Dean Saunders targets five wins for Wolves
Manager Dean Saunders today set Wolves the target of five more wins to beat the drop.
Boss Saunders takes his fourth-from-bottom side to resurgent Nottingham Forest tomorrow to start a 10-match run-in.
He's determined that Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Millwall is just the start of a long-awaited revival after 13 games without a victory.
“We need four or five wins really,” said Saunders. “I’m concerned that if we think we have cracked it, we’ll be back to square one.
“We’re still in it – a couple of teams below us have a game in hand so I have got to emphasise to the players that it’s just the start and we need four or five more to get us in a decent position.
“But the three points against Millwall make the draw against Watford a good point.”
Twelve-goal top scorer Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is set to be fit after his match-winning heroics in midweek despite groin, back and hamstring problems.
“Sylvan’s OK – he had a groin problem and I wasn’t going to play him, but around 4pm he said ‘I’ll be alright’ so I played him and he got through,” said Saunders.
“If he hadn’t made it through the game, there was a chance he’d have been out for two or three weeks.
“But he’s the difference between us losing, drawing and winning. If Sylvan can do what he did on Tuesday and if we can stay solid at the back, he will win us games.”
Asked if he thought Ebanks-Blake would continue to play through his niggles, Saunders said: “I don’t know – he’s had a problem with his hamstring and back so we’ve had to nurse him through training.”
The loan window closes on March 28 and Saunders still hasn’t given up hope of signing a striker.
“We’ve failed on a number of occasions,” he said.
“There aren’t many players available, but once the Premier League teams get safe, they’ll start thinking ‘we’ll let a few go and play now’ so I’m knocking on that door as well.
“We’d certainly have to find someone better than Sylvan, which is difficult because I don’t know anyone letting a goalscorer go.”
Comments for: "Dean Saunders targets five wins for Wolves"
Jersey
What the heck happened to Jackson from Norwich?? Never plays. Lightning quick!!
Sandy Gray ( a King is born to-day-ay-ay..... )
Siggy. Leigh Griffiths.
Onside
Too right Jersey. What happened to Dave Wagstaffe, Kenny Hitbit and Steve Kindon? People who really cared about this club and who ran and ran... What about Norman Bell?
Eye For An Eye
I'm Targeting winning the lottery but I know it's not going to happen.
Sd
Talk about stating the obvious! For god sake deano once ,just for once just shut it and get on with the job in hand , more pr claptrap we have come accustomed to , i await with baited breath there will be a players 'outburst' before Saturdays game along the lines of 'we will do it for the fans,moxey,morgan,the tea lady,gazza,aunt floss, my pet hamster ' less talk and get on with what you are paid for !
Leon
We have heard it all before.. Send Moxey knocking on every premier league teams door until he gets a striker.. Should keep him out of our way and out of mischief for a while.
wolfie1429
Saunders out eh? clever thinking at this stage of the season,were you one of the muppets singing really helpful songs last week? you and you"re ilk make me embarassed to be a Wolves fan,do us all a favour and jog on if you dont like it......!
jonesywolf
wolfie1429, i've read leon's post over and over again trying to work out what started your little out burst and as a wolves supporter i understand that it doesn't take much to see red but please try to explain that one because i dont understand you at all, how do you get from send moxey out to find a striker to thinking leon meant or said saunders out, im confused with this one
MarlowWolf
I really wish the "Knockers" that post would get off Saunder's back! Every week goes by, I am more impresssed with how he has handled the "Poisoned Chalice", which is our beloved Club. He has worked his socks off to; motivate; not been afraid to try new combinations and been straight and honest about the squad he has inherited.
IF we survive, I think he will prove that after the McCarthy era (Yes he got us promoted, but he also got us relegated and left us with a pitiful squad), we can start to make progress again.
By the way I don't blame McCarthy in isolation, you always look a the top of organisations first. Trouble is we have an Owner, who every time he opens his mouth, some fool speaks!!
