Same again?

(See the bottom of the blog for an important message)

Do you ever have the feeling of deja-vu? On the basis of these first few games, it seems that may be exactly what's in the air around Molineux right now. Whilst results have been mixed - two fantastic (and richly deserved) 1-0 wins over two of the relegated Premier League sides tempered by a poor 3-2 Capital One Cup exit at home to Northampton, and an unlucky 1-0 defeat away at Rotherham - the performances have been encouraging and show that the team are not out of their depth at this level. 

The addition of Dicko really saw Wolves click into gear

Indeed, the start of this season reminds me very much of the start of last season. The 4-0 thrashing of Gillingham aside, the first half of last season was very scrappy, with Wolves often relying on the heroics of Carl Ikeme to keep them ahead in games (Swindon at home particularly stands out). Whilst the football was flowing and exciting, we often lacked the real killer instinct to finish teams off - Oldham, Stevenage and Tranmere all left Molineux with 2-0 defeats when in reality they should've been at least double that. This season has started in a similar groove - we had plenty of chances to make the games safe against Norwich and Fulham, whilst Northampton and Rotherham should've been put to bed long before we conceded. Last year the loan additions of James Henry and Michael Jacobs, alongside the January addition of Nouha Dicko (and his subsequent 'French Connection' with Bakary Sako), saw the team moulded to Kenny Jackett's liking, and the goals (and results) started to match our dominance. We put 4 past Swindon and Colchester, and don't forget the remarkable 6 we smashed past Rotherham at Molineux! Who's to say that won't happen again this season?

These 4 are part of a stubborn, mean back 5 that is the key
to Wolves' success

Plenty are saying that we "desperately need" a new striker, but from what I've seen so far, that's not strictly true. Dicko is more than capable of holding the forward line on his own. He's strong, fast and quick-minded too. He'll give many defenders nightmares at this level. Whilst we do perhaps need better options coming off the bench, the current starting trio of Sako, Dicko and Van La Parra look like they could be the most potent, lethal forward line we've seen here in a while. There's already a fantastic understanding, and that will only get better and better.  Some of the football we've played so far - particularly Wednesday night at Fulham - was sublime and I honestly believe that, when things click, we really are going to give someone a spanking in this division. We're perhaps just lacking that final killer pass or shot, but it's still early on and most teams are still feeling their way into the new season. One thing's for sure - defensively we looked to have picked up where we left off. Danny Batth looks even more comfortable at this level, whilst Richard Stearman (and I will hold my hands up here) looks like the perfect partner for him. Time will tell if that carries on. In the full-back areas Matt Doherty looks to be back to the levels he was reaching before his injury. But Scott Golbourne has really shone - at Fulham I felt he had the game of his life. He's so composed, and he reads the game so well. If he keeps this up, he'll easily be the best left-back I've personally seen play for Wolves (or at least since Lee Naylor). 

James Henry impressed enough in his loan spell to earn
a permanent Molineux stay

Whilst we were unlucky to miss out on Chris Wood - the striker opting to stay and fight for his place at Leicester - and the Patrick Bamford saga looking like being never-ending, I would again re-iterate the "don't panic" message of my last post. People are saying the board are trying to do everything on the cheap etc, but there is no proof of that. Kenny was backed last season - the club's total transfer spend coming to around £2.5m whilst already in the summer Kenny was backed to sign Harry Maguire - but rightly chose to opt out when the asking price got stupidly high. The same went for Callum Wilson, who it was felt (understandably so at the time) was too overpriced. The flip side is to look at Fulham. They spent £11m on Ross McCormack and I still don't think he's found his way out of Richard Stearman's back pocket. I said in my last post that I think we'll get Chris Wood in the loan window when his Premier League opportunities become limited, and I still stand by that. After all, Henry's and Jacobs' loan spells were only meant to be brief to get them game time and keep them match fit, and look how that turned out! The "bomb" squard are holding us back too, in terms of our wages, but the departure of Stephen Ward (best wishes to him by the way - I personally felt he didn't do too badly here, and I never understood the hate for him) should help that situation slightly.

I've said all along that I felt we'd beat the 3 relegated sides, lose to Rotherham and lose to Blackpool - because it's typical Wolves to do it the hard way. So far I'm on course to be proven right. The last 2 weeks have shown it really is a rollercoaster life for most Wolves fans. When we beat Norwich, everyone was on a high and confident we could make a push for promotion. Yet suddenly, 2 defeats (both unlucky in their own ways) and the board are screwing us over and we're gonna struggle this season unless we get another striker. I realised this week that perhaps we all just need to take a leaf out of Kenny Jackett's book and have a more pragmatic, level-headed approach to the season.

