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Wolves blog: Something Blue
Friday 28th November 2008, 9:18AM GMT.
Wolves blogger Nathan Lloyd feels for Matt Murray and hails the potential return of three others as he prepares for the visit of Birmingham.
I was having a drink with my good pal James on Tuesday night and the topic turned to Wolves goalkeeper Matt Murray, who I stated was currently having a blinder on loan at Hereford. James said that Matt was too brittle and would never be injury free.
I retorted that I thought Matt had now turned a corner and it wouldn’t be long before the Ikeme vs Hennessey argument would be obsolete.
My notion was that Matt would soon be back in a Wolves shirt, because he is easily the best number one I have ever seen play for Wolves.
Fast forward to Wednesday morning and the irony of my conversation the night before became apparent.
It turned the euphoric mood I was in after our seventh consecutive win away at Bramall Lane into a feeling of real melancholy for Matt’s latest career threatening injury.
Anyone who has come into contact with Matt will probably tell you that he comes across as perhaps the antitheses of how you might expect a modern footballer to behave. He is a real gent and an absolute top bloke.
Matt’s battle with injuries has meant he has appeared fewer than 100 times for Wolves in over 10 years at the club.
The season before last he was not only the Wolves player of the season, but he also made it into the PFA Championship team of the year and was voted the PFA fan’s player of the year for the division.
I’m sure all Wolves fans will wish Matt well in his recovery and we should all remember that Matt was a fundamental reason we made it to the Premiership in 2003.
I would love to see him next season fulfill his destiny as a mainstay of Wolves in the Premiership.
On a better note, surely an absolute shoe in for player of the month of November in the Championship is our own mighty Chris Iwelumo. His second brace of the week secured probably our most significant away win of the season so far at Bramall Lane.
You’ll find all three Wolves goals nestling nicely in the top draw, especially Iwelumo’s rifled volley and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s thunderous drive at the near post.
Probably the most significant thing though about Tuesday night, apart from the magnificent result of course, is that the squad now has real strength, depth and flexibility compared to the last couple of seasons.
As we probably expected, it was a tough old battle against United and as a result a few players boarded the coach home a little worse for wear.
But even with a change of goalie during the game and Kevin Foley moving into central midfield, something he has done in the past whilst on the books at Luton, we still looked a massive threat going forward.
You could argue that Sheffield United were a tad unlucky when they had a perfectly good goal disallowed, when Hennessey scooped the ball back from around row C of the Halliwells stand, only for the linesman to completely miss it. Send that man a Christmas hamper.
But who cares? We have had our own bad luck in the past and even if they had scored, I’m sure the Wolves side on Tuesday night had another gear to move into.
Mick has patched up injuries this season by picking out some real gems in the loan market.
Had we have slipped up the other night, I’m sure people would have said that we really missed Michael Mancienne, but the defence were solid and deserve a lot of praise for the way they kept James Beattie, Billy Sharp and then Darius Henderson very quiet.
In other good news, it was great to see Lewis Gobern, Jody Craddock and Matt Jarvis come through unscathed after 45 minutes in the Senior Cup defeat the other night. The wings are still the position that I feel we lack any real depth when Kites or Jarvis are injured.
With Jarvis missing since the home defeat against Reading, we have struggled on the left wing and now that Carlos Edwards has left, we are having to get players to play out of position, until Matt hopefully returns in the next couple of weeks.
When Gobern gets back to fitness we could finally have some proper cover for Kites on the right and good luck to Mark Davies on his loan spell at Leicester. Like most Wolves fans, I’m hoping that Mark will still be a first team regular in the not too distant future.
So on to Birmingham on Saturday. Probably a more mouthwatering prospect than any of the hundred or so times we seemed to play the Baggies last season.
When we last played Birmingham at Molineux in April 2007, we absolutely dominated the game but ended up on the losing end of a 3-2 result.
Although we lost a game we really should have won, it was still a thoroughly entertaining game and I think we can expect the same in front of the cameras on Saturday.
Because I love my stats, most of them proving completely pointless, I added up the cost of the transfer fees for the players in the likely starting line-up for both teams on Saturday.
Wolves come in at around the £6million mark and the Blues will probably be around £16m.
In fact, in McFadden, who will probably end up costing Birmingham a transfer fee of around £6m, they have a player that costs as much as, well you can probably guess the rest.
Of course the player we are hoping won’t get a sniff near the Wolves goal will be Kevin Phillips, the man who could have still made a difference to Albion’s prosaic start to the season.
