Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Elokobi may be out for season
Wednesday 27th August 2008, 3:09PM BST.
Mick McCarthy has braced Wolves fans for the nightmare scenario of losing rising full-back star George Elokobi for the season.
The Wolves boss has confirmed for the first time that the 22-year-old, a huge hit with fans since signing from Colchester at the start of the year, had damaged all the ligaments in the knee injured at Ipswich on Saturday.
It is the biggest hint so far that the verdict, due later today when Wolves’ medical team have assessed the scan taken on the injury yesterday, will confirm the gloomy forecasts since the weekend, that the popular Cameroon left- back will play little or no further part in this season’s challenge.
Wolves’ medical team are due to go through the results in detail, but after their Carling Cup exit, McCarthy’s face told the story as he revealed the initial findings.
He dsaid: “We think George has damaged all the ligaments in his knee to some magnitude or other. We don’t know completely yet, it’s just settling down, but it’s a bad injury.
“It looks like he’s got damage to his medial, his lateral and his anterior cruciate.”
The full-back’s impending loss, following on from Jody Craddock’s lengthy absence as well, leaves Wolves once more plotting a promotion challenge without key figures – and raises the tempo of this week’s search for two more signings.
Although the club remain tight-lipped on their plans, there is no doubt that Sunderland’s Danny Higginbotham will be the subject of a renewed bid at some stage over the next 48 hours.
Sunderland boss Roy Keane has already claimed to have rejected one offer for Higginbotham, because it did not match his valuation of the 29-year-old defender.
That offer was around the £1.25million mark but Wolves will be hopeful of striking a deal, with add-ons likely to be concluded, the closer they get to the transfer deadline.
Thoughts that their earlier interest in Hearts skipper Christophe Berra could be revived are being dismissed at Molineux.
Sponsored Links
Business Awards
Read the full story here
Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Now give Ian Harte a 12 month contract, Linvoy primus on loan, higginbotham permanent and we will be fine.
Report abuse
Why put this article on before results? This column is a pure guess
Report abuse
Daniel Jones needs to be considered!
Any left backs in sunderland….?
Report abuse
Last nights result will now hopefully convince everyone we don’t have this wonderful squad everyone is talking about.
Without SEB upfront we are toothless, Keogh should be sold, if anyone wants him.
We have the players and the team to get automatic promotion, we did last year but for obvious reasons we didn’t. Lets see if they can do it this season.
Report abuse
Things don’t look good, we need some defenders!
Higginbotham would be good, and now gerrard has put in a transfer request he would be good too, Jay Demerit from watford would be a great buy aswell.
Come on steve jez and mick get spending!
and get well soon george you will be missed!
Report abuse
How about the love-child Stephen Ward at left back?
Report abuse
Can anyone explain why we keep losing to teams in the lower division in the carling cup? This is getting embarrassing. Surely we can expect more as fans even if we don’t put out a full strengh team. Our fringe players should be good enough and hungry enough. Why get Gray to play, we know what he can do; surely it makes more sense to play the younger lads like Jones from the beginning. Is our manager up to the job? Only time will tell.
Report abuse
Dan Jones is useless i mean absolute useless
Report abuse
“a pure guess” lol
When you’ve ruptured all the ligaments in your knee, trust me… you are out for 12months. 100% guaranteed.
Time to move on, i’m afraid.
Report abuse
Linvoy Primus has gone to Charlton.
Report abuse
Best of luck George ! True professional with 100% commitment !
Report abuse
Always the same with us and injuries never seem to have small niggly ones always take key players out for a season or two! All the best anyway george.
Report abuse
Wishing George all the best – (a promising player who will no doubt get better and better the longer he is injured like his namesake Mr. Ndah) No comment area on Rotherham report, so can I just say the whole escapade was an embarrassment. I just hope Rotherham get a duff draw in the next round so we are not all thinking what might have been. As for ‘delighted with a stalemate’ I thought they probably deserved to win, certainly much the better side in extra time. Anthony Gerrard – worth 500K of anyone’s money and, in reply to a comment yesterday, it is not the ‘Chairman’s money’. He is still in profit having promised to invest and the club belongs to us not him.
Report abuse
Good player for wolves why not have L-naylor back on loan?
