Preview: Crystal Palace away

Wolves start 2013 by gladly escaping Molineux for 2 games, starting with a no-pressure trip to South London to face Ian Holloway's Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. After two pathetic performances at home turf, and tensions running high in the stands, this game (and then Luton in the Cup) will be the perfect chance to regroup and regain some pride after recent embarassing showings against sides below us in the table.

SEB gives us the lead in monsoon conditions at Selhurst Park

Selhurst Park has always been a bit of a difficult place for Wolves to go to. Of our 25 League meetings in South London, we have only won 8 (although so have Palace). However, recent trips to Selhurst Park have proved a little more fruitful, losing only once in our last 5 visits (and that was an FA Cup Replay). Indeed, in our last 10 League visits (including the Play-Off Semi Final in 1997), we've only lost 3 times. Our last game there was in March 2009 in horrendous conditions, with heavy downpours and swirling wind battering the stadium. There was in fact some doubt as to whether the game would go ahead. But it did, and Wolves kicked off looking to end a run of 1 win in 11 games that threatened to derail their promotion challenge. But they came out quickly at Palace, with Kightly having a shot cleared off the line and Chris Iwelumo being denied by Julian Speroni, whilst at the other end Wayne Hennessey pulled off some brilliant saves to deny Paul Ifill. As it looked like Wolves were once again going to be denied all 3 points, Clint Hill brought down Michael Kightly as he burst into the box. Despite Palace's protests, the referee pointed to the spot and 15 minutes from time, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake smacked the penalty home to send the soaked Wolves fans home happy. It was a result that changed our season and saw us eventually go on to lift the Championship title.

SEB (again) gives us the lead against Palace at Molineux this season

Our last meeting with Palace, earlier this season, could also be seen to have changed our season - and not for the better. Solbakken said at the time that it was one of our performances of the season in the first-half, when we battered Palace but just couldn't get past Speroni. We eventually took the lead 8 minutes into the second-half, when a slip from Damien Delaney provided Ebanks-Blake with the perfect chance to slot the ball home. And it should've been 2-0 just 7 minutes later, as Doyle crashed a shot back off the crossbar. But Palace equalised 9 minutes later when Zaha - who looked to be offside - collected Glenn Murray's pass and ran unchallenged into the area to fire past Carl Ikeme. Then disaster struck for Wolves when Slawomir Peszko - who had been seemingly targeted all night - was sliced down by Jonathan Williams. It was later revealed he had torn his medial ligament and would be out for up to 4 months. Losing his power and pace on the right-wing meant Wolves had themselves a serious problem - one that hasn't been fixed to this day (as hard as Sigurdarson tries, he's not a winger). To compound their misery and sense of injustice, Zaha looked to have controlled the ball with his hand before turning and smashing a half-volley past Ikeme from 25 yards to bag a fortunate 3 points for the Londoners. It was that game that started to unravel our season, despite beating Blackburn the following weekend.

Ian Holloway - welcome replacement for Dougie Freedman

At the time, Palace were under the stewardship of Dougie Freedman and were flying - despite being below Wolves they were only 3 points off Cardiff who were top. This form continued and it looked for a while like it would be them and the Welsh side who would lead the way in the promotion race this season. However, out of the blue Freedman left to join Bolton Wanderers at the end of October - despite the Northerners langushing in 16th (compared to Palace who were 4th). He was replaced at Selhurst Park by Ian Holloway at the start of November and his first game in charge was, ironically, a 5-0 win over Wolves' recent conquerors Ipswich Town at home. Since then, they've gone on to lose just twice in Holloway's 11 games in charge, losing 2-1 away to both Leeds and Cardiff. Having said that, they haven't actually won their last 5 games, not tasting victory since a 3-0 home win over rivals Brighton on December 1st. And it is at home where they are at their best - they're unbeaten in their last 11 at Selhurst Park and have in fact only lost once at home all season, with a 3-2 defeat to Watford coming on the opening day of the season. They're also the joint-top scorers in the Championship, with 47 strikes matching Cardiff's record. Whilst we have scored first 15 times this season, Palace beat that with 16 first-strikes (and Cardiff have 17) though their record when scoring first is disappointing - only going on to pick up 30 points (which, whilst sounding good, is an average of 1.87 points per game - only Bristol and Bolton have worst PPG records when scoring first). As expected, keeping them out is going to be hard to do, with both them and Cardiff only failing to score once this season - another joint-top record in the division. However, Wolves can take heart from the fact that Palace have lost 20 points from winning positions this season - only Bolton have a worse record than that. Against sides in the bottom-half, Palace have a field day, racking up 8 wins and 3 drawing - the second-best record in the division. There are defensive woes for the home side tomorrow, with Damien Delaney serving the final game of his 3-match ban, and skipper Paddy McCarthy misses out with a groin injury. With those two key elements at the heart of the Palace defence missing, it should at least give Wolves some heart going into this tricky contest.