The only Englishman to have won the European Golden Boot, Phillips continues to score goals even though he almost qualifies for a senior discount on the tram.
If he has recovered from his man flu, I’m sure Mancienne and Stearman will be able to keep the dwarf and McFadden quiet. There will be some other fascinating battles right across the pitch on Saturday.
Stephen Ward’s ability in the left-back berth will be tested to the full against the pace of Swedish International Sebastian Larsson. In the middle of the park, the ’2 Q’s’ of Nigel Quashie and Franck Queudrue should prove a great match up against Karl Henry and the hopefully fit David Jones.
Blues fans have been berating all season about how poorly their team has been playing, despite picking up victory after victory and attendances have been quite low at St Andrews.
I think Wolves will expose Birmingham for the average team that they are on Saturday and come away with a resounding 2-0 or 3-0.
I’m sure that a packed Molineux will roar the lads on, to put even more daylight between us and the second city’s second team.
Come on me babbies!
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good blog! Want to see VOkes on some time in the 2nd half!
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Matt will be back! You worry about players sometimes being rushed back too soon.. at least by the time he’s back all his old injuries will be properly healed. As for this fresh injury, it is apparently not career threatening, so keep your chin up Matt – Still Wolves’ No. 1!
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I love your dig at the drawf and second city’s second team! LOL
COME ON WOLVES!
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Nice, well balanced article until the rather spiteful and unnecessary comment at the end about Birmingham being an average side. The above average teams are the ones that pick up decent results when they are not firing on all cylinders and Blues perennial problem is making hard work of teams they should beat. However, traditionally they do play better against the better teams in whatever division they are in. It pays to respect your opposition and predictions of ‘resounding’ victories by 3 – 0 are both foolish and insulting. May I remind you that the mighty Wolves were trounced by 5 – 2 by Norwich not all that long ago and they are not a great side by any stretch. This serves to demonstrate that on any given day any result is possible in the Championship. We’ll see won’t we?
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yes we will bazza – sign of a good side is when you lose you bounce back and since we lost to norwich we have won 7 in a row!!!! and come saturday it will be 8 when we put you blue nose ***** in your rightful place!!!!! 2-0 seb and kights!!!! come on you wolves.
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TIME TO LET MURRY GO, AND USE HIS WAGES TO PAY A PLAYER WHO IS FIT AND AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION EVERY WEEK. THIS FIASCO HAS DRAGGED ON FOR FAR TO LONG!.
BLUES..NO PROBLEM..BANG ON 3 POINTS FOR US. AND PHILLIPS CAN WITNESS A TRUE CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING SIDE PERFORM..WITH PROPER QUALITY STRIKERS..INFACT EVERYTHING THAT WAS SADLY LACKING FROM HIS VERY LUCKY AND VERY ORDINARY CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING SIDE LAST SEASON.
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4 – It pays for the TEAM to respect the opposition. Frankly I have no respect for Blues at all. But that lack of respect will not affect the result whatsoever. If you’ve read Carsleys comments from earlier this week, then you’ll find that he appears to lack respect for the Wolves players. Now this surely does have the potential to affect the match. I think our team talk has been written for us. Fully expect the boys to be well up for this one, and we will show you bluenoses some exciting football as we win 3-0.
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I think you’ll find Franck Queudrue plays at left back not midfield. Do you guys want any paving done?
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brilliant article as usual, totally agree on Matt Murray, one of the nicest blokes you will ever meet , an absolute model pro and i really do hope he can overcome all his injury problems. As for the blues v wolves team values you stated, the 6m figure for wolves just shows you how shrewd MM has been in the transfer market becase if those players were sold on now you would probably be talking 5 times that figure!!!!
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I don’t agree with Blues being just an “average” side. I would have Phillips in my team any day. And they are better than Reading, who many people believed, would run away with the league.
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Bazzathebluenose – didnt Blackpool beat you at home??
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4. Who stands out in your team then apart from McFadden? Yes Phillips is scoring now but with Mancienne and Stearman back in the squad he’ll have a tough time I can assure you.
Bring it on Zulus!
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8 Masaccio…..just like the paving, we`ll walk all over ya….COME ON YOU WOLVES…..3-1 again
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Shared thoughts all the way. Bring on tomorrow. I can’t wait!. Come on me babbies!
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Murray should be well looked after.
The save in the play off final from the prem should mean we look after that guy.
A great bloke, a great player.
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Interesting that you choose to talk about their attack and our defence, but not vice-versa.
Whereas the key battle is likely to be at their end between the best defence in the Championship (theirs, unfortunately) and the best attack (ours).
