Wolves Haunted By Ghost Of Managers Past

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Ipswich Town

(Cresswell 33, Campbell 64)

Cresswell celebrates giving Ipswich the lead

Wolves ended 2012 with the perfect way to sum up the entire calendar year - a dispirited, disinterested performance that produced disgraceful scenes from the stands towards the manager. It was like watching our entire year in one 90 minute segment. And left yours truly feeling sick to my stomach. Other than being denied what looked a clear penalty in the 2nd minute, Wolves didn't look that interested in taking the game to Ipswich, never really driving forward and pushing them back. Indeed, it was reminiscent of the Peterborough game just a few days before, as Ipswich had a lot of early possession and were given time to pick passes and space to run into. And indeed that is where their first goal came from. Wolves gave the ball away cheaply and then, rather than try and win it back, the players gave Ipswich time and space to get into the box, before the ball was laid back to Richard Cresswell. The full-back had all the time in the world to pick his spot and had the easiest of tasks of slotting it past Ikeme from just inside the box. With the way we'd performed up until then, the fans knew that goal would mean only one outcome - three points for Ipswich. Wolves did have efforts in the first-half, notably from Sako who first went close before Ipswich's first goal with a drive that just evaded the far post, and then later on when he lifted an effort over the bar. But despite a late 10 minute rally from Solbakken's side, they never looked like truly troubling Stephen Henderson in the Ipswich goal. Wolves scraped themselves to half-time without conceding further, but as they were booed off, the players knew that the dressing room held no safety for them from the wrath of their manager. Interestingly, the substitutes came out to warm up only 5 minutes before the end of the break, so clearly Solbakken had a message he wanted to get through to everyone!

Ipswich celebrate going 2-0 up at Molineux

Whatever that message was, it looked like it was beginning to work as, for the first 10 minutes of the second-half, Wolves came at Ipswich with pace, passion and determination. Ebanks-Blake twice found openings but his touch let him down, while Sigurdarson and Sako both struggled to make the desired impact. But then, as Ipswich played a long ball forward, Christophe Berra found himself with time to bring it down and pick a pass. At least, in an ideal world he'd have done that. Instead what he did was head it forward and give the ball straight back to the Tractor Boys. His header was headed directly back towards him by Chambers, but as he and Roger Johnson missed the interception, it ran through to DJ Campbell and the former Birmingham man slotted it past an exposed Carl Ikeme. And thanks to similar sloppy errors (notably from Berra and Johnson), Ipswich were given further chances to extend their lead through Campbell and Martin, but thankfully they weren't taken. After that second goal went in, however, the howls of derision and abuse flowed down from the stands, but it was nothing compared to what was to follow just two minutes later.

Solbakken feels the pressure as McCarthy looks on

In an attempt to get Wolves pushed further up the pitch, Solbakken took both Henry and Davis off and replaced them with Doumbia and O'Hara. These changes weren't particularly welcomed (although the sight of O'Hara was popular for fans) as some fans booed the decision to remove Henry in particular (how things change!!). But it was the third substitution - replacing Doyle with Pennant (which surprised even me, I must say) that led to the disgusting scenes from the SouthBank. Boos and abuse directed at Solbakken, before chants of "You don't know what you're doing" and even "You're getting sacked in the morning" reared their ugly head. It was incredibly ironic it came in front of Mick McCarthy, who's mind must have been cast back to the 2-2 draw with Swansea when he made late substitutions in a bad to get back into the came and was met by the exact same chants. I wouldn't have blamed the Yorkshireman if a wry smile had come to his face at that memory, which was one of the lowest ebbs in his spell in charge, and the first sign that his time at Molineux was drawing to a close. What then followed were sections of the SouthBank (notably parts of S1 and SL2) singing "Super Mick McCarthy" and there were even some 'fans' I heard clapping Ipswich and urging them to "finish us off". It was surreal and not an experience I ever wish to repeat.

Steve Morgan must step up to the plate and back his manager

If I was to level a criticism at Stale for the season so far, it would be that whilst his philosophies are right and I can see what he's trying to do, I feel he has tried to do it too quickly. Rather than come in and play a system and style that works to the players' strengths, he's come in and tried to get kick-and-rush footballers to play a more continental, modern style and it simply hasn't worked. He really should have phased it in slowly, removing the old-school footballers and bringing in the more suitable players, whilst ever slowly changing the style. That is something I feel would help him get better results this season, whilst also achieving his long-term goal under the noses of some of the more old-school fans who disapprove of modern tactics. What he has done here is very similar to what he did at Cologne, and that didn't end at all well with him being sacked in March and them eventually being relegated. I'm not saying that will happen here, but it is something that has become a real concern for the fans - and indeed myself - at times this season. But Stale has to be given time if he is to be a success and I would hope that the Board remain strong and that Steve Morgan backs him to the hilt in January. If not, then it is our Chairman who the fans should direct their anger at, not the manager as he will have been left helpless and hung out to dry by his bosses.

David Davis and Karl Henry only 2 of the players who seemed to care

There are severe question marks over whether the players have the passion to play for the shirt anymore. From today's match, only Ikeme, Johnson, Henry, Davis and Sigurdarson (at a push) looked like they really, truly cared about the gold shirt. Indeed out of the entire back 4, only Johnson was trying to organise things in there. But today, for almost the entire match, Wolves looked like they were afraid to tackle, as we barely put a foot in whenever an Ipswich player had the ball. This meant they had time and space to run and pick whatever pass or shot they liked. It was simply not good enough - it was the sort of ineptitude and laziness you wouldn't tolerate from 10 year olds, let alone a group of ex-Premier League professionals. It was abysmal, a total shambles and quite honestly just plain pathetic. I didn't think it was possible to have a worse performance than we did against Peterborough, but we managed that incredible feat today! Sako, Foley, Ward and Berra were the worst, most lazy culprits of the afternoon and a shake-up is needed. The players have become too stale (pun unintended) and casual. I have said for a long time - and I stick by it - that if we don't play Danny Batth, he will eventually (and understandably so) leave us and when he does, I believe it will be the biggest mistake we've made since letting Robbie Keane go. I firmly believe Danny Batth can go on to become on of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, ala Ryan Shawcross, if just given the chance. How many other players over the years have we developed, not given a chance in the first team and then seen them bypass us with another club and play regularly in the Premier League?! Too many for Wolves fans' liking. And I am not Jamie O'Hara's biggest fan, but I cannot deny that in the two games he's come on in this week, he's made a difference and I am looking forward to seeing him start and hopefully prove me wrong about him!

Thank God this year is over though. It's been the most hellish, agonising year I've ever had in my Wolves-supporting life. I'm just glad I didn't live through the 80s cos this year has been so bad, I think that era would've finished me off! But with 2013 around the corner, things can hopefully only get better for those of us in Old Gold. But the alternative... well it's not something I even want to consider right now. It certainly is a rollercoaster though.

My Wolves MOTM: Roger Johnson. One of the biggest disappointments of the McCarthy era, the former skipper put in a determined performance against his old boss as he demonstrated a one-man mission to organise the defence and try to keep Ipswich at bay.

Wolves In A Word: Pathetic.

In Stale We Trust.