Realistic Wolf
He asks for all he gets with stupid comments. Plus wanting to offer the headless chicken a new contract, well, it says it all. We need a real midfielder and playing him rather than Pesczo or Siggy, totally clueless. Like previous managers apart from Stale, prefers donkeys to thoroughbreds.
Andy
Deluded Dean who achieved his first win after 10 attempts targets 5 more? Saunders out.
jo
Another happy clapper i see...........
Jake
He is only one point behind SS after his first ten and SS last ten. Stopped the rot, drawn a few, now a win, a brace against Bristol and Mboro and there will be a fair piece of humble pie being eaten.
Andy
If one win in 10 is acceptable to you and counts as "stopping the rot" I can see why Wolves are where we are. Too many people are willing to accept mediocrity when we're capable of so much better.
Jake
Andy, thats what a long term change in form looks like. A new manager bounce (which we havent had) is quickly followed by a slump unless something drastic (like a lot of new players at QPR) happens. Saunders is turning it around. Stop losing, get a few draws, get a few wins.
George Berry's Afro
Errrm, given that his record is WORSE hasn't he just continued the rot rather than stopping it???
Jake
George, someone with your experience of footy should know better. It was getting worse under Solbakken. Look at his last four games. 5-1 defeat to Pboro and Ipswich at home? You cant just stop that trend overnight. Saunders is getting there, believe me, the players certainly think so.
old golds worth more
And just who do you suggest in his place, particularly at this late stage in the season? He is our second new manager since last summer, sacking him will only make all the rest of the out of work managers run for cover!
Give the guy a chance, he has yet to see every player in a league match (they may look like superstars in training, but come 3 o'clock on a match day, they turn into quaking jellies, which is hardly surprising given the reception some of them get). The time for recriminations is at the end of the season, if DS takes us half way up the table, you will think he's God compared to SS!
Sleepy wolf
While Deano is pronably wise to lower expectations, I for one would be a bit disappointed if we only won 4 or 5 games. Lets send a message that Wolves are back, that we mean business next season - I would like to see 20 plus points from our remaining 10 games - that's the average we want next season to get promotion and we should get into the winning habit in what is left of this season. Aim high, we are Wolves!
manc andy
and i every confidence in you and ur team Dean , going off ur current record as manager of wolves we will be lucky to get another win , never mind five, of course im hoping for ten but im expecting none.Nevertheless i will be cheering you and the lads on at forest tomorrow and will settle for no less than 100% commitment from all involved at the club, attack for 90mins deano and dont forget ur lucky welsh socks. UTW
JJ
Didn't he already target 5 wins already?
Ever the Optimist.
Only needs four more then!
Bully1012
The fact you use 'already' twice in one sentence renders your opinion meaningless
BOF
And the fact that you use 1 twice in your name makes your comments oh sooooo valid. Doh!
JJ
Why is that then?
It was a question not an opinion anyway.
Bully1012
Haha. You go 'fishing' and look what you catch. One whose retort makes no sense (it's not my 'name.' D'oh) and the other trying to excuse his sentence construction because it was a question. Haha. You give us a good name!
Kenzo
Scroll back to the picture - he's laughing AT us!!!
manc andy
everybodys laughing at us,,
Dr Wolf
Good one Deano, very funny. Here's another-
Two goldfish in a tank. One says to the other: 'How do you start this thing?'.
Boy about town
Two budgies on a perch. One says to the other' can you smell fish?"
Saunders Foot
Penguin walks into a pub, and says to the Gaffa, have you seen our kid ?
Gaffa says, what's he look like ?
PeteNuts
So over the course of 10 games, we have to have a 40-50% win rate, when at the moment under Deano, our win rate is 7.14%.
Good luck with that.
colehill wolf
Its not setting a target its just win win win and we as wolves fans have got to stop the booing and the snide songs and rip the proverbial roof off the mol then we will see a different wolves believe me theres nothing worse than going into work and having a bad smell it does nothing for morale so cum on lads get behind em
wayne wolves
let the players do the taliking on the pitch
Wolf Blast
Good stuff but having looked at the fixture list I see home games versus Bristol City, Huddersfield and Burnley and Charlton of the away games with a chance of a point out of some of the others.
