Let’s leave off the Wolves players

Tuesday 8th December 2009, 9:15AM GMT.

SOCCER Wolves 6Wolves’ Sporting Star columnist John Lalley believes the boo boys should consider consequences before they howl derision – especially after Bolton.

We haven’t enjoyed the best of fortunes on many occasions this season, so Jody Craddock’s offside opener against Bolton was a more than tolerable bonus.

So to the absence of their suspended striker Kevin Davies, who is by a street their best player. His physicality and predatory instincts might just have swung the balance, as we staggered to close out the game and win 2-1.

For our own credibility in this league, this was a match where we had to emerge in credit after the shambles against Birmingham. Craddock’s opener, delivered so early on ensured that our fans were solidly behind the team from the outset and mercifully the players were not left on tenterhooks, dreading howls of derision to greet any mistakes they may have made.

Had the result gone against us, no doubt a sizable number of our fans would have voiced their disapproval in vitriolic terms and that is the prerogative of the paying customer, but just what it achieves in offering encouragement to a group of players facing the most difficult task of their professional careers frankly escapes me.

Greg Halford appears to have found himself as an unpalatable niche as the latest individual in a gold shirt to be singled out as a convenient scapegoat, and the sarcastic reaction to his early substitution against Blues did the carping perpetrators no credit at all.

I read comments on message boards that Halford was ‘a disgrace’ and ‘should never put on a Wolves shirt again.’ Exactly what Halford has or has not done to incur such blanket condemnation, I don’t know.

Since arriving at Molineux the lad has been shuffled around various positions by the manager and, whilst he has hardly set the club afire, suggestions that he has not been giving his all and has contributed nothing to the cause are spectacularly unfair.

Leaving the field early against Blues and no doubt feeling totally pig sick about it, his spirits can hardly have been lifted to hear the contempt being hurled in his direction by some of own supporters.

It was almost a mirror image of the appalling treatment Keith Andrews received here a few years back. Like Halford, his ‘crime’ was to try his very best to excel in a Wolves shirt which wasn’t enough for some fans who pilloried a young player regardless of what he did – good, bad or indifferent.

His career spiralled downwards and we lost a good player; but he has had the last laugh – playing a prominent role at a Premier League club as established as Blackburn and featuring regularly at international level for Ireland. At Molineux, he hadn’t got a prayer and the way he was treated was utterly sickening.

The aftermath of the Blues game was manna from heaven for one of our sternest critics – the Daily Express correspondent Mick Dennis. The man marked our promotion last season by warning under a piece headlined ‘Beware this pack of Wolves.’

It inferred that our fans were a bunch of degenerate knuckle draggers intent on mayhem, who predicted carnage at Premier grounds with marauding Wolves fans running amok. Of course, this was nonsense and it hasn’t happened.

I exchanged some civilised e-mails with Mick Dennis who detailed a bad experience he and his wife had endured visiting Molineux as Norwich fans. He had every right to be annoyed at the treatment he experienced on that day, which I immediately conceded and he was gracious enough to admit that the majority of Wolves fans did know how to behave.

But then the day after the Blues defeat Dennis wrote – ‘Over at Molineux another bunch of deluded ingrates responded to a home defeat by booing their team and their manager. But then Wolves fans have a history of
heaping pressure on the people they purport to support. It is currently Mick McCarthy’s turn to suffer abuse.

‘One buffoon texted the radio shows I was co-hosting to say ‘He’s a disgrace.’ Yeah, that promotion as champions last season with a 10 point margin over third place was shocking.’

Dennis finished off by inferring that he hoped we were relegated and made a damning comparison with his praise for the Everton supporters who ‘never stopped encouraging their team’ despite a derby defeat at Goodison against Liverpool on the same afternoon we were losing to Blues.

I still thought of the terrific people I see every second Saturday boarding the coaches at Molineux to follow the team across the country. Loyal, dedicated Wolves people, great fans who give the team fantastic support. But this time, I didn’t reply to Mr Dennis.

Vociferous minority it may be but, on refection, we’ve got too much previous in this unpleasant direction. Lee Naylor and Mark Kennedy to name but two like Andrews copped for a barrow load, most of it totally unfairly.

Andy Keogh last season and going back even further, Alan Hinton and Alan Boswell. Even Mike Bailey got it in the neck when his magnificent talents began to wane and famously on one occasion. Steve Bull too.

Against Bolton, Stephen Ward had a storming game, but not so long ago he too was a target for derision. Another of McCarthy’s favourites and not good enough were two of the kinder comments he had to put up with.

I remember Ward’s reaction when the flak was at its worst, he steadfastly refused to be critical of his detractors. Wolves fans he said were brilliant, an inspiration, he had nothing but praise. I felt at the time that this guy has got some class, on and off the pitch.

The moaners could do worse than look closely at Ward and react accordingly.


  1. 1
    Wulfrunian

    What Mick Dennis doesn’t understand is this could be a FOURTH consequtive relegation from the top division in our last 4 Seasons in the top flight. The frustration of not being to stay more then a season in the top league is very, very frustrating and sickening.

    Report abuse

  2. 2
    wolvesmod

    I think you’ll find the majority of fans, me included, we’re cheering for Kightly coming on and not Halford being taken off. If Kightly was fit enough to come on after 15mins, then i’m sorry but he’s fit enough to start.

