Cardiff Review / Watford Preview

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Cardiff City

(Sako 70, Campbell 20, 67)

Mike Bassett - the 'inspiration' for the 3-5-1-1 maybe?

Wolves were beaten by League leaders Cardiff at Molineux, but pushed them all the way in a game of two-halves. Wolves began fielding a bizzare 3-5-1-1 formation (which, much to the amusement of many, has only really ever been seen in the Mike Bassett movie) with Bakary Sako tucked in behind Sigurdarson in attack. It failed big-time, however, as Wolves lacked any bite going forward. Once Cardiff took the lead - a simple goal from a long throw-in - the remaining 25 minutes of the 1st half became a training session for the League leaders, with Wolves not closing the ball down, putting in tackles or showing any threat to the Cardiff backline.

Campbell was a real threat for Cardiff, particularly in the air

Saunders clearly realised his mistake as, at half-time, he took off Batth and Doumbia and brought on Doyle and Ebanks-Blake as he moved Wolves to a more natural 4-4-2. Instantly Wolves looked more dangerous going forward, but again sloppy defending cost them as they found themselves 2-0 down from a free-kick. Nobody tracked Fraizer Campbell's run and he was left with a free header 6 yards out. But Wolves responded immediately with Kevin Doyle driving forward and winning a free-kick on the edge of the box. Sako stepped up and, with the help of a huge deflection, found the bottom corner to give Dean Saunders' side some hope.

Ebanks-Blake's despair at his miss was clear for all to see

But then the game turned into the Ebanks-Blake show - and not in a good way. First the striker put wide from 10 yards with nobody around him and only the goalkeeper to beat - though he was relieved to see the referee had actually blown for a foul in the build-up. In truth, there was nothing wrong with what the striker had done - he simply held off the defenders - and the fact that both he and the goalkeeper played on made that miss one of the worst I have ever seen. But he had a golden chance to put that right just 5 minutes later. From a Cardiff corner, the ball broke to Sako. The winger sprinted 80 yards down the field before putting in a truly perfect cross that fell to Ebanks-Blake 5 yards out. But the striker, perhaps with his earlier miss still on his mind, scuffed his shot into the ground and saw it bounce over the bar. It was a horrific miss and the poacher's frustration showed as he took his anger out on the goal net.

Danny Batth, one of the stars under Saunders, leads the defence

Factors like that miss are something no manager can be held accountable for. They are freak incidents that you cannot plan for, yet they can have such a big bearing on the result. If that Ebanks-Blake chance had gone in, Wolves would've been level at 2-2 with 10 minutes remaining and with their momentum building, you would've fancied them to go on and win the game. But it wasn't to be and Wolves were left rueing the extremely strange choice of tactics from Dean Saunders. When a team is struggling for confidence and form, the last thing you want to do is throw that team into a completely new formation that they've never played before. Wolves never looked comfortable at 3-5-1-1 and that was highlighted even further when the switch to 4-4-2 was made and Wolves began to look like they could do something. But Saunders lost even more credibility post-match with his comments that Wolves were the better side and deserved to win the game. He must've been watching a different match to everyone else, because although Wolves had some good chances near the end, they were not the better side. The truth was, although Cardiff weren't as lethal as they could've been, they didn't really have to be. The League leaders never got out of 2nd gear and controlled the game for the most part. To say we deserved to win was, quite frankly, embarassing of Saunders and combined with the switch to 4-5-1 against Barnsley has left a lot of Wolves fans questioning if he's the right man for the job. I personally don't think he is - although the one thing he's done right is bring through more young players. Under Saunders we've seen the introduction of Danny Batth (long overdue) to the side, as well as Jake Cassidy and Matt Doherty. Coupled with the arrival of Jack Robinson on loan from Liverpool, Wolves have 4 youngsters who are giving everything they've got for the shirt. It's encouraging to see and these players must be given more game time if they really are to be the future of Wolves (albeit Robinson is only here on loan).

My Wolves MOTM: Bjorn Sigurdarson. For the 2nd game in a row, he looked a threat to the opposition with his tireless work rate and willingness to take players on. Would like to see him played up front more often.

Wolves In A Word: Baffling

 The games don't get any easier for Wolves as tomorrow night, in front of the Sky cameras, high-flying Watford come to Molineux. Gianfranco Zola's team currently sit in 2nd place in the Championship and will see the Friday night game as a chance to put pressure on the teams below them ahead of their weekend fixtures.

Berra was wrongly sent off in the reverse fixture at Vicarage Road

Wolves' last meeting with Watford was one to forget for the travelling fans, as Christophe Berra was shown a straight red card early on at Vicarage Road for denying Troy Deeney a clear goalscoring opportunity. The decision was disgraceful as the contact appeared to be minimal and the Watford man still managed to get his shot away. The FA listened to Wolves' appeal and overturned the decision but by then it was too late. Wolves had suffered a 2-1 defeat when, with 11 men, they might well have got something from the game. Everyone in Old Gold would love a repeat of the last time Watford visited Molineux in January 2009. Wolves were winless in 5 games and desperately needed a win to avoid losing top spot in the Championship. Goals from Ebanks-Blake and Keogh gave Wolves a comfortable lead, before Watford defener Adrian Mariappa popped up to make the last 10 minutes nervous for Mick McCarthy's side. But Sam Vokes powered home a header in the 90th minute to ensure Wolves kept top spot in the Championship.