Report abuse
Anthony Gerrard has handed a transfer request at Walsall. CB filled there for a good price. Higginbotham would be good for the LB slot but we haven’t had official news on how long. Gray and Daniel Jones can go LB for us.
Report abuse
All the best George get well soon… Well what a start to the season Ive been following it from my honeymoon so got back today and I cant wait to get back in my seat at the molineux, Come on wolves boys fantastic start lets keep it up!!! ok were out of the carling cup hey never mind heads up and keep going!!!
Report abuse
We bid 900.000 plus add ons..fact.Trouble is as every club knows..we have money and NEED Defenders!! No chance of getting a deal…i think its pay up or shut up.
Report abuse
I was at Rotherham (well Sheffield)last night and it was pretty dreadful.
I think we should have either played ALL the fringe players or a full strength side not some poor combination.
Now, Henry (who was our best player by a country mile)Foley Kightly Ward(D)and Collins all played 2 hours of football and have got a hard league game coming up on Saturday.
Still, I did get to hear the following classic from some Wolves fans behind me.
A rare foray forward from Neil Collins prompted this..
Fan 1 “Shoot Collins”
Fan 2 “Pleeeeease”
Quality.
Report abuse
Its unfortunate to lose Craddock, but to lose big George maybe for a season is damn bad luck. We are being spun Ward is off the transfer list, and Collins can stand in at left back. Neither will do, this situation will test the chairman`s true ambition, particularly terms of finance and promotion. Oh the joys…..
Report abuse
Anthony Gerrard is going to sign for us. Lets get a left back in tho Gunther on loan!!!!!
Report abuse
Hope it’s not as gloomy as this report suggests but it looks grim. Get well soon George. As 7)suggests, it seems whenever we lose a player through injury it’s a season rather than a month or two.
Now Gerrard has handed in a transfer request I fear a bidding war and we won’t be able to match Birmingham on wages. Maybe if they get Bobo Balde they’ll back off.
Primus from Portsmouth on loan and Higginbotham (who can play CB or LB) would surely be good moves. We mustn’t jeapordise this good start by not getting quality cover for these injuries – the balance sheet is well in credit. How badly do we want the Premiership? We’ll see.
Report abuse
spot on wolveswolves
ive been absolutely delighted with the opening games but the ever-present fear that wolves rely too heavily on tiny pockets of star players is being realised.
this plans to blow up in micks face (asit did last season with MK going out) as WE DO NOT HAVE ANY DEPTH. NO BACKUP, NO COVER. DIDDLY SQUAT
best get out yer cheque book jez…
PS
I wouldnt mind seeing Lee Naylor back in a Wolves shirt. Good player, gives his all.
Report abuse
I tell you villa all the way that’s not sutch a bad idea plus one good CB and we are on our way up to join you
Report abuse
No.2
This is the Wolves PR team launching a press release to manage expectation.
They say now “out for the season” – trust me – the results will be out tomorrow and George will only be out for 6 month and we’ll have a possitive press story about how “up-lifted the club is by the news” …. so we can stop moaning about/cover up not signing any defenders by the close of the window!!
Report abuse
It’s a big loss, but I also think that Gray and Dj are deffinately good enough 2 do a job at left back for us.(there’s always the Harte option to) Also in the last couple of hours Anton Ferdinand has gone 2 sunderland which would free up a move for higginbotham. Plus Gerrard has just been transfer listed. So come on Jez and MM lets get them both in before the wkend and lets get us promoted.
Report abuse
Naylor is a good call … i’d have him back no probs … ok, we all gave him a bit of a hounding but i think he’d fit in alright with the style/shape MM wants us to play …
…. he’s still around the area ‘cus he was in Beatties about a month ago!
Report abuse
It is a real blow if George is to be out for the season, or a major part of it, his enthusiasm alone is a pleasure to behold. Sadly, few other of his colleagues on show last night displayed any! Neil Collins is a centre half and as much as he is prepared to play anywhere, we need a specialist Left Back, not a stand-in. MMs continual playing of Collins will ruin his career, something many Wolves fans will take delight in. I am fed up of so called supporters moaning at Collins, the lad deserves better and MM should not be subjected to the abuse he gets.