    I’ve just brought my Liverpool ticket so you can’t say i don’t support the team. I just give my opinions like everybody else.

    Report abuse

  3. 3
    Wanderingwillo

    I agree in some parts… the fact that us Wolves fans have been calling for the best players to be selected week in and week out this season, and this has not happened may have something to do with the way we have reacted…

    Players like Halford, and Castillo have not given us ‘anything’ to really shout about at the moment (apart from how inaffective they have been)…

    I think if we now start to see MM pick a settled side then backing the players is all we can do…

    Hopefully now MM has realised that he has made a couple of errors in the signings he has made, and leaves them on the bench…

    I think every Wolves fan will get behind EVERY player if he is showing the guts and determination we expect 100% or nothing… If every player does that NO wolves fan will complain…

    Up the Wolves.

    Report abuse

  4. 4
    Robert Perry

    A good article which made me think.I have never booed the team and I dont think ANY of our current squad deserves criticism as I think they all try to do their best every game(whether that is good enough in this division is another matter).However what is undeniable is that in the past we have had some players who were a disgrace to the shirt and hardly broke sweat in some games and deserved whatever criticism came their way.

    Report abuse

  5. 5
    richwolf64

    Booing the team is FULLY justifiable. When you pay £80 for you and your son to watch a match, you expect the manager to play his best team in his best positions. Against Birmingham, he didn’t.

    Any, let’s face it, Halford was taken off after 28 minutes, so I think that says it all.

    I will Boo the MANAGER ( as I don’t Boo the players) again if he plays a team as blatantly wrong as the one against Birmingham was.

    Report abuse

  6. 6
    Wanderingwillo

    I agree to some parts….. BUT

    Every Wolves fan is entitled to their own opinion… I don’t know 1 Wolves fan who would get on a players back if we could see him giving 100% for the team we love… Unfortunatley there has been too few times this year where we can say that…

    Also we have been calling for MM to pick his strongest side and keep picking the same team, this has not happened (cause he keeps picking halford)…

    All any Wolves fan wants is to see the players wearing the wolves shirt giving there ‘all’ for the side, as I would if i was wearing the shirt…

    Keep strong, up the wolves

    Report abuse

  7. 7
    cashy

    i totally agree!!!

    but on another note in jan id go for taylor from newcastle to bulk up the defence

    we need another striker to go with doyle ebanks blake is not cutting it at this level at the moment so unless he improves we are not going to get enough goals to survive…god please no rob hulse he is worse than what we already have!!!!!

    and another experienced international winger would do the job also

    Report abuse

  8. 8
    John De wolf

    Although I don’t agree with it, the booing of players that supporters consider to be not good enough, happens at every club around the country. I wish people would stop making out that it’s only wolves who dish out the boos when things aren’t going well.

    For the majority, our fans are excellent. We practically sell out home and away fixtures, a support which isn’t appreciated enough by the hierarchy during financially difficult times.

    Also, frustration at Molineux is a consequence of wanting the team to succeed and with the greatest respect to some of the players you’ve mentioned above, even if they were cheered every week they’d still be rubbish. I have never got on a players back during a game, but after it’s finished I have every right to criticise players.

    Personally I think wolves fans offer terrific support and like I said If Halford wasn’t in the team every weeks coz he can throw the ball, and Keogh scored a goal now and again, maybe they wouldn’t be on their backs.

    As for Ward, he was useless as a striker and left winger, but as a left back he’s arguably got the potential to be one of the best in the league. That’s why opinions changed. It’s up to the players to prove they are good enough and if they’re not, the manager shouldn’t pick them each week. That way the supporters wouldn’t become frustrated.

    After losing to Blues in the manner we did, despite not winning a game for 8 matches, the fans had every right to voice their opinion in the same way as you write these blogs. The support at Bolton was fantastic as the players put in a performance, not as you suggested, because we got an early goal.

    This article makes you sound like a happy clapper who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You’ve tarnished the fans with the same brush, when in fact its a minority who boo. The wolves are lucky to have the support they have.

    Report abuse

  9. 9
    Wanderingwillo

    We all have our own thoughts on the players at the club… But I think every wolves fan would never get on any players back who was showing he was trying 100% for the team….. Unfortunatley there has been too few times this year whre we could say that every player has…

    another frustration is that we have all been asking Mick to select his best side with his best players, but this has not happened, so we are all going to get frustrated when the likes of Milijas has been sat on the bench…

    I think if mick realises that he needs to pick his most creative and best side for the rest of the season, and all the players are seen to be giving there all, EVERY WOLVES FAN WILL BACK THEM ALL THE WAY.

    Report abuse

  10. 10
    wolves@ssasin

    If wolves go and buy rob hulse i am gowing to rip my season ticket up

    Report abuse

  11. 11
    paul owen

    boring hell same old same old !!!!!!

    Report abuse

  12. 12
    MUPPET MICK

    ONE WIN OVER A SHOCKING BOLTON SIDE CHANGES NOTHING !!!

    WE WANT MUPPET MICK OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Report abuse

  13. 13
    Wolf-on-Tour

    Spot on….