Udinese, Granada and Watford are becoming something of a 'Trinity'

The Watford side that are travelling to Wolverhampton this weekend are very different to that side, however. Indeed, they're very different to many sides in the English football system. They have been given the tag "Udinese Reserves" (or "Udinese B team") due to the alarmingly high number of loanees they have from the Italian club. All in all, 8 players are at the Hertfordshire club on loan from Udinese, while 2 are on loan from Granada in Spain. Both Udinese and Granada are owned by the same people who own Watford and there is a fear of what the future could hold for Watford as they're relying far too much on loan players. It is the advanced quality of the loan players that has seen Watford into this position. Watford also have 2 other loan players - the impressive Nathaniel Chalobah from Chelsea, and Geoffrey Mujangi Bia (remember him?!) from Standard Liege.

Watford are truly lethal away from home

Regardless of who turns out for Watford, it's hard to argue with their record - particularly away from home. They have the best away record in the division, picking up an impressive 32 points on the road. They're also the division's most lethal away scorers, netting 38 goals - a frightening 10 more than next-best Cardiff's 28. This is helped in no small part by the 6 they scored at Elland Road back in November, but it's still a terrifying prospect for a Wolves side who have leaked 49 goals this season. However, The Hornets have have lost a rather large 17 points from winning positions and it's a sign of real hope for Wolves. It gets even more encouraging when you see that their last game against a side in the bottom 3 was a 2-0 defeat away to Bristol City at the end of January. There is hope for Wolves, it's just going to be a very tough ask against a Watford side who have shown such a lethal touch going forward this season.

Doherty impressed against the tricky Craig Conway

I, for one, would like to see Wolves revert to a 4-4-2 as that is when we have looked at our most threatening under Saunders. Matt Doherty impressed against Cardiff and it is hoped he will start again ahead of Kevin Foley against Watford. The return of Roger Johnson to the side shouldn't see Danny Batth replaced as Batth really has earnt his place in the team. Up front Sigurdarson and Ebanks-Blake look our most potent partnership and must surely be given a real run of games together to form what could be a crucial strikeforce to get us out of this mess.

It won't be easy against such difficult opposition and, despite a crowd that will be fully behind Wolves, it's hard to see past the dangerous Hornets tomorrow night.

Prediction: Wolves 1-3 Watford

Barnsley review / Cardiff preview

Barnsley 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

(Dagnall 49, Mellis 73, Sigurdarson 7)

Sigurdarson celebrates giving Wolves the lead at Oakwell

Defeat at Barnsley saw Wolves drop into the bottom 3 of English football's 2nd tier for the first time since September 1999 and left fans hurling abuse at players as they trudged off at full-time. It was a night that had started so well for Wolves in South Yorkshire, with Sako's brilliant through-ball allowing Sigurdarson the chance to round Steele and slot the ball home after 7 minutes. In fact, for the first 25 minutes Wolves were in complete control, and were only denied a deserved 2nd goal by the woodwork and lack of goal-line technology - as Jamie O'Hara's 25-yard effort came back over the line off the crossbar. And, as is usually the case, the game swung on that very moment. Barnsley came at Wolves, hitting the post and seeing several efforts go just wide of Ikeme's post. Wolves, too, had efforts on goal with Sako, Sigurdarson and even new loan signing Jack Robinson proving handfuls going forward. Wolves, however, held out until half-time unscathed.

Jacob Mellis equalises for Barnsley

Their resolve didn't last much longer, however. 3 minutes into the second-half and, having failed to clear a corner, allowed 5ft8 striker Chris Dagnall a free header 6 yards out. The former Rochdale man made no mistake and you just knew there was only going to be one winner from that moment on. Barnsley kept pushing at Wolves' door, but it looked like Dean Saunders men would hold firm. Indeed, they could've retaken the lead again when Sigurdarson found himself relatively unchallenged in the box but his surprise at getting the opportunity seemed to get the better of him, and as he slipped he shot was brilliantly palmed away by Steele. In typical "sod's law" fashion, Barnsley went up the other end and scored the eventual winner. Again it came out of very little, but Foley's persistant backing off allowed Barnsley to get into the box, before the ball was squared across to substitute Jacob Mellis and the young midfielder, with the aid of a slight deflection, beat Carl Ikeme. The game was over. The Wolves fans knew it and it seemed some of the players did too.