This is going to be a sweaty run in for us fans but if we can get a result tomorrow then confidence will be on the way up.
Tomwolf
As i said after Tuesday's much needed win,it will be a much sterner test against high-flying Notts Forest. But the confidence in the camp must be higher than if we had lost the match. So lets go there with the belief that we can bring a halt in their excellent run of results tomorrow. Although i hope we get/need all 3pts, i think a draw will be a good result. GOOD LUCK TOMORROW LADS: UTW: PS We still need a target man, why is the management dragging their heels over this matter?
Wozza
Probably like most non-wolves supporters, I'm just looking forward to more 'Deano-style' interviews loaded with rhetoric, David Brent-ish nonsense and 'old bloke sat in the corner' type gibberish. Absolutely hysterical and embarrassing too, especially when he's on TV. Still expect you to go down.
The Unhappy Wanderer
The players have shown (at last) that they haven't completely forgotten how to play winning football. Now they need to repeat it match after match. I don't think it's complicated. Play reasonably well between now and the end of the season and we'll stay up. Play as badly as we have for most of the season and we'll go down.
I just wish I had more faith in our players to pull their fingers out consistently.
The Flying Winger
Without some loan signings not a cat in hells chance,
When will we ever learn, When will we we ever learn?
Never by the looks of it, with the club facing financial ruin the silence is deafening however Moxey is working tirelessly.
Adele to score tomorrow, script already written.
fickle
adele to score tommorow!!! i did'nt know she played for notts forest in between singing soulfull songs?
someone also said keogh would get the winner last tuesday for milwall against struggling wolves! that plan went well did'nt it? lol.
and what will it be tuesday against bristol city? sam baldock to score ,nailed on?
Hobbo
Personally I think we are all in this together, let the fans start supporting from the start and don't groan when a pass goes wrong and hopefully the players will respond and play without fear.
The more we keep moaning and groaning the less the players will want to get on the ball.
I hate this attitude about the players should give us something to sing about first. Wolves are our team from 5 or 6 till we die, the players are here for an average of 5 years, LETS GET BEHIND THEM.
Osswolf
Spot on. Never truer words spoken
PJW Holland
I thought the point of football was to win and to win every time. Could someone explain to me, I am ignorant of football, why there has to be some other ingredient necessary to motivate the players?
Perhaps someone might explain exactly what is demotivating the players since numerous changes of manager, coaching staff et al... and indeed players and owner seem to have left that situation unchanged. What is left?
I can only think of one person and did he not bring Stoke to the point of ruin?
simon
The win has given the club a lift but Nott forest are a far better team than Millwall and will be a tough test.
I'm not getting carried away and if I'm honest I dont fancy our chances.
Some of the stuff Deano says really does concern me.
looking for a striker better that sylvan ???
Do you really thing a good premiership striker will come to wolves in our current position??? Can wolves pay their wages???
Keep dreaming Deano, and when you wake up you will realise that we dont need a striker better that Sylvan, but what we need is forward with differents strength to play with Sylvan. Someone who can hold the ball up and win headers. You can find players in the championship,lge 1,and is scotland who can do this.
Latvian Wolf
Don't delude yourself like Deano guys League 1 here we come,
Sorry guys but i've lost all faith in this bunch of losers.
Are you watching what I'm watching
You get the feeling if we needed 7 points from our last 2 games Deano would be "giving it a shot" and Karl henry would tell us the lads are all "positive we can do it for the gaffer".
Bring back the Staale
More waffle. So now the future of Wolves is in the hands of, an apparently far from fit, SEB.
See we're also looking to tie Edwards to a new contract. Why are we trying to resign players who have failed consistently over the last 3 years? Surely these guys, with their losing habits, should be shown the door.
Eleven in Gold
Saunders wants to keep Edwards. NO NO NO. Saunders out.
Bobby Smith
Good exercise for him as well!