#KeepCalmAndTrustKenny

(PS - be sure to check out my new site on Wordpress which I'm setting up to eventually move my blog to. The Wolves blog, and much more, will all be at http://afootballfanslife.wordpress.com/)

Championship Assault

The boys are back in town...

Kenny Jackett inspired Wolves to the League One title

So the famous 'Thin Lizzy' song goes, and it seems the perfect opening line for this post. Not only is the blog back, but Wolves are back in the Championship after just one (quite remarkable) season away. Looking back I'm so gutted I didn't post during what was arguably one of the best seasons for the club in recent memory - even if it was in the third tier. Record after record was broken, and the club, players and fans were all re-united in a way not seen since Merlin's magic days of 2006.

Southampton and Norwich both achieved
back to back promotions

So what of this Championship campaign that lies ahead? 46 games in what is arguably the toughest, most competitive and most gruelling league in all the World. For a club of our size, and coming into it on the back of a monumental League One title win, the signs are surely good. That's certainly what the 'experts' seem to think. If you look on most Football League blogs, sports websites and most betting tip sites, a lot of people seem to think we're the team to watch coming into the new season, and that we could make a push for the play-offs. While it is do-able - look at the recent exploits of Southampton and Norwich after League One successes - it is something that many Wolves fans won't even consider. Is it just the same old 'typical Wolves' negativity? Or should we be feeling more optimistic of our chances - after all, if Mick's team of Academy graduates and non-league gems can do it, why can't the class of 2014 finish in the top 6?

Kevin McDonald is the one who makes Wolves tick

Its certainly easy to make a case for it. In Carl Ikeme, we have by far the best goalkeeper outside the Premier League (although David Marshall and John Ruddy may well argue that), whilst Danny Batth and Richard Stearman look to have a solid partnership - even if question marks do remain about their ability to do it at Championship level. In Kevin McDonald, Wolves have a midfielder not seen here in a long time - a cultured player with the passing range to have many a tiki-taka enthusiast drooling with joy. Alongside him, Jack Price or Tommy Rowe are more than capable of protecting the defence and, in Rowe's case, also have a fantastic passing ability. Up front, Leon Clarke looks rejuvenated in pre-season, while Nouha Dicko had a solid scoring record at this level with Blackpool. The spine of the team is in brilliant shape, and the edges aren't too back either. Scott Golbourne looks to be the perfect modern full-back, and skipper Sam Ricketts brings experience and enthusiasm to the right-side. Everyone knows about Bakary Sako's ability - which has greatly improved under Jackett's guidance - and James Henry was frequently around the top of the assists table for the Championship when at Millwall, where he was Player Of The Year numerous times. With Michael Jacobs looking at home in the 'number 10' role, and Dave Edwards looking a threat in the same position, Wolves look to be in good shape going into the new season.

Chris Wood scored 11 goals in 19 games under Jackett at Millwall

Yet question marks remain. Jackett has already identified the need for another striker, and he also appears to be keen on a new centre-back too. Having cleverly decided not to waste an extortionate £2.5m on Harry Maguire, he appears to have turned his attentions to Chesterfield's Liam Cooper, a highly-rated young left-sided centre-back. But, as we saw last season, Kenny Jackett will tinker with the squad as and when he feels it is right, and the results of that cannot be argued with. I would not be surprised if his main target - Leicester striker Chris Wood, with whom he worked at Millwall - joined the club during the loan window once he realises his game time in the Premier League will be severely limited.

The important thing for fans to do is to not panic, like some already are. What many forget is that Wolves only made one signing between the start of the transfer window and the start of the season (Sam Ricketts on a free). This summer we've already made two. Plenty will argue the Championship will be different (and it will) and so we should be making signings already, but this is the only league in the world where a side can be in the bottom half at Christmas, and finish the season winning the league. Making tweaks as we go along could see us get the 3 or 4 wins on the bounce that take us from mid-table to the play-offs. If you chuck all your eggs into one basket all at once, then you're left with very little room for manoeuvre as the season progresses - and that's before I've even mentioned our wage bill issues and the impact of Financial Fair Play.

Ahh... It's good to be back!