    Whatever situation we are in now, and the reasons surrounding it are irrelevant. It is our responsibility to support these players, not push them down and in doing so aid the opposition!

    It’s unfortunate that some of our fans like to send abusive comments to players constantly without thinking. If people came to your work and shouted abuse at you while you tried to work of course you’d be affected! And lets not forget this are young lads, playing in front of 30000 fans each week.

    Report abuse

  14. 14
    Wolf-on-Tour

    Spot on….

    Whatever situation we are in now, and the reasons surrounding it are irrelevant. It is our responsibility to support these players, not push them down and in doing so aid the opposition!

    It’s unfortunate that some of our fans like to send abusive comments to players constantly without thinking. If people came to your work and shouted abuse at you while you tried to work of course you’d be affected! And lets not forget this are young lads, playing in front of 30000 fans each week.

    But to be honest no matter what is said, there are still some people that feel they are justified in abusing…. they just need to think about it a bit more…

    Report abuse

  15. 15
    Stourportwolf

    At the end of the day every player has a bad game and no player deserves to be booed at. Every player that wears a Wolves shirt should get every bit support from the fans. come on lads it’s not going to make their confidence any better if they get stick of the fans. Come on me babbies

    Report abuse

  16. 16
    truewolves

    despite this sensible article im afraid you will get the i pay my money i’ll say and do what i’ll like,brigade spewing thier negative hate filled rubbish on here today and every day till may and then it starts all again in august. personally i think with some new additions in january we will survive. utw

    Report abuse

  17. 17
    beaconwolf

    They loved Halford at Sheff Utd,pretty sure he will be back there in the Jan window.

    Report abuse

  18. 18
    Himleywolf

    No 5
    Pathetic post….”Booing the team is FULLY justifiable”…..

    NEVER,i say NEVER, boo your team!

    So you are Mr perfect and never have an off day in your job?…i feel for your poor kid seeing that as an example of a Wolves fan!

    Nobody forces you to watch Wolves – so it gives you no rights whatsoever to boo them!

    Boo you!!!!!!!!

    Report abuse

  19. 19
    Grace

    I agree with the majority of what you say, however with regards to Halford when the lad goes to press saying he is going to do this & that & then delivers very little, which to date he has, then fans as passionate as ours will demand more, alot more.

    And passion is the key, we are very passionate about our club, at times the support the team recieve is amazing i.e. Southampton, a couple of years ago, Derby & Forest away spring to mind last yr, brilliant support, thats the passion, but with that passion there is always a perceived negative side which means that the fans demand everything of the players for 90 mins, thats why in recent yrs we have had some strange fans favourites, Mo Camara for example, the South Bank used to love him, which I can only pressume was for effort alone!!!

    As for Nick Dennis, he is typical of Fleet Street gutter press ‘a legend in his own living room’ & I was unfortunate enough to read his article about us in May, which was an absolute disgrace & if he is the ‘expert’ on the game his ego would lead us to believe he is, then he should be able to rise above an isolated incident that happened years ago, instead of using his very fortunate platform to take a cheap swipe at a great club, steeped in history, unlike his own club!!!

    We have to keep the passion burning!!!!!

    KTF

    Wolvesforever

    Report abuse

  20. 20
    BIDDULPHDEK

    My view of the Halford substitution was that he was taken off because Wolves needed to change their tactics after Birmingham’s early goal.
    Halford is a useful player to have in the squad as he can slot into different positions on the RH side when required. He does not deserve to be singled out for critisism.

    Report abuse

  21. 21
    Wulf1978

    i actually felt sorry for halford when the crowd cheered at his substitution.At the end of the day he’s not a right winger he’s a full back.
    But i think the ironic cheers were directed at the manager and not halford.
    I don’t blame the players as mm picks the team.i think they give there best but it’s quite clear to most wolves fans majority of them aren’t good enough.I don’t believe the boo’s against blues were directed at the players but at mm as 25,000 wolves fans seem to be able to see our problems that the man paid to do the job can’t.

    Report abuse

  22. 22
    wolf

    Himleywolf put a sock in it you happy clapper or should i say sheep, bleet off footballs about opinions not blindly following

    Report abuse

  23. 23
    richwolf64

    no 18.. then you are an idiot. I suspect you are one of these people that are told what to do.

    More to the point, what’s it got to do with you? They fully deserved being booed again Brum, even the players said that ! Read what the players said. You’ll see they said they desrved it, and they did!

    Prat.

    Report abuse

  24. 24
    Northern Wolf

    Typical denial response, you are all so negative. At the end of the day if you look at the best sports teams in the world you will find that one of the things at their heart are inspirational fans. You lot don’t qualify! These are jsut kids and what they really need is our support to really inspire them and give them some confidence. I am sick and tired of the wolves BOO boys.

    Report abuse

  25. 25
    spanish ray

    I agree that the supporters should get behind the team even when some players are playing badly but,when they can see a manager as useless as MM,then I can also see their frustrations coming to the fore.He is the one who should be cried down not the players.If they are not good enough he bought them he`s to blame ,not them.Don`t tell me he`s a good manager his record in the top flight overrules that and he should go to give us a fighting chance of survival.Two or three players of the right pedigree in January should see us improve.Brum bought well and now look where they are so come on Mr.Morgan splash some cash.

