Jarvis – 21
Elliott – 24
Eastwood – 24
Gibson – 20
Hennessey – 21
Foley – 23
They all veterans in your eyes then? Give these guys a break, we’re building for the future and it takes time.
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Watford RESERVES 1 – Wolves First Team 4. Well done Kermit!
After- match quote of the weekend; Kermit on the BBC; ‘ I once got to the FA Cup Semi-finals with Sunderland’
Perhaps he is hoping for a cup run to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.
Bet he’s praying for Bristol Rovers at home in the draw today.
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The championship is getting tougher as more clubs are taken over by money men.Promotion this reason is in reach but beware QPR who look set to to take a top 6 place. If we dont go up and they dont go up and more big spending clubs drop out the premiership promotion will be a pipe dream next season. Up the wolves.
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wolves fans are so fikle its a discrace last year mik was the best thing since sliced bread now because results havnt gone our way your all jumping on his back that dosnt help give it time he will turn it around and we will get playoffs
oh and to all the boo boys stay at home we dont want you at Molineux real fans only
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14 – lets hope some of the moaners on here will take the time to read your post and take note.
Is it me or do some people actually enjoy moaning than seeing the team win? I didn’t go to Watford on Saturday, this is the first I’ve heard of people chucking stuff after Elliott after he scored – and a great finish it was too. I’m speechless about that, can’t believe it. The lad has given everything this season and is our top scorer let’s not forget.
It seems to me there are some ‘fans’ who actually want the players to fail just so they can have a moan. This is hardly going to create a winning atmosphere at the Molineux. This has got to change!!
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People do keep on spouting garbage – from ‘totally overlooking Rosa’, when he’s been injured for almost the whole season, apart from one purple patch, when selecting him would have been crazy as we were actually winning – to all the rubbish about selecting Ward instead of Jarvis when Jarvis wasn’t nearly ready, as anyone who watched him would have known.
Mick’s been doing a fine job, and its only the ignorance and impatience of a small but sadly all-too-vocal minority of fans that stops us from realising it.
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I for one have extracted the proverbial from West Brom’s “Dads Army” in the past.
One of the hardest jobs in football is finding the happy medium between youth & experience.
Kevin Phillips is playing out of his skin right now, but he as the youth of Ish Miller besides him.
MM’s almost there now.
I just wish people will now get off his back & choke on the Humble Pie served up after the last 2 games!
Be honest with yourselves,Wolves punched above their weight last season.
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Sue D’Nimm, Neil warnock once said, infamously, that women generally don’t know a washing line from a goal line. Keep it up love. You are proving him right. Stick to the washing up, and let the other women who really understand it talk about footie.
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Breretonwolf 25, I’m not sure that you’ve twigged the meaning of “Sue’s” name!!
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26 ancient wolf, I doubt Breretonwolf 25, will get this one either! Judging by some of the poor grasp of grammer and spelling on some of the posts it makes me ashamed to be a Wolves fan at times! No wonder the Tesco’s call us the Dingles!
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wolves will win the championship title,everybody pull together,keep supporting the wolves. wolves will win the title.
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3 goes and they are up…..
Is that a contract negotiation?
We have had 1 year out of 21 in the Prem – so lets not keep saying, next year, next year – lets deliver on what we are paid and stop the excuses.
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Hugh – people like you and Sue who come on here and mock fans like Brereton with your “clever” names make me sick… how is he supposed to know that Sue D Nimm is a made up name ?
His point about women doing the washing up shows that he actually is a bright lad with his finger on the pulse of modern life – give him some credit.
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Actually if you think Brerton is thick – try Carlisle 28… wins against the mighty scunny and watford reserves and he thinks wolves will win the championship.
Its like a MENSA away day on here somedays.
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Come on all you so called fans, lets get behind the boys and show everybody what the Boy’s from the Black Country are made of.Are we aload of moaners because sometimes things dont go our way or supporters with one aim to get our lads back where they deserve to be. Lets make our team feel special on Tuesday and we can all be the extra man on the pitch. UP THE WOLVES.