Zaha and Bolasie - able to cause Wolves plenty of problems

For a lot of Wolves fans, they will just be happy to see their side turn up and act like they're professional footballers, after the recent pathetic no-shows against Peterborough and Ipswich. In both games, very few of the players looked like they actually cared, and a big improvement must be made if Solbakken is to try and get the fans on side. However, whilst expectation of victory may have weighed heavily on the players' shoulders in the recent matches, this New Years Day clash provides an opportunity for Wolves to be underdogs and play without pressure. With Palace (and in particular the front 3 of Zaha, Murray and Bolasie) flying and tearing teams apart for fun, there's no sane Wolves fan out there that would expect to come away from South London with maximum points. Indeed, there's very few out there who would even dare hope for a point, given the recent abject showings by our team. The festive period, however, isn't often kind to us and along with our Boxing Day woes in recent years, we haven't fared too well on New Years Day either. We haven't taken any points from the first league match of a calendar year since 2008 (a 0-0 draw at home to Sheffield United) and have won just one year-opening League match in 10 seasons. However, we have appeared happier away from Molineux recently, winning 2 of our last 3 away games. That's not expected to continue tomorrow, however, with our record against top-half sides being the second-worst in the division - winning only twice and losing 8 times to pick up a return of 8 points (or 0.66 per game). Even if we do tak the lead tomorrow, Crystal Palace have won 4 games when losing and drawn 1, giving them a return of 13 points (whilst we have lost 17 points from winning positions this season).

Steve Morgan: January window is make or break

If I seem negative it's because... well because I am really. This has been a truly horrific year to be a Wolves fan - the worst I've ever known (thankfully I wasn't alive during our dreadful 80s years). But 2013 represents a new start for us hopefully, and it all begins with one man - Steve Morgan. Now is the time to back the man that, lest we forget, he chose and he specifically went to meet. All Molineux eyes are on the Chairman's pockets to see just how deep he will dig - and yet unfortunately it is the man in the manager's hotseat who has been left to face the flak and the abuse. We cannot have a repeat of the last 2 January windows when the club make a big deal of this supposed "January Warchest" that only produced Jake Cassidy, Leigh Griffiths and Eggert Jonsson to name but a few. We need quality that can come in and change our season. There are two ways our season can go, and they both rest on this transfer window. If Morgan backs Solbakken, we can bring in the neccessary quality and climb the table. If he doesn't, we won't buy anyone anywhere near good enough and will probably face a repeat of last season with Solbakken being sacked mid-February and Wolves limping for the rest of the season, facing up to relegation and cold, Tuesday night trips to Yeovil and Carlisle. It may sound drastic and far-fetched, but it is a reality we need to accept. And that is why it is down to Morgan to open his pockets and for Moxey to let him. Otherwise this club is facing real trouble.

I'd like to think that, after such a terrible year for us all, we'd start the new one on a high. But I just can't see it - given how well Palace are doing and how badly we seem to be struggling. Being away from Molineux will help, but the table does not lie and I believe Palace will have just too much for us.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 3-1 Wolves

In Stale We Trust.

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.

Preview: Ipswich Town home

Wolves face a blast from the past this weekend, as Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor return to Molineux with their resurgent Ipswich Town side. Whilst both are sure to receive a good reception at the near sell-out Molineux, Wolves fans will be hoping that's all they both leave with, with Wolves looking to fight back after their disappointing display against Peterborough on Boxing Day.

Tommy Smith's bizzare own goal gives Wolves the lead

Our last meeting with Ipswich took place earlier this season at Portman Road. Having seen off some early pressure from the Tractor Boys, Wolves took the lead through a bizzare own goal from Tommy Smith, before Tongo Doumbia wrapped up the points with a drive from 25 yards. The September win was part of a run of 4 wins that took Wolves to 3rd in the league and gave many fans great optimism of the season ahead. Our last meeting with them at Molineux was, of course, in the Championship-winning 08/09 season. A 0-0 draw helped the promotion ship continue to steady, after back-to-back 1-0 wins away to Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace stopped the rot of 1 win in 11 games. The closest anyone came to scoring in that game was when Ebanks-Blake hit the bar from close range towards the end. Ipswich do have a dreadful record at Molineux though, winning only 5 out of 35 league meetings between the two sides, scoring just 29 goals at the Golden Palace. However, out of those 35 games at Molineux, 14 have been draws, and very rarely have we scored more than 2 goals past Ipswich in our previous meetings with them. Indeed, Town's last victory at Molineux came in 1991 with a 2-1 success. So, based on past history, it is not likely that they're gonna have much luck tomorrow.