    Report abuse

  26. 26
    Alex Rae's Butler

    Unfortunately, there are too many Wolves fans on here upset that they were wrong about the following issues :

    1) McCarthy being appointed in the first place.
    2) McCarthy should have been sacked when we missed out on the play offs.
    3) McCarthy should’ve been sacked last Xmas / begining of this year when he had out blip last season.

    Time and time again he proved the Bob Wolfs, Wolvesmods etc wrong, and they’re hung up about it.

    We may well go down, but McCarthy deserves this season for what he’s given us in such a short space of time.

    Report abuse

  27. 27
    Mark B

    The whole team failed to provide us with anything during the Blues game.
    Halford is a good right back but I do not think he can deal with the midfield role in this league.
    The balance of the team was ineffective and thats MMs issue.

    Back the team and management and confidence will develop, maybe we are taking too long to understand this level but a few have surprised me and are holding their own.

    They need our support, lets make sure they get it

    Report abuse

  28. 28
    london wolf

    I don’t rate Halford as a player! But, when he is wearing the Wolves shirt it doesn’t matter because he (and any other) will always get my 100% support. Some people on here need to have a good look at themselves!

    Report abuse

  29. 29
    Woking Wolf

    12. What gives you the right to speak for all and sundry with the royal we? YOU may want MM out, but reading the various message boards, you are very much in the minority. You could have been a bit positive and suggested who you would like to see replace him. Go on, tell us, who is available that you would you put in his place? That should be good for a laugh!!!

    Report abuse

  30. 30
    Tim Wolf

    The booing comes from idiots who think we have a divine right to be in this league, the same ilk of Charlton fans who thought Curbishley had taken them as far as he could.

    We have a young team and confidence is key, booing helps no one.

    If you can’t help yourself stay at home.

    Report abuse

  31. 31
    St. Louis Wolf

    Don’t stereotype the majority of Wolves fans with the fickle, mindless few! This minority will always be loud and obnoxious. Read theses comments everyday and it’s not difficult to pick out the cretins and so called “hardcore fans” that open there mouths before putting there brain in gear. Yes I agree, we do seem to have more than our fare share of fair weathered idiots; but don’t tar everyone with the same brush.

    That being said; if I’m helping to pay someone’s wages (who gets paid more in a month than I do in a year) I have a right to voice my opinions, especially if that player shows a lack of effort or commitment to the club.

    Report abuse

  32. 32
    brummierobwolves

    Unfortunately the booing of their own team sums up the football support in the region – Wolves, Villa, Blues and Albion have all done it more than once in the last year alone. I totally agree it does not help the player in question and it is not the fault of Halford that he has been picked. In my opinion he is a one trick pony but this weapon will be useful in certain games but I would suggest a bench spot at best due to his versatility.
    As for Ward,I have met him in Sutton with Foley and Collins and he is a modest, likeable bloke. He is making the left bach role his own and will improve with age. How some supporters have slated him and Milijas is beyond me!

    Report abuse

  33. 33
    Stourbridge Wolf

    Mick Dennis is a hack that works for a newspaper that is dying on its a… (being polite).

    Wont be long before he is just another Journalist signing on – I for one cant wait to laugh at his misfortune! Having worked in newspapers for 10 years all of his type are the same – self opinionated, self obsessed ‘ambulance chasers’ – totally unaware of their real worth in life.

    As he is a Norwich fan lets just laugh at the fact we are two leagues above his beloved team. If we do ever have the misfortune to play them again at molinuex I hope he has another bad day out. Food poisoning from a balti pie perhaps!

    Report abuse

  34. 34
    Isle of Bute Wolf

    Excellent article. I wholeheartedly agree.

    Of course it’s far more productive to support the team rather than be a boo-boy. I actually wonder if the boo-boys have a psychological problem where they feel more comfortable wallowing in negativity!

    Report abuse

  35. 35
    The Magician

    There is clearly a reason why any Wolves supporter would care what a reporter for a newspaper that constantly writes about Princess Diana on its front page (12 years after her death) but it escapes me. If this precious Norwich City supporter wishes to rubbish our team the least we can do is to boycott his rubbish paper.
    Frustration and disappointment is what causes negative reaction and the same happens all over the country when teams fail to perform. At one point at the Blues game the South Bank chanted “Super Mick” it wasn’t very loud and it didn’t catch on but it happened. Why did our even handed Sporting Star columnist miss that but pick up on the booing? In doing so he is as bad as the booers!

    Report abuse

  36. 36
    Grace

    Further to my point made above, re passion, their are some of our fans who spend forunes watching Wolves, myself included. And alot of us can afford it, but there are also fans who follow the club home & away who because of work have to give up holidays etc, due to their commitment & passion to the club, we have fans who spend ALL their spare cash following the club.

    These people have a right to voice their opinions & given what I have said above may not be quite as balanced in their views as we would like, but its these fans who show the greatest committment to the cause, if their way of letting off steam is to come on here & have a moan then so be it.

    The club, players & management should realise just how much certain fans sacrifice to provide them with the support they need.

    Report abuse

  37. 37
    Newbridge Wolf

    Excellent article, this has gone some way to reclaiming my faith in the E&S!