JDG
Personally, I'm hoping for 10 wins. But that is just hope. The way things are, he way have to wait until we are in Division 1 before we get 5 wins from 10 games.
Do the Matts
5 more wins. At current rate we should achieve that with easily 6 or 8 games left next season in league 1. Not sure that will keep us out of what me and all the old timers call division 4. Stop the rot. Talk is cheap but the players are bl**dy expensive!
T/C
Things are looking better so a draw tomorrow will be what I say 1-1 but a win would be great, let us not be carried away. But 5 wins don't know about that!!!
SEATTLE WOLF
Forest (1) 2 - 3 (2) Wolves
Roll on all you Wolves!
Now NOT KEEN on the Whole lot at the TOP
"We need 5 win's" Oh do we? What happens if we don't get them????
Shrewsbury here we come
If we don't then we are on our way to Shrewsbury, Walsall etc. Northampton used to be good for a big win but they've fallen far too low to benefit us
SEATTLE WOLF
Third time lucky!
Oh, as to signing LOAN PLAYERS, I am thinking that many turndowns have come in the past few weeks. Who really wants to jump on board a leaking, somewhat sinking ship?
Still, I hope and believe everyone a part of Dean's motley crew can keep bailing away, and somehow help is limp and list into the end of the inpower League Championship pier!
UTOMW!
Mensa Wolves
We all know what's wrong with Wolves, the shocking incompetence which has been embarrassing and heart-breaking for tens of thousands of active supporters, and the few hundred thousand affiliated fans around the world, who's whole weekend can be ruined or enhanced by a result.
Now is the time to leave all recriminations and criticism aside until the end of season and get behind our team, our players, the manager even... a further relegation is unthinkable... forget talk of Southampton and Norwich who managed to bounce back up, what about Coventry, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Luton, Sheffield United, Preston, Bradford, Grimsby?
There is no divine right, we have to fight, without question or doubt in our heart.
The reason for the Mensa
Well said Mensa....... unfortunately I am one of those from around the world who would love the chance to go regular, rain or shine.......
Followed them well during the last dire dip in overall form.... even shouted for Bully down at my local league team..... Newport County.... so get behind them for now and vent the bile at the end of the season....
MensaMeat
Yes, very true. Everything that has to be said about this club, the state it is in, etc., has now got through to Morgan, Moxey, and the players.
Now the dust has settled, we just have to hope that we get the results we need. No point trying to condemn the team or any individual player, just let them get on with the job and try to salvage something from a very poor season.
I also agree we should now wait for the close season to drive home the required actions - that is to rid this club of those who do not deserve to be here.
My only warning is that if we don't get the changes we need during the close season, it will no longer be a matter of the club being in free-fall. We'll then be taking of meltdown. Let's pray to God we don't get this far, and that big changes will mean much greater success for the club in the 2013-14 season.
Hermanus-wolves
Who do you blame if the team doesn't win. The Manager, but what about the under performing players. Their contract should have a clause that failure to perform to a satisfactory level reduces salary by 70%. Then you don't need competition as performance is competition enough.
As it is for most of this and last season our players under performed so based on the above we should only be paying 30% salary.
Niner
The only problem with that genius plan is that no player would sign the contract, would you?
keanewolf
I dnt understand all the negativity around a manager setting a target for his team, ok we have had a dire 2 arguably 3 seasons but we have got the 1st win under Saunders, why not cut him some slack.
If we get a result tomorrow, which remains to be seen, we could easily build confidence and go on toget these wins. The fans wonder why we struggle with there attitudes, its like they want us to fail sometimes!
rushallwolves
Well said keanewolfe! Too many whiners and moaners on this site, sprouting off the usual crap! DS has inherited a legacy of failings with managers coming and going, but at least is making progress. These morons are not real suporters, they just like to crucify anyone showing ambition. Cannot see anything wrong in what DS has said or done. Progress may be slow, but at least he has managed to get the team to start to believe in themselves.
Hoping for a good result tomorrow. Come on you Wolves!