McCarthy and Connor return to Molineux for the first time tomorrow

However, one key thing that the have in their armour is knowledge. Mick McCarthy brought a lot of our current first-teamers to Molineux - including our entire back 4 and our front pair of Doyle and SEB. So he will know their strengths, but also more importantly their weaknesses. And whilst things have changed under Stale Solbakken, McCarthy's assistant Terry Connor will know quite a bit about the new players such as Sako, Doumbia and Sigurdarson as he worked with them briefly before being dispensed by Solbakken. It is knowledge like that that will mean Ipswich come here with a well thought out gameplan - much like Peterborough did and that brought them success. Knowing McCarthy, no stone will be left unturned as he will be seeking to prove a point to fans who slated him more than anyone else. The former Wolves boss took over at Portman Road at the start of November with Town rooted to the bottom of the Championship and without a win in 11 games, but he has since guided them to 5 wins from his 11 games in charge and has lifted them to 20th in the table - 5 points clear of the drop zone. It is the typical 'McCarthy effect' and has seen Ipswich become hard to beat recently, after some early drubbings at Palace (5-0) and Leicester (6-0). They've also won 4 out of their last 6, proving themselves to be a very tricky opposition coming into tomorrow's game.

Goal celebrations have been few and far between for low scorers Ipswich

One thing we can be sure of tomorrow is goals. In 24 league games this season, Ipswich have only kept 3 clean sheets - only Bristol have a worse record than that! This failure to keep clean sheets has seen them lose 15 points from winning positions - although that's still 2 points less than we've lost from winning positions. So whichever side has the lead tomorrow can't be sure that they're going to go on to win. In half of Ipswich's matches this season, they've conceded more than one goal, and in all of those matches they've only come back to draw once, losing the other 11. The opposition have scored first (something we are the 2nd best in the league at doing) past Ipswich 13 times, and in those 13 games they've lost 8 times and won only 1. However, under McCarthy their defensive fortunes have improved slightly, only conceding 7 goals in their last 7 games. Scoring has been a problem for the Tractor Boys too this season, as they are the second-lowest scorers in the division with only 25 goals (1.04 goals per game average) - only Barnsley (24) have scored less goals than them. Their main goal threat comes from former Birmingham and Brentford striker DJ Campbell, who has got 9 of Ipswich's 25 goals this season whilst Lee Martin is their main provider from the wing, contributing 5 assists.

Solbakken: Under pressure from fans

As for Wolves, well they will be looking to bounce back from the worst performance since, ironically, Mick McCarthy's last game in charge - the 5-1 home defeat to West Brom. Although the Millwall performance earlier this season was bad, the defeat to Peterborough was worse as it seemed like the players just didn't care. The reaction of the fans was similar to the defeat to Albion too, with arguing in the stands, and sarcastic cheers for substituted players as well as cries of "you're not fit to wear the shirt". It was a day that highlighted the pressure Solbakken is seemingly under from the majority of fans - and his cause wasn't helped by the bizzare sackings of Sean O'Driscoll at Forest and Henning Berg at Blackburn, which led to some Wolves fans claiming Solbakken should be next out the door. What a time to now be playing a team managed by a Molineux legend. Whilst Mick McCarthy had indeed outstayed his time at Wolves (I firmly believe he should've been sacked well before the Albion game), there is no doubting what the man did for this football club. He dragged us from being relegation favourites and having barely any squad of note, to Championship Champions in 3 seasons, and gave me arguably the best year of my life as a Wolves fan. Not to mention the 2 seasons he successfully (if not always comfortably) kept us in the Premier League. I hope he gets the good reception he deserves, but I hope it ends at just that. Any singing of "Super Mick" during the game will be an insult to Solbakken, and will be detrimental to the team. We want to end one of the worst calendar years in our recent history on a high - something we've only done once in 8 seasons when we beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield in 2010. We do have a very good record against bottom-half sides, winning 7 of our 12 matches against them and scoring 18 goals in the process. It is important to view Boxing Day as a blip. We still have 4 wins in 6 games and that is the same run we had after our 1-0 win at Blackburn earlier in the season, when Solbakken was being praised so heavily by fans. All teams suffer setbacks and bad runs - particularly in the Championship. It just seems a lot of our fans have got so focused on the Premier League, they've not realised how much tougher the Championship has gotten since we've been away.