Saunders made odd decisions that cost Wolves

One of the key factors in this defeat was the bemusing decisions made by Dean Saunders. Having opted for an attacking line-up (indeed it was probably one of the best line-ups on paper we've had all season) and seen it work well in the first-half - particularly the partnership of Sigurdarson and Ebanks-Blake (something I have been wanting to see for months), he decided to change it at half-time. He opted to go to 4-5-1 with Sigurdarson on the right-wing "in a bid to stop Barnsley dominating midfield". Of course, it had the completely opposite effect as Barnsley dominated whilst Wolves' front men looked isolated and struggled to make anywhere near the same impact as they had in the first-half. The change to 4-5-1 looked as though Saunders was playing for the 1-0 - such a risky strategy in such a big 6-pointer. Particularly with Barnsley being the division's form side. Then, with the scores at 1-1, he took off Jamie O'Hara and replaced him with David Davis. The team had absolutely no creativity going forward from this point, and it seemed Saunders was happy to settle for the draw. A result that did Wolves no real favours in what was a must-win game. If Solbakken's tactics were confusing, Saunders' tactics appear downright clueless. Too often he has looked to play for the draw and quite a few times it has backfired. As Wolves approach a vital run-in that could change the future of the club, surely the manager must look to win every game, rather than just be happy with a point. Especially as his side now sit 2 points from safety.

Peter Whittingham scores his first from the spot

And so to that Cardiff game. Wolves welcome the Championship's leaders to Molineux with both sides reeling from midweek defeats. Whilst Wolves were losing 2-1 at Oakwell, Cardiff suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Brighton. Despite this, the table toppers are still 5 points clear at the top with 2 games in hand. They'll be looking for a repeat of the last time the two sides met, back in September. Despite Bakary Sako giving Wolves the lead with a clever free-kick from 30 yards, Solbakken's side were pegged back within a minute, as Ronald Zubar clumsily brought down Craig Noone in the box. Peter Whittingham took the penalty and scored the first of his 3 goals. That win was a rare success for Cardiff, who've found Wolves a difficult opponent to beat over the years. That win in September was only the 3rd time in 10 games that Cardiff have overcome the Midlanders. In that same 10 game period, however, Wolves have only managed to win 4 games. Clearly meetings between the two sides are close affairs. And that sums up the last time Cardiff visited Molineux, back on this same weekend in 2009. With Wolves in a poor run of form, they needed a dreadful mistake from goalkeeper Demitrios Konstantopoulos to help secure a point in a tough 2-2 draw.

Elokobi scores the equaliser in the shock win over Man United

Clearly Cardiff are the best side in the division right now, and so naturally are top of most of the stats. But is there somewhere for Wolves to exploit? A weakness perhaps? Well one positive is that Cardiff have conceded an average of a goal a game - which means Wolves will have chances on goal. They just need to take them. Despite this, they have kept the most clean sheets in the division with 13. They have also dropped a surprising 11 points from winning positions this season, so Wolves know they have to keep going and not give up if they are to get anything from this game. What a lot of this squad can draw on is experience - back in 2010/11, Wolves were in the bottom 3 of the Premier League having just suffered a devastating last-minute defeat away to Bolton in midweek. As Saturday evening came around, unbeaten League leaders Manchester United rolled into town. Wolves went 1-0 down inside 3 minutes, but rallied round to fight back and produce a remarkable 2-1 win. Indeed, many fans see this game as being a chance to continue the "typical Wolves way", as after difficult defeats to lower sides, we often then go out and beat the biggest and best teams in the division.

Fraizer Campbell - has hit the ground running at Cardiff

Wolves know they need to win this one. With a lot of results yesterday going against us (the only one that truly worked in our favour is Huddersfield and Ipswich drawing 0-0) the pressure is on to get a win, especially with sides around us having games in hand. Because of this, I would like to think Saunders would again go with a 4-4-2 line-up. At the end of the day, we've got nothing to lose. We have to win games and that means taking risks. I want to see Hammill on the right in place of Edwards (I would rather see Peszko, but Saunders doesn't rate him) to give us natural width and cause Cardiff problems with crosses into the box. At the back Jack Robinson will want to build on his impressive debut at Oakwell - particularly brilliant was his linking up with Sako which looked natural from the first minute. Gorkss and Batth look a strong partnership and they should deal comfortably with the ariel threat of Helguson, whilst the pace of new signing Fraizer Campbell could cause the Wolves backline quite a lot of problems.

It won't be an easy game, and with tensions running high around Molineux an early goal could swing this game in either side's favour. But it's hard to argue with the league table and, even in a league where anybody can beat anybody, I can't see Wolves getting the win they need today.

Prediction: Wolves 1-3 Cardiff

Two For The Price Of One

Derby County 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves drew a blank at Pride Park, meaning that Dean Saunders hasn't won in 6 games in charge now. However, the brighter note for them was that they became only the 2nd team to stop Derby scoring at Pride Park this season. This was, in part, thanks to the new partnership of Batth and Gorkss at centre-back. The two read the game very well and were strong in the tackle, in the air and looked confident in their distribution - taking the right options at the right time.