Mr Dean goes on holiday
Because in Millwall we managed to luck out on a team in even worse run of form than us (3 points, 7 games). Even a broken clock gets it right twice a day. I fear that the win was "the blip". I hope it wasn't, but this has the whole tommy Doherty nightmare stamped on it.
The Flying Winger
First it was Berra now it's Edwards being talked to about a new contract, bit player at most when he is not injured, when are we going to learn?
Never
Looks like you don't have to do much to impress Saunders and the 2 stooges
Ye Olde South Bank
Only time will tell if Wolves' victory at the New Den is a genuine marker for a change in fortune and results. The Manager has no choice but to set a target of 5 wins though I, personally, would set a target of 10 out of 10. After all, every game is winnable, no matter who you play, where you play or even when you play. If a team doesn't try to win a game -or even has the slightest doubt that they can't- then that side is as good as beaten before it even steps on the pitch.
Realism has to enter the equation sooner or later, however. If Wolves pull off those 5 victories and secure safety, then we'll all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Wishing our boys the best of luck at Forest but, as I always say:
"MAKE YOUR OWN LUCK".
rich5wolves
1 win in 15.....................
now 5 wins needed in 10...................
hmmmmmmm anyone else nervous?
maybesalad
Richard Chaplow is the icing on the cake a perfect midfield replacement that is more than welcome at this time
mertonwolf
dream on uncle bryn
mertonwolf
uncle bryn strikes again
Tipton Wolves
I looking forward to tomorrow game against we find out whether millwall game was a one off or the turning point so I do feel we have a chance of beating Nottingham Forrest tomorrow so I go Nottingham Forest 2 - 4 Wolves.
Bazza
Can someone ask the question Do wolves have to pay more if Pesko plays again this season? Rumour has it this is the real reason hes not playing. Ps we can have him at the end of his loan for 1/2million if he still wants to come cos we have been relegated through not playing him at all now!!
Joe 90
SMITH- from Oldham. Say no more
noddy
good call,would add energy,height and a
ariel threat to our attack.
steve
Don't keep Edwards we need to push on not dwell when will we ever learn!
Chirk shrew
Ward,Berra,Edwards,and stearman to sign new 5 year contracts next week.
simon
What has Edwards done to impress ???
I have never seen what he does in games.
He runs a lot, and gets in the box sometimes, but his one goal shows he doesnt get on the end of much. He doesnt do much on the ball either.
If i'm honest he is an average midfield player. Simon Jones, Miljas,Guedioura were all far better technical players that the club has let go.
Contracts have to be earned and Edwards has either not been selected or been injured for much of the season. Why would he warrant a new contract?
De wolf
Just one ?.How many games have we lost under deano.If ss was still in charge we would be down now.
Green Wolf
I see the Doomongers are slowly creeping back out from under their stones.
Daz
I don't like booing your players during the game and I think the fans have carried unreasonable expectations in the past - I think MM got unjustified abuse BUT after what we have endured for 12 months gallows humour like let's pretend we've scored a goal at the last home game was genius and at least made me smile during home game which frankly I think I deserve more of.
My bum is like two potatoes
The win against Millwall has obviously pleased me as a Wolves fan but i'm not going to become too optimistic that we are going to be safe and not get relegated; that is only 1 win since Saunders has been appointed as manager which is a pathetic record and is certainly a lot worse than we were doing under Solbakken (who i strongly believed shouldn't have been sacked and believe that if Solbakken was still in the job we wouldn't have been in this predicament. It says something when Morgan made the excuse of putting Terry Connor in charge (what a joke) because "Solbakken wasn't available at the time and we wanted to wait for him to leave Cologne" to then not give Solbakken a chance at all. Another point - we seem to have had more managers since Morgan became the owner than we did in the whole of Sir Jacks reign!). I also disagree with Dean Saunders' comment that we need a striker on loan better than Ebanks Blake; I know Sylvan isn't the grestest work horse but at least he has got us goals this season - what's Doyle (the work horse of all work horses) done - nothing - he's a striker who doesn't score goals!!! but just runs round like an headless chicken. We need to find someone to replace Doyle, not Ebanks Blake, or give Sigurdarson more of a shot (not Cassidy please!)
shreks left foot
Your avin a giraffe no chance of staying up.................!!!
