Wolves Column – Up for the Cup
Thursday 27th August 2009, 9:05AM BST.
Wolves’ Sporting Star columnist John Lalley ponders how cup participation has changed at Molineux in the modern day.
For a club with such a glorious history in the League Cup, our participation in the competition has for many years now been seen as an almost meaningless chore. Managers and pundits alike both drone on glibly about these games giving fringe players valuable match action to set down markers for selection.
In reality, this is simply not the case. Our manager Mick McCarthy will not have been influenced one iota to alter his selection for the Hull game by anything he saw at Molineux on Tuesday night. He will have known his preferred starting line-up to face the Tigers and only unforeseen injuries would make him change his mind.
The only positive slant to put on our performance against Swindon is that ultimately we avoided seeing their name added to the list of recent embarrassments we have suffered in this competition.
Providing that we are eliminated by a club of similar or higher stature to Wolves, nobody will much care, so fading images of Wembley glory enacted by the likes of Gary Pierce and John Richards alongside those of Emlyn Hughes and Andy Gray can be consigned to the memory bank for another year. Priorities change and it is fundamentally clear what our sole objective is for this season.
Just the same, I would not swap the memories of Wembley 1974 and 1980 for anything. The same goes for 1988, as we won the fourth division title to begin our long journey back to the big time.
Amidst all of our league success that season, it’s the Sherpa Van Trophy final at Wembley that is the easier to recall. Another great day, it was signifying that this club had regained its dignity regardless of the minor importance of the competition.
No doubt a few members of that successful squad had a chuckle hearing Mick comment that many of his players are exhausted and desperate for a break after three, yes three, Premier matches.
Back in 1988, we played 46 league games, three FA cup ties, four League cup matches and another eight in the Sherpa Van. A whopping 61 games in all in which Mark Kendall – God rest his soul – and Andy Mutch played in every single one of them.
It might be a different game these days but I’ll tell you one thing – no Premier League player will have to endure the kind of kickings Mutch took from defenders in those days! But he scored for Wolves in a Wembley final and I’ll bet that’s something he will never forget.
It was a sad week for the club with the passing of Bobby Thomson, a classy full-back blessed with electric pace which so often came to his aid when under pressure.
I remember being at Molineux to witness his debut back in 1962, when almost in desperation Stan Cullis had thrown Thomson into an FA Cup tie against Albion, alongside Fred Goodwin, another young hopeful also making his first appearance for Wolves.
This was a defining season for the club. It effectively served notice that our domination of the English game was well and truly over. Inexorably, we were slipping into decline, but for Thomson, his rise was to be meteoric. Within two years he was a full England international, fast-tracked to the pinnacle of the game and seemingly destined for a great career.
Sadly, the reality was that Thomson was one of the last off a previously endless conveyor-belt of outstanding young talent developed from our junior sides. They were a set of players who for so long sustained the greatest period in our history.
Had Thomson been born a few years earlier, he would have been competing for a place in a team for whom glorious achievement had been the rule rather than the exception. Frustratingly, a still excellent Wolves career concluded without the complete fulfilment of his true potential. But what a fine player he was and it was a pleasure to watch him play.
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The cup means nothing to us this season. We need to beat Hull on Saturday. So far we have done very well especially considering the fact all our best players have been out. I would take a 1-0 win as we need to beat the sides around us. I can see Wigan struggling this season. According to other sources we will sign 2 players and 1 on loan. Apparently Ward and Halford and injured for Sat. Elokobi and Surman will play.
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It has simply got to the stage where staying in the Premiership means everything and certainly financially. When in the lower divisions it’s really worth going on a cup run as usually that is all you have to play for.When in the prem you need to stay there as it’s the only way to build a solid quality team. For me you can keep the cups this season I just want us to stay up.
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Can you imagine the feedback if we had lost the other night. Winning breeds confidence and you should play your strongest side in all competitions. Some people forget that we will play eight less matches this season plus physical challenges on players will be minimised due to the pussyfooting around of referees in this pampered league.
