Mick looks to win battle of nerves
Thursday 25th February 2010, 11:20AM GMT.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy insists his players confidence can exploit Bolton’s struggles and win a battle of nerves on Saturday.
McCarthy’s men might be the joint lowest scorers in the Premier League but Bolton haven’t found the net in their last 505 minutes.
He said: “They’ll be hard to play against but they’re certainly finding it difficult at the moment, like we all do if you aren’t playing well. If things aren’t just going right then the nerves come to all of us.
“If we play well, we can exploit that. We’ve played well for five games now – Liverpool, Hull, Birmingham, Tottenham and Chelsea.
“We’ve not won them all and not got all the points we want but we’ve played well in them. If we want to take anything into the next game it’s confidence and belief and knowing we’re playing well.
“But if we concede after five minutes their ground will be bouncing, it’ll be ‘Super Whites’”
But McCarthy is expecting a physical battle – despite new boss Owen Coyle’s reputation as as a purist.
Bolton are undergoing something of a style makeover under Coyle, who took over from Gary Megson on January 8.
But in failing to score in 505 minutes, their struggles have continued with just two wins in 11 games under the former Burnley chief.
McCarthy said: “They try to play football, but they’ll try to play it up to the two big lads Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies as well, to play off them.
“They’re a big side – with Zat Knight, Sam Ricketts, Elmander and Davies, they’ve got plenty of height, and they’re solid – in Gretar Steinsson at right-back and Paul Robinson at left-back, they make a big, powerful team.
“They’re tough, there’s no question. The Korean, Chung-Yong Lee, is a very good player who plays wide right and Matty Taylor plays wide left, although they play narrow.
“The goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen has been one of the best in the league for a long time.”
McCarthy, who had trusted coach Ian Evans watching Bolton’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Tottenham last night, dismissed the weekend defeat as having any effect on the Trotters.
He said: “I don’t think it works that they then react differently in the next league game.”
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Its a biggie, a must not lose. Come On You Wolves!
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We often seem vulnerable early on in games and straight after the break. What’s going on there? More of a warm-up required, Mr Daley?
Come on you Wolves!
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A team who hasn’t scored in 505 minutes against the lowest scoring team in the premiership….I’m going for a 4-4 draw!
They have 2 big lads up front so Craddock and Berra better be ready for a physical 90 minutes, Henry needs to play the game of his life in front of the back four and break up the Bolton attacks. Although they’re a big physical side they are not overly quick so I’d expect Foley and Jarvis to cause problems. I’d like to see us score early to silence the crowd and put the pressure on Bolton, I think if we score first we can go on and win comfortably. 4-5-1 is suited for this type of away game; defend in numbers and hit them on the break. Come on Wolves.
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We owe Bolton 1 for setting us back 15 years ago!
1994, big fat McGinley scoring after punching the Wolves player (think it was David Kelly)… could be wrong!
Wolves were robbed that day.
Lets get the 3 points and pull ourselves away.
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You are right. Bully on the pitch at the end of the game that night was the saddest footballing sight I’ve ever seen. We should have buried them in the first leg though. Don’t forget the 6/7th game where they mysteriously found their own ref 30 mins before the game who disallowed a good goal and didn’t give a blatant penalty. Not had too many happy drives down the M6 from there but Saturday could make up for it all.
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You are right it was David Kelly – I was there at Burdon Park Bolton.
We owe them big time! COME ON!!!!!
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We owe them big time! COME ON!!!!!
Were you not there in 1977?
A fantastic last game of the season that saw Wolves & Chelsea get promoted that year.I can remember the car journey up there,playing 3 card brag for biscuits.My mate Steve Sandlands from Moxley lost BIG STYLE.
Happy Days
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1-0 win and Kenny Hibbitt goal if I remember correctly. Too young to go to away games then but remember watching it on Star Soccer on ATV!
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Bolton missed out on promotion as a result of our win there, and we were already promoted.As a result of our win Clough’s Nott’m Forest won promotion at the last minute by the backdoor. Clough then signed 3 quality players in the summer,Shilton,Burns and Gemmill. They then won the league and 2 European Cups. We were linked with Burns but wouldn’t pay the money.Sounds familiar doesn’t it.
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to right only time i have actually cried at a wolves game gutted that day, lets return the favour !!!!!!!!!
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Yeah it still hurts, more than any game I can remember. It was right in front of the Wolves fans & McGinley practically pushed the ref out the way to punch Kelly, get away with it then score the winner. I still have the E&S photo of Bully sitting on the pitch after the final whistle.
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ST LOUIS WOLF
i dont think foley will cause them problems, jarvis could be lethal against there right back. im going for a 2-1 win to wolves kevin doyle and berra.
HI HO WOLVERHAMPTON.
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MM: “The Korean, Chung-Yong Lee, is a very good player who plays wide right and Matty Taylor plays wide left, although they play narrow.”
Mick is a great manager, but he’s basically hopeless. I think we’ll stay up, although we’ll be unable to avoid relegation. Bolton haven’t scored in 505 minutes, so they are bound to score against us in the first five. Wolves’ overseas players have done well this season, boosted by their inability to understand a word Mick is saying. As an Irishman, Mick is a credit to Yorkshire.
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If you don’t understand that a team can play narrow despite having wide players then you should start watching netball or crown green bowling.