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26 and 27, please don’t try and insult my intelligence. Pseudonym and the posterior belonging to 27 are very poor attempts at humour or intelligence. I do have a lady friend, named Sue, who has used Sue D’Nimm as a name on various sites. Maybe You missed it. As far as grammar goes, 27 may want to look at his spelling, or is (s)he going to use the excuse again that I have missed his (or her) “humour.”
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Ahem Comment 30 We suppose that Mickey taker is really your name? :-)
With regards to the MM comments – Its about time this bloke puts his hands up and says that he accepts that his tactics didnt work – 8 man defence – No attack options on the wings – players playing out of position etc
Now that MM has started to use TWO wingers – we have options to attack and how badly we needed it!
Fans expectations are a part of it – BUT us fans can do nothing about what happens on the pitch
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MM over-achieved last season so with a few million spent,we were silly enough to assume we would murder the league.We don’t help ourselves either,especially at home.The fans are moaning as soon as there is a misplaced pass or a near miss,the sighs and boos have a negative effect on a team which is probably the youngest in the league.Thats why ive always prefered going to away matches,the players play with more freedom and generally do better.The fans who go away regular are more forgiving to mistakes.Some team selections or tactics haven’t helped but getting on the players back bearing in mind they are kids is pointless.
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Super intelligent 30/31, “Watford Reserves” and “Wolves” are proper nouns, and should begin with a capital letter. Wow!! I wish I was so intelligent that I could try and ridicule lesser mortals. (Technically, “Scunny” should also begin with a capital letter.) (That means a “big” letter.)
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Tony and Bridget, it’s nice to know Mick is no longer using players out of position, and as a result we are better. Am I wrong to think that Elliott is a striker? It was wrong to do it with Ward, but right with Elliott? The hypocrisy makes me wonder what people’s real motivation is. Many folks on here just love to knock, rather than build. (My guess is also that many of them never attend matches. When I have returned from matches, and open up this site, many of them have been writing on here during match time.)(I understand that not all folks can get to matches, but how can they whinge about things they haven’t seen. I have seen them on here moaning about certain players’ performance when they haven’t seen the game. Frustration is understandable, but knocking players from the report on a radio is not on.)
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Breretonwolf – you are obviously an intelligent bloke but I think you are maybe arguing for arguing’s sake. Your comment 37 with regards to Ward on the left, the reason why wolves fans (myself included) have not taken to him on the left is because he is hopeless there! Yes you are right Elliot is a ahem, “a natural forward” but he has adapted to a right midfield berth, more then can be said for Ward (even though he does try his best – he is not good enough, maybe he should win a merit award at the end of the season or something).
Saying that i am not a knocker of the wolves and have never booed in my 15 years of having a season ticket (that might not seem a long time to some of the oldies on here but i’m only 26).
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Brerton 36 – thanks for taking the time to “mark” my post – its usually the final refuge of those who realise their stupidity has been revealed.
Yes, you are obviously an educted person – which further highlights the crass stupidity of your comment “Stick to the washing up, and let the other women who really understand it talk about footie”!
If you are going to take your comments directly from the Bernard Manning book of enlightened thinking, then be prepared to be shown up as a moron.
p.s – please feel free to correct any grammer / spelling as required.
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If MM thinks that Wolves should not be a team with expectations then maybe he should be at Colchester or Plymouth or some other football backwater. Surely when he was at Sunderland the same expectations were there. I accept that last year the team probably over achieved but having done that the aim should always be to progress.
If the team is too young to have that level of expectation placed on them then I don’t think there is anything in the league rules to prevent Wolves signing a couple of players over 26 to help.
I do wish MM or Moxey would stop blaming the fans or the players for any shortcomings. It is them that decide on who represents the club and if young players find it hard to cope with criticism and expectations then buy some older ones – it’s not rocket science.
Even better they should just stop moaning and get on with winning games as they have done very well the last two weeks. They are quick enough to have a go at the fans when they complain so why should we put up with their excuses when they get things wrong.
