Wolves united in the fight for survival says McCarthy

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy today came out fighting to reveal his players' desire to win their fight for Premier League survival — and stress the camp remains united.

McCarthy and his squad were back on the training pitches today preparing for Sunday's derby at Birmingham following two days of soul-searching after the Stoke debacle.

Tuesday's 3-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium saw the messageboards jammed with criticism of the manager and players by fans anxious at the team's worrying slide of one point from the last 12.

But McCarthy is convinced the current group of players in whom he has placed so much faith will drag Wolves to safety.

"We're not in a good position but we're in good shape as a team and confident we can still do it," said the boss. "I'm fortunate I've got such a great bunch they'll never intentionally let anyone down — me, the fans or the club ever.

"We'd like to be in 10th spot and safe and not have any worries.

"But there is pressure. I know people talk about players getting paid well and having nice houses and nice cars but they want to do well.

"They want to continue that. They want to continue their careers.

"They don't have any desire to let anyone else down or themselves or family, or friends, or fans, or the club. They're playing for all those reasons."

McCarthy also insisted that team spirit remains as strong as ever and that the players are all playing for each other, as well as him.

"If you have individual factions, it's going to crack at some time," said the boss. "We don't have any. The whole camaraderie and team spirit is superb.

"The lads deserve to stay up for the way they go about their job."

And McCarthy said he felt it was important he remained consistent in his approach.

"There's no act — what you see is what you get from me," he said.

"I think it is about keeping a calm disposition. It helps.

"Be calm, focused, clear on what you want and how you want to do it."