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I think MM just wants to go on a cup run to keep a frings players match sharp which i don’t think is a bad idea. It worries me a lil that Birmingham are being linked with 5M Tuncay and have got a 3M deal in place for Michel and we are being linked with a 1.8M offer for james harper who in my opinion is not good enough. Would like to see us trying to bring diop in from wolves personnally, and maybe even trying to get someone like wellbeck on loan!
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I wonder how many fans who moan about league cup matches and state how worthless this cup is would actually turn down a tkt if Wolves reached the final.
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Surman wont play from the start after playing 120 mins on tuesday, We will play 4 4 2, I agree its a game Wolves will be looking to win, but not a game we must win at all costs. We definatley need a couple of new faces before the window closes, Benjarni, dunne, ledley and tuncay whould be top of my shopping list.
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Great stuff John. Love it. Football should be about winning, and winning only, but itr seems it doesn’t really matter if you win or not these days, as long as you finish 17th in the Premier League. Kind of peverse.
You know that money talks…It positively sang last season at the KC Stadium. Sad really.
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It’s all good saying “I don’t care about the Cup” but as soon as we get to the Quarter Final’s we’ll all be jumping on the band wagon.
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Staying up is paramount, thats why you dont risk your strongest line up to stay in such cups but it doesnt mean we shouldnt try with the other players available! Its up to them to do well and get into the first team.
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The League Cup is ideal for us to blood the likes of Mendez Laing as was proven on Tuesday.
The League though is obviously our priority. I would hope that we will bring in two or three more players before the deadline closes on Tuesday.
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I hope we get Albion in the next round!
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Come on guys, don’t buy into the hype!
Is finishing 17th in this poxy league so much more important than wining the F.A. or League cup?
Silverwear is IMPORTANT! It’s what the game should be about.
It really mattered to me that we won the league last year – it was more important than the promotion that went with it.
I still can’t believe Villa threw away a chance of winning the UEFA cup for the chance of finishing 4th – which they well and truley blew anyway. Losing in that cup was the turning piont of their season, beating Newcastle in the FA cup was the turning point of our season a few years back.
CUP GAMES MATTER!
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Sad but true – however just think if wolves actually went and won it….
If you were to stay up next season a chance to play in europe would certainly add to your pulling power when looking at transfer targets.
Also why do fans just accept that their club won’t really try to win something – when your team is likey to lose more league games than it will win, surely a decent cup run adds much needed confidence to a club ???
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I would also like to point out that, just as last season was the 50th anniversary of us winning the Championship Trophy, This season is the 50th anniversary of the last time we won the F.A. Cup and the 30th anniversary of the last time we won the League cup.
Two points.
One, it’s about time we won them again.
Two, how many clubs would kill for that history? Who knows or cares who finished 17th (or 2nd for that matter) in league one in 1960 / 1980?
I’ll say it again, CUP GAMES MATTER!!!!
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The so called second string need proper match practice. Reserve games are not good enough, so the League Cup is ideal for this performance. We did not play well the other night but a lot of these players need time to gel.
Plus points the other night were Hahnemann, Zubar, Elokobi, Doyle and notably Mendes-Laing. I have seen that Vokes has been interviewed and talking up his first team chances. He did not do enough the other night alongwith others.
Talking first team, we need to sign and fast. If Harper is the man, sort it. I have seen that he has been saying in the local Reading paper that he has no injury problems and is one of their fittest players!
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When I was a babbie playing football….the only thing I thought of was playing at Wembley in a cup final…..NOT staying in the old first division and winning the league……..cups are important and they are a big part of what football should be…..I would much rather support a “proper” football club with “proper” values than the prawn sandwich and Pimms brigade who are taking over the game…….
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Is he going to get anybody else? No word except that he does not want Harper. We need more premiership experience. When are Seb and Kites coming back? I want news.
Hull have two forwards who look pacy and skillfull. We will have to do well. See you there
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cup games matter but the league is the priororty. without the money from the premier league, we wouldnt have a good enough squad to compete for the cups, who was the last team to win a cup that wasnt in the top flight??
