Six point target for veteran Craddock
Monday 29th March 2010, 12:00PM BST.
Wolves’ evergreen defender Jody Craddock has set his team-mates a six-point target to be sure of winning the fight against relegation.
The veteran helped Mick McCarthy’s men to a fourth successive unbeaten game with Saturday’s goalless draw against Everton, the club’s joint longest run in the Premier League, as they made it eight points from four matches.
A point left the team five points clear of the drop and up one place to 14th above Bolton on goal difference, after the Trotters’ 4-0 home defeat to Manchester United.
But Craddock still believes the equivalent of two wins are needed to stay up as they prepare to go to Arsenal this Saturday.
Wolves follow that with home games against mid-table trio Stoke, Blackburn and Sunderland and trips to Fulham and Portsmouth.
He said: “I’m not sure how many points we need -maybe six – but with Hull winning at the weekend, we just need to pick up as many as we can.
“It’s the longest unbeaten run we’ve had at this level and that’s a real boost for the lads’ confidence, and that’s what we need to stay in this division.
“We aren’t safe until it’s mathematically done and dusted, so we just need to keep it going. A lot of people thought we were going to go down, and it isn’t over yet. We can’t be thinking we’ve got enough points because we haven’t yet.
“We need to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Boss McCarthy also warned Wolves fans they must expect substance over style as the tension mounts in the run-in.
Wolves showed grit rather than guile on Saturday and the manager warned it will be more of the same for the last six games.
He said: “Sometimes we have to hang in there. Just because we beat Burnley, took a point at Villa and then played great at West Ham, we haven’t become the best football team in the league.
“If anyone wants anything off us they’ll have to fight us for it. There are times when we can play some good football, but we’re never going to be the best footballing team and we need that heart, desire and honesty.
“We’ll have a scrap with anyone.”
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
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Theres only one Jody Craddock………
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In this case the end definitely justifies the means.
I share the managers view that 1 goal of difference to keep us up is job done.
The very same way that we in the past failed to get promoted on goal difference.
Up The Wolves
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Jody was superb on Saturday and to my mind so was Berra.
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“We’ll have a scrap with anyone.”
Fight, fight, where ever you may be, we are the boys of the black country, and we’ll beat you all wherever you may be, we are the boys of the black country…
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The whole team battled to get a point. I AM A VERY PROUD SUPPORTER TODAY.
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Craddock and Jarvo for England!
Everyone went on how poor West Ham were last Tuesday after the game and never gave us enough credit for the way we played. I still get goosebumps watching the goals!
Premiership we are here to stay!
Keep the gold flag flying high!
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Jody If the rest of our squad play like you have/ do, and have your desire and mental belief to winning games,its been said by other team mates that you’ve been outstanding even in training, and even doing extra training, which shows how dedicated you are to Wolves. And thats why ive every confidence we shall be a PL team next season. You’ve shown/lead by example this season in every game you’ve played in ‘NEVER’ giving less than 100% even chipping in with some good goals too. And you and Marcus ‘FULLY DESERVE’ your New Contracts,even in your 30′s you’ve been Two of our best players this season without doubt.
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Cummon you Wolves. Fulham has sold out, but fans should still be able to get tickets because Fulham have a neutral area in the Putney end next to the Wolves fans, just to let people know :)
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What an example Jody Craddock is to other players young or old; virtually written off and sent on loan;comes back and is probably our best player this term…certainly on par with Kevin Doyle. Well done Jody.
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We must throw everything at Arsenal, and come away with a point if possible, but if we go down, do it fighting.
We have I believe a reasonable run in, and it would appear that Burnley could well join portsmouth in relegation, leaving 4/5 others, including Wolves to join the trio.Our biggest worry is Hull who seem like us to have struck some form like us.
I think that two wins out of the final games is possible even one win and a few draws should do it, but not against Arsenal.
If the impossible happened and we beat Arsenal, we will remain in the premiership. no risk
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It would be nice to set a target of maximum points from the remaining games. It is highly improbable that we could achieve this feet, but theres no harm in setting as high a target as possible and aiming for that. 6 points would keep us up though, and from outr remaining games i cant see us not being able to achieve that.
arsenal- loss (although i have a gut feeling we will win for some reason)
stoke- draw
fulham- loss (although if fulham rest allot of players again, it could easily be a win)
blackburn- win
portsmouth- win
sunderland- win
My reasoning for these results is not because of how good certain teams are but because of a theory that i have had which has led me to successfully predict the last 4 results. The theory is, if we have beaten a team earlier in a season, we usually lose the second time around, and if we have lost, we usually win, and if we draw we usually draw again. It has not been the case against the top teams hence the reason i have predicited a loss against aresenal. and i have a feeling that fulham will be another double this season.
