Wolves blog: 'So, David...'

Whilst popping into a supermarket the other night, I spotted Wolves midfielder David Jones doing his weekly shop.

I wanted to tell him how so many fans want him back in the team, that he is the best passer of a ball we probably possess, that I'd like to see how the middle of midfield would work if he played there with David Edwards.

But rather than come across as a crazy sycophantic Wolves fan, I just gave him a polite and knowing nod and carried on with my shopping.

I couldn't make it to the Crystal Palace game on Tuesday night, but by all accounts it was a big improvement on the pathetic performance against Plymouth at the weekend.

It was great to see that big Chris Iwelumo was back in the side and let's hope he shakes off his knock to play at Sheffield Wednesday.

We desperately needed those three points at Selhurst Park. Against Plymouth you could feel the apprehension of the team in the stands, because we went a goal down within a few seconds of kick-off, so the team were rushing set-pieces and making bagfuls of errors.

After that, I think the Molineux crowd had finally realised that their team need them and were brilliantly supportive throughout.

The booing was predictable at half time and at the end of the game, obviously completely necessary to help the team realise that they had played so badly. How else would they know? Yes, I am being sarcastic.

It's only one win, so it's too early too say that we are back on track for the title. But it should hopefully give the team renewed confidence to go into the final 10 games of the season, to grab enough points to not only gain promotion but win the division.

A haul of 82 points were enough last season for Albion so, with that in mind, half of the remaining 30 points available should see us home.

As I stated in my last blog, predicting points from the remaining fixtures maybe a fun exercise, but it's pretty futile if this week is anything to go by. I was shot down by some last week, for saying I would have been happy with four points from the two games!

But surely trips to Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, Blues, Derby and Barnsley and then home fixtures with Ipswich, Charlton, Southampton, QPR and Doncaster should comfortably give us the points we need?

There's no doubt a couple of the Wolves old boys will be out to prove a point for Wednesday.

Michael Gray was a fantastic servant to the club and will always remain a popular character in this neck of the woods. Leon Clarke on the other hand, with the cupping of his ear to the non-believing Wolves fans, is the player who will be probably feel he has most to prove at Hillsborough.

I remember standing next to Leon, again in a shop, and just thinking he looked remarkably unlike a professional football player. He had just broken into the first team and although he showed glimpses of talent on the Molineux pitch, he always looked overweight and managed to make Jay Bothroyd look like a hard working player.

Hopefully Matt Jarvis will be back to accompany a rejuvenated Michael Kightly down the Wolves flanks and although I'm still puzzled as to why central defender Richard Stearman has lost his place in the team.

But his replacement Jody Craddock is an experienced a wise head and deserves to keep his place for the run in.

Wolves skipper Karl Henry will not face the Owls, as his two game suspension kicks in. If as suspected Mick wants to stick to his rigid 4-4-2 and still play a defensive midfielder then - as long as he doesn't get stuck in traffic - you would have thought Nigel Quashie would be a shoe in to replace Henry.

Personally I would like to see my new supermarket buddy, David Jones back in the side, but pigs will probably fly before Mick lets that happen.

Wednesday are still in with an outside chance of the play-offs so, like all the teams we will be playing in the top 10, they still have something to play for.

Birmingham and Reading, both back to winning ways, face a couple of fixtures against resurgent teams. Reading travel to Plymouth, who should be riding high after back to back wins, while Birmingham host Southampton, who have also found some form at the right end of the season.

Wolves face Ipswich on Tuesday night at Molineux, which should also prove a tough test, as they have always been over the years and they themselves are in touching distance of the play-offs.

On the same evening, Blues face a tricky trip to Mick McCarthy's home town of Barnsley, while Reading host relegation certainties Charlton.

I sat in a meeting this week with a Charlton fan and he was resounded to the fact that relegation is an absolute certainty. The only positive spin he could put on dropping down to League One was that he could tick off some of the grounds he has yet to visit.

He came out with that old cliche: "If someone had of told you that you would have been three points clear at the top of the division with 10 games to go at the start of the season, you would have bitten their arm off."

I do get a bit bored of non-Wolves fans saying that, but he does have a point and hopefully the blip that we all feared has now come to an end and we can romp home.

If only it was that easy. Have a bostin' weekend. C'mon me babbies!