Mick McCarthy used 59 players in his quest to deliver Premier League football.
Some played bit parts, and others were simply magnificent as Wolves finally returned to the top flight against QPR - a Quality Promotion Result www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A50111...
And my top 10? Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Michael Kightly, Karl Henry, Kevin Foley, Jody Craddock, Andy Keogh, Wayne Hennessey, Stephen Ward, Neill Collins and Gary Breen.
Christophe Berra
Jay Bothroyd
Gary Breen
Jan Budtz
Jamie Clapham
Leon Clarke
Mark Clyde
Neill Collins
Carl Cort
Jody Craddock
Craig Davies
Mark Davies
Freddy Eastwood
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
Carlos Edwards
David Edwards
Rob Edwards
Stephen Elliott
George Elokobi
Craig Fleming
Kevin Foley
George Friend
Darron Gibson
Stephen Gleeson
Lewis Gobern
Michael Gray
Marlon Harewood
Wayne Hennessey
Karl Henry
Matt Hill
Carl Ikeme
Chris Iwelumo
Matt Jarvis
Jemal Johnson
Daniel Jones
David Jones
Andy Keogh
Michael Kightly
Kevin Kyle
Mark Little
Michael McIndoe
Jackie McNamara
Michael Mancienne
Charlie Mulgrew
Matt Murray
Lee Naylor
Kevin O'Connor
Seyi George Olofinjana
Darren Potter
Nigel Quashie
Kyel Reid
Rohan Ricketts
Jason Shackell
Graham Stack
Richard Stearman
Sam Vokes
Darren Ward
Stephen Ward
David Wheater
Monday 20 April 2009
Eternal thanks to Mick and his squad of 59
On July 21, 2006, Mick McCarthy walked into Molineux and urged us not to expect miracles.
The MM initials on his jersey did not stand for Merlin the Magician, he famously remarked.
Well 1,003 days later, and with varying degrees of help from 59 footballers www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A50112... McCarthy has got us back into the only league worth playing in.
We are Premier League, and standing on the centre circle in a sea of black and gold at 5pm on Saturday was a very special feeling.
And all hail McCarthy - and we'll worry about how to survive in the Premier League after the season's finale against Doncaster.
While I'm in statto mood, his league record with Wolves reads: P136, W66, D34, L36, F190, A155, P232.
His Molineux career has not been without rocky, fractious moments, but overall what a brilliant achievement to galvanise a club that was in disarray post Glenn Hoddle.
And how fitting it would be for McCarthy to secure the Championship title at his hometown club next weekend.
A focus on young players hungry to achieve something, rather than Molineux's previous approach of paying big wages to over-hyped, under-performing players, has ultimately paid a massive dividend.
And Wolves really are in a decent position to aspire to the standards set by Stoke and, dare I suggest, Wigan and Bolton.
McCarthy has signed players on the up - Kightly, Sylvan, Berra, Foley, Elokobi, Keogh, Jarvis, Edwards, Vokes and Stearman.
Whether they will all be Premier League hits can be debated, and will be, but they carry better hopes than the Wolves squad that were promoted in 2003.
In 12 months time, Molineux may well be reverberating to the strains of the Great Escape.
And if that's our aspiration for the spring of 2010, I don't think that's being defeatist.
It's being realistic.
Home games will undoubtedly hold the key, and the level of outstanding support we've given our team particularly over the last two months will be the minimum requirement.
Molineux will be rocking every game next season - be it Saturday lunchtime, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon or Monday evening.
Welcome to the Premier League - and welcome to the Premier League fixture list!
The MM initials on his jersey did not stand for Merlin the Magician, he famously remarked.
Well 1,003 days later, and with varying degrees of help from 59 footballers www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A50112... McCarthy has got us back into the only league worth playing in.
We are Premier League, and standing on the centre circle in a sea of black and gold at 5pm on Saturday was a very special feeling.
And all hail McCarthy - and we'll worry about how to survive in the Premier League after the season's finale against Doncaster.
While I'm in statto mood, his league record with Wolves reads: P136, W66, D34, L36, F190, A155, P232.
His Molineux career has not been without rocky, fractious moments, but overall what a brilliant achievement to galvanise a club that was in disarray post Glenn Hoddle.
And how fitting it would be for McCarthy to secure the Championship title at his hometown club next weekend.
A focus on young players hungry to achieve something, rather than Molineux's previous approach of paying big wages to over-hyped, under-performing players, has ultimately paid a massive dividend.
And Wolves really are in a decent position to aspire to the standards set by Stoke and, dare I suggest, Wigan and Bolton.
McCarthy has signed players on the up - Kightly, Sylvan, Berra, Foley, Elokobi, Keogh, Jarvis, Edwards, Vokes and Stearman.
Whether they will all be Premier League hits can be debated, and will be, but they carry better hopes than the Wolves squad that were promoted in 2003.
In 12 months time, Molineux may well be reverberating to the strains of the Great Escape.
And if that's our aspiration for the spring of 2010, I don't think that's being defeatist.
It's being realistic.
Home games will undoubtedly hold the key, and the level of outstanding support we've given our team particularly over the last two months will be the minimum requirement.
Molineux will be rocking every game next season - be it Saturday lunchtime, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon or Monday evening.
Welcome to the Premier League - and welcome to the Premier League fixture list!
Thursday 16 April 2009
Tuesday 14 April 2009
Keogh sets standard for Harewood to follow
Some people just would not listen, but I always told you Andy Keogh was a good player.
So how poetic it was that the win which will define Wolves' season had the young Irish striker as its focal point.