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I have believed all season that 36 points will be sufficient.
As we have been averaging a point a game throughout the campaign it should be well within our grasp.
Both Craddock and Hahnnemann were our saviours on Saturday. Both deserve Man of the Match award.
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I thought the fans were brilliant on Saturday as well. Everyone seemed to realise that a hard earned point against a cracking Everton team was a real achievement and the draw was greeted like a win.
Proud of the team and proud to be a Wolfie.
We salute you MICMAC !!
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There is still plenty of work to be done and there is no such thing as a guaranteed win at this level.
Two wins still required – if we lose to Arsenal and Stoke we could be back in the bottom 3 so the pressure is still on with Hull winning.
There is still time to save the season and get Ince in to keep us up.
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Craddock ? Wolves Man of the match on Saturday and along with Hanahman, Berra and Henry defended with amazing grit and determination against a very good Everton side.
It was a great all round battling performance by the whole team which just shows how confidence in the system and themselves has grown, even though we went through that frustrating period on ‘unlucky’ defeats at the beginning.
I said some weeks ago West Ham would get dragged into it and so it’s turning out, they are completely without confidence and their crazy little Chairman is making things worse. Don’t envy their trip to Goodison on saturday.
Also, glad we ain’t got Bolton’s fixtures.
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Angrywolf – Hull havnt really struck any form, they beat an understrength Fulham side who, their own manager admitted, did not play some players cause of Europe this week. We dont just have to look at Hull anyway, have a look at West Hams run in and tell me they will win more than 2 games??? I doubt it very much.
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“Bob Wolf
There is still time to save the season and get Ince in to keep us up.”
Bob wolf, you are an idiot…..
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Has everyone forgotten West Ham, people go on about Hull catching us but West Ham just lost to Bolton, Wolves and Stoke at home!!! They have Man City and Liverpool to play in the next 6 too, and away at Fulham and Everton!!! Would you like that run in??
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“We’ll have a scrap with anyone.”
People think that the great Wolves teams of old were all about style and flair, but that is not totally true. There was also that Wolves spirit that allowed them to mix it with the hardest teams around.
Seeing the ‘new’ team fighting for everything makes me feel proud of our team, just like the old days.
Keep it up you Wolves!
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10. angry wolf. “Our biggest worry is Hull who seem like us to have struck some form…” ?????
Before playing Fulham – who rested most of their best players – Hull had lost 5 in a row. One match doesn’t constitute ‘form’.
14. Bob Wolf. Unbeaten in 4 and pulling away from trouble – and you want to sack Mick ? That’s a comment you should make on Thursday, the one day of the year when it would make sense.
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10- angry wolf – i disagree with your assessment of hull. Saturdays match was Hulls first win since 6 games ago against man city. I personally dont think they have struck form as i dont think they would have won on saturday if fulham would have played their strongest side. Lets hope their win doesnt give them the confidence they need to go on a good run of games though.
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Armenian Wolf & Grey Wolf. Don’t rise to the bait. Bob Woof is an attention seeker with too much time on his hands.
It was a battling point on Saturday against one of the form teams of the Premiership.
and talking of form it can disappear as quickly as it came. This is where Mick’s 4-5-1 tactics and last years Championship run-in exerience will be prove to be invaluable.
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Lots of tickets available in the neutral end at Fulham, the Putney End, just got 2, same price as the Wolves end.
Lets turn it into a Wolves end!!!
UTW
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A draw at arsenal really wouldn’t surprise me. They have got a very tough game against barcelona on wednesday, so we should be fresher than them, plus they have the 2nd leg in barcelona on the tuesday afer that so i thing Wenger might rest one or 2 of his star players.
As for the result against everton, well done lads was really impressed with the attitude of the team. It’s going to be a performance like that that gets us something out of the arsenal game.
I do think Hull might pull them selves out of the relegation zone, but after the arsenal game we have the best fixtures out of all the bottom 6 clubs IMO.
UTW!!!
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Players of the Season so far:
HENRY, CRADDOCK & DOYLE
All three have been superb!
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Yep, 2 wins would be great and it would be really interesting to see us play when we are safe and don’t have the pressure of having to win or at least not lose.
I would love to see us play a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 and really have a go. Get two strickers on the park and Jarvo flying down the wing!
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Bob Wolf
Cuz Ince did such a good job at blackburn…
I rest my case!
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Thanks for the tip Stuuuey no. 8. Just got a ticket for Fulham game, block P4, neutral area. Wolves fans are in P5-P7.
