Mick McCarthy hails two of his best at Wolves
Ex-Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has hailed Karl Henry and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake as two of the best players during his Molineux tenure.
McCarthy recently returned to Wolverhampton, some six years after his dismissal.
And in an interview with Wolves' Old Gold Club podcast, he picked out former captain Henry and striker Ebanks-Blake as two of his best signings.
"One of the best signings I had – and he's much maligned – is Karl Henry," McCarthy said.
"When Steve Morgan took the job I don't think he particularly liked him, he'd be asking me the team, I'd say Karl Henry and there was a big silence! I knew he wanted me to fill that silence and I never did.
"Karl did really well in the Premier League. We took him as a trialist in a game against Aston Villa.
"He was a real focal point in that team, doing all the horrible jobs. He was great for the club, he really was.
"He was one of the reasons it turned around. He epitomised what that was all about.
"I fell out with him in the end almost because I took the captaincy off him – that turned out to be a mistake by me.
"He became a backroom lawyer at one stage! It changed towards the end."
When asked who was the best players he had at Wolves, McCarthy replied: "I could say Kites (Michael Kightly), coming from Grays, Jarvo (Matt Jarvis), Gary Breen was brilliant here, Karl Henry.
"I always go (with) the most effective.
"Eighteen months, 45 goals; Sylvan was the most effective. I don't think he was the best player, he certainly wasn't the best character! He was a street angel and a house devil.
"He had a different side to him. But 45 goals, that propelled us into the Premier League.
"Kevin Doyle, I thought he kept us in the league with his work rate and his goals (but) we had to get there first and Sylvan's goals definitely got us in it."
McCarthy enjoyed a very successful spell at Molineux, winning promotion to the Premier League in 2009 and keeping the club in the Premier League for two-and-a-half seasons before he was sacked in 2012.
One of the most controversial moments during his tenure was when McCarthy rested 10 players for a game against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which Wolves lost 3-0.
Four days earlier McCarthy's team had won 1-0 away at Tottenham Hotspur – and the following weekend they faced a big relegation clash against Burnley, which they won 2-0.
But in between the current Republic of Ireland manager caused uproar with his Old Trafford team selection, which later led to a £25,000 suspended fine from the Premier League.
McCarthy said of his decision: "We won 1-0 (at Spurs) and we'd been battered in the second half.
CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS
"I came in on the Sunday morning looking at what changes to make to freshen it up. I said I'm leaving them all out.
"Dave Edwards got injured there, did his ankle. The dressing room was like a scene from a film of the Crimean War.
"I said if you want to play at Old Trafford make sure we stay up and let's play them next year.
"I got everything from Steve (Morgan), Jez (Moxey), someone saying could I leave a few out, I said that's not going to make it any easier to beat Man United.
"I remember the fans singing we've paid so much to watch the reserves.
"Talk about pressure on that (Burnley) game! I virtually said (to the players) "sod the rest of them, you're outside the tent weeing in".
"We got six points from Tottenham away, Man United away and Burnley at home. To this day my view is that's good management.
"It was a real tough period but I still maintain it's the right decision.
"Surely the decision to manage something to get six points, when all we expected was three...
"I was fighting against the Premier League, everybody's opinion, but what irked and hurt me was the opinions from inside (the club) that I should do something different."