Sigurdarson and Doyle struggled to influence the game

Going forward, Wolves showed more promise than their opponents. Jamie O'Hara tested Legzdins early on with a half-volley, but that was a rare shot on target in a game where both sides failed to find their shooting boots. Doyle and Sigurdarson - Wolves' chosen partnership for this game - got themselves into good areas but the final ball was often lacking. Bakary Sako was again looking a threat for Wolves down the left, while Jamie O'Hara picked up some good positions in midfield. But, as we have already seen this season, when Doyle and Sigurdarson play together we lack firepower and all too often both strikers were out wide - meaning that any balls into the box were cleaned up comfortably by the Derby defence. It does bemuse me that Saunders admits we "lack firepower up front" and then starts our 11-goal top scorer on the bench, whilst putting Kevin Doyle in the team when he clearly cannot hit a barn door from 5 yards.

New signing Gorkss handled Connor Sammon rather well

But defensively Wolves did look solid. The much talked about Will Hughes was kept incredibly quiet thanks to stellar closing down from Henry and, in particular, Jamie O'Hara. And Jamie Ward was largely feeding off scraps, often having to come deep to collect the ball and thus not being an effective enough presence up top. Derby's biggest threat came through the Irishman Connor Sammon who, like his name suggests, was a real threat in the air and actually surprisingly quite fast. But Derby only really began to look dangerous when the former Northampton winger Michael Jacobs came on for Hughes. He immediately went to the right and gave Derby so much more width. Whilst Derby's attacks had previously been shut off through the middle, they were now able to stretch the Wolves backline and both Jacobs and Hoganson giving the Wolves full-backs a torrid time. But still they weren't severely troubling Carl Ikeme, with only Sammon going closest with a header that whistled wide of the post. Then, in the 95th minute Jamie Ward stepped up with a free-kick right on the edge of the box. He drilled it low but Ikeme stood firm and Wolves held out for a point.

Scotland has been a revelation for David Flitcroft's side

And so comes tomorrow's incredibly huge 6-pointer away to Barnsley. There can't have been many Wolves (or indeed Barnsley) fans who saw this as being a game that could potentially decide who stays up and who goes down. But that's what it's become and, on current form, you'd have to favour The Tykes. Barnsley are the Championship's 2nd most in-form side - currently unbeaten in 5 League games. That record gets even better when you include the Cup. Barnsley are unbeaten in 8 competitive games under David Flitcroft - a run that has seen them pick up 13 points and get through to the FA Cup Quarter-Finals. The form of former Wolves target Jason Scotland is largely behind it, and he will prove a handful for the two centre-backs of Wolves.

Wolves' last visit to Oakwell was in much happier circumstances

Our last visit to Oakwell will evoke happier memories for those in Old Gold. Having already secured promotion, Wolves only needed a point in Mick McCarthy's home town to secure the Championship title. They went 1-0 down early on but Kyel Reid slotted home an equaliser with 6 minutes remaining in front of the travelling support to spark a pitch invasion and scenes of delirium. However, if you actually look at our recent record at Oakwell, it's not very encouraging. 3 of our last 4 visits there have ended in 1-0 defeats and Dean Saunders can ill afford a similar result tomorrow night. He will face a selection dilemna though, with Roger Johnson back from suspension and Danny Batth and Kaspars Gorkss looking impressive together. He does, however, have another option at left-back now, with Liverpool youngster Jack Robinson joining on loan until the end of the season. The 19 year-old is highly rated by many in the game and is tipped as the future England left-back. He is expected to come straight into the team at Barnsley tomorrow in place of Stephen Ward.

This is going to be a really tough game. Wolves will fear the thought of dropping into the bottom 3, while Barnsley will see this as a real chance to push for survival. So nerves are sure to be rife at Oakwell for fans, players and management. Can't see either side being too bold, particularly early on. Got a feeling this one will be a draw.

Prediction: Barnsley 1-1 Wolves

Preview: Derby away

Wolves will be looking to build on the good feeling around the place after last week's last-gasp draw with Leeds, as they travel to Pride Park to face Nigel Clough's inconsistent Derby County side.

Andy Keogh with that celebration after the goal that all but took us up

Of course, Wolves' last trip to Derby was one that will live long in the memory of Wolves fans. Having gone 1-0 up early on through Andy Keogh's fantastic volley, they then found themselves 2-1 down. But with 15 minutes left Matt Jarvis finished at the back stick. And then the moment that every Wolves fan will remember forever - with 3 minutes of normal time remaining, Keogh put a diving header beyond Stephen Bywater. It sparked one of the most iconic images of recent times at Wolves - that shirtless celebration from Keogh. It was the goal that told Wolves fans the team had almost done it - with the team only needing a win against QPR to be assured of promotion. Wolves do have happy memories of trips to Derby - they're unbeaten there in their last 8 games (winning 5) and have won their last 3 visits to Pride Park. If we win tomorrow, it would actually be our 50th League win over Derby County. Our last meeting with them - back in August - finished with Derby enjoying a stoppage-time equaliser. Theo Robinson curled a shot past Carl Ikeme in the 93rd minute to give The Rams a point when, in truth, they deserved all 3.