MM should examine his tactics for last night, too many changes of players and positionalal disruption meant we never mounted any serious threat to Rotherhams defence. Darren Ward did ok, Kightley was like a headless chicken, Keogh was clearly out of sorts and proably never should have started. Ikeme was rarely threatened biy looked composed and confident Frankly, the players looked disinterested, maybe the Managers attitude?
We’ve been here before. it’s time to choose the best team available and play them in their best positions, we all know winning breeds confidence, but sadly losing to a team likely to drop out of the League at the end of the season, can be destructive. Fair play to Rotherham, they got what they deserved and played with a greater conviction than we did.
It can only get bettr!
Report abuse
Where is that bloke on here who always writes in capital and gives us a list of who to sign …. ?
Bet he’s happy Gerrard put in a transfer request !!
I think he’s Gerrards agent!
Report abuse
Give Daniel Jones a try, he wants to play left back anyway, not left midfield! Don’t be stubborn Mick, look what happened when you decided to drop S Ward for Jarvis and Keogh for Iwelumo, we won a few games and scored some goals! Try him out.
Report abuse
Who ever mentioned Naylor must have forgot the 9 years inconsistant and rubbish performances.
Really we can do a lot better than that Donkey
Report abuse
agree with that why dan jones was not given a chance begars belief.why play a player we know can not play there effectively. I honestly believe had he been given the chance we would still be in the cup.
Report abuse
9,wilfmud,just keep you upto date with prem,primus aint gone anywhere abd when he does it wont be to yow lot of losers aye boing boing rotherham lolololol
Report abuse
where is molineux roars FM2008 shopping list when you need it???
Report abuse
abysmal ,last nite, didnt seem to want to know!! worst game ive seen in 25 years, and belive me ive seen some bad ones… hope george is alrite thou, just like wolves that we get a decent player and bang hes injured…. froggatt, daley. thomas, de wolf, masters, … i cold keep you ere all nite!! get well soon george!!!
Report abuse
What about Denis Irwin….. just kidding :-)
Report abuse
I just became a Hartlepool United fan !!
Evey cloud……
Report abuse
not hard is it
1. play d.jones left back / or michael gray who represented his country there
2. sign higginbottam
3. loan/sing primus
then we would have
lb – jones, gray, higgy (if neccessary)
cb’s – stearman, higgy, primus, ward, collins
rb – foley, little
now they looks good set defenders there with depth
primus cost 500k max or loan
higgy just pay 2.25m and get it done
Report abuse
George Elokobi will be well missed. To think some clown came on here said he was the worst player to wear a Wolves shirt …. joker!
Gerrard will not be cheap and Blues are sniffing around. We must get a centre half. Should we have sold Edwards?
No panic about last night. Everyone in the West Midlands lost. Beat Forest and it will be a great start for the season!
Report abuse
ANTHONY GERRARD .. YES .. GET HIM IN QUICK MICK BEFORE THE BLUE NOSES .. HE IS A GREAT CB AND HE IS WHAT WE NEED .. HE’S STILL ONLY 22 .. GET HIM IN FOR £600K .. I WOULD RATHER HAVE GERRARD AT THE BACK FOR WOLVES THAN COLLINS ANYDAY !!
GET HIM IN MICK !! GERRARD IS A WANDERER !!
Report abuse
went last night too.
worst performance ive ever seen from a wolves team.
neil collins absolutely useless.
yet nobody seems to get on michael kightlys back. He’s had a dreadful start to the season. He was awful. As was the useless ward and keogh
Report abuse
No.14 & 5 Good Call!
Lee Naylor Season long loan or even Gunter from Spurs. Also Gerrard 500k or DeMerit £1m-.
Hopefully we can keep pushing beyond christmas to give us a good platform when the transfer window reopens and then look at it again
OUT OF DARKNESS COMETH MORGANS MEN!
Report abuse
Am somewhat relieved we are out of the Carling as it lessens the likelihood of injuries to key players in our most important endeavour, The Championship. Hoping we do pay up for Higginbotham and go for Gerrard as well. We really need `H`s experience at the back and the young lad seems worth a punt. If we fail to strengthen at the back we will be one injury away from a needless chance of disaster. We should have learnt last season how important every single point is. Am still confident but, for once, would like it to be a rock solid certainty. Best wishes to George for a full recovery.
