Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Shock as Collins misses Oz tour
Saturday 4th July 2009, 11:14AM BST.
Neill Collins is the surprising omission as Wolves’ 24-man squad jet to Australia tonight with all five new signings.
No explanation has been given for his absence, although his chances of playing next season are in jeopardy given Wolves are to bring in at least one centre-back this summer.
New-boys Kevin Doyle, Andrew Surman, Greg Halford and Marcus Hahnemann are all included in the party, with Nenad Milijas arriving on Tuesday.
The squad leaves from Birmingham at 9.20pm and heads to Perth via Dubai.
There is also a place for Richard Stearman, who rejoins the squad barely a week since his season ended with the England Under-21s’ Euro 2009 tournament.
But it’s the omission of Collins that will cause most surprise.
Not surprisingly, Wolves have also left behind two other central defenders in Jason Shackell and transfer-listed Darren Ward, who are both set to move on, while Darren Potter’s move to Sheffield Wednesday is expected to go through soon.
Mark Little, Daniel Jones and Elliott Bennett, the injured Matt Murray and the seven new pros from the Academy also stay at home.
Boss Mick McCarthy said: “I’ve never been to Australia but I’m told Perth is a great place. It’s winter out there and it’s been cold there this week – 15 degrees – but I’m used to that and I’m not sure it’s that cold!
“That will be great for us and will be better than being in 30 degrees here. It’s also good for the new lads – it gets you bonding again.”
Wolves face Perth Glory on July 10 and Robbie Fowler’s North Queensland Fury five days later, also at Glory’s 18,000-seater home.
McCarthy wants a ‘slow-burner’ to pre-season with the Premier League season looming. “I don’t know what the standard of opposition will be, but it doesn’t matter,” he said.
“It’s our first two matches and I don’t want two really tough games where we’re having a real humdinger of a game 10 days after being back.”
Tour squad: Hennessey, Elokobi, Edwards, Stearman, Craddock, Kightly, Henry, Ebanks-Blake, Keogh, S. Ward, Jones, Berra, Jarvis, Vokes, Iwelumo, Hill, Friend, Ikeme, Foley, Hahnemann, Doyle, Surman, Halford, Milijas.
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I’m not surprised to be honest. Collins days should be numbered. Can you honestly see him in the premiership seriously? Do me a favour lmao!
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Not really a shock.
Collins could be one for the squad if we suffered an unfortunate relegation but he’s simply not good enough for the Prem. We all know that. You have to have a cut off point and who would you drop from the 24 for him to go?
But I do appreciate his level of effort for the club.
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leaving? hopefully
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HE’S GOT SWINE FLU!
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were the hell is HEMMINGS!
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No shock to me. And it looks like he’s on his bike. Thanks.
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Very interesting that Neil Collins is not going to Oz, I wonder why?
Anyway, with nearly all the newcomers nearly signed, isn’t it time Wolves held a ‘bogof’ sale of all the players not needed for next season? After all it seems no team wants any one player, so selling 1 and getting another for free may encourage clubs to take a gamble and relieve the coffers of weekly salaries!
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YES!!!
Sounds like he’s on his way!!!
….and Mancienne comes in???
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Well done Mick picked a gd team there to bad about Little i would of liked to see what he could do. i glad that he picked Friend becouse i think that he will become a great player.
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Neill collins deserves to be out of the squad because he is rubbish and never does anything good and he always gives away penalties
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Sounds like collins is on his way out? no loss there then. hope they all stay fit. have a great time lads.
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no suprise not good enough for championship let alone prem just a pity mancienne not on plane
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Waheyyyyyyy!!!!!! Tbf Collins hasn’t got a future with us at all. No where near good enough for the the prem, let alone the Championship. Just need a new Centre Back now, hopefully Mancienne can sign up now :)
UTW!
