Collins "guilty" but Wolves still in the clear

He's been in the dock for many weeks now, and defendant Neill Collins seemingly has been convicted of all charges by Wolves' increasingly unhappy internet jury.

Even members of his own defence team appear to have stamped "case closed" on the file.

A desperate own goal and an indefensible red card provided a fresh tide of abuse for a player who has always done nothing but his absolute best for our team.

The argument is clearly whether his best is good enough. And Wolves' pursuit of Hearts' Christophe Berra may well answers that.

I was sickened by the farcical nature of his own goal, and disgusted by his dismissal.

But the bile being thrown at the young Scottish defender is, in my opinion, definitely out of proportion to his performances.

Collins is a victim of something resembling a baying mob, who certainly won't be turned by this article, even though that's not my aim.

Their verdict is a comprehensive anti-Collins stance.

I'm not even saying that position is totally wrong. At times Collins, particularly when the ball is at his feet, has struggled.

I just saying the level of abuse at one of our players is out of proportion to his fantastically honest endeavour - and depressingly sad.

But coupled with Collins is the notion that Wolves have started to "bottle it" and are destined for the lottery of the play-offs.

Come on lads, get a grip.

We are still two points clear of Reading, and four points clear of a Birmingham team that by common consent have been absolutely abject in recent weeks.

So Collins is officially guilty - although I still maintain that evidence will be provided by the defendant defender between now and May to overturn that decision at a re-trial - but please don't tell me Wolves are still not excellently placed to maintain a serious promotion challenge.

By all means tell me next Wednesday if we've picked up no points from back-to-back home games against Watford and Norwich.

But losing at Reading, by virtue of just one crazy moment in the very first minute, will fire Wolves up. Just you watch.

And in seven days' time, six more points in the bag remains, for me, completely realistic.

No academy awards for Wolves over Davies

For me, the Mark Davies issue is not about blaming the player or his manager.

It's about shining a light on Wolves' much-heralded academy, and asking if the conveyor belt of talent is really producing young footballers with a realistic chance of playing for a club that is definitely a strong Championship side, and potentially a battling Premier League outfit.

The Wolves team that slipped out of the FA Cup at the weekend was missing six current first team regulars.

The omission of rested quartet Kevin Foley, Michael Kightly, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Andy Keogh was coupled with the exclusion of the injured Stephen Ward and suspended Richard Stearman.

And that was all perfectly understandable with Tuesday's trip to Reading of far greater importance to Wolves' season.

But the team that Mick McCarthy put out against Middlesbrough contained only one home-grown player - goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

We had a former Shrewsbury Town youngster at right back, a current West Ham youngster on the wing, and a former Bournemouth youngster at centre forward.

And even our strongest possible team only has one player - the aforementioned Hennessey - who's emerged through the academy, and I think that's worrying.

In fairness, right back Mark Little and left-sided Daniel Jones have forced their way into the first team squad during the McCarthy era, but even if Little was fit, you couldn't expect him to oust the fantastic Foley from McCarthy's team.

Jones is clearly not part of McCarthy's Championship run-in plans, and neither are Lewis Gobern or Stephen Gleeson.

So will these young men ever be ready for the "big time"?

Apparently, if you believe Bolton's Gary Megson, Davies is, and it's clear he's been winning rave reviews at Leicester in League One.

Only two people really know why Davies is being considered for sale, and has put in a transfer request.

That's the 20-year-old midfielder himself, and his manager.

Plenty have passed comment on Davies, and maybe his style of attacking midfield play does not fit into McCarthy's system.

If Wolves were to lose a player of such undoubted potential, having nurtured his talents for 12 years, to an established Premier League club like we did with Joleon Lescott, most fans would say: "Fair enough."

But something has gone wrong here. If McCarthy doesn't want Davies in his squad any more, that's his right as manager.

But he's offered Davies a new contract, so presumably he does, although that may be a mechanism to strengthen Wolves' claims for compensation at any tribunal.

So Davies would appear to be deeply unhappy. How can a club that places such great store by its academy have allowed this position to develop?