Ward and McCarthy could link up again at Ipswich

The match could be an interesting one for several Wolves players too - with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Richard Stearman and Stephen Ward all up against their potential future employers with all 3 amongst names linked with McCarthy at Ipswich. One player who won't feature tomorrow but looks certain to join Ipswich is defender Ronald Zubar, who hasn't played a game for Wolves since the 3-1 defeat at Cardiff at the end of August. As for team news, Wolves have no fresh injury worries, and it's expected that Bjorn Sigurdarson will replace the maligned (and hugely disappointing) Jermaine Pennant on the right, while Jamie O'Hara will again be on the bench as he is nowhere near fit enough to start yet. Wolves will be looking for more from Bakary Sako too, the French winger struggling for form in the last 2 games. It doesn't help that teams have seemingly sussed him out, double-marking him and letting him do plenty of tricks before easily winning the ball back off him and starting a counter-attack. This is something Solbakken will have to try and combat before it becomes to serious a problem for the team, as when Sako had struggled this season, invariably so have Wolves.

However, I think a little bit of perspective is required for all those around Molineux at the moment. Rome wasn't built in a day, and this is a long-term project. Mick McCarthy took 3 years to get promotion by building a "new Wolves" that was made of young and hungry players. Stale Solbakken deserves the same amount of time to build a "new Wolves" made of quality foreign players who perhaps aren't quite the finished article, but are still quality and who keep the ball. That is the way football is moving these days - gone are the days of kick and rush football, where workrate was enough to see you succeed. These days you need to have a technical and tactical style of play. It will get better, it just needs time and a little bit of patience. Hopefully the New Year can see a new start at Molineux and a fresh sense of optimism and acceptance. And don't forget, our last pathetic performance (at home to Millwall) was followed up by a 4-1 thrashing of Bristol City. Don't be too surprised to see a similar response from Stale Solbakken's men tomorrow afternoon.

Prediction: Wolves 3-1 Ipswich Town

In Stale We Trust.

Woeful Wolves Give Posh Perfect Christmas Present

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-3 Peterborough United

(Tomlin 17, Rowe 43, Gayle 69)

Tommy Rowe celebrates putting Posh 2-0 up at Molineux

Wolves' players were clearly in the festive mood at Molineux this afternoon - handing Peterborough United all 3 points with an abject, pathetic attempt at a performance infront of a frustrated home crowd. Right from the first whistle, Peterborough's gameplan was evident - keep it tight and simple at the back, pressing Wolves into unforced errors, and then look to hit us on the break. And it was exactly from that the first goal came. The warning signs were there when Dwight Gayle went close twice early on, but Wolves didn't learn and just 5 minutes later, the ball was lost in the Peterborough half and they instantly came at us quickly. The pace of Newell down the left meant he skipped past Foley like he wasn't there before lifting the ball into the middle of the box, for Tomlin to volley home off the underside of the bar despite Ikeme getting a touch. From that moment on, the mood around Molineux changed. Wolves appeared edgy, and you could feel the sense of déjá vu in the stands. Instantly, Peterborough seized on this and took control of the game, playing some impressive passing football and pressing Wolves further back. And it was through this that their second goal came. After some neat passing work on the right-wing, the ball eventually made its way to the box where Posh continued to pass it calmly, before Tommy Rowe finally slotted past Ikeme. In between the two goals, Wolves had several oppotunities from corners, with Roger Johnson, Kevin Doyle and Stephen Ward all denied by a mix of Olejnik and blocks on the line. But at half time, boos rang around Molineux and the fans were apprehensive about what the second-half would bring.

Bobby Olejnik comes up trumps in a crowded penalty box

The answer was... more of the same. Solbakken took the brave step at half-time of replacing Ward (who was having an absolute shocker) with Sigurdarson and going 3-4-3. But Peterborough had a 2-0 lead to protect and, unlike last Saturday against Bolton, they made themselves impossible to break down right to the final whistle. They used their 5 in midfield to effect, stopping Wolves penetrating into the final third and being forced to look out wide for options. Then, as in the first half, when the move broke down Posh looked to hit us on the break. And it was exactly that that brought along their 3rd and final killer goal. With Wolves not really going anywhere, Posh broke away down the left. A decent ball in found nobody but it came out to Mark Little who was steaming in from the right. When it looked like he was going to shoot, he kept a cool head and slipped it to Gayle who finished easily to make it 6 goals in 7 games. The comparisons with him and Craig Mackail-Smith are increasingly beginning to look like they have some foundations to them. But from Wolves, it was again a performance devoid of invention or desire as we kept possession and passed it around without going anywhere. Indeed, it was Posh who had further chances to score, but neither Tomlin, Gayle or Rowe could quite add even more gloss to the scoreline.