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wolves have a decent following in london and the south so mike No23 the putney end will be mainly wolves. well done jody and the team against everton, karl henry needs a mention though and did you hear paul merson praising him up on sky sports saying he,s had an outstanding season, fantastic..
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14 Bob Wolf -
Why oh why do you comment…
I have no issue with Ince but to say he would do a better job you must be barking….
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21 wolfhedd
thank you for using correct grammar! “would have” instead of “would of” used so many times in these posts it makes my blood boil!
If anyone wants to use the contraction of “would have” it is would’ve. It sounds like “would of” which is probably where the mistake arises.
Grammar check aside, I think Wolves have been playing brilliantly of late. But for mistakes being punished against Chelsea and Man U (the difference between championship contenders and also rans) we could’ve (note the contraction!) taken points from them too.
I think 36 points will be enough to stay up, given the run-ins Burnley, Hull and West Ham have*
*was tempted to just use ‘ve instead of have, but though I might be pushing it!
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28 JohnnyBGoode
Well I do have an issue with Ince. This the same Ince who played the race card when he didn’t get the Wolves managers job – he said it was because he was black. He was our captain for God’s sake, nothing to do with race.
No, he didn’t get it because he had no experience, a decision that has proved to be fully justified.
Ince will never achieve what McCarthy has in his managerial career.
UTW
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Number 28 – no problem glad you got your ticket, the more Wolves fans the better I say :)
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how do we know the putney end is neutral other than the wolves section?? Just asking before i go searching for a ticket or 2 lol
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No. 26 Wolvesonadnon – NO!!!!!!!
Why change a perfectly working system, if we went to the emirates and played anything but the 4 5 1 system we would leak goals. Dont touch what aint broke, its working well we are hard team to beat now.
Wolves to draw against Arsenal Saturday.
UTW!!
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Oh yeah and by the way.
COME ON MANC CITY STUFF WIGAN TONIGHT PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Actually dont answer that one, just called the club, it is indeed open for wolves fans to buy tickets, and its better too as you can pick your seat. Just got 2. Awesome.
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Yes it’s still on Wolves “farmers” against
ALBION “Steelworkers & Miners”. SIX easy points for WBA the only true BLACK COUNTRY
football club.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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(post 35)
WTor74,
I agree woolfs must park the BUS.
up the wooluves.
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35- WolfyTor74- i think he was refering to when were safe, try out different formations. I personally would like us to try out different formations when the pressure is off, with players coming in the team to try and get a bit of confidence for next season.
If Blake could score a couple of goals before the end of the season, he could be a completely different striker next season. It would also give us a chance to give a chance to some of our younger players as how are they going to get into the team unless theyre given an opportunity, and what better time to give them that opportunity.
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Bob Wolf !!
I suggest next season you go down the road to watch football, there’s an ugly rumour that Tesco’s might be entering a team in the prem !
BURNLEY
VILLA
WEST HAM
EVERTON
IN MICK WE TURST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I am worried about Berra, I think he is a big liability and has not played well on our good run.
He does too much ball watching and because of that is often caught on the wrong side of the man he is supposed to be marking.
There were some prime examples of this in the Everton match.
Jody has steadied the ship on his own in the middle of defence.
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Come on the lads, we may get those points and just about stay up. I doubt we’ll stay up next year what with quality teams like Newcastle and the Baggies coming up, but at least we’ve had a good year this year.
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please o please stop replying to bobwolf and he might just go away …… and to telwolf taught this was a football site where ordinary football supporters give there view on football matters if you want to comment on grammar go to the appropriate sites PS we will survive
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Jody is right they still have to get as many points as possible until it is mathmatically impossible.
Macc Wolf you are so right I am sick of hearing how West Ham,Everton,Liverpool, Manchester United etc didn’t play their best. I think it is about time the press and television gave Wolves credit where its due. Our lads are working their socks off at the moment and deserve praise. Against West Ham I hear MM was presented with an engraved crystal ball for the best performance of the week, but the press etc have done nothing but talk about West Ham. I could not go to that match but watched on television and I thought we were awesome. More of that please and we will survive no probs.
Wolfhead If we carry on playing like we have been doing I to can’t see why we can’t get something out of Arsenal but we can’t let them play their kind of football, got to get in their faces they don’t like physical but not too physical cause they will fall at the drop of a hat and get someone sent off. It will be hard but it can be done.
My predictions
Arsenal draw (fingers toes and everthing else crossed)
Stoke draw
Fulham win
Blackburn win
Portsmouth win
Sunderland draw
Saturday was brilliant and the fans were great really got behind the lads and this is what we have to do for the rest of the season .Everton are a good team and I think we frustrated them but again it was Everton having a bad day or the pitch (Moyes words) not Wolves doing really well.
