Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Jelle van Damme is staying at Wolves
Friday 1st October 2010, 11:10AM BST.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has re-assured fans Jelle van Damme is committed to the club and will not be leaving Molineux.
Comments attributed to the player in the Belgian press revealed the 26-year-old was struggling to settle in England and yearned to return home, where his wife is expecting their second child in November.
The report also quoted van Damme as saying Anderlecht ‘will always be my club’ and suggested he could return there on loan in January.
But, while McCarthy admitted the £2.5million summer signing was finding it hard without his family, the manager insisted the Belgium international is desperate to succeed at Wolves.
He said: “His wife is back home with their child and expecting another and he’s going home every night eating a bowl of pasta on his own.
“She won’t be back until January and he’s just having a tough time settling in, that’s all. But he loves the club, the training, the fans and the team.
“Is it unusual someone finds it unsettling when those things are going on?”
McCarthy insisted everything was being done to help van Damme’s situation.
He said: “Mick was asked a question about who his team were in Belgium and he gave an honest answer. But he wasn’t saying he wanted to play for that team again.
“His focus is on Wolves – getting fit, getting back into this team and doing well here.”
McCarthy also admitted it is crucial Wolves take points from their next two games at Wigan and at home to West Ham because of the daunting schedule ahead.
After the Hammers, Wolves face Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United twice and Arsenal.
He said: “We need the points because they’re teams who are going to be in and around us – and because we’ve got the big boys coming up afterwards.”
Latest Blog — Microsoft Comes to the University of Wolverhampton
Last week Microsoft visited the University of Wolverhampton to give students the chance to develop their own phone apps that could be published on the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Technology blog
Business Awards
Read the full story here
Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.
Lifestyle
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
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW 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.

And how does E&S know what he wants to do. They are just putting a spin on Mick’s words. A lot can happen in a few months in football. We should just make him feel as welcome as we can and just hope. Maybe things will be different in January but we can’t stop an unhappy player leaving. Man City couldn’t keep Robinho after all
Report abuse
We certainly could do with obtaining at least 4 points from these two games. Wigan will also be looking at this match to pick up points.
However, as we have seen last week by the Baggies, it is not beyond the capabilities of teams outside the top four to win against them.
Report abuse
I really do sympathise with Jelle. But Belgium is not that far away, surely MM can make some provision to give Jelle some leeway to go back and forth. He is a professional after all.
Report abuse
Paper talk again! one day they will start another war with miss-quotes!
Report abuse
6 points or we’ll struggle – we can’t afford for Wigan and West Ham to take points off us in the next two games and then slip it the bottom three, as we aren’t going to beat any of the top four teams now are we?
If O’Neil is prepared to talk to Leicester, surely he’d come to wolves and you can’t argue that he’s not a better manager than McCarthy. Based on this season – players out position, playing his favourites, hardly any of the summer signings playing again – he can’t expect another fluke of a season to keep us up.
We were lucky with P’mouth, Burnely and Hull being so rubbish last year, we knew it’d be harder this time around and it’s proved to be the case. I can’t stand WBA being above us, especially as they’re new signings seem to be making the difference and ours are just sat on the bench again!
Sort it out Mick – beat Wigan and West ham or go.
Report abuse
Good now will you please play him at left back, which is where you brought him to play!
Report abuse
Was it all paper talk we will have to wait and see.
i for one hope it is he is the type of player we need here not scared to get stuck in gets forward and can cross the ball.
to be away from home for a time especially when your wife is having a baby will doubtedly be upsetting but i believe he will be ok.
come on wolves 3pts at wigan please.
Report abuse
Jelle on a plate
Jelle on a Plate
Wibble Wobble
Wibble Wobble
Jelle on a Plate
he just havin’ a home-sick wobble that’s all
no worries
We are Wolves
Report abuse
Agree completely with JOHN DE WOLF as I am sure all real WOLVES fans will, other than the happy clappers.
Take JELLE’S situation he as been in england before and when he was signed he said “I am a better and more rounded person with experience behind me,and I am prepared for the new life and challenge”!
Now he is not!
Mick say’s”needs to get fit and get into the team”!Surely he is fit and if not then why not?As Fletcher came back straight into the side after being out with injury.
