Ebanks-Blake set to miss Stoke trip
Monday 25th April 2011, 2:00PM BST.
Wolves were today dealt a blow with striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake set to miss tomorrow’s clash at Stoke.
But fellow hamstring victim George Elokobi should return to full training next week and is set to be available for the Albion game on May 8, after which Kevin Doyle will be back.
Despite coming on for the last 13 minutes in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Fulham, Ebanks-Blake is still suffering with the same injury that forced him off at half-time of the 3-0 defeat to Everton 16 days ago.
Manager Mick McCarthy said: “Sylvan has a hamstring injury and he’s a doubt for tomorrow. “He’ll probably miss just the one game.
“He hasn’t torn it but he’s aware of it so if he misses tomorrow’s game, he misses 20 per cent of our games.
“If he plays tomorrow and gets injured, he might miss 80 per cent of our games.
“So those figures don’t add up to me.”
Under McCarthy, Wolves have always played 4-4-2 against Stoke but, with no other fit senior striker, Ebanks-Blake’s injury looks set to prompt McCarthy into a rethink for the Staffordshire derby.
But McCarthy did reveal a positive bulletin on Elokobi, who tore his hamstring in training on April 15.
The Wolves boss said: “George will be back in full training next week, so he’ll be ready for West Brom game.”
McCarthy also confirmed Doyle’s positive news, with the £6.5million striker aiming to be back for the Sunderland and Blackburn games.
The manager said: “Doyle will be ready for the last two games, hopefully. They’re fit, healthy lads and good healers.
“I don’t know when Doyle will be back in full training, but he did the warm-up today, so he’s progressing.
“It’s bonus – even more so because Sylvan has got a sore hamstring.”
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It’s no good having an extra man in midfield tomorrow, because the midfield don’t see very much of the ball against Stoke!
Step forward Sam Vokes
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Mick wouldn’t be making E.B.s very slight upset, an excuse to play 5-4-1. would he!?.
We want Doyler to play against us, as we will be playing Osaze Odemwingie.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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Vokes won’t let us down if needed.
UTW
ps Matt Murray on Sky Sports News – looking good big man…..
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We all know the old saying,’when your at the bottom nothing goes right for you’,and that seems to be more than right in our case. We seem to have picked up alot of injuries to ‘key’ players this season, and even more so at the wrong time of the season for Wolves. A few weeks ago we had ‘three Top strikers’ to choose from, now suddenly we’ve got just Fletcher and Vokes, funny how MM was bulling up Fletcher after Saturday’s game, yet wouldn’t/couldn’t be bothered to play him all season, now he’s got no choice? Anyway i would only ‘tweak’ it a little from Saturday, id leave Ward out for Foley,as Stoke have two good wingers ME/JP, and Foley is a far better defender, and Milijas for A.Guedioura,who is far stronger in c/midfield than NM,then id either put Hammill/Kightly on the R/wing,as AG looks/plays better in c/midfd, we need a strong midfield v SC, NM isn’t strong enough for my liking, 1pt would be ok lift us out bottom 3? But 3pts would be magic. GOOD LUCK TOMORROW LADS: AND YOU AMAZING ‘AWAY’ FANS: UTW:
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that’s why you need strength in depth and a class squad!
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Well micko i hope we are going to teach stoke a football leason like we taught fulham and i hope berra, ward are in great form like the happy clapers said they were.
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He did not look fit on saturday
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Hail Mary and all the rest! We are in it, now! This will be a small miracle coming away with a result from the Britannia, but to be down to just one “fit” striker, which Fletcher is not (He was lagging at the end of the first half, and his energy was depleted after ten or fifteen minutes.), means we are in the thickest part of the soup! It now comes down to guts and belief, as our skill will be outmatched by Stoke, if all the remaining clubs we face in the last four weekends of the season. However, it can be done, and if this team has a shred of belief then it could! Come on, Wolves, backs to the wall, come out fighting! We believe in you! UTW!
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IF we manage to stay alive and survive for another season in the Prem, can anyone put their hand on their heart and say it was down to the GODD WORK of McCarthy? More than likely we will go down and I for one would like to see him go. On the other hand I would love it if we stayed up and we still saw him go. Step forward Sam Allardyce. Sign on for three years and build a Wolves to be proud of and then move on with respect. McCarthy will go with derision. Not a good thing for anybody.
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Well said Seattle,
It’s all about character, belief and a determination we haven’t really seen in this club for a long long time. What we have seen is an eagerness to make money over talent. You can be champions if you want to be. You’ll be a failure if it’s what you think is your fate.
If we survive, it WILL NOT BE DOWN TO GOOD MANAGEMENT NOR GOOD TACTICS. ONLY DETERMINATION.
I’ll settle for that and new manager at the helm next season PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Did I hear the manager say that the Fulham game was a “Must win”, or was I dreaming that??!! Come on Wolves, let’s stay up on our own merit and battle our way to safety as though your jobs depended on it, which in some cases it does (especially the manager!!!!).
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The results have gone for us once again this weekend and apart from some six pointers, there are many games that the other candidates are likely to lose against the likes of Man Utd, Man City and Spurs, for instance. The definite change from Saturday’s line up has to be Hammill coming in. If we play 4-5-1 we must have quick wide men to support the lone forward and Guedioura drifts in too much. It probably means that Milijas will be dropped but he was a nuisance to Stoke up there last season!
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Foley in for Hoof Hoof Stearman. Though i suspect given the aerial threat of Stoke it wont heppen.
Mad decision to play Stearman at right back, gave our right side no chance.
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13) The problem on the right hand side was from the midfield area definitely. Guedioura cannot be trusted to stay wide right, as his natural game is central. The weakest player in our defence was Berra and that is due to his continual grappling and holding!
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13 Moxey’s hair gel
I would imagine most who were there on Saturday will be surprised at your comments. Apart from his silly tackle for which he was lucky not to see red, Stearman had a steady game. The problem he had, which most of us could see, was Guediora getting himself pulled out of position time and again and leaving Stearman exposed.
Hoof, hoof ? No. He actually played some probing balls into the channels, it was Hennessey who provided the hoof hoof.
You are right about one thing, he won a number of important headers from set peices and is an absolute must for tonight’s game.
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14 – agree, but not getting a single ball to feet from the full back didnt help.
Message to Berra. Never head the ball down to the edge of the area – a corner is better.
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13) Really can’t see where you’re coming from on this one. There were some poor performances on Saturday but Stearman was definately NOT one of them. He closed down Fulham’s left side without much help from the Addy Guediora and covered the centre backs with some great headed clearances.
He’ll need to play well again tonight as will the whole defence, down the flanks and in the air.
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Let’s face it the back five are poor. Why does the manager pursue with the muppet in the net. Remember the birmingham away game when the muppet backed into the net with the ball, terrified of jerome? How can he possibly cope with the physicallity of Stoke? For heavens sake bring back Hahnemann – at least he is not frightened!
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I would leave stearman at right back for the ariel bombardment at stoke, but after that lets get foley back in and start playing the ball from the back like we did in games against the top teams , saturday we played no football at all just launching it from the back to fletcher thereby leaving milijas and ohara virtually redundant,just look at the possesion stats for saturday , yet we more than matched other teams when trying to play football rather than route 1.
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Hennessey follows orders,thats why he boots it down the field.
Hahnemann did it too.
In the last game wayne played for Wales,he didn’t boot the ball once,other than to clear a pass back.
Every ball out from his hands was passed to defenders or midfield.
Put the blame where it belongs,not at a player just following orders.
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Oh dear, Stoke 2-0 up at ht. Not looking good wulfies. So much for kicking on this season!.
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