Zakuani kept Ebanks-Blake in his back pocket all day long

Before I focus on Wolves, I'm gonna give Peterborough the credit they deserve. They came to Molineux and executed their gameplan to perfection. I said all along that they would beat us and I am, of course, disappointed to have been proven right. Despite my love of Posh, and my tolerance of them beating us, I wasn't expecting such a rout. I've seen some embarassing comments from Wolves fans on Twitter tonight, saying how Posh are "the worst team to come to Molineux this season". I personally think that's an absolutely disgraceful claim to make. They outplayed us. Yes, we were appalling but they made us look it with their defending and ability on the break. Their 3-5-2 caused us all sorts of problems, as we were heavily outnumbered in midfield and it showed. Dwight Gayle, who has now signed for Posh permanently, looks a quality player and his pace and ability to drift around meant that Berra and Johnson were given a torrid time. As I predicted, Tomlin's ability to pick up little pockets of space and his vision caused us no end of problems, with Henry struggling to really pick him up. George Boyd's passing opened space up for Posh to work in, and Albion youngster George Thorne went about his job quietly but efficiently in midfield. At the back, Zakuani exhibited Johnson-like leadership and calmness to ensure Ebanks-Blake didn't get a sniff, while Little and Bostwick did an excellent job at keeping Sako quiet all game. All this result has done is further increased my belief that Posh will stay up and with two huge 6-pointers coming up for them, this result (particularly the clean sheet) will give them the confidence needed to go forward. All being well, they'll find themselves back at Molineux next season, and hopefully we can get ourselves a nice little bit of revenge too.

O'Hara: A welcome sight for Wolves fans

As for Wolves... well where do I begin?! Clearly Wolves players enjoy their Christmas dinner a little too much, as this Boxing Day defeat was not a one-off. We've only had 1 Boxing Day win in the last 15 seasons, and the slow feel to this one indicated that was not set to change anytime soon. What disappointed me was the lack of atmosphere from kick-off. I'd told my Peterborough friends about what a good atmosphere the South Bank can create, and yet today was just flat. Then, of course, when things started to go wrong, the mood turned very ugly, with Jermaine Pennant jeered off by the South Bank and chants of "You're not fit to wear the shirt" after the 3rd goal went in. Today was similar to the Millwall home game earlier this season, and even brought back memories of the 5-1 thrashing by Albion last season. Players seemed disinterested - with Sako and Ebanks-Blake being the main culprits, while Ward (Despite only playing 45 minutes) had probably one of the worst games of his Wolves career. He keeps playing the ball long and it quite simply does not work for us. He may well have exposed himself today as the weak link for us. It says a lot too that our best chances came from set-pieces, particularly corners. There was a lack of ingenuity in open play, not helped by the huge gap between the midfield and the often isolated Ebanks-Blake, despite the fact Doyle often dropped deep to try pick the ball up. The return of Jamie O'Hara - whilst I'm not his biggest fan personally - was welcomed by fans and there is hope amongst them that he will prove to be that link betwen midfield and attack. But so far, it is only one defeat. A disappointing one, with a humiliating performance, but still only one defeat. To call for Solbakken's head is pointless and embarssingly fickle - given how many fans were loving him after 3 wins in 4 on Friday night. But with this result coming so close to the January window, it'll be interesting to see what Stale decides to do as it is quite clear we are severely lacking in several key areas - most notably at the moment out wide and up front.

Wolves struggled to get to grips with Peterborough all game

It's never going to be easy supporting Wolves - even if we had billions of pounds we'd still do it the hard way. But we're stuck with it and all it brings. Today was just a blip (hopefully) and we need to all dust ourselves down and look ahead to a crucial game Saturday. This season was always going to be a transitional one, but sadly every time we win a run of games, our fans begin to forget that fact. What today has taught every single Wolves fan though is that we must never underestimate the opposition, especially in the Championship. Today we did that, and ended up producing our worst performance of the season so far. I'll continue to have my soft spot for Posh and will continue to look out for their results - I hope with all my heart they stay up. They've certainly showed in their last 3 games that the passion, desire and even the quality is there for them to do so, so good luck to them for the rest of the season!

My Wolves MOTM: Tongo Doumbia. Looked, at times, to be the only player wanting to run at people and drive us forward. Was often closed down in the second-half and forced down blind alleys, but signs that he is pretty much getting back to his best. Just needs a lucky break to give him a goal.