    Report abuse

  38. 38
    wednesbury wolf

    I agree with allot of the comments regarding the Blues game I myself did not and would never boo our boys at half time or full time come to that. Mick Dennis can write what he likes the man’s an idiot who is totally jealous of our clubs glorious history. My final point is to the person who writes under the name of Muppet Mick who do you meen when you say we want Mick out? I work and socialize with about 50 Wolves fans and I cant find one of them that would support you so please everybody get behind SUPER MICK and the lads. Keep the faith

    Report abuse

  39. 39
    Dublin Wolves

    How can you possibly criticize Dennis in 1 breathe then agree with him in the next by stating what he has said himself!!

    As for the Blues debacle, look. Mick McCarthy more than anyone lets the fans know when they have booed a player unfairly, or got on the teams back when he feels they should’nt have.

    Mick said nothing after the blues defeat. Halford has been a waste of space, he has done very little, performed very poorly and is not upto standard.

    The cheer last week was for Kightly, as MICK himself mentioned, he is our star player, our player who gets the crowd going. His substitution did that, it got the crowd going again when it had gone flat.

    The booing at half time was just, the team were poor, not just for performance but for effort also.

    And for 1 second do you think we gave half of what Mick would have given them at half time that day. If Mick wasn’t trashing the dressing room and having a fit at his players then he is a coward cause the players deserved every bit of booing they got that half.

    Agreed they improved the 2nd half, but it still wasn’t good enough for team who had emphasised the importance of that game alone.

    I agree, players can be too easily labelled and judged by Wolves fans, but we are not alone for this. Andrews I do remember was over weight at the time and needed to go for his own good. It wasn’t just the fans that did this, he fell out of favour with a manager, he lost his way with the fans and had injury problems too.

    Look at players who love Wolves, Lee Naylor has always praised Wolves fans and Wolves. I really don’t know where there was any slating of him as a player. Jo Lescott and Keano all love Wolves and class it as home.

    I spoke with an old Wolves player Glenn Crowe a few weeks ago over in Ireland, he loved the place and said he would recommend any up and coming player to go there.

    I agree that Wolves can make or break a player, but look at the players we get that make it, they are always something extra special (Keane, Kightly, Lescott, Richards etc)
    I would rather have it that way than a club who let players have an easy ride. Every player that comes to Wolves know they have to perform each week, the pressure is there. Some fail, but then some fly.

    As for Mick Dennis, well what a waste of space. He slags of the Geordies, he slags of Arsenal fans, then slags off Wolves. The man I think doesn’t really understand his sport as much as he says.

    I think the man doesn’t see the passion between true hatred. Bolton all game were slagging Megson on Saturday, why was there no mention of Bolton, a man who saved them from certain relegation and has punched above there weight for way too long now! But no, its all to easy to pick on Wolves.

    As for Bully, why would a man who is loved by every Wolves fan be so loyal and loving to a club who you claim booed him as a player.

    I think if you ask Bully his opinion on Wolves fans he would tell you were the best in the land, we let players know when they are not pulling there weight and praise those who do.

    Think that might be where you too have got your wires wrong. Surely if you go as often as you say (home and away) with the rest of us, you would see this. Wolves fans just want the best for there team, like every other fan i guess.

    Report abuse

  40. 40
    Fickle Fans

    Nothing New here just the same old tittle tattle and TBH it’s all a bit boring…..

    Report abuse

  41. 41
    truth

    oK THEN,,,, SO any Wolves player who gives 100% will get support. I dont think so! What about Keogh, who’s knockers even say “he always gives his all but he’s not good enough!”. Thats is NOT supporting a player that gives 100% is it?

    Report abuse

  42. 42
    Hexxen

    The cheering aimed at Halford during the Brum match was a disgrace. I do not have a problem with the team as a whole being booed if they play badly, but singling out individuals is not on.
    I am old enough to remember the abuse a lesser known wolves player got by the name of Paul Jones in the late eigties (not the goal keeper) at an away match with Shef Utd and I was emabarrassed to be a Wolves fan that day.

    Remember no wolves player goes out their to play deliberately badly, and if they are not good enough that is not there fault its the managers for buying them in the first place.

    Report abuse

  43. 43
    Hexxen

    All you Wolves fans coming on here saying they were cheering Kightly coming on and not Halford being taken off want to wake up and smell the coffee. I know what I heard and so does everyone who sits around me in the Stan Cullis Stand… Let lone the rest of the stadium.

    Report abuse

  44. 44
    Leon

    I feel the best way to Boo a bda performance is at half time & full time at the team. No player should be booed singley as this has a ripple effect tothe other players. If you are fed up witha player, keep it to your friends, or post on sites like this.

    During the match the whole team should get your support, as the weakest link is usually the breaking point of the team, so it does no good by baracking the weakest link. Supporters pay their money to watch & they are allowed to complain, but keep it to the end of both halves of the match to show your displeasure.

