Wolves legend Steve Bull gives it to you straight in his weekly column and backs Sam Vokes to come back a better player after his Manchester United miss.

Another good performance went unrewarded for Wolves against Manchester United and I really feel for Sam Vokes who missed a glorious opportunity to equalise.

On any other day, he could easily have buried that late chance and been a hero. He’s a natural goalscorer but the ball came to him so fast that I don’t think he realised how much time he had. It’s one of those things a striker hates but I don’t expect it to damage his confidence.

Speaking to Sam last season I told him he was one for the future and to get his head down, work hard and seize his chance when it came along.

He can still do that and, like his manager said, he could be the player to score a crucial goal between now and the end of the season. Whether Mick McCarthy decides to use him in a 4-4-2 or from the bench, Sam can add energy and enthusiasm to the team. He’ll get more chances in front of goal and the next one could just as easily be a scuffed effort that creeps in the corner.

As a team, the players are getting a little anxious in front of goal at times. Maybe they’re snatching at chances or dwelling on the opportunity too much, but we’re getting into the right positions so I don’t think there’s any psychological block when it comes to scoring goals. Once one goes in, even if it comes off someone’s shin, they’ll soon believe they can score again.

I think the most games I went without scoring a goal was three, but I was always told to knuckle down, keep working hard and I’d say the same thing to the team now.

Kevin Doyle is doing just that, working tirelessly up front and, while I don’t think there’s too much of a risk of burnout for a player of his fitness level, the gaffer might have to think about resting him for one or two games.

I do wonder if he might get a bit fed up being on his own. As a striker you can only do so much and with him playing for the Republic of Ireland as well, maybe it is best he has a rest – but only if Mick feels happy that someone can do a good job replacing him.

At the other end a mistake cost us again and it was surprising to see Jody Craddock making it, going to ground against Paul Scholes when he should have stayed on his feet. It boils down to a lack of concentration and I don’t think you can teach that to players.

There’s only so much you can say to them because when a player switches off it’s down to him alone. I’m not one for bringing in sport psychologists for a problem like this – I’d save that for personal issues – so it’s up to them to stay focused for 90 minutes.0

Having said that, Craddock has been one of our best players this season. He’s going to make the odd mistake now and then and it proved costly this time, but he’ll be the first to hold his hand up and admit he was wrong to dive on the floor.

That’s Jody for you, an old stalwart that will give you his all every match, so he’ll just get back out there and be the same leader he always is against Burnley.

Inevitably people will talk about the next game as a relegation six-pointer, maybe even as the biggest game of the season, but last Saturday I said Manchester United was the biggest!

It certainly won’t be the be all and end all if we don’t beat Burnley, but it is one we should take the three points from to secure our place in the Premier League. We beat them last time, so if we play like we did against United then I can’t see Wolves having a problem.

Brian Laws’ side are struggling a bit but I hope Mick sets us up in the same way, 4-5-1, and hopefully the lads will put in the performance to get the luck we need. Even against a weaker side than Manchester United, I would keep the same formation because it’s away from home and last week we still had two clear-cut chances.

If we didn’t have those chances then like I said last week, I’d be heading back to the drawing board, but we’re creating openings every game. I’d expect us have even more against Burnley because if we got two sights of goals last week, what’s to stop us making four, five or more opportunities against a team with a poor defensive record?

In the end though, it’s not about how many chances you create, it’s about putting them away!

Burnley’s home form was really strong at the start of the season and, even though it has faltered recently, I don’t want to think about that because one win in seven can easily become two in eight.

It won’t have a bearing on Saturday’s game because their luck has got to change sooner or later, just as ours has to. I’m not convinced they’ll be doomed if they lose this game either but it would put a first nail in the coffin, because that would open up a gap between us.

If they do go down it will all be blamed on Brian Laws, not Owen Coyle, which is why it’s so difficult to follow a popular manager. But if Laws does keep them up, he’ll be an instant hero.

The manager is the one who comes under that level of scrutiny and the players don’t always feel that, but the gaffer is always bothered about his team and their performances.

When it comes to Wolves, I think Mick McCarthy can be proud of the way the lads are playing, but he’s probably wishing he could just tread in a big pile of horse manure and finish off the rest of our bad luck in one fell swoop!

BULLY’S TIP OF THE WEEK: -

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