We're winning friends - now for some points

There will be no escape from the Pompey chimes on Saturday when Portsmouth visit Molineux.

But it's inherent on Wolves to keep the alarm bells out of earshot.

I'm increasingly proud of our team, remaining positive about our season, but I will confess to being a tiny bit perplexed.

Will the real Wolves stand up? Can the real Wolves stand up? Or will we continue to navigate our Premier League cruise through calm then choppy waters?

So excellent, strong and brave against Fulham, and at times so excellent, strong and brave on Sunday at the Stadium of Light.

But a bemusing 90 minutes ultimately ends with a crushing scoreline. Not a crushing defeat, because there was so much to praise, but a defeat nonetheless against a team that's probably not likely to challenge for the top six this season.

I can live with Sunday's defeat, because I was so proud of the fightback from two goals down. For me the big frustration this season so far is the one point haul from two games against struggling West Ham and Hull.

Perhaps we should forgive first day nerves against The Hammers, but a team serious about securing Premier League safety with relative ease - and that's surely Wolves' aim this season - needs to be beating Hull at home.

And we need to be beating Portsmouth.

But Mick McCarthy will be pouring over his squad list this week and mulling over some important questions.

The biggest of these is whether to restore Sylvan, Kites and Kevin Foley to the team. For me, the answer is a resounding yes.

I'm a long term fan of Andy Keogh, but Sylvan was reportedly on the verge of the England squad over the summer. For me, he just has to play alongside the increasingly impressive Kevin Doyle.

Kightly on the right, providing he is as close to 100 per cent fit as is possible, is a no-brainer. He simply has to play - and will give the fans a massive lift after six months on the sidelines.

But it's imperative that Foley returns in a back four where I've got questions that I'm struggling to find definitive answers for.

Be under no illusions, Michael Mancienne will go on to be a wonderful centre half. But his positioning on Sunday was highlighted as a post-match issue.

And I'll be looking for a big performance from Big George, as the admirable Elokobi has still to convince me that he's settled into life as a Premier League left back.

And isn't it about time Dave Edwards was given an opportunity in the centre of midfield?

He sometimes slips below the radar when the praise is being handed out by Wolves fans, but I love his energy and his eye for goal.

Pairing Segundo Castillo and Karl Henry against Fulham gave us a solid base in midfield after the dismal defeat at Ewood Park, but Wolves won so many plaudits on Sunday for our attacking gusto, and high energy fightback.

Edwards was fairly central to that, and I think he merits an opportunity on Saturday.

Wolves appear to be winning an awful lot of friends this season. And rightly so.

Now we need to start winning some points - before the "big" teams come calling!

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Berra

I've just looked at the Premier League table

And if a sense of order is starting to prevail after half a dozen games, I'm struggling to find much to scare me.

What a great feeling built around the really excellent performance on Sunday against Fulham.

A man's performance, to a man, epitomised by the quite fantastic Christophe Berra, left me sitting in the South Bank, getting re-acquainted with my massively under-used yellow seat, with a contented smile - and a warm appreciation of what Wolves have done since that stunning day in May that none of us will forget.

Now I'm sat looking at the Premier League table - while also content with my decision that I won't pay £41 to watch my team run out at Old Trafford tomorrow night.

It'll be Radio 5 Live Sports Extra for me. Whether I can afford £41 is irrelevant. It's an obscene amount of money, and whoever has agreed that price - be it United, Wolves or both - should hang their heads in shame.

But the Carling Cup sideshow is nothing compared to the main event, and with Wolves nestled comfortably in 12th, let's get back to the league table.

The top seven clubs scare me - Chelsea, United, Liverpool, City, Villa, Spurs and Arsenal - and I'm very wary of Stoke, Everton and West Ham over a 38-game season.

But then what? A lot of clubs that Wolves can go toe to toe with, and accumulate enough points from, if they play with the heart and pace that unsettled Fulham.

And let's not forget, Sunday's excellent win was secured without our undisputed player-of-the-year Kevin Foley - and the unproven but exciting Michael Kightly and Sylvan.

With Kevin Doyle looking increasingly the real deal, and Matt Jarvis steadily improving his supply from the left, Wolves can be better than Portsmouth, Hull, Blackburn, Bolton, Blues, Burnley and Wigan.

This feels so different to the pathetic first attempt at Premier League football in 2003. This feels like Wolves have an outstanding chance to build some concrete foundations - unlike Sir Jack's house of straw that was so embarrassingly blown away in 2004.

I was taken aback by Wolves on Sunday. After such a feeble performance at Ewood Park, I thought Fulham would heighten the feeling of trepidation as we journey on towards our hugely difficult October and November.

But the unflinching Berra, our Scottish braveheart, took me by surprise.
When the going got tough, Berra was a boulder of granite.

I used to love watching Joleon Lescott. He was so often immense at Molineux. Practically unbeatable. But I can't remember many performances of his that would eclipse what we witnessed from Berra on Sunday.

And if that doesn't give us all hope, I'm not sure what will