Wolves In A Word: Embarassing

In Stale We Trust.

Preview: Peterborough home

Wolves continue their busy Christmas schedule with the visit of Peterborough United to Molineux on Boxing Day. On paper this will be (perhaps rightfully) seen as a home banker, as a guaranteed 3 points for Stale Solbakken's side - but the reality is it'll be anything but. From a personal point of view, it's a huge game for me as I have become very much a Peterborough fan over the years (even more so this season) and regard them as my second team nowadays. As a result, my preview of the opposition will be much more indepth than usual.

Ebanks-Blake gives Wolves the lead from the spot at London Road

This is actually The Posh's first visit to Molineux since April 1994, when the two sides drew 1-1 as Peterborough were on their way to relegation from Division One. In fact, there have only ever been 9 meetings between the sides, with Wolves winning 5 and Posh winning 2. Though in Posh's 4 visits to Molineux, they've only lost once. So clearly it's not as intimidating to them as it may seem. Our last meeting with them, a 2-0 victory at London Road, was a game that several Peterborough fans have attributed to being the kickstart to their season (they went on to win at Hull and Barnsley in their next 2 games). Having said that, I don't actually think they played that badly against us. They came out of the starting blocks quickly and tested Carl Ikeme with some early efforts, but once we'd settled down we began to control the first half, pushing forward - Ebanks-Blake and Doyle proving a real handful for the back three of Peterborough. We finally took the lead from the penalty spot after Ebanks-Blake had been foolishly tripped by Grant McCann, the striker dusting himself down and smashing the penalty straight down the middle. The goal spurred us on and we could've added to our lead with both Ebanks-Blake and Doyle being denied by Bobby Olejnik and the woodwork. Half time came and went and it was clearly Darren Ferguson's team talk that had made the most impact, as Posh again came out and played much better in the second half. They dominated the majority of the second 45 minutes, forcing Carl Ikeme into quite a few saves and pushing us further back. However, they couldn't get that vital goal and 8 minutes from time, Sigurdarson raced on to a flick from Kevin Doyle and chipped the ball over Olejnik to score his first Wolves goal.

Bostwick scores a screamer to give Posh the lead in Cardiff

Posh have had a mixed bag of results since that game. Despite recording 3-0 and 3-1 over Huddersfield and Derby respectively, they suffered late goal heartbreak against Palace and Brighton in the middle of an 8 game winless run. Their performances haven't always been too bad though, and even though results may make it look like they've been outplayed, most matches have been quite tight. Often it's just quality of the final ball/shot (or lack of in Posh's case sometimes) that has cost them. They've experienced a recent mini revival lately though - running Middlesbrough very close at home in a 3-2 defeat, before shocking the footballing world by going to Cardiff (who had the best home record in Europe) and deservedly winning 2-1. They followed that up by beating Bolton 5-4 at home in one of the games of the season so far! In typical Posh fashion though, they were 5-2 up with 10 minutes to go, before giving their fans (including myself who was there for the day) heart failure with two goals conceded late on to create a nervy finish. Despite these two vital wins, they are still bottom of the league on goal difference. Understandable really, given that they've conceded an average of 1.91 goals per game. They don't score too many this season either - compared to the Peterborough of old. They've only scored 30 goals this season, a disappointing average of just 1.3 per game.

There are actually some similarities between Posh and ourselves statistically. Posh do tend to come out of the starting block early - of their 30 goals scored, 15 have come in the first 30 minutes. Likewise, they fade in the second half with 31 of their 44 goals conceded coming after half-time.The last 10 minutes is where they struggle most, however, conceding 12 goals after the 80th minute (we've conceded 7 in the same time period). This is backed up by the fact that they have lost 11 points from winning positions this season (compared with Wolves who've lost an alarming 17 points). One thing that's guaranteed on Wednesday is goals. Wolves have gone 24 games without a 0-0, while Peterborough have gone over 3 years (144 games) without registering a no score draw.

Lee Tomlin: Peterborough's driving force with real quality

However, looking at their side on paper, they really shouldn't find themselves bottom. They have some real quality in the ranks - particularly going forward. Lee Tomlin is the man at the heart of everything good they do. The number 8, who plays in the hole just behind the striker (though enjoys a mostly free role), can trouble any Championship defence on his day. He's contributed 7 goals and 5 assists to the Peterborough cause this season, and his vision, passing and finishing make him a real threat. Indeed, given the concerns over O'Hara's fitness, we at Wolves could do a lot worse than someone like Tomlin to play that role behind the striker. Tomlin has formed an impressive link-up with loan signing Dwight Gayle, who has instantly become a fans favourite at London Road after scoring 5 goals in 6 games - including the winner at Cardiff last weekend. George Boyd - who is synonymous with Peterborough - has also looked impressive this season and has chipped in with 6 goals in all competitions (including the undoubted goal of the season so far against Huddersfield).