Mick as been successful at constant contradiction in the manner he treats certain players and situations.EG:SEB..Form players will stay in the team mick says..And what does he do at the first opening demotes seb onto the bench and does not even bring him on!!Instaed put’s the villa man in !Continues to use DOYLE as a player who chests the ball down!Doyle as one header against the post in all the games played!Yet he does not drop him.!
I am pleased mick realises we need points in the next two games.(genius).Pity he didnt look at the first 6 games and been more positive and prepared,in my opinion we should have been on 10points.Newcastle,fulham(weakend team)we should have beaten..Yet played awful in both and only lost to fulham due to some very stupid defending.Spurs should have been a draw at the least BUT again we defended very poorly and that is being kind.And this defending as been attributed even after having 7-8 defenders in the team!!!Does trhis not suggest time to change philosphy..?Lets go down with flair and creativity and attack as this may still take us down but is better than defending for your lives and still losing to silly goals.
Report abuse
No 5. JDW, i fully endorse everything youve wrote, if we win v Wigan we could be mid-table,if we lose and other results go against us we could find ourselves BOTTOM of the league come 5pm Saturday. I accept MM has done a very good job getting us where we are today, and we owe him for doing a great job ,because when he came he hardly had enough players to make a team after that useless prat Hoddle left ( Thank god he did ). But Morgan has been fair he took over from Sir Jack and kept faith with MM, and give him a year as manager in the PL. But i worry whether Mick as taken this club and this group of players as far as he can,after a while managers can often show to much loyalty to certain players who they’ve brought in, playing them regardless of whether their playing well or finding them a position in the team just for sake of keeping them in the side?. Mick himself said after 3-4yrs its usually time to move on as ‘ideas/tactics etc’ become stale, ( which ive always agreed with ). Players need to hear ‘fresh team-talks, fresh ideas in training, thats why i also believe TC should move on too, has he’s been here far far to long, his training methods must be very BORING by now, most of the players turn up daily knowing what the sessions will involve before getting their kit on?. I too would like to see M.O’Neil given a go as manager i think he and John Robertson, would bring ‘New Ideas/tactics’ and put a ‘NEW BUZZ’ around the whole club and more importantly the ‘PLAYERS’. imo only. Only exceptional managers stay longer than 3yrs+, the likes of Ferguson,Wenger most others move on/around after 2-4yrs, like Dave Jones he was a very good manger and did a great job, but i felt when he left the time was right for Wolves and Himself, its not about disliking MM/TC/DJ ,it just the nature of the beast were in i.e Football, players and managers ALL MOVE ON, so will Wolves and MM one day in the future. UTW GOOD LUCK TOMORROW LADS:
Report abuse
Sky Sport football news says, and I quote Mick McCarthy:-
I was so pleased and impressed by our teams performance last week against Aston Villa there will be NO CHANGES to the line up against Wigan.
Welcome to the relegation battle Mick, hope you are gone by the end of the month.
Report abuse
I fear the worst !!
Will be interesting reading the posts after the next 2 games.
Morgan, don’t let O’Neil join the likes of Leicester, you will never get a better time to get a ”quality” manager.
Whist you are at it get Moxey” out as well please.
Failing all that, go and buy your beloved Liverpool.
Report abuse
What i like from what ive seen of him so far is that he seems to have a presence on the pitch which not many players do,…regarding MM I to agree its getting a little stale,..and I have said numerous times that is why season ticket sales are down and nothing to do with the recession,…one other question, does anyone know what happened to Mancienne Sunday?, only thing mentioned on website was Edwards was in for Mancienne, but it didnt say he was injured and also he didnt even make the bench?.
Report abuse
get him a xbox360 with a copy of fifa 11 and he will be sound,lol
Report abuse
Yes glad hes staying pity thicko and his boychild aint leaving though.
Report abuse
8 Whispy Wolf
BRILLIANT! I’ll be singing that down the Pub tonight!!!!
Report abuse
(5)
JDW’
Yes, us BAGGIES are loving our football.
