Pain in Spain for pondering boss

Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Burnley made it one win in nine games, during which Wolves have failed to keep a clean sheet and suffered three successive away-day reverses.

They are now only three points clear at the top of the Championship with 13 games to go. Their record of 43 goals against is the third highest outside the Championship's bottom six.

McCarthy, who jetted out to La Manga yesterday for a warm weather training camp in a bid to revitalise his players, reckons it may be time to alter his policy of all-out attack to help repair confidence in his side.

He said: "It's not my way to go more defensive and try to nick a point, but it might have to be the case. Perhaps I should take responsibility.

"In the last two away games I've set up as 4-4-2 with two wingers, wide open with the express intention of winning it, and maybe I have to look at those tactics.

"We've played like that all season and we were loved for it when we posted two seven-game winning runs and got to the top of the league. It was fantastic.

"Now we're not being loved as much at the moment and it's been difficult for us. Perhaps we're having a tough time and I should have changed it, so I'll take the rap for that.

"Away from home I believe we've got the players and ammunition to be able to play in the way we have, but we didn't manage to score which doesn't happen that often.

"Maybe it's a case of team selection, tactics, personnel. I'm not sure about going 4-5-1, but I need to just look at the way we do it."

Wolves are sweating on the fitness of Dave Jones.

McCarthy said: "He had a slight hamstring problem but he's in my thoughts for the next games."

If the Wolves boss opts for a more conservative approach on their travels, fans will be looking for the manager to keep on the offensive at Molineux, where they are for their next two games against in-form Cardiff on Sunday and fast-falling Plymouth six days later.