Despite conceding so many goals, even at the back Peterborough look strong on paper. Traditionally going with a 3-5-2, centre-backs Michael Bostick, Gabriel Zakuani and Nathaniel Knight-Percival are strong in the air, comfortable with the ball at their feet, and will never shirk a tackle. The wing-backs of Joe Newell and ex-Wolf cub Mark Little provide pace on the flanks and create space for creative players like Boyd and Tomlin to exploit through the middle. One young man to look out for at Molineux on Boxing Day is on-loan Albion midfielder George Thorne, who scored his first professional goal against Bolton on Saturday. He's a tenacious box-to-box player with an eye for goal and a cool head on his shoulders. He will be especially up for this game and will no doubt relish the stick he will get from the South Bank.

Carl Ikeme is in the form of his life this season

As for Wolves, well we come into this festive fixture on the back of stealing 3 points off a hugely unfortunate Blackpool side. The win came thanks to a real slice of luck in a penalty award that was soft at best. But the real catalyst behind the victory was a stand out performance from Carl Ikeme, who stopped everything that Blackpool threw at him. It was a display reminiscent of Boxing Day last year when Wayne Hennessey single-handedly stopped Arsenal taking all 3 points against 10-man Wolves. The win at Bloomfield Road was Wolves' 3rd in 4 games, meaning that Stale Solbakken's side are once again beginning to build up momentum and will see their next 2 games as a real chance to push towards the play-offs going into the new year. Friday night's game continued our fantastic run of scoring first in well over half of our games (16 out of 23). Though with Peterborough's 2 goals in the first 6 minutes on Saturday, we must be wary not to leave ourselves too open. We do actually have the 3rd best record in the league against bottom-half sides, winning 7 of our 11 meetings with them and picking up 23 points. What will encourage Peterborough is that we have only kept 5 clean sheets this season and they certainly have no problem scoring - only failing to do so in 7 games. Surprisingly, our home record isn't that good - we've only 4 won of our 11 home games, proving that Molineux isn't quite the fortress it should be. However,
Peterborough don't appear to travel well - only winning 3 out of 11 away games.

Davis: Becoming a bit of a super-sub for Wolves in midfield

What was interesting about the Blackpool game is that we finally saw an impressive performance on the right-wing from Jermaine Pennant and it could be that the on-loan winger starts again on Wednesday, with Sigurdarson taking a place on the bench to preserve his fitness. Given how tight Darren Ferguson's side will want to keep the midfield, our best chance of getting something will probably come from the activity of the wide men. Should we struggle to break them down in open play, Peterborough showed against Bolton on Saturday that - with the right delivery - corners can trouble them and with Sako's dead-ball ability, Wolves have a real weapon with which to hit them. Despite making a huge impact at Bloomfield Road, it is expected David Davis will again start on the bench, with Henry and Doumbia being Solbakken's preferred choice in midfield. With Posh's record of conceding late goals, Davis' energy and vision could see him become a key figure in the second-half against tired legs and minds. At the back, the pace of Gayle could be a problem for the slightly slower pairing of Johnson and Berra, whilst the ever-changing position of Tomlin will cause a real headache for skipper Karl Henry. A special mention must go to the Wolves captain, who is set to make his 250th appearance for his home town club on Boxing Day. Whatever your opinion of him (and it is very split), he has been a real leader and an unsung hero of this squad for so long. It's a fantastic milestone and hopefully there'll be many more appearances in the Old Gold to come for him.

We do have the better squad - although Peterborough's first XI is decent too - and with home advantage we will be huge favourites to win. But we are Wolves - it's never that simple. Posh will be flying after their results against Cardiff and Bolton and we do have a tendancy to have one of 'those' days against the lower sides. I think it will be quite an open game, although I don't think we'll see high scoring exploits. Wolves fans will expect a win, Posh will happily take a draw. I somehow think it'll be the away side going away happier after 90 minutes.

Prediction: Wolves 1-1 Peterborough

In Stale We Trust.