Scoring at home is something Derby have been used to this season

The problem with Derby this season is they have struggled to show consistency in their form. Their last 6 League games have seen a run of WLDWDL, whilst the 6 before saw them LWWLLD. It's that form that sees Nigel Clough's side sitting in a steady position of 10th in the Championship and, at present, The Rams look destined for yet another season of mid-table mediocrity. But it seems to be that it's their form against the better sides that stops them being anything more. 29 of their 42 points this season have come against sides in the bottom half of the division. Interestingly enough 29 points is the same amount that they've earned at home this season - giving them the 5th best home record in the Championship. That home form has really picked up of late too, with 3 wins and a draw from their last 5 at home. So Pride Park is certainly a place that, at the moment, Wolves should fear going to. Derby also have the second-best home goals record in the League, scoring 33 goals at Pride Park this season. However, at the back for Derby, they face a big blow with left-back Gareth Roberts suspended after being sent off in their midweek defeat to Hull. John Brayford may find himself switched to left-back in his place (and would thus make his 100th League start for the club), or Derby may hand a start to youngster Michael Hoganson. Up front the partnership of Jamie Ward and Theo Robinson is likely to cause Wolves all sorts of problems, while Will Hughes continues to pull the strings for County in midfield.

New signing Kaspars Gorkss should help shore up the defence

The last time Wolves visited Pride Park, they needed a vital win to give them one foot in the Premier League. The reality of this weekend's trip up the A38 is incredibly different. Wolves know they need a win to keep their heads above water in the battle against relegation to League One. With Dean Saunders without a win in his 5 games in charge, last weekend's spirited draw to Leeds (when Wolves, in truth, deserved all 3 points) will give the manager hope that things are about to turn. The addition of Reading loanee Kaspars Gorkss - who should thankfully replace Christophe Berra - will add solidity to a defence in which Danny Batth is finally beginning to shine. The youngster from Brierley Hill took his goal well and could, in fact, have had a hattrick - heading over from close range and having another cleared off the line. Further forward, and Saunders appears to be opting for a 5-man midfield, relying on Doyle and Sako to get forward and support Ebanks-Blake up front. Strangely the manager doesn't seem to favour Slawomir Peszko, having left him on the bench for Leicester and dropped him from the squad altogether for the visit of Leeds United. He has said in the press this week that the Pole does still have a role to play, but whether Saunders backs that up by selecting him remains to be seen.

Derby are flying at home lately, whereas Wolves can't seem to find a win even when they give one of their best performances of the season. But it's often the case that, when things are looking completely hopeless at Molineux, the team pull something out of the bag - just look back at the unexpected wins over our Premier League years. And it's for that reason I'm going to back Wolves to give the manager his first win.

Prediction: Derby 1-2 Wolves

A Year Is A Long Time In Football - Particularly At Molineux

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Leeds United

(Peltier (og) 57, Batth 90+2, Varney 64, McCormack (pen) 78) 

For a change, rather than do a 'match report blog', I'm going for something different. And since today is the anniversary of one of the darkest days in our recent history, I'm instead going to look back at the weekend's match, the repercussions from it, and the past year in general. Enjoy!

A lot can happen in 12 months. Relationships can start and  finish, children can be conceived and born, and a small business can become an empire. But I don't think even the most powerful crystal ball could've forseen the events of the next year at Molineux at 1:30pm on that fateful Sunday afternoon as West Bromwich Albion strolled into town.

Morgan & Moxey made a mess of appointing Mick's replacement

Less than 24 hours after our capitulation, legendary manager Mick McCarthy was sacked. In my opinion, while he did have to go, sacking him at that point was rather pointless. It was far too late for anyone to come in and save us - particularly as there were clear differences between the board and the standout candidate Alan Curbishley and the board appeared clueless as to what to do. Morgan's determination to remain an "honest club who don't go behind managers' backs" was backfiring fast, with the new manager saga becoming more of a soap than Coronation Street! Wolves fans had seen Brian McDermott (now in the Prem with Reading), Gus Poyet (now sitting in 7th in the Championship with Brighton) and Alan Curbishley turn the job down. Then there was the disgraceful treatment of Steve Bruce who, despite agreeing to become manager and a contract being drawn up, was turned down at the last minute because of Morgan caving in to fan pressure from social media sites. Bruce, ironically, now has his Hull side sitting 4th (only missing out on 2nd through goal difference) in the Championship. Fans were getting worried, and the club was a laughing stock - none more so than on the day they appointed Terry Connor to the manager's position, having previously claimed it was "no job for a novice". We will never know if any of those 4 mentioned would've kept us up, but they surely would've done a better job than Connor who drew 4 of his 13 games in charge, losing the other 9 (including 5-0 defeats to both Fulham and Manchester United).