Report abuse
32. Terry…. my old mate, do the words people in glass houses shouldn’t throw bricks mean anything ?!! I told you yesterday that Hartlepool wouldn’t be a pushover for you !:-) :-)
Report abuse
what a massive blow for us,we need somebody and quick!gray is ok,but with his age gets tired quick,lets hope they find somebody,they need to spend big bucks….
Report abuse
Get well soon George, you’ll be missed this season.
On a lighter note, I’ve heard Celtic are trying to sign Rasvan Rat for Left-back, which could open up for a Lee Naylor return
Report abuse
23.harrogate wolf 1, i dont mind it’s always a great to see the second best club in the west midlands play in the prem?
Report abuse
cheer up guys we should be used to injuries,forest play tonite Sunderland so theyll be shattered to,Jarvis and Blake rested because of injury but they will be fit for saturday,CB Ward can do a good job with Stearman,Collins left back,keep the faith,Gray at left back last year was useless,to slow.
Report abuse
No we don’t want Lee Naylor!!!!!
It would be good to get that young Joe Mattock from leicester, unfortunatley he is injured at the moment but should be fit soon and he would be great for us he is young hungry and is already proven at this level.
Also for a centre back either higginbotham demerit or gerrard please!!!!
Report abuse
4 wolveswolves – Keogh was ill and struggled to carry on. So get your facts straight before you spout your pessimism.
Report abuse
About last night’s performance, I could say
Disappointing
Doleful
Derisory
Despicable
Demoralizing
Devastating
Disgraceful
even
Dire
But I won’t!
There have been an unusual amount of freak results so far this season and at such times it is natural to look for some semblance of normality, a sign that the Earth does (still) go round the Sun.
And yes, I have found one.
WBA, ( We’re Bottom Again ) occupy their rightful place in society.
CHIN UP EVERYONE
Report abuse
32. So your bragging because you got out-fought by Hartlepool for 120mins even with Valery on the field or whatever his name is.
And we got knocked out on pennos…
Grow up you mong and well done Monkey Hangers!
Report abuse
For God’s sake forget Higginbottom – he’s solid but worth no more than 1.5 million. Gerrard of Walsall has just handed in a transfer request but I hear on the grapevine that the Saddlers are trying to tout him to a prem club for bigger bucks, anyway Mick get him in – he is Irish after all!!
Report abuse
Shatpank, I didnt you say Jamie Clapham would be a good addition again??
Can do a job is what you said to me earlier….
Report abuse
I am starting to get bad vibrations!
I could not believe the line-up at Rotherham. Nothing different from last season, then!
Two injuries and we are in a panic. It just shows how we have no strength in depth.
Is One-trick-Mick showing his vast limitations again?
Report abuse
We need some fresh blood quickly!
Start with CEO, Manager and progress from there!
After the Rotherham game I am not onboard with the Happy Clappers dream. Get a grip on reality!
OUT OF LIGHT COMETH DARKNESS! 3 games worth of light!
Report abuse
one-lee naylor…no way! two-higginbotham is quality and would be a great signing at £2m, and three-Mick HAS to play jones or gray at left back while elokobi is injured. If he plays collins, then it is as simple as this, he should have signed another left back over the summer, and he should have put dan jones on the transfer list. What is the point of the poor lad remaining at the club as a third or possibly even fourth choice left back or midfielder?
Report abuse
what do you mean daniel jones is rubbish give him a chance
Report abuse
lads
please naylor on loan???
we have got rid of him once, take the rose tinted spectacles off.
Moxey should be gien the fredom of the city for doing a deal that amount to £1m for him!!!
Report abuse
32. terryprattbaggie, what and you lot are winners? How many is that so far this season then. Nice losing streak, go back to your own pages dimbat
Report abuse
anthony gerrard centre back and higginbotham left back please :)
Report abuse
Wolves…knee ligaments… definitely out for the season, and, knowing our recovery rate, probably next one as well
Report abuse
Question for you, Tamworth.
Why, in your 1st para. do you say The Mick should not be subjected to the abuse he receives, then spend the remainder of your comment listing just a very few of the reasons that he should?
