A happy New Year to you and your families, writes Nathan Lloyd.

So, have you made any New Year’s resolutions? Mine is to give up the booze and the fags, but seeing as I’ve never had a cigarette in my life and I’ve always been tea-total, that really shouldn’t be difficult.

Some people have struggled to comprehend why I don’t drink alcohol, and because I haven’t got a really compelling answer, it can leave them a little bit bewildered.

One such person, we’ll call him JR, really struggles to get his head round my lack of alcohol consumption and recently asked me if I was out on a date, what would I order at the bar to safe face in front of a female? On a lad’s trip out he went to bar and came back to the table with shots for everyone. Hilariously mine was a shot of Vimto!

Similarly this season, a lot of fans, players and even managers of rival clubs have struggled to get their head’s round why Wolves sit proudly on top of the Championship going into 2009.

It’s probably because a lot of these people only ever see Wolves play on TV, where we rarely shine. And but for a Hennessey spill against Blackpool, we might well be facing the New Year with even more of a points cushion to quiet our detractors.

Still, 18 wins out of 26 games with 54 league goals so far this season is pretty remarkable. That’s a goal more and as many wins as we managed in the entire of the miserable football that Wolves played last season and only 5 wins short of West Brom’s total to win the league championship in 2007 -2008.

This season, with the help of some excellent acquisitions, Mick has got his plans back on track. We are scoring bucket loads of goals and winning more often than not.

This time last year I was writing a blog about how the season had been a waste and how MM was turning into a bit of a joke. Shows how much I know, eh?

Onwards into the mysterious world of the January transfer window. Who goes and comes in always makes for a fascinating month of debate for the fans. Ebanks-Blake, Edwards and Elokobi were three fine additions to the squad in January 2008.

Unfortunately as soon as Mick strayed from following the Shamen’s philosophy that ‘E’s are good’ (Surnames that is), it all went slightly Pete Tong when the bumbling Kevin Kyle joined the club on loan from Coventry.

Mick also loaned out the amazingly terrible Jamie Clapham to Leicester and forgotten man Charlie Mulgrew to Southend.

In the last month I have seen that Wolves have been linked with a number of players, including the wonderfully sounding Tamika Mkandawire an ex-Albion trainee defender currently on the books with Leyton Orient. The fact that Tamika never got a chance to play in the stripes of Albion should already guarantee his success in gold and black!

In midfield we have been linked with Scott Sinclair, Wayne Routledge, Marvin Elliot and JJ O’Toole and up front, Alan Gow and Matt Fryatt.

And that’s with only one day of the month gone. Apart from Tamika, I have seen all the other players play and Marvin Elliott and Matt Fryatt would probably be the pick from those linked with the club.

Matt Fryatt is currently scoring loads of goals at Leicester, albeit a division below Wolves. He didn’t exactly set the Championship alight when he played in it for a couple of seasons, but from what I have seen this campaign, he looks sharper and fitter and a much improved player.

Would it be too early for Mark Davies to come back in from Leicester and challenge Jones and Edwards for that 2nd central midfield slot alongside Henry? All the reports suggest that he is playing some brilliant football and to have him back in the team playing like we know Mark can, would be like having a new £5 million signing.

If the only bit of business Mick does is to secure Mancienne for the rest of the season, I would be more than happy.

Most Wolves fans will also be aware that Kightly, Hennessey and Ebanks-Blake are rumoured targets of Premiership clubs. I said it my last blog that these players would probably be ill-advised to leave the club at the moment when we are on course for something wonderful.

As Mick did last January, it would be good to see the fringe players shipped out, as much for their own playing careers as for the good of the club. Darren Potter is unlikely to play in the first team again, so surely he would be happier plying his trade elsewhere?

Blues in the cup at the weekend will probably give a few of these fringe players a chance to stake a claim for more league consideration in the coming months.

A good cup run is always good for moral and I never buy into the argument that the cup is an unwanted distraction. That is of course until we get knocked out and I will probably say that we are concentrating on the league!

Perhaps playing away from Molineux, without the pressure of the league, will allow some of the players to play their more natural game and we can perhaps take the game to Birmingham.

I’ve got a sneaky feeling that Vokes could be key for us this weekend. I’m going for 1-1 and then we can bring them back to Molineux for another great game and a win.

I’m hoping that if I’m still asked to write the blogs next season, then in January 2010 I could be talking about Wolves ‘doing a Hull’ and holding our own in the top flight. I shouldn’t get carried away though; there is still some testing months ahead in this campaign.

Mick set a target this week of 92 points for Wolves to get promoted. That would mean winning around half of the games we have left to play, and looking at the remaining fixtures that should be achievable, shouldn’t it?