Wolves blog: A lesson from the past?
2009 was a good year for Wolves, winning their first trophy for 20 years and getting promoted to the Premier League for only their second time – and this season could be just as successful...writes Wolves blogger Tom Tracey.
There are a striking number of similarities between the 2008/09 season and the current burgeoning campaign.
Mick McCarthy was embarking on his third season in charge of Wolves following a seventh place finish in the previous campaign – just missing out on goal difference – just as Kenny Jackett is now.
Five transfer windows in, both of these managers at this stage in their Wolves career would have shaped a squad of their choosing rather than the one they inherited and that represents their ambitions of promotion to the Premier League.
Eager to rectify a lack of goals the season before, Mick McCarthy brought in an experienced Football League striker in Chris Iwelumo from Championship rivals Charlton Athletic to complement young forwards Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Andy Keogh.
Wolves inferior 'Goals for' record in last season's Championship paired with a lack of depth up front persuaded Jackett to sign prolific Football League goalscorer Adam Le Fondre from Cardiff to compete with the two young strikers Nouha Dicko and Benik Afobe.
Iwelumo's early season form set Wolves well on their way to finishing in first position in May 2009, and there is no reason why Le Fondre can't continue his form with Bolton at the end of last season and win Wolves vital points when called upon.
In the January prior to 2008/09, Wolves brought in Sylvan Ebanks-Blake from Plymouth who went on to win two consecutive Championship Golden Boot awards.
In the January prior to this season, Wolves brought in Benik Afobe who was on loan at MK Dons from Arsenal who went on to become the joint top scorer in the English leagues with 32 goals – he is the bookies favourite to be the Championship top scorer this time around.
The blend of experienced and young prolific goal scorers is a successful mix at this level not just at Wolves but for many teams – last time out Bournemouth had this mix with the likes of Yann Kermorgant and Callum Wilson whilst Crystal Palace have achieved promotion in this league with a strike force containing Glenn Murray and Wilfried Zaha.
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Wolves could learn from their own previous success at this level when it comes to sharing the goal scoring, as they had 15 different scorers in all competitions – they cannot rely on just Dicko and Afobe especially without Sako's goals this season.
They already have five different players off the mark this season in Dicko, Afobe, Edwards, Henry and McDonald.
Even the results from the first three games of these two seasons are the same, with four points from the first two league games and a League Cup First Round victory - also at home to League Two opposition. However, the 2009 side did not lose a league game until the end of September.
The bookies have Wolves down as about fifth or sixth favourites to win promotion this season, whilst they were around sixth to seventh favourites in the summer of 2008.
There are members of the Wolves team who will remember that season, with Carl Ikeme, Richard Stearman and Dave Edwards amassing 101 appearances between them in 2008/09. They will know what it takes to cut it at the top of the Championship.
Incidentally, Richard Stearman won both Player of the Season awards at Leicester in the season before Wolves were crowned Champions – he was named as double Player of the Season at Wolves last time out.
Whether this is a series of coincidences or a succession of vital components falling into place at the right time, we are yet to find out. But the signs are certainly promising.
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