I an not being facetious or sarcastic or anything else for that matter.
I would just like to know.
Report abuse
Re 62.
Sorry Mystik, I meant Neil Collins should not be abused, MM deserves to be! Must be that I was still tired and emotional following another League Cup humiliation. Can’t you sleep?
Report abuse
I think this does throw up the question about strength in depth. Kightly’s absence last year and the injury problems with Jarvis, meant that our season was effectively lost when MM decided to play to the formation rather than to the players’ strengths (i.e. everyone and their mother playing left and right wing).
This season, we have plenty of centre forward cover – no problems there. We only have two wingers – possibly Gray/Jones could do a temporary job if required – or we could play 4-3-3 instead. We have plenty of midfield cover, especially with Davies making his comeback as well.
But defence was always light – which made the sale of Edwards a little odd, to say the least. Lo and behold, we get two long-term injuries in the area with the least cover. Thankfully, this has been before the close of the transfer window.
Given the comments from Morgan before the season started about losing money (which I can’t agree with given the increased value of a number of our players/assets) it does worry me that we won’t be splashing much cash to address a big problem that could well be our undoing this season.
I would love to be proved wrong – a centre half on loan to the end of the year as cover for Craddock (Primus would make sense since his move to Charlton only fell through since Pardew wanted him for the season) plus one other. So long as it isn’t giving in to Harte and offering him the 2-yr contract he wanted. That would send the message to me that we are lacking ambition.
Report abuse
64 andy
Primus has had a serious knee injury and has not played a first team game for 18 months and is also 35 next month, not the ideal replacement really is he?
Report abuse
Look We needed a CB before the season kicked off, then 2 of our best Defenders went down, and still Mick is looking for, ONLY ONE DEFENDER.
This could end in tears.
Report abuse
65 stewart – I’m not saying we sign him and give him a 4-year contract. Despite him being out for 18 months, Redknapp was prepared to give him another year’s contract despite the fact that they have Campbell, Distin, Pamarot and Kaboul ahead of him.
I would still get him in until December – not ideal I appreciate, but I’d rather not have to wait until we start dropping points due to defensive short-comings before we add more than one centre half, as Ad (66) states. As I said in my post, lack of cover cost us last season and it’s too early in this season to be worrying about the same thing. It would also be a cheap option – in line with the tone coming out from our board.
Report abuse
67 andy
i know that u wernt suggestin a 4 year contract matey, my point was that we dont need a player who wants to go 2 a club 2 get fit, we need a player who can contribute straight away, at his age it will take a good month at least to get match fit and having had such a serious injury its got to pray on his mind when it comes to sharp twisting movements, as 4 the years contract its prob a reward for his service
Report abuse
68 – all fair points well made. Primus has featured in a number of Pompey’s pre-season friendlies, his first appearance against Exeter back in mid-July so his quest to get match fit should at least be well under way.
TBH – I would still rather have Rob Edwards to step in – just hope MM/JM/SM take the lack of depth/cover seriously. Last season’s 19 clean sheets were assisted by parking Henry and George (when playing) in front of the back four – with a more expansive style this season, I think this could end up being our downfall (I hope I’m tempting fate with this and we keep clean sheets for the next month now!!)
Report abuse
69 andy
now thats somthin we are both in agreement with.
Report abuse
Andy and stewart. What gives you the right to have a sensible debate without name calling? There’s no place for you on these pages – come back when you properly slag each other off ;-)
Report abuse
#7, the reason we keep losing? geez, get a grip. This is a statement made by E&S today:
“A Wolves team showing six changes from Saturday’s Championship duty”
As I mentioned after the last victory, MM has a complete blind spot to not fix what “ain’t broke”.
Same old incompetance over and over again. Has a great start to the season playing a good set up and what does the clown do? changes the team and by 6 players and loses!
He does need to go. Confusion again in the team and MM again has no idea how to play the team consistently.
How is it that only people on here can see his lack of ability? Moxey and Morgan have you dudes any idea either?
Report abuse
55 you can’t be a true wolves fan then!!!!! another doom merchent then
Report abuse
oh dear, PR Nightmare Merlin is waffling on about surpsie playet at left back….
come on what do you think this means… you get 3 guesses and the first 2 dont count
Report abuse