Kenny Jackett: It's a new beginning for Wolves
Kenny Jackett today challenged his bright young things to "keep their shirts" as Wolves prepared to kick-off a new era.
Ninety-one days on from relegation at Brighton, tomorrow's line-up at Preston is likely to contain just two survivors of the team that started on May 4 – Matt Doherty and Bakary Sako. The head coach has deliberately filled his vibrant new team with players not heavily associated with the club's double-dip relegation.
Captain Sam Ricketts is the only new signing while Richard Stearman, Jake Cassidy and Leigh Griffiths have returned from loans.
Youngsters Danny Batth, Lee Evans, Jack Price, Zeli Ismail, Anthony Forde and Liam McAlinden either haven't played or have only figured briefly in the club's slide.
Keepers Carl Ikeme and Wayne Hennessey and midfielder David Davis were all injured.
"There are quite a few who haven't got the baggage," said Jackett. "That's a good thing and it's needed. We needed a new group and the supporters need to see some new dynamics out there and different combinations and partnerships."
Jackett is likely to select a similar line-up to the one pipped 3-2 by Real Betis as he looks to develop understandings within the new-look team. "It's going to be 'keep your shirt' time, whatever the competition," he said. "I look at 10 league games – that should give me a good chance to assess where we are."
The same starting line-up is also likely to play in the Capital One Cup tie at Morecambe on Tuesday.
"Take next Tuesday, I'm not suddenly going to start making changes for changes' sake because this team needs to get into some rhythm," he said.
"If it was an established group, you could maybe pull five players out for the Morecambe game. But I don't think we can sustain that amount of changes and then get into the rhythm we want.
"It's one game at a time and I'll select a team for Morecambe off the back of the Preston one."
and the Gillingham off the first two," he said.
"It's an ongoing process. As a manager you like to get it right first time, but it doesn't always happen.
"But you do want to bed it down to some sort of pattern and formula."