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I’m 47 years old and based upon the current mindset about the cup competitions I might as well give up on ever seeing my club at Wembley again.
Well no thanks. I want to go to Wembley. I want to see Wolves lift one of the 2 major cups. All you fools banging on about surviving in the Prem – answer me this. Would you really be happy if your team just kept finishing between 17th and 14th in the Prem year after year. Then in 100 years time Blues fans can sing ” you’ve never won *****” to our grandkids.
Get a grip. You’re all getting sucked in by the Prem hype. Every year Championship clubs say “its now or never”. Why? Every year the pundits say the 3 promoted clubs will go straight back down. It never happens. Every year the pundits say the 3 relegated clubs will be too strong for the Fizzy Pop league. Two of them usually sink without a trace.
Get a grip. Play your strongest team in every match. Winning breeds confidence. If a player gets injured replace him with the reserve that plays in that position. Don’t play your striker at left back.
I’d rather us be relegated having played our strongest line up in every match that play weakened teams in the cups. It doesn’t work. Did Villa get 4th place. Did Reading survive in the Prem. No.
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fully agree with happy baggie cup success lifts the hole club look at burnley! our line up was understandable but the problem was clearly player out of position just to get game time.
This led to a disjointed performance we need to perhaps loan out the likes of collins and matt hill so we can play a more balanced team.
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19 – good post mate (for a dingle…lol)
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good post 19 apart from we dont play our striker at left back if your refering to stephen ward he is not a striker and am amazed he ever was. We did however play a centre back with poor distribution at right back and bruising left back on the left wing.
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We will all see the merits of a cup game diffrently if we draw each other. Full house and full strengh teams. Lets be honest wont we all be looking for that in the draw. I do miss beating you
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Steve B (14) You OUGHT to care who finished second in Division One in 1960 !
Burnley had just won the Championship winning at Maine Road in the last game of the season to stop Wolves winning three consecutive titles.
Question for you all. Portsmouth won the FA Cup 18months ago after trying to buy success well above their weight. They are now in serious financial turmoil. Southampton tried to buy success far out of their reach. They’ve been docked League One points for sliding into administration.
Who’s the common denominater ?
Hope Daniel Levy has control of the purse strings !
Now….hands up all those Wolves players who want instant gratification and a financial millstone ?
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Back then a good cup run was the only way of getting national coverage, and was a valuable source of income. Clubs took it seriously, & were forced to field their strongest team, so doing well in it was also a significant achievement.
A Wembley final was also the only way of getting a whole game shown on TV…the FA Cup final was such an epic event it was even shown live!
Our league matches were not hyped at all. When TV cameras did show up there was a buzz about the Molineux, cause it meant we’d get 2 minutes on Star Soccer on Sunday!
How times have changed. This season all our games so far have been shown live around the world, & re broadcast several times over.
…and now, coming soon..the main event…
Wolves v Hull.
Simon :)
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Of course survival is priority this season but every Premier League club should see the League Cup as something they stand a very good chance of winning at some stage. Let’s not forget it’s still a way into Europe! If we achieved 17th place as well as Europa Cup football next summer think how big an advantage we’d have strengthening our squad over the other lesser Prem clubs.
I say go for it!
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Alright then John, maybe Mick should pick his best eleven players, run them into the ground week in, week out until they are either injured or can’t run anymore, then we will throw someone in who hasnt played a game all season long- lets see where that gets us. The modern game is the modern game, players are not running around with fat guts and smoking after games anymore- the elite are true athletes,and we find ourselves amongst them, and so far competing with them. Maybe Nate should wait ten years for a game, when he has more experience? I’m proud of Mick for giving his ilk a game, how else or we ever going to find out if the Robbie Keane’s of this world are good enough unless they are allowed to play? We will need every man in the squad this season to stay up. The likes of Manchester and Arsenal have won cups with fringe players and youngsters, take a look how many of them went on to win trophy after trophy after being introduced to the game through ‘minor’ cup football.
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