It started well for Solbakken, but ultimately didn't last

After such an embarassing limp out of the Premier League, the mood around Molineux was at rock bottom. Wolves announced Norwegian Stale Solbakken would become the club's first foreign manager that Summer. With Solbakken came an influx of unknown foreign signings - Tongo Doumbia, Bakary Sako, Slawomir Peszko and the highly-rated prospect Bjorn Sigurdarson (reportedly chased by Everton). But, despite a fantastic start with Solbakken's side getting as high as 3rd in the Championship, things deteriorated fast. Despite results picking up in December, it was a disasterous Christmas period - Wolves lost 3-0 at home to Peterborough and 2-0 at home to Mick McCarthy's Ipswich - that tightened the nails in Solbakken's coffin, before an FA Cup Third Round defeat to non-league Luton (despite Wolves playing a strong team) was the final nail. Solbakken was sacked before most Wolves fans had even got home. However, Morgan had clearly been affected by the humiliation of his last mid-season manager change, and within 24 hours Doncaster manager Dean Saunders had been confirmed as the new Wolves boss. He promised to get the players working hard and showing passion - indeed his mantra seems very similar to that of Mick McCarthy.

Whilst 'the new Wolves' had been embarking a long, forward-thinking process with Solbakken, under Saunders the club had gone back to the old way of thinking. The plan appears to be going back to having 'young and hungry' players who would give you everything they've got in effort, even if they're lacking in quality. 5 games in under Saunders and performances have only just begun to improve (Saturday's showing against Leeds was one of the best I've seen in a while), yet results have stayed the same - Wolves' winless run stretching back 9 competitive games to the 21st December when they beat Blackpool away. The same problems still showed themselves, with Wolves unable to hold on to a lead and giving away a stupid penalty thanks to Stephen Ward going AWOL, meaning Sako had to track back instead. We still don't look like scoring at the moment, and we look like conceding at least 2 every game. That's relegation form right there. And while Wolves' performance against Leeds was impressive, they only rescued a point thanks to an embarassing mistake by keeper Paddy Kenny. Had the Irishman been aware that the ball was rolling wide and therefore not put a hand to it, he would've had a goal kick and Wolves wouldn't have had the corner that led to Batth's powerful headed equaliser (seen in the above video). The roar that filled Molineux was one of relief - particularly as Barnsley and Bristol City had pulled off shock wins against Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest respectively, meaning that Wolves were only outside the bottom 3 of the Championship on just goal difference. Coupled with Peterborough's fantastic home win over Leicester, the bottom 3 have all closed in on Wolves.

A Peterborough fan highlighting just how much Karl Henry's words could inspire our relegation rivals

So, with the 3 teams below us smelling blood and believing they can catch us (and indeed overtake us), the last thing we needed was our captain coming out with the worst thing you could possible say in a relegation battle - that we're too good to go down. As if the teams below us needed anymore inspiration to come after us, we've gifted it to them on a plate. We play Barnsley away next week, and David Flitcroft must be laughing, because our own captain has done his team talk for him. I speak to a lot of Peterborough fans on Twitter, and their reaction was largely the same - if any of the bottom 3 needed a motivation to overtake us in the table, this was it. Thankfully we're saved by the fact that Barnsley and Peterborough don't play this coming weekend, while Bristol travel to League leaders Cardiff as we face a stern test at Derby. So there should be some restbite for another week.

Danny Batth has been a revelation for Wolves

Wolves today announced the signing of Kaspers Gorkss on loan from Reading, which should help tighten the defence, but I hope it's not at the expense of Danny Batth. The young centre-back has grabbed his chance with both hands and is showing the sort of form that I have been saying for months he can show. Why on earth Berra has been picked ahead of him all season is beyond me and the 20,000 others who were in the Molineux stands on Saturday. The problem for Saunders now is, once Johnson returns from suspension after this weekend's game at Derby, who is his centre-back pairing for the 6-pointer at Barnsley? Batth has been brilliant, Gorkss is his own new signing, and Johnson has been one of our players of the season! But that's for another day - right now I think all Wolves fans can rejoice that, after a pathetic showing (or lack thereof) in the January transfer window, the club have finally made a signing that can impact our season. We can all now just hope there's more signings to come!

A lot can happen in 12 months. Relationships can start and finish, children can be conceived and born, and club as grand as Wolves can go from being a Premier League side who "don't have a 'hire and fire' policy" to having their 4th manager in a year and facing the very real prospect of dropping into League One.

This next year can't be any worse... can it?

Preview: Leeds home

Wolves face Leeds United this Saturday, looking to get revenge for an opening day defeat at Elland Road. Dean Saunders is still looking for his first win in charge, though last week's performance against Leicester will give him hope that he's getting things right.

Becchio puts Leeds 1-0 up against Wolves on the opening day

What Saunders won't want is a repeat of the opening day, when Wolves lost 1-0 at Elland Road and, in all honesty, failed to really turn up until the last 20 minutes. On that day, a Luciano Becchio diving header saw United claim all 3 points. Games between the two sides have, recently, been low-scoring affairs. 8 of the last 10 meetings between the two sides have seen less than 2 goals scored in them. Indeed the only time in recent years that fans of the two sides have seen goals aplenty is in the 2003/04 Premiership season, with Wolves enjoying a 3-1 win at Molineux, before Leeds got revenge by thrashing Wolves 4-1 at Elland Road. Our last Molineux meeting with the Whites was in Mick McCarthy's first season - a Michael Kightly winner coming with 15 minutes left. That season Leeds were relegated to League 1 while Wolves sneaked into the play-offs. The irony is that the roles are totally reversed this time, with play-off chasing Leeds coming to a Wolves side needing a win to guarantee staying out of the bottom 3 of the Championship. Should Neil Warnock's side win tomorrow, they will enjoy their first double over Wolves in 29 years.