Wolves: Half-Season Review

Matt Jarvis: Played twice before moving to West Ham

Wolves' season so far has been the epitomy of the title of my blog - a rollercoaster. Starting off slowly, we lost a poor game away at Leeds, before facing two home games in a week against Barnsley (won 3-1) and Derby (drew 1-1). Neither game particularly set the world alight and it was evident that the squad were still feeling their way into the season. Our early season lack of form was not helped by the departures of Steven Fletcher and Matt Jarvis for a combined total of £22m. However, that was quickly reinvested back in the squad, with Solbakken signing Bakary Sako, Georg Margreitter and Razak Boukari - all buys totalling around £5m. With this new-look squad, Wolves travelled to early pace-setters Cardiff and, after a good early start with a goal from Sako on his league debut, Wolves collapsed and lost 3-1. But still Wolves were in and around the play-off zone heading into the first International break of the season.

Guedioura: Joined the list of ex-players to haunt Wolves

September resumed with Wolves starting a fantastic 4 match unbeaten run that saw them go into October joint top - sitting in 3rd place on goal difference. But after an unlucky defeat to Crystal Palace, Stale Solbakken's men hit back with a smash-and-grab late win at Blackburn to keep the pressure on the top sides. However, that was to be the last of the joy for Wolves fans as, after the next International break, a 2-1 defeat away at Huddersfield saw the start of a run of 9 games without a win - the Midlanders picking up only 3 draws in that spell. Included were some harsh results that were the work of some poor officials - particularly in the 3-3 draw with Brighton and the defeats to Watford (2-1) and Millwall (1-0). It was also in this spell where former players came back to haunt Wolves, with Mark Davies, Adlene Guedioura and Andy Keogh hitting crucial equalising or winning goals for Bolton, Forest and Millwall respectively.

Wolves all smiles again as they run riot at Ashton Gate

November had left Wolves in a mess. Suddenly there was a real crisis at Molineux. Fans were at loggerheads on social media sites, the manager's car was vandalised outside his home, and there were talk of players and manager falling out in team meetings. It was one of the lowest ebbs of 2012 for Wolves fans (and there's been quite a few). But Solbakken remained resolute, determined that while Wolves hadn't been a "November team", we would fight back and become a "December team". As the team headed into a potential relegation 6-pointer, it seemed the troubles of the past week had galvanised the team, with Wolves producing their most lethal first-half display of the season, smashing 4 goals past Bristol City in the opening 45. The eventual 4-1 win was followed up by a 1-0 win over Birmingham in the televised teatime clash at Molineux. A blip was suffered the following weekened at the Riverside as poor refereeing decisions once again cost Wolves late on in a 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough. But any hangover from that was blown away in another smash-and-grab (even more so than Blackburn) win at Blackpool where Wolves struggled to get any real foothold in the game past the 3rd minute. But despite this, a world-class performance from Carl Ikeme kept Wolves in the contest and for once, the referee did us a favour. An incredibly soft penalty was given to us and Ebanks-Blake tucked it away to give us a 2-1 win at Bloomfield Road.

So with Wolves at the official halfway stage of the season, and having played each team once, here's my summing up of the season so far:

Doing well at: Taking the lead. Wolves have scored first in 15 games this season, a massive 65.2% of matches. Only Cardiff have scored first more times (only by one more).

Must do better: Holding on to leads. Wolves have thrown away an alarming 17 points from winning positions - only Bolton have a worse record. With those extra 17 points, we would currently be a point clear at the top of the league.

Player of the Half-Season: Roger Johnson. Bakary Sako has got the plaudits for how many goals he's been involved in, but few can argue with Johnson's consistency and leadership skills. Finally he looks like the player we thought we'd signed.

Best Signing: Bakary Sako. Brought in for a reported fee of £3m, the French midfielder has been involved in 16 of Wolves' 30 goals (in League and Cup) since he joined, scoring 7 and creating 9

Worst Signing: Jermaine Pennant. The winger arrived on loan from Stoke with a huge reputation, but has failed to meet anywhere near expected standards. He's looked sluggish, lazy and disinterested and will be gladly sent back to Stoke in January.

Player I’d happily drive to another club in January: Ronald Zubar. Hasn't played since a horrific afternoon at Cardiff, but in his few appearances (plus appearances in recent seasons) he's shown that whilst his passion cannot be questioned, his ability most certainly can.

Position most needed to strengthen in January: Centre-midfield. This is actually a tough call to make, but with question marks still hanging over O'Hara's fitness, Wolves need to bring in a creative CM to link up with the strikers as Doumbia, Henry and Davis all sit too deep.

Final Position Prediction: 12th. A comfortable mid-table position and, although it may not be what some fans want/expected, it's the ideal building block for Solbakken to really make his mark on the side next season.