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He doesnt like flying but MM has boughy him a dinghy and some arm bands im sure he will be there ;-)
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Great news not really a shock as although he scored the occasional header ultimately he wasn’t good enough and though mccarthy publicly stuck by him deep down he must have known,lets hope we get mancienne in and that we keep with our young and hungry policy and continue to look in the lower leagues for your kightlys and elokobi’s and lets get some thing done about the youth system and finally start to produce quality consistently.
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hahahahahahaha
What a shame!shows our intentions though, he wasnt good enough for the championship and no where near good enough for the prem,
Just a shame mad mick gave him a contract extension!
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yess!!!!please get shot of him- carthorse!
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please dont call me a whinger cos ive loved wolves for the last 40 years and will do til the day i die, BUT when you look at the squad going to oz it looks very lightwieght to survive in the prem, would luv to be proven wrong,just have a nagging doubt……
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Great news,although he tried and scored the occasional header ultimately he wasn’t good enough and when mccarthy stuck by him publicly deep down he must have known it too,lets get mancienne in and continue with our young and hungry policy and look trough the lower leagues for your kightly’s and elokobi’s and get our youth system producing quality on a consistant basis.
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The standard out here is about mid-table coca-cola div 1, however the perth team will be all tee’d up for a big game. There are plenty of Wolves fans coming across from the East Coast of Oz to go to this game in Perth, I’m one of a group of fifty I know coming from Sydney, a 5 hr flight. We know it’s just a friendly but the fans will be expecting the boys to “put in a shift” and beat the Ozzie teams, bragging rights are very much up for stakes. Mick don’t be treating this as a holiday mate…
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Shame he’s missing the Oz Tour. We could have driven him into the Outback and left him there. Heres to Mancienne and Ledley.
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not suprised collins not going it summer season at blackpool and they want him there he is one of the donkeys
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Collins is no where near good enough for the premier league, I question if he’s good enough for the championship however, when he did pull on the shirt, he always gave 110% and for that i am eternally grateful…….suspect talent but heart of a lion. Good luck neil for your future career
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Cheers Neil for being a 100% guy. Yet the time has come for us to part. Adescent championship will be in for you, regards. Jimbo..
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send him to a team in the pop league..
Sadwell could do with him..
about his level too..
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Well done Mick. Collins despite his commitment is nowhere near good enough for Premiership football.
I think Mick hasnt really made a big news of announcing publicly the fact that Collins is not in his first-team plans, in order to protect the boy a bit, knowing that the news of this would probalby me met with huge cheers among most Wolves fans.
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I am glad MM has realised his mistake in signing him. Shame he still has three year contract.
Hopefully Bournemouth, Forest Green, Grays etc…… may take him – PLEASE!
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A friend of mine that sells pinapples just around the corner from Old Trafford said he saw Collins shaking hands with Fergie earlier today. Honest!!!
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If Collins is going then at least appreciate the effort and commitment he put in. All these negative comments are not required and will probably unsettle the other players. If you have been whinging about Collins and he goes then who will be your next target?
If he goes then he deserves our thanks and best wishes. He’s one of OUR players and deserves our respect.
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hes off to the walsall i reckon, wish fans would lay off him, he got a few goals last season albeit one of them an own goal!!
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some of you lot are idiots, so Collins is not Prem Quality, also S Ward is not even a CCC player just a very lucky man.
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29.E11 premiership wolf -
Couldn’t agree more, some of the so-called fans make me feel embarrassed to be a Wolves fan!!
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Is Zubar coming too?
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Thanks E11 (29) for saying it for me. The most despicable ‘fan’ is the one who boos the player, destroys his confidence & then crows to his mates about his ‘superior’ judgement. Collins played his part & I for one will never forget the sheer joy on his face when he scored for Wolves. He’s a much better man than the knockers & somehow I suspect he’ll be a better player elsewhere, away from the puerile, infantile ‘fans’ who try to raise their low self-esteem by putting others down from the safety of the stands.
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We should have left Berra behind as well! At least Collins got us a couple of vital goals. Berra has been useless in defence and protected by Craddock and our full backs.