Over 99 league appearances, no other Wolves player has so polarised opinion in the Mick McCarthy era.
The criticism he's taken over two years has sometimes been an outright disgrace, but you just knew that the noisy minority were wrong, and the often too-silent majority knew that he was a player with real ability.
A lack of goals have always been the problem, especially when you contrast his record with Sylvan's.
But what an unfair comparison that is - Sylvan is a phenomenon.
So how Keogh and his supporters will forever cherish their afternoon at Pride Park, as the player who never ever gives less than 100 per cent got the goals to match his effort.
And what priceless goals they were too, on an uncomfortable afternoon where Wolves defended dreadfully but somehow still sent the away end into a sustained frenzy of excitement when the full time scores from St Andrew's, Bloomfield Road and Bramall Lane flashed up.
Thank heavens for the outstanding Wayne Hennessey, the aforementioned Keogh, the dogged Karl Henry, and a powerful cameo from Marlon Harewood.
Harewood does a great impression of caring about Wolves - punching his badge during his warm-up, and a passion-filled celebration at the end of the game.
But when he failed to chase Christophe Berra's over-hit through ball shortly after coming on, you could sense (and clearly hear) the disgruntled frustration of Wolves fans who expect, demand and deserve Keogh-style effort.
And I think Harewood heard it too - because he instantly stepped out of neutral and surged through the gears impressively.
His delivery for Keogh's winner was priceless, and Harewood has an outstanding opportunity to revive his career at Molineux. It's completely up to him now.
But we don't need touchline gestures - we need determination, effort, bravery, and goals to compliment Sylvan.
In simple terms, we need him to be just like Keogh.
Saturday 11 April 2009
Young guns have Premier League in their sights
The equation is simple - four games, three wins and Premier League football is assured.
Derby, QPR, Barnsley and Doncaster stand between Mick McCarthy, Wolves and promotion.
And we may not even need three wins.
There's no Sylvan, no Kightly, no Iwelumo - but there's also no hint that Wolves are going to throw this outstanding opportunity away.
Granted, Monday at St Andrew's was a 90-minute disaster, but Southampton were blown away on Good Friday - and before collapsing at Blues, Wolves were very solid in March.
And credit McCarthy for his team selection against the Saints. Marlon Harewood was a complete nonentity against Blues, a massive disappointment on a massively disappointing night.
It would have been easy for McCarthy to stick with the on-loan, big-name, big-money Villa man, but he played fair by Sam Vokes and Andy Keogh - and how they repaid him.
Harewood did not deserve to start the game, and the two young guns proved just why.
Keogh, an intelligent footballer who's too often judged unfairly on goals alone, was excellent, and young Vokes thoroughly deserved his standing ovation.
A towering goal inside the first minute highlighted a performance full of strength and running.
Losing Sylvan is a massive blow, because he's a goal machine, but we head to Derby on Monday with 3,000 fans ready to back the understudy strike force to take centre stage.
As we drifted away disconsolately from Molineux after losing 1-0 to Plymouth on February 28, who would have imagined that we'd be in this wonderful position - with Keogh and Vokes leading our assault on promotion?
But that's probably been McCarthy's biggest trick - keeping squad members happy and included, so that they step up to the plate when needed.
And they've certainly been needed. Keogh, Vokes, Matt Hill, David Edwards and the inspirational Jody Craddock have all played important roles as the pressure's mounted and the injury toll's risen.
Hill has looked increasingly comfortable at left back, while Edwards, who was perhaps unfortunate to be replaced at Blues, was an all-action star on Good Friday.
Promotion won't be won on Monday at Pride Park, and it'll be a very tricky game, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will lay the foundations for a truly memorable trip to Barnsley on Saturday week.
Derby, QPR, Barnsley and Doncaster stand between Mick McCarthy, Wolves and promotion.
And we may not even need three wins.
There's no Sylvan, no Kightly, no Iwelumo - but there's also no hint that Wolves are going to throw this outstanding opportunity away.
Granted, Monday at St Andrew's was a 90-minute disaster, but Southampton were blown away on Good Friday - and before collapsing at Blues, Wolves were very solid in March.
And credit McCarthy for his team selection against the Saints. Marlon Harewood was a complete nonentity against Blues, a massive disappointment on a massively disappointing night.
It would have been easy for McCarthy to stick with the on-loan, big-name, big-money Villa man, but he played fair by Sam Vokes and Andy Keogh - and how they repaid him.
Harewood did not deserve to start the game, and the two young guns proved just why.
Keogh, an intelligent footballer who's too often judged unfairly on goals alone, was excellent, and young Vokes thoroughly deserved his standing ovation.
A towering goal inside the first minute highlighted a performance full of strength and running.
Losing Sylvan is a massive blow, because he's a goal machine, but we head to Derby on Monday with 3,000 fans ready to back the understudy strike force to take centre stage.
As we drifted away disconsolately from Molineux after losing 1-0 to Plymouth on February 28, who would have imagined that we'd be in this wonderful position - with Keogh and Vokes leading our assault on promotion?
But that's probably been McCarthy's biggest trick - keeping squad members happy and included, so that they step up to the plate when needed.
And they've certainly been needed. Keogh, Vokes, Matt Hill, David Edwards and the inspirational Jody Craddock have all played important roles as the pressure's mounted and the injury toll's risen.
Hill has looked increasingly comfortable at left back, while Edwards, who was perhaps unfortunate to be replaced at Blues, was an all-action star on Good Friday.
Promotion won't be won on Monday at Pride Park, and it'll be a very tricky game, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will lay the foundations for a truly memorable trip to Barnsley on Saturday week.
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