Boz
Good luck for tomorrow lads; I think we're going to need it! I'd defianately take a draw and pray that other results go our way. Just a little tip for the Wolves players tomorrow - if Adlene Guediora gets the ball within 30 yards of our goal, don't stand off him; block the shot! I'm sure you players must at least vaguely remember his rocket of a right foot.
Bazwolf
Don't blame Saunders for anything. He inherited dross who are absoutely inept. No wonder he has to chop it around. The relegated players must know their days are numbered. Ironically, because of the Sollbakken debacle, the much needed clear our never happened and we now rely on these failures to keep us up. This is the legacy of M and Ms bad decision making. Get behind the team on the pitch and the Manager. We do not want to go down. It will be a disaster. If we stay up , let's have a huge clear out but let's not let Morgan and Moxey play games with us any more. They do not know what they are doing. They keep getting the big decisions wrong. Come on, all together now and sing for the team on the pitch until everything is certain about our fate this season. Then let's turn on the inept M and M
chatty
i see the idiots are back on here again
why dont you all go and support the baggies?
Marco
wolfie1429....thank you for speaking for the majority of real fans.
oldgoldgary
Every game shows how well Merlin the Magician did with this average bunch of players
Chillo Wolf
he bought all these average players
AucklandKiwiWolf
First of all,there are players that need to be shown the door at the end of the season.Unfortunately some of these failures will end up playing a number of games between now and the end of the season.I was disappointed in Ward being selected last tuesday.I do not want to see him playing as a defender.If he is to play for Wolves,i would prefer him to play in the attack and do any defending in the opponents' half of the pitch.Hopefully we will eke out enough results for Wolves to be able to play in the Championship next season.My big fear is that some of these failures will worm their way into Saunders' favour and get new contracts.I reiterate that at the end of the season it is timer for a clear out.Don't let some of these has-beens fool you Deano!
Albrightondek
Five wins from the remaining games is far from an impossible task. Apart from today's game the the two hardest matches in the run-in would appear to be against Boro and Hull. I don't see the other teams as anything out of the ordinary.
Saunders seems to have settled on a defence of Doherty, Johnson and Gorkks, with either Ward or Robinson at left back. Ward's inclusion will I know divide opinion, but to me provides a better option when we are breaking from defence. If the manager can keep those players free from injury and suspension then they should be capable of keeping the opposing teams in check.
The problem all season is our ability - or lack of it - to score goals, which obviously is the only way you win games. Again it seems as though Saunders has decided his main threat in attack lies with Ebanks-Blake and Sigurdarson. Cassidy is an up and coming player and maybe the managers third choice option rather than Doyle who works hard but does'nt score enough goals. I think Doyle will gone in the summer, irrespective of what division we're in next season.
Finding another quality goalscorer to come in on loan at this time of the season maybe a flight of fantasy. The best and most suitable players are going to be retained by their respective clubs for obvious reasons. Saunders best option is probably to persuade Griffiths to come south of the border, and do what he's been doing at Hibs for his parent club.
Tough game today but if they play with the same positive attitude as they did on Tuesday, then there is no reason why we should not be thinking of at least a point.
UTW.
hiltop
it does make me chuckle the running down deano gets at the way he communicates to the media, i for one couldnt care less about that its the way he talks and educates the players that counts. If he can get his message through to them then he can conduct interviews in "clanger" for all i care points please fella's
Marco
oldgoldgary
March 9, 2013 12:04 am
Every game shows how well Merlin the Magician did with this average bunch of players.
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your spot on oldgoldgary.....I think the signing of Johnson split the group who gave everything for Mick, giving time Mick would have slowly brought in better players to build a premier side, the very day the chairman walked into the dreesing room after the Albion match he put Micks position as manager unmanagable.
Good or Bad we do have to get behind Dean Saunders and the Wolves if we are going to get back where we should be.