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Well said 29, whatever you think of Collins, he wasn’t the worst player I’ve seen at Molineux and he started winning one or two fans over courtesy of a good start to the season. Sadly, Bristol City away was probably a nail in the coffin, but the kid deserves some respect not petty sniping.
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I this the same Collins that recently signed a new FOUR year contract???
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It’s not really a shock is it?!. Let’s be honest!!!
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Can anyone please tell me if the two match pre season games in OZ are going to be televised, and if so details please.
If no one knows…where can I find out
Thanks
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id say collins’s days are number considering mick is taking all the new signings and even balde who isnt even signed for us he is only trying to impress at the moment
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Well said E11-no-one can ask more from any player than 100% effort and thats what we got from NC.If this does mean a move for him then any decent “fan” would want to say thanks and good luck to him-all this vilification does you miserable lot no credit at all.He wore the shirt with pride and made some valuable contributions to our success so lets behave like adults here not whingeing kids.
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I agree with you e11 premiership wolf. Negative comments are of no use to our football club.
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Can anyone tell me if these games in OZ are to be televised ??
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TAXI for COLLINSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Don’t know why you have all jumped to the conclusion that Collins is leaving us.
Simple truth is it would take to long to get the donkey through quarantine. ;o)
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(e11 premiership wolf)i totelly agree with you collins allways gave his all while playing for wolves scored some very important goals last season as well all these morons running him down will the fans who wiil be booing doyle and the rest of our new players this coming season stoke stayed up last season because there fans where fantastic i think the boo boys will be back next year all this muppet mick names what does the guy have to do
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neil collins helped wolves get promoted. And for that i will be eternally grateful. Worst defender ever? Your having a laff! You never saw darren simkin!
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no the games are not bieng televised, thanks very much mr collins,
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E11 premiership wolf:
how is it negative to make a comment on someone who most of us feel is not good enough.
100% effort is not always enough, especially without talent and ability.
he scored a few goals but also gave away sloppy penalties
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I would just like to remind you all, Mccarthy was the idiot who signed him up for a four year contract around this time last year!!! super piece of business that was. On the possitve side finaly hes landed which looks to be a good center back, which in the prem is exactly what we need. lets face is there only steerz with any potential aint there!!!
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He is not good enough for the premiership thats why mick has left him behind. Although, i would thank him for the goals he has chipped in with (except the own goal) lol.
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How thick are you lot on here the fact that Collins is on a contract that has a while to run means the club will get a decent fee for him!
It looks like potter is going for half a mill & he aint played for us for 18 months.
As I have said before let the club go about THEIR biz in their own way, we are now a very very well run club for which Jez Moxey deserves massive credit.
KTF
Wolves forever
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If it is the end of the road for Collins, then I’d like to thank him for the blood sweat and tears he’s given to our cause. I’d agree that he’s not the most talented centre half to have graced the Molineux turf, but he deserves nothing but respect for what he has given for Wolves.
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Neill Collins never gave anything less than 100%, When he scored for us you could see his pride at doing so. The guy deserves respect, and if you do not give it, that is a poor reflection on you, not him. I wish him well, and thank him for giving his all. Could any of you critics have done better?
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43. I doubt it will be televised as its not even going to be televised in Oz.
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James Fletcher you’re an idiot!!! Collins was key in mid season when it was him and stearman at the back. A lot of wolves fan should be ashamed of themselves for making negative comments towards wolves players!
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haha if there was an award for best comment it would go to number 10!! absolutely spot on!
Hopefully he’ll be on his way out soon, some of the goofs he made last season would be unforgiveable, its alright fumbling around in the fizzy pop league, but the prem is very different, don’t fancy him in defence up against the likes of torres!!
Hopefully some of the other dead wood should follow him out the door like Keogh and S.Ward!!
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#9 Makes a good point – great that George Friend has gone on the Aus trip. Definitely one to watch for the future.
Come on Mick and Jez – land Mancienne and we will have the tools to stay up!
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