Huddersfield was a rare away success for Leeds, winning 4-2

Whilst Dean Saunders appears safe in his job - despite failing to improve Wolves in his first month - Neil Warnock's job (if some quarters are to be believed) is greatly under threat, despite his side sitting just 6 points off the play-offs (albeit in 12th place). Whilst Wolves' transfer deadline day was dead in the water, Leeds suffered a huge blow by losing 19-goal top scorer Becchio to Norwich - though this was softened by the arrival of Steve Morison in the other direction. They have also added Wolves target Stephen Warnock (no relation to Neil, for those who are curious) to the ranks from Aston Villa. Both are poised to make their debuts for the Whites, who may be missing Ross McCormack through illness - the Scotland striker pulling out of the midweek Internationals. Leeds' record on the road in recent games is appalling really. They've lost their last 4 away League matches, stretching back to the start of December when they beat Huddersfield 4-2. They have had success on the road in the FA Cup however, winning 2-1 just down the M6 at St Andrews. They have, however, only won 3 away games in the League all season, and have only picked up 12 points away from Elland Road (only Bolton and Bristol have worse away records). It is worth noting though that those 3 away wins have all come against sides currently in the bottom 8 of the Championship - despite losing 2-0 at Barnsley in the middle of January. They are also on the longest run without a draw - stretching back 15 Championship games. Their performances have picked up in recent weeks, as they followed up a deserved 2-1 home win over Spurs in the FA Cup by dominating at home to Cardiff - although they were extremely unlucky to lose 1-0 to the table-toppers.

Jez Moxey: More spin than a washing machine (picture Birmingham Mail)

This is, potentially, the biggest weekend of the season for Wolves. Should they lose to Leeds, and Barnsley nick a win away at Middlesbrough, then the Molineux side will find themselves in the bottom 3 of the Championship for the first time (ignoring alphabetical order at the start of the season) since September 28th 1999, when a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace saw Colin Lee's side in the Division One relegation zone. Despite this weeks' "apology" from Jez Moxey, the fans are still not happy and won't buy into any excuses from the men at the top. This is the time of actions, not words. Wolves need something to get themselves out of this dire mess. Fans have had enough and want to know why we didn't invest in the team in January despite clearly having funds from the Summer sales. They want to know why the mantra of "we are not in debt, not a selling club and do not need to sell our best players" has seen our 3 best players leave, and us hastily trying to reduce the wage bill by letting players go for free. All this in the short space of 6 months. It has seemed, in recent weeks, as if the club are preparing for life in League 1. Dean Saunders came in and made clear he had "3 or 4 Premiership players" as his targets. That then changed to "we won't sign anyone, but will see if the loan market produces anyone". Of course, with a day to go until the loan market opens, we are now being treated to "this squad is good enough to keep us up". Every time, the stance of the club and manager changes. Reading between the lines, it's becoming increasingly clear that Saunders - even if he is trying to bring players in - is merely a 'yes man' and is unable to bring the players he wants to club by our overly-tight Chairman and CEO. For a club that, if you look at the facts and figures, must be one of the richest clubs outside the top flight, that is simply unacceptable. Yet for some reason, the club continue to treat us like gullible mugs and proclaim that money is tight. It simply does not add up and, if we lose tomorrow, there is sure to be a backlash from fans wanting to know just where the money is disappearing to. This club cannot afford another relegation, and yet it seems that is just where we are headed at this time.

Danny Batth: Step-up was a long time coming

As for on the field, Wolves still find themselves winless in 7 games - although there are positives to take from our recent showing against Leicester. Despite being surrounded by 3 inept 'defenders', young Danny Batth stepped up in place of Roger Johnson and produced a solid, impressive performance - something this blogger has been saying would happen for months now. Wolves did look decent going forward in the new 4-5-1 system, although Ebanks-Blake looked isolated at times and missed 2 golden opportunities at the death. Slawomir Peszko looks to be in line for another home start after making a difference as a late substitute at the King Power Stadium. Dave Edwards could make a welcome return to the team - potentially in place of Jamie O'Hara who has looked off the pace in the last 3 games. The much-maligned Christophe Berra is set to make his 300th career appearance, and he will want to make it a game to remember for the right reasons.

This will be a tough game - particularly with Leeds' tails high after impressing against Spurs and Cardiff. With Wolves the way they are at the moment, it's hard to see where the next win will come from. I certainly cannot see it coming at Molineux tomorrow anyway.

