Mick McCarthy keeps feet on ground

Thursday 25th August 2011, 11:32AM BST.

Mick McCarthy keeps feet on ground

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy today insisted his feet remain firmly on the ground and urged his team to maintain their 100 per cent start at Aston Villa.

McCarthy takes his side to Villa on Saturday aiming to make it three straight wins in the Premier League for the first time and four in all, after beating Blackburn and Fulham followed by Northampton in the Carling Cup.

The manager said: “Villa is the important one now. We have got to do it all over again on Saturday against a team who had a great result last weekend.

“We have had a good start and want to continue it. But Villa have started well too with an away draw and a home win. I was there on Saturday, when they played well against Blackburn.

“It’s a tough game in prospect, but we’re going there confident and playing well.”

Fans are understandably excited by the start but McCarthy remains ever the realist.

Asked about reactions to the 100 per cent start, he said: “Can I believe it? Of course I can – it’s just like when we have two defeats on the bounce and people get carried away by saying ‘sack the manager, he’s a numpty, he’s taken us as far as he can, get him out.’

“I’m generally somewhere in the middle, with my feet on the ground, walking a nice, even path.”

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  1. 1
    wolfhedd

    Good to know. Hopefully Mick can keep the players motivatd enough to continue upping their game in order to get a few more good results against Villa and Spurs. After our last 2 games i could genuinely see us getting something from Villa, hopefully we can aim for another clean sheet and see if we can snatch a goal or 2.

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  2. 2
    Greg

    Good old Mick!

    Legend!

    Shame about Sylvan – out for a month.

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  3. 3
    African Wolf

    Well said MM, its a great start to a very long season, for sure there will be difficult times too but without doubt MM is Wolves greatest manager in recent history having taken charge of team that was a total shambles, rebuilding and establishing them as a premiership team in 5 short years. Well done that man!

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  4. 4
    cwf

    Clean sheet on Saturday please.

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  5. 5
    EdinburghWolf

    Good for you Mick….keeping everyone around grounded and yet still taking one game at a time. Mick has proved to all those so called Wolves fans that we are building a club for the future both on and off the pitch. So lets enjoy what is happening,and look forward to the future by getting behind our team. I have no fear in saying that this is the best i have felt as a Wolves fan since 1980 when John Barnwell took us to a league cup win at Wembly and we finished sixth in the league!!
    No doubt BOC will have another go at me for coming out publically and saying that we have a fantastic manager that we will struggle to keep hold of in a couple of years time!!
    Wolves Forever!!! UTW

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  6. 6
    Marston Green Wolves

    Villa are not the side they were and their central defensive pairing is weak but this will still be a tough game. I would be happy with a draw but we are certainly capable of getting a win, providing we mark Bent, Agbonglahor and N’Zogbia tightly!
    Keep up the good work and although the ticket prices are scandalous we need as many supporters as possible on Saturday to get behind the lads!

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  7. 7
    will

    “people get carried away by saying ‘sack the manager” – for ‘people’, read ‘fans’
    Good old Mick, never misses an oportunity to have a go at the nuggets :-)

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  8. 8
    Silver Wolf

    Both sides were poor at Molineux last year but Villa got the result via Heskey – how unlucky can you get? ;)
    Hopefully this time it’s different but if it can’t be a cracking game I don’t mind winning ugly! Pushed for a score 2-2 would be my hunch, but I won’t be betting, I just can’t get a feel for this match.
    As for feet on the floor, most fans do have, that’s why they want another player or two, but the only feet that matter belong to the players selected and I hope they are twinkling on Saturday.

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  9. 9
    purewolves

    I am proud of the lads how we have started but like Mick you have to keep your feet firmly on the ground. We can beat the Villa we have done it before and we can do it on Saturday.

    I am a season ticket holder and would love to be able to go and support them at the Villa but having seen the scandalous price of the tickets I will unfortunately have to give it a miss on this occasion but I wish Mick and the Lads the very best of luck.

    For all you fans that are going give them a cheer from me.

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  10. 10
    Navywolf

    5. Spot on!

    We can always trust Mick to keep the boys on an even keel. This should be our toughest game yet, but one we can go into quietly confident of getting a result.

    I will take 6 points from 9 anyday….but 7 would be better……and 9 would be…well…perfect! :-)

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  11. 11
    chris hoggard

    In my opinion ,the 11 we put out on Sunday were as good as any team we have put out since I first started supporting them in 1963.The problem is lack of support in midfield and up front .The injury to Ebanks should be a warning sign.We need a couple in before the window shuts.Preferably a striker who does not keep his feet on the ground.

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  12. 12
    Oldgoldnblack

    I like the way Mick goes about his business, very pragmatic and believable.

    We are watching foundations go deep for a club that will again be a challenger in a short few years, say 3-5 years.

    As for villa I fancy a draw or perhaps wolves can sneak a 1-2 away win. Will be fun to watch.

    The spirit at the club is high and you can see the old player s from yesteryears are proud to be around again and associated with this current crop.