I have always been proud to be a Wolves fan but at the moment I am chuffed to bits with the way we are playing and even if (which I don’t think we will) go down it won’t be for the want of trying. I love everything about the Wolves and no matter what, I will always support them.
COME ON WOLVES
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Trevor Lloyd (43) makes a good point. If we stay up the second season is hard unless there is inverstment.
I wasn’t surprised about the point against Everton as we are on a roll and at the best time. I think probably 5 more points will keep us up because Arsenal apart, we have five games which are ‘pointable’. Not so Bolton who are my favourites to go down as their run – in is horrible. Most of the others have difficult games and often play each other and so we can happily expect draws from our fellow strugglers.
But the main thing is that we are hard to beat, we have started scoring and we are enjoying increased confidence. All looks good.
Our goal difference may well be worth a point.
The 3 M’s starring magic Mick will keep us in the promised land.
Meanwhile Bobwolf…..get back to the baggies.
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Just to back up what others have said, today i got two tickets in the neutral area right next to the away supporters at Fulham. I even phoned the club and they said wolves fans can buy them. You can actually pick your seats on the Fulham site too so in a way its better than having to sit where the luck takes you as per normal lol Kind of glad i missed out first time round now :) Lets fill the whole end with Wolves fans!!!
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in other words thanks very much Stuuuey!! Cant wait for Fulham game now, i hope we fill most the end with Wolves fans :)
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43 – As it stands, we are currently 14th in the league, with only 6 games to go. Our run in looks like it could be very positive.
If we finish 14th or above then SIX teams at least will have finished below us – THREE will still be in this league next season, along with Albion (quality team!!!???) and whoever scrapes through the play offs..
Plus our young championship players will have one year’s vital Premiership experience, as well as being strrengthened by whoever we sign in the summer. Finishing 14th or higher will make it easier to sign quality players, and £800K per premiership place will help to pay for them.
With that in mind, the battle for NEXT season has already started. The higher we finish this season, the better we’ll do next!
Have Faith!
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E11wolf. Don’t be dim, Trevor Lloyd Barker (Tesco Lardy Boy) is quite clearly a Boggy come traspassing.
The second season syndrome is a myth, the baggies nearly always go back down at the first time of asking.
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TO Grey wolf if Hull are the form team does that mean F
To Grey wolf if hull are the form team should FULHAM get fined? Surely Everton are the form team .Well done Mick,s men
ulham
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Setting targets may put pressure on the team.Let’s take it game by game.
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NO 15. Eastwood’s Rubbish, You and i often seem to agree on most things. On Saturday morning i wrote on here that Bolton have a very tough run-in, i said their next 4 matches r Man U,AV,Chelsea,Stoke. By then end of them games they could be in the bottom four.No 25, Berkeley Wolves. I also endorse your comments. Henry,Craddock,Doyle,plus Hahemann are my 4 front runners for players of the season, but i did add on Saturday that Dave Jones is a late contender, as since he’s come in has been outstanding. Even Jarvis as got better during the last few weeks, but my choice would come from the 4 above.UTW
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We are staying up! Fact!
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Craddock is a Man Mountain for Wolves, if not a lynchpin to our defensive and offensive success, as with a host of others; such as with his humble aspirations to put the “team first,” above all else, be it catching Capello’s attention. UTW!
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Bob Wolf you are no Wolves fan but a complete Tube .Go and put your comments on the Albion forums were your true pasion is .
Mick and the lads have restored a lot of pride for the true Wolves fan and the players and staff deserve the credit they are recieving (at least in the Midlands press).
If we do stay up having the Villa,Baggies,Blues and Stoke derbys to look foward too will be like being back in the 1970′s
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Iurge everyone to go onto the BBC predictor. My friend, an Arsenal fan, said he’d been on there and had us finishing 14th. From a neutral that sounded great until he mentioned he also somehow has Arsenal to win the league.
I had a crack at it myself yesterday, and despite what others watching agreed was a conservative and sensible approach, I managed to get Wolves finishing 14th on 41 points. This evolved from predicting one defeat from the remaining 6, at Arsenal and if I remember correctly 3 draws and 2 wins, against stoke at home, and Portsmouth away. I will admit that if we do finish on 41 points, I will be forced to celebrate with 41 pints- perhaps in two sittings in order to avoid either a visit to the hospital or local station.
Even if we predictions were somehow lofty, I took greater pelasure from the distance we would end up from the bottom three. I have Pompy, obviously to finish bottom, Burnley, and West Ham.
One win in 6 for Hull is hardly a turn in form but something tells me they will pick up twp more wins, one at home against Burnley.
