David Edwards tells Wolves to attack
Monday 26th December 2011, 11:00AM GMT.
David Edwards today insisted Wolves must attack if they are to get anything from the trip to Arsenal.
Wolves have played 4-4-2 for the last four games and the attacking ploy worked in beating Sunderland 2-1 and to a degree in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw against Norwich, while they succumbed 2-1 to Stoke and 4-1 at Manchester United.
Wolves have lost six away games in a row and also been defeated on their two visits to the Emirates Stadium.
But Edwards believes Mick McCarthy’s side, who were given Christmas Day off with the fixture put back 24 hours, must continue to play on the front foot tomorrow.
“Arsenal aren’t as intimidating as they were three or four years ago, but at the same time they’re on a great run of form and they’ve still got very good players,” said Edwards.
“But we’ve got to believe in ourselves and go there trying to play in an attacking manner to get the right result.
“There’s no point in us just going to Arsenal and sitting back and letting them play because that’s what they do best.
“If they’re given time and space, they will eventually get through you.
“We’ve got to show a good attitude because it’s definitely somewhere where we can pick up points.”
Wolves have lost their last 12 meetings with the Gunners and the Wales international admits they cannot afford to sit back.
“I think of all the top teams we play, if we go there and try to put men behind the ball and sit in that last third, they will cut through you eventually,” he said.
“Even when we went there in our first season back in the Premier League, they still got through even though it took them 94 minutes.
“In recent weeks, the manager’s gameplan has been very positive and we’ve played to it and it’s worked so I’m sure if we stick to that and execute it rightly then we’ll have a chance.”
Wolves follow the trip to Arsenal by travelling to fellow strugglers Bolton on New Year’s Eve.
Edwards admits that’s a bigger game for Wolves, adding: “These are such key games – there’s a big emphasis on that one with them being near to us in the table.
“We were unlucky to lose there last season but it promises to be a huge game.”
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.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
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.

More action less talk please.. Worked to a degree against norwich, we should of been out of the match after 20 mins!
Bahh humbug
Report abuse
Empty words as usual. A couple of tanks and one or two Harrier jets and then you can build an attack. With our lot the Argies would still be having barbaques in the Falklands today, unless of coarse McCarthy was the Argie General.
Report abuse
1+2 the two most predictable things of 2011:
1 – any quote from a player will result in a ‘do your talking on the pitch response’
2 – anything from the ‘war on terror’ to the collapse of the financial system can be blamed on Mick
Off to Arsenal tomorrow – good luck to the lads, not expecting anything but if we all stick together who knows?
Report abuse
no1 chris/to true m8 why is it the players say this and say that but when they get out on the pitch they do nothing,if only they could play football as good as they talk a game then we wouldnt be in the trouble were in,/\_/\ WE ARE WOLVES,IN MAD MICK WE DONT TRUST /\_/\
Report abuse
Ithink this is more rhetoric yet again! ‘We should do this, We shoiuld do that!’ Heard it all before. Arsenal are no push over and i fear the worst but you never know!
Hopefully we will have additional players come January! A new manager as well!
We’ll wait and see.
UTW.
Report abuse
Attack?
Don’t tell us mate, we’ve heard it all before,
better tell the manager!
Game plan you say? You say he has a game plan.
Are you saying the team we’ve been
watching this season has a game plan?
You sure you’re over that injury pal?
Report abuse
I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU BOTHER WITH ALL THAT DRIVEL DAVE, WHAT YOU SAY AIN’T WORTH A HILL OF BEANS, IT’S WHAT YOU & THE TEAM DO FOR YOUR FAT PAY CHEQUES THAT WANTS ADDRESSING.