Spirit of 60 ? Not all teams use wide players like Cullis did with Deeley, Mullen, Lill, Horne, Hinton and Wharton …..or maybe you missed that one.
As for your sarcasm about the Manager. Save it until May, pal.
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oops, looks like having a sense of humour has been banned then!
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You think that’s funny !
Wow I bet you’re a barrel of laughs
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What an awful night that was. McGinley should have been off instead of scoring the winner…and the 3 hour drive home with road works on the M6. Aaaaaaargh !
But that was then and this is now.
Bolton are at a low and we must take advantage. Maybe the manager’s style and the Bolton style haven’t gelled yet. Well we can help them with that by giving them a season or two back in a lower division to practice.
We’ve hit on a (nearly) successful formula and if we can hold it together for the next few games there’s hope.
So come on Bolton, fulfil your fixtures and clear off back to the Championship.
Zubar to score off a Jones corner….job done !
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I like a bit of positivity for a change. Well said Bertie , by the way. Some people don’t have the brains they were born with!!!
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Someone on here has said that 1995 unlucky play off defeat set us back for years.I think they are right and also I believe we are facing a similar crossroads position in the next few games. If we stay up everything will be hunky dory and surely the powers that be will realise the mistakes made and bring in some more quality to assist Doyle. If we go down it is not worth thinking about.Doyle will do a Camara and it looks like we might lose some others.It will be a rebuild job, and we all know with Wolves that can be very hit and miss.We also have Steve the Builder itching to knock down a few of Sir Jack’s stands.Someone should tell him it was going into debt building the Steve Bull Stand that caused all our previous problems.Are you listening Mr Prudent Moxey? And where is my Early Bird details,I have not received a dickie bird yet.
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Bolton have always been a bogey team for Wolves.
I can remember them beating us in the cup in 1956 SIX ONE. For some strange reason I think the best we can hope for is a draw.
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I well remember that game against Bolton when Mcginley scored and should have not even been on the pitch! I was as sick as a pig for days. It would be fantastic to get our own back after all this time.
Keep the faith and hang on; we’re on that Wolves rollercoaster again. We can do it if we’ve got the bottle.
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Yes, i think we all still have alot of ill feelings with bolton and i for one would love to see wolves beat them even if its a scrappy 1-0 !
Never forget Bully & the pie moster Mcginley rivaly’s on the pitch and for the golden boot.
And then there’s that yoof we had coming right up from the ranks of our youth only to decide he was in for “bigger things” than Wolves…. whats his name again ? hahaha
Yeah we deffo need this one lads n lassies
In Mick we trust ;)
im going 3-2 Wolves ! i think there be thills.
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Bertie – Come on mate, Spirit of ’60 was not being sarcastic to the manager – he was just introducing a bit of humour and very good it was. Lighten up a bit.
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Disagree. He’s just one of (hopefully) the minority who can’t wait to have a pop at MM. The Muppet Mob.
We don’t need that ‘Spirit of 2010′ just at the moment we need everybody positive, and as for “introducing a a bit of humour and very good it was too” I bet you liked Terry & June. My sides ache !
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Thanks for that Pem – not everybody understands irony, but I would have thought it was a prerequisite for Wolves supporters. Our best-ever player turns to religion and retires from the game, our best-ever striker never gets to kick a ball in the Premiership, our Greatest Benefactor regards a season in the top flight as a tea-tasting tour… if we don’t laugh then we have to cry.
For the record, I sincerely hope that Mick keeps us up and then gets the funds to really kick on. I think he has it in him to get us into Europe if he also manages to bring in some more sophisticated coaching expertise.
I love the guy’s foot-in-mouth public pronouncements, and honestly believe that his ability to contradict himself in the same sentence is truly priceless. He deserves the widest possible audience for his humour, both intentional and accidental, and I find it most endearing. That said, I reserve the right to lampoon him from time to time. It bears repeating: if we don’t laugh we have to cry.
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First and only time I remember Bully being booed…1993 FA cup against Bolton and making it worse a player from Darlaston scored for Bolton …Scott Green
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Bully was absolutely awful that night…missing 5 or 6 open goals in a row. It seemed every time he missed Bolton scored. He’d have booed himself if he’d been watching.
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gutted i cant be there sat due to poxy work commitments but hope the 3000 or so turn the reebok over big style. fantastic stadium there but the support is pathetic. WE ARE WOLVES
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I got a bad feeling about this one,not got very good record at bolton,i think if we lose this one with man u coming up next it will leave us to much to do and we will be looking at championship football next season.
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We are sort of only’ Halfway to Paradise’.
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That’s needlessly pessimistic. Even if we lose the next two we won’t be anywhere near cut adrift.
We probably need 10-12 more points. Our last 5 games could easily provide most of those.
What we absolutely cannot afford to do is lose to all of Bolton, Burnley and West Ham.
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You mean like the first 5 games where going to be easy.
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16, I understand why you would come on here after defeats to Brizzle and Reading but this is Premiership chat.
We have gone to White heart Lane and Wigan and won, nothing stopping us from beating Bolton. I’d take a draw but a win would be great.
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Pembrokeshire Wolf – were about are you down there bud – I go to tenby quite a lot,have friends in Kilgetty.
Has for Bolton lets hope that none of our players do a Naylor!
We are Wolves……………
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