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Couldn’t agree more about Matt.. He is without doubt one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet and I wish him all the very best for a swift and complete recovery…
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I feel fair points are made by Bazza and Masaccio about your article. Although it is a good read it is ill informed in certain areas and downright biased in others. I dont like to give score predictions as I feel they come back to bite you on the backside, something I hope your rather bolshy comments do to you come final whistle on Saturday. Gibbonry, I think you will find Carsley a model pro and not the sort to openly run an opposition team down, he recently used comments from forest players as smelling salts for our lads against Charlton and is unlikely to make the same mistake just weeks later, if you can prove otherwise I will gladly partake in a large slice of humble pie pal. Hope Matt Murray gets fit soon, such a waste of a promising career. I was told some 5 years ago that his knees would ruin his career by someone who was a youth development coach at Wolves, I hope he is proved wrong.
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we shouldnt under estimate birmingham, they are a good side and have quality players, but so do we! Lets fill the ground, get behind the team and shut those blue nose idiots up! it shouldnt be to hard, theres only 1400 of them! pathetic support!
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Not sure about Blues being average. I would love Carsley in the Centre of our midfield and Phillips coming off the bench for the last 20mins wach week.
I would be happy with a draw on saturday.
Good point about their lack of support though. Although nothing new really they are essentially a 2nd division outfit and always have been (other than the last 3/4 yrs and a few yrs in the Francis era)
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A decent blog but never underestimate the Noses. This will not be easy. Although Collins has done well, we must bring Mancienne back in!
Gray to start possibly on the left?
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Top of the League and We’re having a LAUGH!!
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6,SBBA
Are you the club’s new accountant???
Didn’t think so, shut up & take your caps lock off.
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Have they not sold out there allocation? Your kidding me, right?
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Some good posts today amongst the usual boneheads.
I think Bazza has a point and as the table says Blues are currently the second best team in the division and so deserve our respect.
Greywolf makes an excellent point. Not many teams in this division have any real quality up front and I think the Blues defence will find us an all together different proposition to many of the teams they’ve managed to shut out this season.
I too think we should have enough for a win (no predictions though) but its going to be a tough one with one pint size fella not needing much encouragement.
And Matt will be like a great new signing for the prem!
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If I remember rightly the last time City were at the Asda Dome we had a outstanding GK display to keep us at bay the last twenty minutes though let us down at- their place also we gave them a super GK display they were all over us but that was then now is interesting.
It will be interesting to see how their defenders deal with the light afoot forwards we have-My guess is that they will resort to the physical game to sort us out-I predict a sending off and a 2-1 win for us.
Read the Blogg-Have to say love Matt but these injuries are sounding a death-nell for playing -I hope not–See we have signed another keeper has cover but does this mean one is moving on.
The little dig at the Blue-noses not valid–They have achieved more than us over the past 20years-Mind you they have spent lots and lots to do so–Dream Alive–Keep your seats on Saturday–We are going to the PREM again.
Crazey Dave
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Are you the club’s new accountant???..ERM NO!
BUT I’VE GOT MORE SENSE THAN KEEPING THROWING MONEY AT A GUY WHOSE CAREER IS FINISHED.
I LOVE MURRAY TO BITS..I ALSO LOVED MY SHOGUN TO BITS TILL IT FAILED IT’S MOT BIG TIME.
I’VE GOT A NEW ONE NOW AND ALL’S BRILLIANT AGAIN. GET THE POINT NOW GRACE.
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Wolves 0 – Blues 1 (phillips 88)
Horrible but true.
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Wolves 2-1 win. But if the unthinkable happens and we lose, other than a little pride bashing so what …. WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE, SAY WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE!
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19 You fool. Blues have sold all tickets, both allocations, 2,500, as you will see tomorrow. Bring it on Yam Yams. We’re gonna do ya. KRO
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28! HOW CAN YOU PREDICT WE WONT SCORE LIVEN UP!
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Until post 30 I had some respect for the bluenose fans, they responded in an articulate manner and raised valid points. 30. you sound like one of those lot from sandwell.
Interesting blog Nathan, let’s hope your predictions don’t bite us on the proverbial eh!
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Lighten up Wolverines, it’s called banter. I was only responding to several disrespectful comments about Blues. Most Blues and Wolves fans I know are nervous about tomorrow and will take a point. I hope it’s a great game and would genuinely like to see Blues and Wolves promoted. KRO.
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Hi Nathan,
It seems success has gone to your head, for the Nath of old would surely never resort to cheap name calling and describing Bham as an average side. I liked your blog and if the cheap jibes and digs were meant to be humourous i missed there hillarity.