Prediction: Wolves 0-2 Leeds

Wolves Unlucky As Foxes' Tails Are Up

Leicester City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

(Knockaert 24, Nugent 73, Sako 51)

Knockaert gives The Foxes the lead

Wolves again fell to a defeat tonight, but they ran Leicester Ciy close in an entertaining clash at the King Power Stadium. Dean Saunders took the step of going with a 4-5-1 formation in an attempt to counter Leicester's bright attacking play. But it never really proved successful as The Foxes dominated from the first minute. In particular the French winger Anthony Knockaert, who gave Ward a torrid 45 minutes - the Irish fullback heavily exposed by Sako's constant lack of tracking back. But that does not, under any circumstances, excuse Ward's horrific backing off. Time after time he allowed Knockaert to trot into the penalty area with the ball and get shots or crosses away. The warning signs were there in the 3rd minute as it took a last ditch Danny Batth tackle to deny the tricky winger. But Wolves weren't so fortunate 20 minutes later. After sustained pressure from Leicester - despite a lot of shots coming from range - Wolves were hit on the counter by an incredible ball from Schmeichel to Knockaert, who brought it down with his shoulder. Ward caught up with him but then backed further and further away, allowing the Frenchman to wriggle into the area and shoot. Ikeme got a hand to it and, much like at the weekend, should've kept the ball out but it found its way to the top corner instead. Things could've been worse for Wolves when Sako blatantly pushed Knockaert in the back but, amazingly, a penalty wasn't given. Then Karl Henry lunged in on Andy King and escaped with only a free-kick against him. Amazing when, seeing the replays, he could easily have broken the Leicester midfielder's leg. He may well find himself on the end of a retrospective FA ban now - not that that would be a bad thing on his current form. Leicester could've extended their lead through Nugent and Marshall, but the missed the target. Ironically, however, Wolves weren't too bad going forward at times - their best chances coming from set-pieces. Sigurdarson twice came close (and probably should've scored) while Sako and Ebanks-Blake both had opportunities to test Schmeichel.

Nugent scores as Leicester regain the advantage

Whatever Dean Saunders said to his Wolves players at half-time did the trick as the Old Gold came out with a lot more fighting spirit in the second-half. We pressed Leicester higher up the pitch, and we looked to work the ball forward at times, rather than the constant hoofing it of the first-half. But we still looked like we were lacking that killer touch - until Bakary Sako picked up a bouncing ball 30 yards from goal. It sat up perfectly for the winger who - with his weaker right foot - sent a truly beautiful strike into the bottom corner. Suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, Wolves were level. Their tails were up and they were all over Leicester, looking really dangerous breaking forward. Sako was picking up little pockets of space - he looks really impressive in the 'hole' just behind the striker - while Leicester were beginning to get troubled by our crosses into the box. But our same problems cost us again as Karl Henry broke forward, before not shooting and not even passing to the options he had available. Instead he ran backwards with the ball, before giving the ball to O'Hara who crossed it in. It was headed clear and for some reason, whilst Leicester sprinted forward, we merely jogged back. The pace of Dyer and Nugent left Danny Batth facing a 2-on-1 and Nugent had no trouble slotting home. Despite being 2-1 down, we tried to push forward and Ebanks-Blake missed 2 golden opportunities right at the death - first inexplicably missing a header from 6 yards out, then stabbing the ball against the outside of the post, also from 6 yards out. It summed up Wolves' night and meant they missed out on a point they would've richly deserved.

This damning image doesn't do Foley any favours

As it's Deadline Day, I could go into various transfer rants. But I'm going to save that for another blog. Instead I'm going to show exactly what tonight's game has highlighted - we're in desperate need of a left-back. Stephen Ward is just not good enough, but he knows there's nobody to come in and take his place. Likewise, in midfield, Karl Henry has really looked out of sorts of late and perhaps need a spell out of the team. I would love to see young David Davis put in - as again tonight off the bench he showed some real touches of class and a cool head. The second-half was much better than we've seen from Wolves in a long time, but still we lacked a real killer instinct. Goals change games and we simply didn't take our chances when they came. If we can take that second-half performance, spread it over 90 minutes and add a bit of a finishing ability to it, we should be ok. Too often this season we've dominated games, but can't finish teams off and can't defend - that is the recipe for relegation. The most sickening point for is, watching the 2nd Leicester goal, people like Henry, Foley and O'Hara are just jogging back whilst Nugent and Dyer break. There's no urgency, no desire and nobody busting a gut to help out the exposed Danny Batth. To see players just not caring like that is truly heartbreaking and just not at all acceptable. The images I've posted alongside this paragraph show just how easily that 2nd goal could've been stopped had players done their job correctly. It just goes to show - one or two slight mistakes and the entire team can suffer.

We find ourselves 5 points from the relegation zone - and if results go against us at the weekend, that gap will be down to just 2 points. The bottom 3 is becoming far too close for comfort and I'm really concerned as to what the next few games will bring to our fortunes.

My Wolves MOTM: Danny Batth. Close one between him and Doumbia, but Batth pips it for me given that it was his first League start for Wolves and he impressed so much. Looked composed in his distribution, and got in some vital early blocks. Was left exposed and helpless for the winning goal, but a solid start for the youngster.

Wolves In A Word: Encouraging