    Report abuse

  45. 45
    Championship_Bound

    I am sick of journalists telling us what we should think about or not. We were sold short by any one of the 3 M’s before a ball was even kicked. rhetoric about not doing an albion, or we have learnt from our mistakes, was purely a marketing ploy to get season tickets sold, they don’t give a damn if we have to make sacrifices throughout the year in order to support our club. it is the deceipt that i cannot accept, and yes, i have the right to boo players, especially when they are even too arrogant not to sign autographs to the kids who stand all day waiting for their “heroes” to arrive, only to be snubbed and dissapointed by them

    Report abuse

  46. 46
    Andy

    Nice of you to take the moral high ground Mr Lalley. A fortnight or so ago you wrote how you wished Stan Cullis had committed a professional foul against Liverpool.

    Recognise this quote Mr Lalley – it was you, last week after the Brum game. Is this what you mean by laying off them?

    “When Kightly joined the action, we were operating with a midfield straight out of last season’s Championship, with Matt Jarvis, David Edwards and Karl Henry filling the other positions. Little wonder that we are struggling to create many opportunities.”

    What about this one – yep, it’s you again laying off the players:

    “No doubt Ronald Zubar would have started if fit, but the other alternatives – George Elokobi, Matt Hill, Stephen Ward and even Kevin Foley – are maybe just good Championship players but no more than that.”

    And then this week you say – “Against Bolton, Stephen Ward had a storming game, but not so long ago he too was a target for derision. Another of McCarthy’s favourites and not good enough were two of the kinder comments he had to put up with.” – Yes indeed. From you. Last week.

    Report abuse

  47. 47
    Alfie

    46 – quality.

    Ha ha Lalley. Found out to be just as fickle as those people you target

    Report abuse

  48. 48
    Simon in Oklahoma!

    39.Dublin Wolf…great post, but I do confess to booing Bully when we lost 4-1 in the cup to Bolton.

    Report abuse

  49. 49
    chris hoggard

    I think this is a good article and I don’t like it when kids such as Andrews,at the time,are not given a chance.But I don’t think Wolves are any worse than other clubs.John mentions Everton and I can remember their fans having a go at their fullback Ray Wilson,who just happened to be the England full back at the time.Also last Saturday I had to smile at the ‘sack the Board’ chants from the Bolton fans. They have had about 12 of the last 15 years in the Prem,and they still want to sack their Board.

    Report abuse

  50. 50
    Simon in Oklahoma!

    46: Andy: LMAO! In view of your comments, oh the irony!

    Thats right, ‘…the boo boys should consider consequences before they howl derision’

    Report abuse

  51. 51
    Bob

    Some of the comments above say it all. I’m sick of having to sit amongst idiots at the Molineux. We all knew 4th from bottom is our aim this season and we won’t achieve it without some positivity and humility from our fans. Fair play it’s not cheap and you pay for the privilege of shouting abuse, but i also reserve the right to to call you a bunch of twisted thickos.

    Report abuse

  52. 52
    Harry

    I chatted with MM when they were here in Perth, I made some comment to him based on an article from Express and Star, MM told me straight – ‘I don’t allow that rag into my house, my family do not read it either, it’s a nonsense paper’. Soon after I spoke with Tim Nash he came across OK, but meeting him again a few more time I did learn these journalist from ES just make up utter rubbish to fill the pages, most of it is nonsense, or ‘creative journalism’ as they would call it.

    No. 46 you are spot one over Lalley, but we need to remember we are reading a trashy paper!

    Report abuse

  53. 53
    Himleywolf

    23 says i’m an idiot and a prat….

    I’m a 46yr old South Banker who has been going to Molineux since 1974 and has never booed and never will.
    Nobody tells me what to do so get that out of your little head!.
    I’m a “fan” otherwise known as a supporter but you wouldn’t understand that would you to busy being a boo “boy”…

    Grow up son and remember the last match of last season, you weren’t booing then were you?…or maybe you were!!!!

    Sad little boy!

    Report abuse

  54. 54
    Dublin Wolves

    48. I remember that day, wasn’t that the home game?? Think he missed 5-6 sitters that day. Don’t think it was booing more of frustration at the chances he was missing against a team 1 division below us.

    What I mean about Bully is he knows there were times when he too probably didn’t pull his weight or a few games where he went on a barron run (now that was rare I know) but along with any player he knew the fans would back him for effort, but if he slacked off, would also give him a kick up the bum. Surely that is the cost of playing football at that level is performing to a standard each week.

    Thats what fans do, they encourage but they also let you know. Surely this is intelligent support rather than moronic support. I agree booing your own player when he hasn’t even done anything in a game is stupid, booing any individual player is in fact.
    but to say booing a whole team performance is wrong when they are paid 10′s of thousands a week for what was a total waste of 45 minutes and total lack of effort, well I guess I am wrong then!

    Report abuse

  55. 55
    truewolves

    do you think the tescos might have a reserve striker for sale for 64000 pounds??

    Report abuse

  56. 56
    john

    Lets face the facts that MM should never have picked Halford to start against brum. Apart from his long throws of which we have scored one goal, he has offered little defensively or offensively all season and did not deserve his place.
    Every team have certain players that receive stick from the fans. Lampard got it from England Supporters and Carlton Cole from West Ham. The way to turn it around is by performing week in week out like Cole has or leave the club. In our club Keogh is frustrating as his all round game is good, but he is shot shy and thats why he was getting a lot of stick.

