McCarthy seeks new power source

Mick McCarthy calls him "Duracell" but the Wolves boss is going to have to find another source of power for the next three games.

Captain Karl Henry might not be indispensable but he has gone a long way towards being irreplaceable and immovable this season.

In these days where squad rotation is the norm, the 27-year-old has missed just two of Wolves' 38 games in all competitions in 2009-10.

And until Saturday, he shared with evergreen defender Jody Craddock the distinction of being the club's only outfield player not to have been substituted.

That's an impressive 3,216 minutes on the pitch, not including time added on.

In fact the only time Henry's name has been missing from the Wolves teamsheet in 2009-10 is the Carling Cup second round penalties win against Swindon on August 25 and the 3-0 defeat at Manchester United in December 15 when he was one of the controversial 10 changes made by boss Mick McCarthy.

And sadly of course, the final 24 minutes of Saturday's 1-0 defeat against Arsenal, when 10-man Wolves went within 60 seconds of holding the Gunners at the Emirates.

By then, Henry had been harshly sent off, and the rest as they say, is history.

But as the dust settles on the debate surrounding the red card, so another one starts on who is going to replace the ex-Stoke man, who misses the chance of making his 150^th Wolves League appearance against his former club on Sunday.

The epitome of McCarthy's committed, hardworking Wolves over the last three and a half years, Henry has been a fixture in the side virtually ever since his arrival for a bargain £100,000 in August 2006.

For all his hard work, the Wolverhampton-born midfielder is probably not the most appreciated player who pulls on a gold shirt.

He is the anchorman, the one who does the 'ugly work' - the water carrier.

Not surprisingly, like some of his hard-tackling Wolves predecessors through the ages such as Eddie Clamp, Mike Bailey, Keith Downing and Paul Ince, Henry is often thought more of in the dressing room than in the stands.

No one quite tackles with the same regularity or ferocity of Henry, and few possess his running power and ability to protect the defence, while he has gradually added a neat composure to his game which sees him rarely waste the ball these days.

Then there's the leadership qualities, for Henry has gradually become one of the club's most vocal and respected players.

So how are they going to cope without him?

Well, McCarthy has assembled his squad for just this sort of reason.

With numerous players of similar ability, the Molineux chief has options at his disposal.

Dave Edwards has to be one of those in the driving seat.

Perhaps not possessing Henry's bite in the tackle, Edwards's key attribute is one where he probably just about shades Henry - his energy.

A natural runner, Edwards possesses the pace, engine and mobility to get around the park.

And at a fraction under six foot, he also has the size not to be intimidated by Stoke's physical approach at the weekend.

Although he has never really reflected it in goals, the former Shrewsbury and Luton man is more of a threat going forwards than the skipper.

With an identical work ethic to Henry, Edwards is a manager's dream is more ways than one too.

His versatility – the 24-year-old has played right back, right midfield, centre midfield and as a second striker for Wolves – means that McCarthy has the option of moving the equally versatile Kevin Foley inside to a more central midfield role, leaving Edwards to use his running power to burst forward in support of lone frontman Kevin Doyle with Matt Jarvis, which would suit his game down to the ground.

Edwards of course was playing wide right when he got injured in the 1-0 win at Tottenham, albeit in a 4-4-2 formation before they struck on 4-5-1.

With his deflected winner at Burnley and tremendous volley against Chelsea, Adlene Guedioura has certainly got an eye for goal.

The French-Algerian is not afraid to shoot from anywhere.

But with a fearsome reputation for tackling in Belgium, the 24-year-old can also 'dig' a bit too when needed, as he has shown on occasions since joining Wolves.

Guedioura also has a decent engine on him, even if he is still prone to want to do too much at times in terms of running with the ball.

Although a more forward-thinking player than Henry, he has to be considered an option to replace the captain because with Michael Mancienne set to keep his place as the 'insurance policy' sitting in front of the back four, Wolves can perhaps afford a slightly more naturally attacking option.

Mention of the phrase 'naturally attacking' brings Nenad Milijas into the equation.

But it is difficult to see the Serbia international winning this particular race.

Hugely talented he might be, but with Wolves already having a left footed play-making presence going forward in the in-form David Jones, it is difficult to see McCarthy making a case for another, especially as he risks losing so much defensively.

Likewise for the same reason the little-seen Andrew Surman.

Milijas's disappearance from the fray over the last couple of months suggest that although McCarthy is unequivocal in his admiration at the former Red Star Belgrade man's talents, he is not yet convinced of his ability as an all-action midfielder.

That man is Henry and it could just be that the man to inject that 'long life' in his place might be Edwards – with Foley moved inside.