Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Pair eyeing a Premier call
Wednesday 30th September 2009, 11:30AM BST.
Wolves duo Richard Stearman and Chris Iwelumo today insisted they are fit to rejoin Mick McCarthy’s Premier League squad after emerging unscathed from their comebacks last night.
The pair played the first half of the reserves’ 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Telford and hope to have given the watching McCarthy a selection dilemma for Saturday’s Molineux clash against Portsmouth.
Stearman is expected to be in contention after missing the last two games with severe bruising to his lower leg. But Iwelumo could be forced to wait longer as last night’s action was only his second outing in six months after breaking a bone in his foot following knee ligament damage against Birmingham in April.
Stearman said: “I was told I’d get the 45 minutes and then come off at half-time. It was good to get that under my belt and hopefully there will be no reaction.
“Last night was all about testing it out rather than a fitness thing and I came through with flying colours, so hopefully it’s a case of fingers crossed for the weekend.”
Of the injury, he added: “I was very lucky – it was initially feared I’d broken something in the fibula area, but thankfully it wasn’t anywhere near as bad, so I’m very pleased.”
Iwelumo said: “I haven’t put any date on it – I’ve just had a few sessions – but hopefully the gaffer throws me in at the deep end and I can be involved. I’d take Saturday – my fitness and sharpness will come back day by day, but I just want to be back out with the boys.
“The injury feels fine and now I’m just going to work on all the little things, get my fitness right and hopefully take it by storm. But getting through 45 minutes was the main thing, just to see if there was any reaction. I felt good.
“It was a massive positive because it had been close on six months since I’d played a real match and I had the butterflies before the match, so I was delighted to get out there. I’ve trained with the first team for three days and I’ve done a few days with the young boys as well.”
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Id play them both.
Stearman with Berra and Big Chris with Doyle.
Id also drop Henry and play Edwards with Castillo.
Six pointer already this Sat.
Come on you Wolves.
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Nice to see him back.
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its nice to see they came through the match un scathed with iwelumos height we am guaranteed goals if he plays up front with the new lad
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Maybe Chris back in for the Hoff? He didn’t win much in the air on Sunday!
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Welcome back to both of you,lets hope you,re back in the team soon.
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just looking at the reserve team last night , no milias , just wandered how we re going to bring the lad to pace with no games . my thoughts are that we re playing ok but no one seems to want to shoot from midfield . i was pinning my hopes on him
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went to the game last night, was good to see big chris and stears back. wasnt a bad game really, got some good young players for the future in Scott Malone and Mendez-Lang!
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No 6. yes why no game for Milias or Zubar if as MM says they’re not up to speed yet – is this so he can’t play them in the first team??? i too was banking on Milias being one of our top scorers this season with long range shots from midfield. I just hope MM hasn’t decided he don’t want him cos he don’t run round the pitch like another headless chicken!!
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1.
Castillo is injured
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sorry Big Chris and stearman. you have to wait your like everyone else. Onone comes straight back in after injury no matter who you are.
Pathetic
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No consistent goals from midfield is our problem. Two holding midfielders in the centre every week?
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Lads, get the basics right. Defend corners with the posts covered and if the ball is there to hit, then hit it. Put David James under pressure. I do advocate playing Mancienne as a full back, but Pompey appear to have smaller, nippier strikers, so I would keep Mancienne where he is for this match. However, a Stearman/Berra partnership with Mancienne at left back wouldn’t concern me. I fancy a Wolves victory. Come on Wolves.
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1
Good job you ain’t manager then, dropping a fit player & playing injured one!!!
Henry was outstanding on Sunday.
You’ve just failed your interview, miserably!!!
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10 the only person who will come back from injury, and walk back in to the team will be that Donkey Ward
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Henry is pants, there are many players in our squad who could replace him no problem.
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I agree with Wolvesmod (may the lord have mercy on my sole).
If we play with wingers (our plan A and best attacking policy) then you need to move the ball across the pitch quickly, early and accurately. It’s no good getting the ball to them 3 seconds before it needed to be there because they get doubled up on or stray offside or get more closely marked. An extra midfield pass can make the difference between Jarvis having a yard start or the defender.
Our 2 holding midfielders have done well but both as holding midfielders.
But how well have our wide men done up to now? I question the service to them.
Poor old Jarvis playing in front of “Have it!” George too..no chance…and he aint become a bad player over night
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A nothing article. It’s good that they are back in the fold but only playing half a reserve game is not good enough. It is highly likely that the team will be the same as Sunday but Foley might come in for Halford. This would eliminate the long throw but have our best defender on show.
Tough game Saturday but a Wolves 2-1 win!
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Big Chris looked a bit out of touch fitness wise, probably needs another reserve game against Villa on Monday to be honest. Stears looked ok though
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13 Grace:
If you thought Henry was outstanding on Sunday, then you obviously never saw the likes of Kenny Hibbet playing for Wolves!
Henry is a weak link. Holding midfielder? He must be one of the most over-rated I’ve seen in a Wolves shirt!
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14, you muppet! Ward is not a donkey!
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Is it just me or dont you think blake should start with doyle up front.He was the top goal scorer last year.
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Has everybody forgot about blakey he should start on saturday, he is still are best forward.
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1 Wolves Mod and George Berry’s wig ; do you really think we would have beaten Fulham without the two holding players?Basically we are not good enough to play without two holding players. Otherwise we get caught on the break and our centre backs cannot cope without midfield support. I have just read another article from Elokobi saying they will not compromise on their attacking principles,If that is the case, we are dead in the water.
2Kent Wolf Please give Henry a break.He is a different type of player than Kenny, and as others have said last Sunday he worked his socks off.
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Is it just me or does George need to lose a couple of stones to improve his speed?
It’s alright looking like Mike Tyson in the ring, but on the footy field we need athletic, flexible and fast full-backs. For me, George has little of these.
Back-line for Saturday should read Foley, Stearman, Craddock and Mancienne. We need steel and direction and, in my view, this back-line provides this.
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20 so you think ward is a prem player, he would not get into Arsenal girls team you idiot.
Now go and wash his car and cook MM some food.
Go and watch some London team, you need to catch up on what a Footballer should be, not what MM has told you, shift in and run around like a headless chicken does not make a prem player. Thats why we are in the position we are, fans like you have no ambition and accept failure as success. You can not compete in the Prem with championship or less players.
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Lol Grace #13 … Class :D
Anyway, I would leave the team as it is. The last battering we took at Blackburn the lads got another chance against Fulham and did the goods, i’d tell them to get out there and do the same this weekend.
I would prefer Stearman to Halford, but I think at home that long throw is so dangerous and he doesn’t look to bad at right back.
The only change i’d make is drop Castillo (even though he has done well) move Edwards in and play Kights, even if we get 60 mins out of him that’s better than nothing.
Also bring in Blake upfront and take Keogh out the front line with Iwelumo replacing the Hoff on the bench (for such a tall guy he wins very little in there air!!)
VW #20 , that’s why were in the position we are in.. so we are 16/17 with 7 points from 7 games and made a decent start, what would you prefer us to be more like Pompey or Hull?!
Oh and this is the same idiot with the headless chicken that won the Championship last season, with players like Kightly, Blake etc…… take a long hard look at yourself there plonker!
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Kent wolf
I did actually, many many times, but time moves on & I don’t watch the game through rose tinted glasses, non of our former greats would cut it in the modern game.
You quite clearly don’t realise what you are watching & you’d do alot better SUPPORTING our boys instead having a pop at them.
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24
Spot on fella!!!!!
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