Report abuse
I’m fed up of reading all this GUFF being put out to the fans by the players. Of course they’re not going to say “we are rubbish” or “the manager & coach are useless” or anything else detrimental to the club that’s paying their inflated wages, are they? It’s all about keeping the fans onside, keeping them paying the inflated ticket prices & giving them hope so that they won’t give up supporting the club! Of course the players will keep singing the same old song because they know they are not good enough (just as we the fans know!) and that they will more than likely be playing Championship football next season and could possibly be leaving. I’m sure no player deliberately plays poorly & I’m also sure that MM doesn’t pick or coach players to perform badly, but to me, this only goes to prove that the team & management are just not good enough for the Premier League, sad but true. Steve Morgan needs to decide where his priorities lie, is he happy to own a mediocre, championship/premier league yoyo club or does he want to improve the team & management to aspire to greater things thus getting the fans back on his side, supporting the team with pride & increasing the “bums on seats” to fill his nice new stand? Come on SM, bite the bullet, make a decision & take the steps necessary before it’s too late.
Report abuse
BSD.
Carry on attacking! No! No! No!
Carry on Winning! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Carry on losing! No! No! No!
Carry on Winning! Win Win Win – come on the Wolves
Oh – matron
Report abuse
BSD – come the Wolves.
All I want for Christmas is for Wolves to Win in style.
3 points for me please – as this will be my present this year.
Report abuse
Its a catch 22 for us I think! 4 4 2 we r much better going forward, but our defensive line is as poor as it gets in the premier league this season, and has been for 5 years under mcarthy! Even when we won the championship title we were shipping goals so easily,
The problem with roger johnson is that we signed him on the back of his performances alongside scott dann! Dann used to get johnson out of trouble cuz he was the quicker player ! Maybe mcleish knows how to organise a defensive line better, I just don’t know but something is totally wrong at the moment! I feel safer with craddock which is quite worrying as he’s 35 and on his last legs!
In january if we have any chance of staying up is to get in a solid centre half who can organize and a left back which we have needed since andy thompson lol
We also need a solid anchor man to replace henry, maybe eggert jonnson is the answer but without watching him play I won’t pass judgement yet
And we have been crying out for a pacey striker for years, how many times do u see a defence splitting pass with a forward using pace to get on the end of it at wolves?? A very long time!
Report abuse
give super mick a new contract and shut those moaning numpties up for ever. utw
arsenal 1 wwfc 2, fletcher, jarvis.
Report abuse
Shut up Edwards! we play 4-4-2 against the big boys and we’ll be torn to shreds. Suggest we start 4-2-3-1 and look at going 4-4-2 if the game is still close with 25 minutes to go.
Report abuse
martin patching shot,
Why do you and other Mick lovers insist on watching crap useless football week in week out?
IT AINT GONNA GET ANY BETTER UNDER MICK!!!!
WHY WHY WHY???????
You must be MAD!!!!!
Report abuse
14. i suppose you prefer watching crap useless football under megson/di matteo??,
i’m not a mick lover, i love wwfc.
and you???? playstation/x box/fantasy football manager? yes you are right, you are havin a laugh at your own expense. fool. utw.
Report abuse
Noisy,
Considering that we REALLY HAVE heard it all before from Wolves players and it REALLY IS time they did their talking on the pitch, your comment (1) is as predictable as you suggest posts 1 & 2 are. Anyone who is, has every right to be tired of, reading the same old tosh.
When peoples comments on these threads are predictable, it’s mostly because the same subject keeps coming up time and time again.
Also what did you read recently that inspired you to come up with this: “anything from the ‘war on terror’ to the collapse of the financial system can be blamed on Mick”
Are comments like that one why you call yourself Noisy?
UTW
Report abuse
after watching albion draw 0-0 with man city. I have actually lost all faith that wolves will stay up..we are being outshadowed by all 3 teams that have just come up from championship. Arsenal winning at home to our team who lack in all zones of play is a fore gone conclusion. goodbye premier league it was nice to be here for 3 seasons getting kicked in the teeth by proper prem teams. mccarthy is a good championship manager but is no good as a PL manager and everyone knows it. Moxey is greedy and tight with money. Morgan cares about building sites and liverpool FC. What a setup..??!!
Report abuse
well if i was a wolves player i d be looking for some support tomorro..not more negativity..
