Wolves blog: Wolves need some home comforts

Molineux has been a house of horrors for Wolves this season as they have struggled to replicate the good home form of last season...writes blogger Tom Tracey

On just 12 occasions this season have the home faithful had a goal to celebrate, more often having to endure away fans' delight, with the opposition scoring more goals - 14 times in the eleven home matches so far.

Molineux has been more of a firing range than a fortress as Wolves currently sit in nineteenth place in the home form table. What makes this more disappointing is that the home form last campaign was very respectable.

Already, we have witnessed as many home defeats and nearly as many home draws as the entire 2014/15 campaign. The eleven points accumulated from the eleven league games at Molineux is far lower than the eighteen accrued at the same stage last year and is simply not good enough.

Wolves ended last season as the fifth best home team, two places above their overall final league position. They won 13 times, losing just four games at Molineux with a four match winning streak at the beginning of the season and an eight match unbeaten run at the end sandwiching a fairly indifferent run of home form during the middle of the campaign.

Last season, Wolves scored 42 home goals – if they carry on this season's form for the remaining matches, they will only manage around 25 goals.

Wolves had lost just one home game in 2015 until QPR visited and won earlier this season. Since then, they have gone on to lose a further three home games with the last Molineux victory coming against Huddersfield on October 3.

In fact, only MK Dons and Rotherham have lost more home matches than Wolves this season.

Although Wolves often utilised a 4-2-3-1 formation last season, they offered much more goal threat with Sako and Dicko featuring. In the same formation this season, there are rarely any clear-cut chances made and therefore fewer goals.

Often this season, the team pump the ball up to the lone forward, who has little chance to win the high ball and little support if he does.

This is the reason that many fans would like to see two strikers, namely Le Fondre and Afobe, starting the match together.

Especially in home matches – although also in away games - Wolves have often had the upper hand in terms of possession. A lot of this possession is ultimately fruitless as Wolves struggle to break teams down and get into threatening positions as often as they should.

Another disappointing feature this season has been the poor utilisation of substitutions. Although Leeds were forced into an early change at Molineux due to injury, the powerful Doukara was brought on and Leeds reverted to a 4-4-2 formation.

This led to Batth and Ebanks-Landell struggling to cope with both of Leeds' forwards and they were carved open.

Rarely do you see Jackett making substitutions that have a dramatic effect on games – many of his changes are like-for-like and do not alter the formation and therefore rarely alter the match.

With the poor and uninspiring displays at Molineux this season, it is no wonder that the attendances are dwindling and more and more are considering their future attendance.

Wolves must find a way to turn Molineux back into the stronghold it was last season. Otherwise, there will start to be more than a few glances over their shoulder at a relegation battle.