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Wolves blog: Deadline day dilemmas

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It is often said that by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail...writes Wolves blogger Graham Large

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And that is the story of Wolverhampton Wanderers' season so far. When things are going well, they are going very well. But when they are not, they tend to be dreadful.

Granted, that's a pretty blunt and irrational assessment of the campaign as a whole, but at the moment there is an atmosphere of crisis surrounding the club and many of its supporters.

Is it justified?

On the pitch, not necessarily. The club are still in the top-half of the Championship table, but things could – and perhaps should – be a lot better.

Saturday's draw at Loftus Road was a rare example of a happy medium.

At the end of the first half a decent result looked unlikely, if not impossible, but Kenny Jackett's men came back after the break to clinch a point with a rather fortuitous goal from James Henry.

And although the quality of football has not been particularly brilliant as of late, Wolves have lost just once in six league outings – a run which has kept them within sight of a possible, but albeit improbable, play-off chase.

Off the pitch, it's a complete contrast.

Wolves don't do the January transfer window; well, not usually, at least. Normally the club's hierarchy prefer to standby and observe other clubs franticly scrambling around.

But this season things are different.

Failure to build on an encouraging end to the previous campaign, the departures of three key players and numerous injuries have led to Wolves furiously working away to secure last-minute signings.

And January is an exceptionally difficult month in which to attempt to salvage a disappointing season. There are too many permutations at play: hugely-inflated price tags, astronomical agent fees and players all too reluctant to up sticks halfway through the season.

So, how did we end up here, you ask? Well, it all comes back to planning.

The increasingly confusing transfer dealings reflects the continued contrast between what the club's recruitment team, headed by Kevin Thelwell, feel best fits their 'young and hungry policy' and what the supporters can clearly see is required.

The lack of swift, decisive action in replacing Benik Afobe has reopened old wounds from the now infamous Sako and Stearman departures, leading to many questioning the recruitment strategy – and rightfully so.

So far, most of the players signed in 2015 have failed to make any real impact.

Loan signings Sheyi Ojo and Grant Holt have been and gone, Conor Coady has failed to live up to his hefty price tag, Emiliano Martinez is no better than what we already have, Adam Le Fondre has been a huge disappointment and the likes of Nathan Byrne and Jed Wallace have seldom been given a chance, with the latter now being loaned out to Millwall.

But a few players have impressed. New face Michal Zyro made an impressive start to his Molineux career, but has since been struck down by a calf injury; Jordan Graham, signed at this stage last season, was in fine form before his season-ending torn ACL; and Afobe, who scored 23 goals in 48 games, was signed for a relative pittance compared to the sum that Bournemouth paid for services.

It's not that Wolves have only signed bad players over the last 12 months; it's just that the powers that be have failed to recognise how crucial a balanced squad is to long-term success.

When Sako departed, there was no replacement forthcoming until 18-year-old Ojo was eventually brought in from Liverpool. Yet within a few weeks it was apparent that Ojo could not keep up with the demands of playing every week in the Championship.

Now it looks like Zyro, once has recovered from his setback, is the player that will replace Sako's creativity and goals from midfield. But his arrival is six months too late, the damage has already been done and Ojo was little more than a stopgap.

A similar situation has occurred with Adam Le Fondre. Signed as backup to Nouha Dicko and Afobe at the start of the season, Le Fondre now finds himself leading the line but he has struggled to find the net and he's less likely to score when utilised as a lone striker.

For all this talk of long-term recruitment, we seem to be continually relying on short-term fixes.

The Afobe money has to be used to buy the sort of players – three or four of them preferably – who can come in and transform Wolves into promotion material. Even if this season's hopes are over, they need to hit the ground running in August.

Mike Williamson will be a solid addition, he will add steel and organisation to the back four, but Wolves are still low on numbers in defence, especially with the surprise departure of Scott Golbourne.

Joe Mason has already joined the ranks from Cardiff, but he has hardly been prolific during his time in South Wales. So, Wolves still require a proven Championship goal-scorer.

Let's hope it's just a matter of formalities, a target is in place and we can avoid the short-term scattergun approach for once.

However, with the clock ticking, they could head into the final hours of the transfer window without any other choice.