    Report abuse

  57. 57
    johnwolf

    Agree 100%, it’s about time it was said, some fans think that because they “pay” their money that they have the devine right to boo players, and before anybody shouts me down- just because a player is in your opinion not good enough does not mean that they are not trying, look at the bonus’s that they get today!for winning, etc,etc, no player goes out to play bad – it happens! but there are so many wolves “fans” that are soooo perfect (they think they are) that the players stand no chance? you only have to look at the comments above, thats why we are the laughing stock of football.
    90% of wolves fans are brill, the support away is second to none, mind you it’s easy to spout off in the press when you don’t attend games (I know you all do – just like the 50,000+ did in the bad day’s? that’s why we struggled to get 2,000 some matches)I have my moans after matches BUT I have never booed a player in 56 years of supporting the lads.
    Support or go the choice is yours..We are Wolves….

    Report abuse

  58. 58
    johnwolf

    Dublin Wolves-On the question of Bully,the booing of him got so bad that some of the fans in the Stan Cullis ended up fighting each other, John Richards was also one that got booed a lot towards the and of his career, it’s nothing new so I suppose we should accept it really, they are right and the Wolves management are wrong, that’s why the 3Ms are were they are and the so called “fans” were they are!

    Report abuse

  59. 59
    Townsville Wolf Qld

    Good post 19 – TBH there is always a Wolves player singled out for abuse, & probably because it is very rare they all play well together collectively. I can remember the ‘donkey’ Steve Kindon….we haggled & haggled over the fee with Burnley when when we bought him for a mighty 100,000 pounds…and before you all slate me, yes he was fast, yes he was part of the team that destroyed Chelsea 7-1. But anyone tell me what else did he do for the Wolves consistantly. When he was fed the ball he put his head down & sprinted down the right wing until he either ran out of pitch, left the ball behind him or put the most awful crosses into the stands. This guy had a real love hate relationship with the Wolves fans, but you could never deny his endeavour or spirit…and to think we sold a remarkable teenager called Alun Evans to Liverpool in 1967. Nostalga yes, but you know Andy Keogh is & reminds me a lot of young Evans, & boy has he suffered from the Wolves Fans bitter tongues. If you could put the ball in the net regular Andy you would go from Zero to Hero in an instant. Good luck this weekend boys.

    Report abuse

  60. 60
    Townsville Wolf Qld

    Good post 19 – TBH there is always a Wolves player singled out for abuse, & probably because it is very rare they all play well together collectively. I can remember the ‘donkey’ Steve Kindon….we haggled & haggled over the fee with Burnley when we bought him for a mighty 100,000 pounds…and before you all slate me, yes he was fast, yes he was part of the team that destroyed Chelsea 7-1. But anyone tell me what else did he do for the Wolves consistently. When he was fed the ball he put his head down & sprinted down the right wing until he ran out of pitch, left the ball behind him or put the most awful crosses into the stands. This guy had a real love hate relationship with the Wolves fans, but you could never deny his endeavour or spirit…and to think we sold a remarkable teenager called Alun Evans to Liverpool in 1967. Nostalgia yes, but you know Andy Keogh is & reminds me a lot of young Evans, & boy has he suffered from the Wolves Fans bitter tongues. If you could put the ball in the net regular Andy you would go from Zero to Hero in an instant. Good luck this weekend boys.

    Report abuse

  61. 61
    Townsville Wolf Qld

    Good post 19 – TBH there is always a Wolves player singled out for abuse, & probably because it is very rare they all play well together collectively. I can remember the ‘donkey’ Steve Kindon….we haggled & haggled over the fee with Burnley when we bought him for a mighty 100,000 pounds…and before you all slate me, yes he was fast, yes he was part of the team that destroyed Chelsea 7-1. But anyone tell me what else did he do for the Wolves consistently. When he was fed the ball he put his head down & sprinted down the right wing until he ran out of pitch, left the ball behind him or put the most awful crosses into the stands. This guy had a real love hate relationship with the Wolves fans, but you could never deny his endeavour or spirit…and to think we sold a remarkable teenager called Alun Evans to Liverpool in 1967. Nostalgia yes, but you know Andy Keogh is & reminds me a lot of young Evans, & boy has he suffered from the Wolves Fans bitter tongues. If you could put the ball in the net regular Andy you would go from Zero to Hero in an instant. Good luck this weekend boys….James Beattie anyone!

    Report abuse

  62. 62
    Greeno

    Completely agree. If it wasn’t for this large minority of fans then I’m convinced we would have been promoted in the Taylor years and could have been established before the mega bucks kicked in. Hope you’re proud of yourselves.

    Report abuse

  63. 63
    JIWAL

    What an atrocious excuse for an article.Who the hell do you think you are telling other fans what to do? If I have paid 600quid plus to watch that drivel served up on so many occasion, I’ll boo all I like. Cheering a player that is rubbish, or not giving is all for the cause, is ridiculous. All it does is lur ethem into a false sense of security and the admission that mediocrity is acceptable.It isn’t !! 1000′s of fans have paid through their nose to watch an inadequate side, populated by average players, hoping to survive in a very poor Premier League. Lalley… don;t give up your day job

    Report abuse

  64. 64
    aucklandkiwiwolf

    The fans are paying big money to watch their team and can expect to get value for their money.The Birmingham performance was shameful.Fans have every right to voice their discontent

    Report abuse

  65. 65
    aucklandkiwiwolf

    The fans pay big money to watch Wolves and it is fair to expect value for money.The Birmingham performance was shameful and fans have every right to express their discontent

    Report abuse

  66. 66
    AP2009

    62 – you being convinced of that is merely your opinion and you can never prove it to be the case except maybe in your own little fantasy world. Lets recall the facts:

    At the end of the day, in his only full season, 94-95, he did indeed get us to the playoffs where we were unfortunate not to get to the final. However, when he left in November 2005, we had won 4 of 16 league games and we were 18th.