Two players for you to watch against Wigan. N’Zogbia and Rodallega. Oh, also a one Ben Watson, Moses, Koumas, McArthur, blimey, wait till that lot click. JtH.
Report abuse
9 – wanderer in eire
I stopped reading your post when you started slagging MM off for not dropping Doyle. SEB is marginally better than he was last season, but he’s still slow, lazy and not a premiership Striker. Doyle is worth 10 times that of SEB. His footballing brain is FAR superior to SEB’s. Do you actually watch the Wolves? I suppose you wanted Doyle to go when Arsenal came sniffing? Fletcher is also far superior to SEB in every way and i for one am looking forward to seeing Doyle & Fletcher play a dozen games together.
Report abuse
Can’t he have a sauce with his pasta, just for a change
If only he had got a team-mate who could cook a bit, ehhhm?
Report abuse
Jack the Hat – Koumas is now at Cardiff. But Wigan have to be treated with extreme respect, as they’re the most inconsistent and unpredictable team in the league. Good manager though.
We can take the maximum points from the next two games, and perhaps a point or two from the big guns (Man U, I feel, are as ‘there for the taking’ as they were last year, especially if Rooney isn’t back) if we do one very simple thing – play the right players in their proper positions. We have a 25-man squad – more than enough to play a left-back at left-back, a specialist winger/left-sided winger on the wing/left side of midfield, etc etc. and, more importantly, a balanced midfield.
I don’t know the first thing about the squads of Albion, Blues, Sunderland etc, but I’ll wager that they’re playing to their strengths. We didn’t do that last season until 20 league games have been played, something we really can’t afford to do this time around. We’ve enough good players to put together a very decent team, so why don’t we?
All I’ll say about O’Neill being available is this – I’d love Mick to still be in charge in five years time, because it would mean we’ve properly kicked on and would be realistically challenging for the Europa League. But, if his position were to become vacant for any reason, I’d hope Moxey & Morgan would give O’Neill their right arms to manage us.
Report abuse
6. About time too
9. Please stay away, we don’t need your support
12. Stay in exile please, you know f all. Good riddance
18. Good onya.
Me, I will be at Wigan tomorrow come what may,try it instead of just reading it. Wolves forever
Report abuse
9 – well I’ve been happier, but I’ll definitely still be clapping. Lets get two things straight.
1. You were consistently slagging off Mick last year and saying he would take us down – wrong.
2. You clearly know nothing about football if you think Kevin Doyle is not the best player in our squad.
I’ll be at the DW tomorrow and hopefully you’ll be in Ireland, becuase I’d rather be in a crowd of 1000 true supporters than 5000 whiners.
Report abuse
8 -Genius
18 spot on
The rest is just a load of tosh !!! Call yourselves Wolves fans !
Report abuse
Ward, jelly legs, edwards, foley, Berra, Craddock, Elokobi, Bent, ebanks blake, all championship players. I love it how McCarthy plans a whole season ahead.
Why, when we were light years ahead of the baggies for once, are we know looking up at them. Shorey, Scharner, Tchoyi, Ibanez, Odemwingie, well theres 5 reasons. How come they can sign fit players who actually play.
To be fair to MM I think his scouting network is not giving him the back up he needs. Thats the dept that needs changing not the manager.
Report abuse
5. yeah lets sack the manager 6 games into a new season, the exact same manager who got us into the prem and got us a 15th place finish last season and then if the new manager hasnt done anything after 6 games shall we sack him and get someone else in.
Report abuse
2 crocks from Hull and a home sick Belgium says everything….don’t we ever learn any lessons from the past….
Report abuse
WELL CAN ANYBODY TELL WHAT THE HELL THAT WAS AT WIGAN IF WE CANNOT BEAT THEM GOD HELP US WARD WASTE OF SPACE FOLEY WELL NO FIGHT VAN JELLE.ZUBAR.MIIJAS ALL MISSING GET IT TOGETHER McCARTY OR GET UR P45 AND MR MORGAN GET A NEW MAN IN AND AS FOR HENRY WOT A JOKE HE SHOULD BE HIT HARD WITH A FINE FROM THE CLUB FROM THE TIME HE WENT I STOPPED WATCHING ?????? BORING
Report abuse