Let's give Marcus Bent a fair chance

Wolves blogger Tim Spiers believes new striker Marcus Bent should be given a fair crack of the whip after a lukewarm reaction to his arrival.

Anticipation was rife in the pubs of Wolverhampton on Saturday evening.

It was nothing to do with offer of cheap lager preceding a bit of a boogie and a rather questionable 'meat' flavoured kebab later that night.

No, following a frustrating 1-1 draw with Newcastle, talk among Wolves fans had turned to the up and coming transfer deadline day.

With Andy Keogh departing Molineux and Michael Mancienne thankfully signing on for yet another season, the only space left in boss Mick McCarthy's squad was a striker-shaped hole alongside Kevin Doyle, Steven Fletcher and the rejuvenated Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

The bidding started high - Robbie Keane was destined for a Molineux homecoming many, including me during my wildest dreams, seemed to think. No chance of that, he's needed for Tottenham's Champions League campaign.

How about Daniel Sturridge then? Ditto for Chelsea.

Well maybe Emile Heskey, he could do a job? Still in Villa's first team, no chance. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink then?

And so the sights continued to drop lower and lower as the hours ticked down to Wednesday.

Then came the breaking news - we were to become Marcus Bent's 14th professional club.

I think it's fair to say most Wolves fans didn't do a lap of the living room when they heard of the 32-year-old's arrival from the Blue Noses.

On reading the headline 'Wolves swoop for Birmingham striker' I was terrified Mick has decided to give Kevin Phillips a hand in his quest to play for every club in the West Midlands, so personally this news came as a relief to me.

A top class poacher Phillips may well be, but I've never liked his attitude and I get the impression the feeling is mutual from him towards Wolves in general - Walsall are more than welcome to have you next season, Kevin.

In truth Bent's signing was a little underwhelming, even more so when our fellow Midlanders and competitors for mid-table Premier League spots – Blues and Stoke – announced the impressive headline-grabbing captures of Alexander Hleb and Eidur Gudjohnsen.

But the disrespectful, negative reactions I read and heard from Wolves supporters were totally unjust.

Everyone fan is entitled to their opinion and mine is that no player should be judged until we've seen him play in gold and black.

Many have decided to cast their aspersions already, some even going so far as to joining a Facebook group urging Mick not to play Bent. It's, frankly, pathetic and embarrassing.

These people may have forgotten the similarly negative, if not quite as vitriolic, sentiments when the unheralded Chris Iwelumo joined from Charlton in 2008, before big 'Lumes' went on to play a huge role in our promotion campaign and become something of a cult hero in the process.

Yes Bent hasn't got the star quality of the aforementioned Gudjohnsen or Mr Keane, but since when was Mick McCarthy's Wolves about marquee signings?

Huge emphasis is placed by the manager, chief executive Jez Moxey and owner Steve Morgan on the personality of any potential signing and whether they fit into the current ethos of the club, namely hard working, not in it for the money and unlikely to upset the applecart.

This policy might not see us rocket up to a top half finish this, or even next, season but when things go belly up at Blues.

The inevitable cracks are already appearing at St Andrew's, with manager Alex McLeish's contract spat, and at Stoke, who have no points from three games and they have signed Jermaine Pennant to boost team morale.

But we will still be there, steadily but securely making progress year on year, as has been achieved almost without fault since 2006.

Give me 11 limited but wholehearted Jody Craddocks and Karl Henrys sweating blood for the cause over inconsistent flair players who rarely reach their full potential any day.

That's why David Jones gets in the Wolves line-up every week, while the enormously talented but exasperatingly lackadaisical Nenad Milijas doesn't.

In Bent's case – and something has clearly gone wrong in the past if the guy has got a list of clubs so long it wouldn't fit on Terry Connor's clipboard – let's hope he's hungry to prove himself in what could be his last chance in the top flight.

Professionalism, commitment and a willingness to sacrifice personal gains for the good of the team, as with Ebanks-Blake so far this season, goes a long way in the hearts and minds of the Molineux masses.

Smacking the Wolves badge on your shirt in appreciation while warming up as a sub, before shuffling onto the field and meandering impassively after through balls – step forward Marlon Harewood – doesn't.

So get your head down Marcus, work hard, put a shift in for Mick, don't go moaning to the press if you're not in the team, give us 100 per cent and take your chances when they come your way.

That's been the Wolves recipe for success for the past four years and long may it continue.

And if you slam home the winner at the Hawthorns on December 19, we will build a statue in your honour.