    When everyone mentions the waste of the Hayward money, who was the biggest culprit?

    Taylor bought:

    Tony Daley for £1.25m
    Steve Froggatt for £1m
    Neil Emblem for 600K
    Don Goodman for £1.2m
    John de Wolf for 600K
    Dean Richards for £1.85m
    Mark Atkins for £1m
    (and Paul Stewart on loan!)

    Five £1m+ players and a total of £7.5m in 18 months. We got £1.2m back from the sales of David Kelly and Kevin Keen. So, a net spend of £6.3m.

    To put this into context, David Ginola went to Newcastle for £2.5m, Roy Keane went to Man Utd for £3.75m and the British transfer record was broken when Chris Sutton joined Blackburn for £5m.

    Yes, this was before the mega bucks kicked in – but Taylor wasted a hell of a lot of Hayward’s mega bucks to get to 18th in Division One. To put the blame on the ‘large minority of fans’ is, I’m afraid, rather naive of you. To say to this ‘large minority’ that you ‘hope you’re proud of yourselves’ is simply arrogant and sad.

    Report abuse

  67. 67
    Dull Amigo

    AP2009 – like your work!
    Had not really thought about it like that, but when you see the figures involved GT spent big.

    Report abuse

  68. 68
    Dan

    What a foolish and counter productive article. The brum game is the ONLY time this season fans have booed and for good reason. The lack of effort and commitment in such an important game was UNACCEPTABLE by anybodys standards. The reason the bolton game was fantastic was because they snapped into tackles and won the bits and pieces. I can’t remember one 50-50 that was not competed for and that was the reason for the support from the satnds not the early goal. Also, I remember man united fans not so long ago saying fergie had lost the plot and he should retire after chelsea had taken dominance in the prem, chelsae fans pole- axing avram grant despite the fact he did a decent job for them, charlton fans saying curbs wasn’t good enough because he could not take them further that mi-table in the prem and newcastle fans against allardyce when they were 9th in the prem. We are not the only club that has this and given the examples above I would argue that actually we are nowhere near the worst in the country and to suggest we are is NONSENSE!!

    Report abuse

  69. 69
    Golden Balls

    I agree with 62 as for me this was a bad decision to sack Taylor. People like AP2009 forget he was the manager that brought in the likes of Robbie Keane. I believe Mcgee and Hoddle have been the shockers in recent years. But that’s the past and all we can do is try and learn from it. I can’t understand the booing of young players that try their hardest but maybe don’t make the grade. That’s the mangers job to ring the changes.

    Report abuse

  70. 70
    Jake

    AP2009. You conveniently leave out key facts with Taylors purchases. It wasnt Taylor who let Dean Richards contract run down and you will remember that he was subsequently sold on for £8.1m. Neil Emblen was sold for £2m and again for £.5m after he rejoined us. Taylor would have got us up if we had given him time but some of our fans couldnt get the Suns Turnip out of their minds.

    Report abuse

  71. 71
    AP2009

    Jake (70) – I didn’t conveniently leave anything out but you conveniently add something that is totally irrelevant. The fact that Dean Richards was sold on for £8.1m has nothing to do it since we didn’t benefit from a penny of it. That’s like saying that bought a house for 200K, gave it away but you want credit since it sold for a million a few years later.

    Golden Balls had a valid point – I completely forgot about Robbie Keane and that’s fair play.

    My point is that I remember some pretty abysmal football under Taylor – he was carrying a shed load of baggage and at the time spent a shed load of Hayward’s money. Again, you fall into the romantic trap that Greeno fell into. You simply cannot say that Taylor would have got us up since you can only go on the evidence and he didn’t – despite only having one full season when we reached the playoffs and then 16 games when he took us to 18th.

    And in terms of conveniently leaving out facts, Neil Emblem was indeed sold for £2m, as you mentioned, a couple of years after Taylor left. We received 800K of it and took him back in return for writing off the remaining £1.2m. We did indeed sell him for 500K after that but you conveniently forgot the £1.2m it effectively cost us. So in total, he cost us £1.2m and we got £1.3m for him. But that wasn’t really the point of my argument. During his 20 months at Wolves, he spent a net £6.3m – peanuts in today’s money – but more than 25% above the British record transfer fee – and we were in 18th at the time he left.

    Report abuse



Free e-Supplements

Business Awards

Read the full story here Read the full story here

Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.

Lifestyle

Interactive Dining Out map Interactive Dining Out map

Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.

LIVE traffic updates

Road, rail and airport - latest Road, rail and airport - latest

Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.

OUR NEW APP

Get the new E&S app Get the new E&S app

Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.