Look at West Hams remaining fixtures. Everton and Liverpool are their next two away games. They also have Man City at home. That leaves them with three games to scrape points from, and I would be very surprised if they win another game this season. I take nothing away from Wolves at West Ham, I thought we tore them apart, but they were all over the place, then they go and lose to Stoke. 6 defeats on the bounce and I just cannot see them recovering now. I think I had them as the third relegated team finishing on 29 points. If all three relegated teams finish on less than thirty points it points,no pun intended, to a weak Premiership this year. Weak or not, we have only been able to compete with what has been put in front of us and thus far we are on course for mission accomplished. I think any of us would have taken 17th at the start of the season- anything above that can only be an almighty boost to everyone at the club from top to bottom. We will have also done it without breaking the bank, but lessons will be learned, look what happend to Reading a few years ago, had a better season than the one we are having only to get relegated the next. Now look where they are. I believe alot of the promised investment, promotion money, and the monies we will reap from staying up, another 30 odd million from Sky, tickets, and so on, the club will have stockpiled enough cash to have not only ensured our financial security and future, but built a sizeable reserve to throw at Mick for the summer, and every penny he will have earned the right to spend. Considering we do stay up, I would anticipate a transfer outlay closer to 30 million- I am hoping we will see four captures in the guise of Doyle. You get what you pay for, and at 6.5 he has proved a snip. We could sell him for double that if we wanted, but there is a sense around the club again, that these players, and they are the ones living and breathing it on the training ground, feel something special could be just three or four years down the road for this great club of ours. We can moan and groan about this and that but all in all the spirit at the club and the pride with which these players are wearing the shirt is something I have not seen in a very, very long time.
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38) I think you have spelt your name wrong the H should be replaced with PR.
Now on jog on back to Brum. Your only association with the Black Country is that some of your 20000 fans live in Dudley, Stourbridge and Tipton.
There will be no 6 points as you have no forwards or decent defenders!
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NYC Wolf – “conservative and sensible approach” Only 1 loss out of the remaining games, i hope you are correct..
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51. Florida Wolf
Read my post again. I quote someone else (angry wolf) saying that Hull are the form team – and then I disagree.
Should Fulham be fined ? Yes, if the FA cares about consistency. Wolves were given a (suspended) fine for not playing our strongest team. Fulham blatantly did the same thing.
I note that Wenger had a pop at Wolves over the Man U game, but he had nothing at all to say about the Hammers playing a weakened team against Arsenal before their game with us.
Hypocrisy everywhere. Premier League, full of…
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Hurray for New York City Wolf, and Jody, you’re a brilliant artist, loved your exhibition in Chapel Ash a couple of years ago.
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BOB WOLF
Do you ever crack a smile?
Kick the dog when you get up?
Glass half full man?
Are you the father of said Ince?, the man who has been sacked from all managerial positions including Milton Keynes.
You need to get back on your anti depressants and take a deep breath mate.
We are in a better position then I dare say most of us would have expected and yet you still want MM sacked.
Get back to Wimbledon, you Womble.
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We will only lose of course away to Arsenal so its perhaps time to bring some of the ‘fringe’ players back for this game and leave our ‘strongest’ eleven for the following games.
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Just bought my tickets for the Fulham game in the neutral end. There are plenty available and talking to the lad on the other end, he believes that Wolves will have the majority of fans in the Putney end.
Looking forward to the game. Can’t come quick enough.
UTW
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Dear Pip. You do seem full of worry and slight sarcasm. Yes. A conservative and sensible approach- as in………….
From our last 6 games:
Arsenal, lose.
Stoke (H) win
Fulham (A) Draw
Blackbrun (H) Draw
Portsmouth (A) Win
Sunderland (H) Draw
I think we have the resources to beat both Blackburn and Sunderland at home, but considering our shyness in front of goal, I went for two draws. I fancy us to pip Stoke at home. Beat Pompey- seems the fashionable thing to do. Maybe I got all wild and crazy thinking we can get a point at Fulham, considering we have won at Spurs & West Ham, drawn with Liverpool, drawn twice with Villa and so on. We have not been beaten in four but that could very well have been ten considering how well we have been playing since we switched to 4-5-1, which I may point out has most likely helped, or gone a long way to ensuring Presmiership football at our cherished home for a second season- so hats off to our clearly awful manager and worse backroom team. I am not even suggesting a top ten finish next season but based on our recent reap, 8 points from four games, that is European qualification ratios. Again, for the studid amongst, I am not predicting next year we will be frolicking around the bussoms of the top 6 or 8, but lets just agree that at present, and for the future, things are looking rather healthy.
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