    Cmon you Wolves…

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  13. 13
    Staffs Wolf

    Well obviously like us all I’m delighted with our start to the season but I think it’s very naive to say that we don’y need to bring any more players on. As for now SEB is injured and with our track record in this regard we need cover. Why we don’t make a couple of loan signings like Nedum Onuhoa who can play LB AND CB is beyond me.

    We are playing a dangerous game if we think our first 11 can stay fit and suspension free for the whole season. Come on 3′m’s put our minds at rest and bring in a couple of loan players!!

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  14. 14
    Villan4life

    HA, Good old mick mccarthy, he knows last year was a one off, a good goal by jarvis none the less but you were run ragged all game, theres no way you will be winning this weekend. Doyle in dunnes pocket and blue scum roger johnsen chasing shadows with bent while your full backs admire the dust from gabbys boots as he JOGS past your defence. You wont go down but dont get deluded by a good start it wont last.
    UTV

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  15. 15
    carl wolves

    The Ebanks Blake injury highlights a little bit of a weakness with strength in depth. Any further injuries up front or in central midfield and we’re scraping the barrel a bit with the likes of vokes or milijas (would be ok if replacing o’hara but not henry). I’d like to think we had one or two things up our sleeve anyway, probably in the loan market. Sturridge from Chelsea would be awesome but doubt he’d come, would love spearing from liverpool but doesn’t look like he fancies it either. Hope we don’t end up with someone like Marcus Bent like we had before!

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  16. 16
    kandiewolves

    good luck at villa we no you can do it we love you all mick and his boys we can be as good as anyone on our day we will be watching for a good result please mick get a couple of players before the window shuts especially now ebanks is injured and well have some good back up till january good luck and god bless you all

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  17. 17
    Wolves@i.ua

    I made a promise before the start of the season that I would try not to be a critic when everything wasn’t going right all the time. However, certain worries that I have are just not going away, the latest example is the injury to Seb. If we lose another striker, Johnson, O’Hara, Jarvis or a couple of other first team players then we are on thin ice. Okay we spent X amount of money on two players and a freebee, good value by any means but if we are to make serious progress this season then anybody in their right mind would still look at making 2 or 3 more good additions to the squad. We can’t buy or loan players in October, November or December.

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  18. 18
    Albrightondek

    I see no reason why we cannot achieve a similar result at Villa as we did last season.

    The Wolves team has been strengthened while Villa’s has been depleted with the loss of Young and Downing.

    It will probably be a harder game than our first two, but I can’t see us losing.

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  19. 19
    teeswolf

    Why the panic over SEB being out for a month?
    A month that includes an international break and probably 3 or 4 premier league games out tops.

    The chance may now arise for younger players like Vokes or Griffiths to show what they can do. Vokes confidence should be higher than for some time after his finish midweek.

    There are other options before that happens even, with Ward likely to be moved up front as the first option, or Kites playing off a main striker as the other.

    Relax.

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  20. 20
    truckin wolf

    After a great start there’s no reason we can’t go 4 a win on Saturday we got 3 points there last season. Well said mick, the press doesn’t help when after 2 league and a cup win there’s talk of Europe. Keep it up boys we’re all behind you.

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  21. 21
    Sir Lupi

    With the Hoff gone and Ebanks out, i think we need a new striker on loan.

    Any suggestions?

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  22. 22
    Realistic Wolf

    Did Roger Johnson say he expected another couple of signings, methinks he will be unlucky. One thing is certain we still need another quality centre back and left back. What has happened to Zubar then?

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  23. 23
    Marston Green Wolves

    14) The person who is deluded is you. At a different game to me mate as we deserved to win at Vile Park and also did with the 2-2 game, the previous year. The only improvement that Villa have made this season is to bring in Given. Already you are worse off on the flanks and the defence is not up to scratch.
    A tough game but with players like Johnson, Jarvis, O’Hara, Hunt, Doyle and Fletcher in the team, we are capable of getting something on Saturday!

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  24. 24
    chris hoggard

    Teeswolf, I bet you were not singing Frankie Goes to Hollywood at halftime last home game against Blackburn ! It would be a great shame if we messed up this season by cutting back on the squad (to save money for phase2 redevelopment].We have the makings of a good team,let us finish the job,no wing and a prayer stuff on injuries.

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  25. 25
    tamworth wolves

    I am confident we can get something from villa, yes they have threats up top but so do we and they should be equally worried.
    I think we need to sign a striker on loan now seb is out. Vokes isnt ready to play in prem in my opinion and if doyle or fletch get injured or are having a bad game we have no one to bring in.

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  26. 26
    stayin up again

    Strongest squad for years, best manager since 80′s, cover in all positions.
    Ground soon to be best in the midlands.

    I know lets moan about needing a LB,CB,CM and another forward!!!

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  27. 27
    SteveB

    Bizzarly a lot of Villa fans think that they are going to win this game at a canter..

    I think we’ll be very unlucky not to get at least a draw (and 7 points from 3 games would be excellent). But I wouldn’t settle for a draw before this match!

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