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Breretonwolf – I’ll let you into a secret. I’ve just paid a visit to the bathroom and can confirm I definately am male. Although, with the transplants available today, can any of us really be that confident.
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Oh man – 2 wins and all should be forgiven!
Every single Wolves fan wants Wolves to win – that’s a no brainer – and also the reason why when we are getting beat week in and week out and the manager point blank refused to try and change things or try someone different, fans got fed up and vented their fury!
MM finally cottoned on to the idea of changing the system (something many fans have been calling for for weeks) and hey presto we win and then guess what…. he is a great manager again and those fans that pointed out that all was not well and a change was needed are criticised on here for not knowing what they are talking about?!?!?!
14 Brereton wolf – those other younger players that you refer to who weren’t ready for 1st team football WERE used last season when we enjoyed what many considered to be a successful season!
I say lets all support Wolves to the best of our ability but not like sheep – we all have the right to our opinion – isn’t that why we live in a so called free country!
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34 – your “BUT us fans can do nothing about what happens on the pitch” is absolute rubbish!
What about the disgraceful behaviour of the morons who boo their team. Booing the players DOES have an effect on them – they are human beings not machines.
No matter what team MM picks, if some neanderthals boo their own team on the pitch or demoralise them on these sites, of course it will have a huge effect on them and ultimately the whole team – and we will NEVER go up as long as it happens.
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Comment 37 BW – It used to really annoy us after coming away from the Mol after a game that we switch on Radio WM and you hear comments from fans who dont go to games etc
BUT we bear in mind that this is a football forum and is open for dialogue from football fans who wish to “air” their views regardless of whether they attend games or not
To be honest, we began to feel a little sorry for Stephen Ward – as he clearly was not up to the task of playing wide left – BUT he did try his best – which was not good enough (and he and Rod Edwards were the only players who bothered to applaud the away fans at Hull on Boxing day)
It seems that Elliott is capable of playing wide right – and why not? If this is a possible solution and means that Kites can recover thats great! Unfortunately the same cannot be said for S Ward
With regards to MM – In reality, If he managed to get us promoted that would be great BUT we dont support MM, we support Wolves
So, as disloyal to MM as this may sound, If MM cannot manage to produce the goods – as the saying goes – the King is dead Long live the King! Or simply put – NEXT!
But we do not agree at all with the booing of any players – although we believe that the Palace game at the Mol was aimed at MM’s substitutions and not the players
Its not a question of anything other than anger and frustration at the bad run we had that has caused alot of this – and we still feel that if MM had used wingers we would be in a much better position in the league instead of the “safety first” tactics that had us sitting deep with no abillity to attack
Nothing wrong with airing opinions on a football forum that’s the whole point!
You will also get very unrealistic people who believed that we would “walk” this league – but it takes all sorts!
NB* Its good when there’s genuine banter ala Happy Baggie – but some people like to dish out venom and cannot take it in return – you all know who you are! ;-)
As long as the team have a go at the opposition, win lose or draw we will always cheer on the lads!
UP THE WOLVES! Hopefully THIS season!
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43 Chetwolf – Whilst we agree that fans should not boo players – we believe that you give this football forum too much credit for having any affect on the players
at all!
Most footballers train for a few hours a day – and live a lifestyle that most working fans can only envy – driving better than average cars and living in better than average homes etc
You’ll find that footballers have better things to do then worry about what is being said on a football forum – like – chasing after the opposite sex for example and socialising/ shopping – you know stuff normal people do mainly at weekends
As the great Bill Shankly once said – that footballers that cannot go out and play infront of a crowd of thousands for better or worse are better off doing something other than being a professional footballer (Not verbatim / word for word)
NB* there are many other Wolves forums out there on the internet – Who do we blame next the E & S???
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Mick McCarthy how dare you have an opinion, how dare you say those things you naghty man, you should know by now that only the boo boys have a right to an opinion they are right you are wrong, for that matter they are right and everybody is wrong! Has any body noticed that when things are going against us the first stand to start emptying is the “south bank” makes you think eh!
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