The Premiership IS a business..the management have a difficult job balancing the playing and financial sides..i could easily be cynical about their motives and commitment as i personally am on a very low income..but it is not in the interests of anyone at the club to fail… Franky wolves is not a particarly attractive option for quality players @ the moment..sad to say the town itself is not currently a draw for many players..MM has limited options in this respect.. The team itself is underperforming..yes ..but theres nly a ten to twelve point gap between us and say Stoke.. More consistency and points are entirely achievable goals with the current squad.. It takes a good five years to stabilise in the Prem. Look at West Brom..now looking more solid..9ewcastle, Everton are above us but still look fragile at times as have Spurs, Arsenal, Man City and United..the difference is they have been long established in the top flight, they have stabilised their finances, rebuilt their grounds and can..now.. spend 20 to 30 million on ONE player..PLUS wages.. Any team scores and ships goals AS A TEAM… One cannot simply Coach all these problems away in a flash..it takes time and it aint as easy as some of your posts suggest..my bro coached the National Volleyball team and tore his hair out at the number of times players ignored or forgot instructions at crucial moments..replacing players and coaching staff does not always make much difference..unless you can make a quantum leap to buy a van Persie or van de Vaart…how many changes have our National team undergone?? Nuff said….
Report abuse
16 EiE my point is what exactly do people come on here expecting to read? When it’s transfer speculation on here you can pretty much be assured it won’t happen, there is the occasional injury update (often thanks to Dave) and obviously match reports / build-ups. This does not make 5 articles a day 7 days a week. So the E&S pad it out with flimsy quotes which they can expand into an article. The players are bound to say something positive (how would you react if he came out and said ‘to be honest they’re much better than us so I don’t think we are very likely to get anything’) so by the time it’s on here it can read like empty bravado. Nobody makes anyone read it.
Maybe my reference to 2 was a bit OTT, but it was him who somehow dragged the Falklands war into the discussion.
Report abuse
If we are to get anything at Arsenal we must block up the midfield,press their players and hopefully defend our goal, with luck snatch a goal on the break and get something from the game.Attack and it will be 5 or 6 to Arsenal, we need to keep the goal difference down, it might be the only thing that saves us in the end.
Report abuse
learn to pass the ball and this will improve the performance at least 30%
Report abuse
I get so tired of the numpties on here who constantly knock the Manager, the owner, the CEO and the players.
Rather than “Sack Mick” every article, pleas, even one of you, name me ONE manager who would, A) Come to Wolves, B) Be better than what we have, C) Work within the financial constraints that McCarthy has had to, D) Put up with the total drivel that so-called fans write on here. Some of you lot would complaon if we were top of the Prem, as “We would blow it all in a week or two anyway.”
I have had to laugh at some of the suggestions previously. Go on, give me more suggestions to laugh at. To date, the fun ones have included Paul Ince, Sean O’ Driscoll, Mark Hughes, Martin O’ Neill. Two of them would never come here in a month of Sundays, one was sacked recently by a bottom-end Championship club, and the other may become a good manager, but is not yet ready.
Report abuse
How the game with Arsenal will pan out today is difficult to imagine, but the Baggies did a sterling job of grinding out a point yesterday, and just might have snatched the game. Unfortunately our defence simply could not cope as theirs did, therefore a ‘sit back, soak it up and hit on the break’ strategy hasn’t got a snowball’s chance in hell.
Given that stark fact, some form of attack would seem to offer the only way to any success, but if pushed hard I’d guess MM will go for a damage limitation exercise, say, losing 2-0 which he can then present as being as good as a draw or maybe even a win.
If it gets to be 4 or 5-0 then he might be reduced to commenting on a fabulous Gunners performance. One thing seems certain his lads won’t have played like numpties or been organised by a chief numpty, that’s a description reserved for ungrateful, ignorant fans. Happy New Year everyone!!
Report abuse
Two things will happen today.
Wolves will lose emphatically against a far superior side against whom we traditionally are outperformed even when they put out the youngsters.
I will watch it all in the Newhampton with a few cheeky Riojas and a hot porn bap and the company of good friends.
