We've waited more than five and a half years. So another 37 hours is just about manageable.
But the sense of anticipation surrounding the return of Aston Villa to Molineux encapsulates exactly why we all want to follow a Premier League club.
Liverpool at Anfield, Man Utd home and away, and Villa at Molineux - the four games that make my season, make me thrilled to be a Wolves fan in the Premier League.
Deflated after Portsmouth, delighted after Everton - now Wolves run out at what will be a rocking Molineux to face the best team in the West Midlands - who arrive on the back of a superb win over Chelsea.
Villa strike fear into me, a fantastic team with riotous pace that could rip us apart if we are not careful.
But if we are careful, they may not.
Our last league encounter was a humbling 4-0 defeat in March, 2004. Villa were three up after 24 minutes. www.soccerbase.com/results3....
Incredibly, of the 27 players that turned out that day, only one will be playing on Saturday. And I wonder what odds you would have got back then on that player being Jody Craddock?
And what a challenge awaits the Wolves warhorse in the face of Gabby Agbonlahor, John Carew, Ashley Young and James Milner.
Of course we can all predict that Craddock will rise magnificently to the occasion, but even that may not be enough. This Villa line-up really does set alarm bells ringing.
It's easy to build these local derbies up, but this really could be a cracker. All I hope is that Wolves come flying out of the traps, and turn early pressure into a goal.
Remember the fantastic opening 30 minutes against Villa's city rivals in April 2007? A storming, ferocious display full of attacking intent, but no goals, and ultimately a 3-2 defeat.
Saturday's fantastic point at Everton was a real bonus after the Portsmouth defeat, and now Sylvan is settling back into the team alongside transfer "bargain" Kevin Doyle, we do have hope - and we have goalscorers.
We also have a team that doesn't include Kevin Foley - which seems so strange after his spectacular run of form last season. But all credit to Ronald Zubar after his debut, and no-one would ever accuse Mick McCarthy of going back on his mantra of "you earn the shirt, you keep the shirt."
Villa are a top class team that will properly test everyone at Wolves.
But what is there to lose? Throw Matt Jarvis back into the team on the left, hope Michael Kightly comes alive down the right, and go toe to toe with the aristocrats from Aston.
In many ways, this is a bonus fixture for Wolves - we all acknowledge we need to be beating the teams around us, not necessarily the teams escaping over the horizon.
But what a bonus is on offer.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
McCarthy needs a case for the defence
When Wolves emerge from the international break, the familiar strains of the Z Cars theme will fill the air at Goodison Park.
How apt - because the current points haul is criminal.
What a fantastic opportunity blown. Eight games, a meagre seven points. Simply not enough.
Now Wolves have their backs to the wall as they contemplate five fixtures against Everton, Aston Villa, Stoke, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Pick the realistic points out of that. I certainly haven't abandoned hope, but points gained over these games will be bonus points in our scrap for survival.
When Wolves needed quality against Portsmouth, they delivered Championship standards against a team that had lost seven out of seven.
Mick McCarthy said he never considered starting with Sylvan or Michael Kightly. But surely a fit Kightly has to play at 3pm, not 4pm - whatever has gone before?
And the crushing statistic for me on Saturday was it took a full seven minutes before substitute Kightly touched the ball.
Of course Wolves were denied a nailed-on penalty, of course we would have expected Ebanks-Blake to convert his one golden chance, but a performance so lacking in quality did not deserve three points.
While Burnley run riot at Turf Moor, with four wins, we've been pretty hopeless against teams that could spend the season in the bottom half.
Four points from games against West Ham, Hull, Fulham and Portsmouth is palpably insufficient when some Premier League giants loom menacingly on the horizon.
Of course we can beat them, and all hope is not lost, but it's a massive ask when Wolves are currently defending in such a sloppy fashion.
There are genuine concerns about our back four's performance, individually and collectively.
And when you think about the men currently providing a barrier in front of Wayne Hennessey, thoughts immediately switch to the one man who's not even involved, despite a big money transfer.
He's got Champions League experience, but how good is Ronald Zubar? How much longer will we wait to find out?
Currently sat alongside him on the bench is another player of international repute, Nenad Milijas. But how good is he in the Premier League? Again, how much longer will we wait to find out?
The performances against Wigan, Man City, Fulham and Sunderland won deserved plaudits.
But Saturday's defeat was a real jolt - and only Kevin Doyle, out of McCarthy's summer acquisitions, has an enhanced reputation eight games in.
Our trip to Everton may prove as tough as the Boxing Day trip to Merseyside.
Be under no illusions, Wolves will need to be very good at Goodison.
How apt - because the current points haul is criminal.
What a fantastic opportunity blown. Eight games, a meagre seven points. Simply not enough.
Now Wolves have their backs to the wall as they contemplate five fixtures against Everton, Aston Villa, Stoke, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Pick the realistic points out of that. I certainly haven't abandoned hope, but points gained over these games will be bonus points in our scrap for survival.
When Wolves needed quality against Portsmouth, they delivered Championship standards against a team that had lost seven out of seven.
Mick McCarthy said he never considered starting with Sylvan or Michael Kightly. But surely a fit Kightly has to play at 3pm, not 4pm - whatever has gone before?
And the crushing statistic for me on Saturday was it took a full seven minutes before substitute Kightly touched the ball.
Of course Wolves were denied a nailed-on penalty, of course we would have expected Ebanks-Blake to convert his one golden chance, but a performance so lacking in quality did not deserve three points.
While Burnley run riot at Turf Moor, with four wins, we've been pretty hopeless against teams that could spend the season in the bottom half.
Four points from games against West Ham, Hull, Fulham and Portsmouth is palpably insufficient when some Premier League giants loom menacingly on the horizon.
Of course we can beat them, and all hope is not lost, but it's a massive ask when Wolves are currently defending in such a sloppy fashion.
There are genuine concerns about our back four's performance, individually and collectively.
And when you think about the men currently providing a barrier in front of Wayne Hennessey, thoughts immediately switch to the one man who's not even involved, despite a big money transfer.
He's got Champions League experience, but how good is Ronald Zubar? How much longer will we wait to find out?
Currently sat alongside him on the bench is another player of international repute, Nenad Milijas. But how good is he in the Premier League? Again, how much longer will we wait to find out?
The performances against Wigan, Man City, Fulham and Sunderland won deserved plaudits.
But Saturday's defeat was a real jolt - and only Kevin Doyle, out of McCarthy's summer acquisitions, has an enhanced reputation eight games in.
Our trip to Everton may prove as tough as the Boxing Day trip to Merseyside.
Be under no illusions, Wolves will need to be very good at Goodison.
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