I used to enjoy your humility and humbled approach, like how my persona within my blogs was pesimistic, because well errrm i am. I read your blog and honestly thought someone else had written it, anyway i enjoyed it and good luck against that average side with the dwarf up front.
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I hope this is the starting eleven…
Hennessey
Foley
Stearman
Mancienne
Ward
Henry
Jones
Kightly
Edwards
Ebanks Blake
Iwelumo
Will be a hard game as they all are, the noses are 2nd in the league so are a decent side.
The pressure will be on them to try and close the gap, ill be more than happy with a point but the boys will be aiming for another 3 points to extend the gap to 9 points.
The futures old gold n black!
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I think you are the one disrespecting the opposition, Nathan.
They are scrapping out results game after game and are second……despite being dismissed as a poor side. They must be doing something right and doing it well.
No predictions, but we have not had a home draw yet. One is well overdue.
As to all the Brummies posting on here today. Very strange. They haven’t posted on their own site all season long.
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18 – I don’t think i’d get away with posting a link on here! But his comments were in a Birmingham paper this week.
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To be honest boys even if you win and open up a nine point gap we havent even hit Xmas so its fairly irrelevant with so long to go. Of course it would give you an even greater confidence but you surely arent struggling on that front at the minute after seven straight wins!! Lets hope its a cracker and of course the best result of the season would be for us both to go up to battle old foes in the top flight. KRO
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34.wbabomber
How are you? I’ve probably drunk a bit too much cheap pop and I’m over excited!
The name calling is obviously a bit tongue in cheek and to stir it up a bit. Birmingham are not 2nd in the league for no reason and still have a lot of Premiership quality in the side.
Phillips is still a big threat and I’m just hoping we can keep him quiet tomorrow.
It’ll be a tough game. A bit of success and the humility has gone out of the window. I’m loving this season and my blogs probably reflect that. It’s early days though and I’m under now illusions that we haven’t won anything yet.
It should be a cracker tommorrow and hopefully in the next blog I won’t be calling for McCarthy and the board to be sacked!
Have a good weekend bomber and I promise to offer a bit more of a balanced view next time out.
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Whoever said both sets of fans were worried was spot on!I guess that was true of shef u though!?
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I have to admit i’m one of the ‘nervous’ ones about tomorrows game, I think both Wolves and Birmingham have played extremely well so far this season, regardless of whether it’s early days or not. I’ll be a very proud young lady to see Wolves come away with one point tomorrow.. And ecstatic to see three.. I think it’s far too early to predict scores because as someone pointed out, they have a tendency to bite you on the backside and grovelling was never a strong point of mine..I strongly believe Wolves have all the potential for a win tomorrow, and I hope we play up to it to the fullest..Whatever the result, we still have the top place for the time being..And we’ve played extremely well and worked sincerely hard to be there.. Every team has their ups and downs and it’s the downtimes when they need their fans the most, so best of luck to BOTH teams, and we’ll watch this space after the end whistle tomorrow!!
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38. Carthorse
I hear what your saying but i cant agree…3 points tomorrow are certainly not irrelevant!
Thats what the match is all about.
The bigger the points tally at the end of the season will be what matters.
Personally i dont care whether its against the brummies or anyone else.
I agree theres a long way to go….but a 9 point gap is definately the aim tomorrow.
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Neither team had the finish to win it and on the balance of things a draw wasnt a bad result for either of us. I thought we had the more clear cut chances to win it with Bents lob & Phillips’ sitter and the goal from McFadden should have stood as replays showed he was on side. However you threatened going forward too but I only really remember Taylor having to make one good save although ou were unlucky when ridgewell nearly headed into his own net. One things for sure Blues looked far from average against a team high in confidence coming off the back of 7 straight wins. As I said in an earlier post I hope we both go up and Albion and Villa feel the wrath of much improved squads!! KRO
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Totally agree Carthorse.We would have been gutted to have a goal turned down by such a bad decision, and, we have certainl had the rub of the green so far from the officials.Good point for both of us, and gives Reading more to do.
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Well it appears that the ‘average’ side outplayed the wonder team that is Wolves then. Wolves were very lucky to escape with a point when you look at the game as a whole. It should have been 3 – 0 at half time, 3 – 1 if you allow for the Ridgewell deflection. I maintain that the author of this article should be a little more reticent in future about the qualities of any opposition let alone the team in second place behind you in the league. As I said before, we’ll see won’t we? come May that is!
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