As such, today will be a day of contrasts – a shame that we lose, probably by a big score, but can any day that knows such luxuries be truly declared one wasted? Merry post-Christmas, PeteNuts fans!
Report abuse
Now what will McDuff say after the Arsenal game? – same as he said last season? – that we were no match for them?
No other club would put up with a manager where the club has been resident in the relegation zone for all 3 seasons.
It’s like those fools who held up the “Thanks for 3 seasons in the Prem” banner after that last must-win-must-at-least-draw game on final-Sunday against Blackburn that we LOST.
As for this season, it is now TOO LATE to get rid of the thick Tike.
Report abuse
19-steve hill and breretonwolf wolves, agree with both of you, some people sould get in the real world, no doubt we will lose today but all the usual moaners will be on tomorrow….
Report abuse
24 PN.
As a Baggie I don’t suppose I’d be very welcome in the Newhampton but the lure of a hot porn bap almost makes the risk sound worthwhile.
Report abuse
Just been to my local pub and got thrown out after asking for a hot porn bap.
Thanks PeteNuts.
Report abuse
Every time you compain about a player talking to the press and suggest you do his talking on the pitch you reveal to the World how stupid you really are!
They are contracted to talk to the press and Wolves Web – do you not understand?
Some of you Wolves numpties really are the thickest examples of football supporters.
If you hate the Wolves so much, why do you bother??????
Happy New Year – Happy Clapping all the way………
Report abuse
I’ll have 3 of them baps.dunno about Riojas though.Will probably need to drink gallons of Night Nurse to stop the pain.
Report abuse
More of the usual HOOF & HOPE football!
Report abuse
my prediction for today: we’ll definitely win lose or draw…and we ll likely score/not score/ship goals or keep a clean sheet..the team n the manager will be brilliant/rubbish/a revelation/the usual and the world will end @ 5pm/carry on as usual!!! Lol
come on you Wolves!!!
Report abuse
(24)
Petenuts,
Watch what you are up to with those hot porn baps. Oh and don’t tell the Missus.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse
Sounds like he wasn’t listening!!!!!!!!!1
Report abuse
Whatever I said before the game they got a priceless point, and with 10 men for the last twenty minutes or so – well done. Arsenal should have won by a country mile but Wolves scrapped all the way – truly a stirring effort.
Report abuse
okay hands up who put a bet on arsenal to thrash mick mcarthys wolves????????.
if only the numpties and doom mongers , (you know who you are) listened to the 80% of wwfc supporters they might lead a much more productive life.
well done my babbies, utw
Report abuse
24-PeteNuts. HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! That’s ruined your Christmas. Fancy Wolves not capitulating in embarassing fashion. You must be drinking salty watered down Riojas, and eating your soggy, tear-ruined porn baps.
Sometimes, it’s better to bite your tongue, rather that have to eat your words.
Report abuse
I see MM has been reading my post’s! 4-2-3-1 and we gain a point away from home against a top 4 club i rest my case.
29. Oh get back in your box! yes players are required to talk to the press but maybe they should think before opening their mouths.
Report abuse
I have never contributed to these boards but it is Christmas and I have some time on my hands. The first point to raise is that the premier league is a joke, unless you have a billionaire benefactor you have no chance of winning it. Wolves have a Championship set up (along with QPR, Stoke, Swansea, WBA, Norwich, Fulham,Bolton, Blacburn, Wigan and a whole host that are currently in the Championship trying to get into the so called promised land). What Mr Morgan is trying to do is develop the club from its youth team to its training facilities and its ground facilities into a premiership club but Rome wasn’t built in a day. All the clubs mentioned will have their day note where Bolton were three years ago and where they are now, Stoke will go the same way. Wolves need to survive the premiership for a number of years, resist spending all their income in inflated wages and devlop the club into something that can survive comfortably, the role models must be the likes of Everton and Villa (note both have 40,000 plus capacities). Has Mick taken us as far as he can? – yes but is Mick the right man to survive the premiership for the next three year – probably yes also. So instead of criticising every week why not be gratful for what we have and look forward to playing Chelsea, afterall it could be Chesterfield.
Report abuse