May 2008 Archives

So the "silly season" as it's known - every football club in the land being linked with every single player going - is now well and truly upon us.

If Wolves were to sign all the players they have been linked with in the month since wrapping up Championship hostilities, we'd probably be looking at a squad of 50-plus already.

Still, agents, journalists, football clubs, players - they all have a job to do and they all want to improve their lot if at all possible.

Hence the raft of gossip and speculation which hits the papers in the summer and, let's face it, without which life with no football (yes thank you Steve McClaren) would be pretty boring.

For a local reporter it's a case of trying to sort the wheat from the chaff, the fact from the fiction.

Talking to all sorts of people, trying to decipher whose words are closest to the truth, and assessing all the rumours accordingly.

Well there was one this morning that was particularly interesting.

Wayne Hennessey has certainly been a hugely impressive figure in the year-and-a-bit he has manned the goalposts for Wolves.

No wonder a host of clubs have had him watched, no wonder one or two may yet take a punt, and no wonder that the Daily Mirror today reported that Arsenal were considering an £8million bid.

Potentially nothing implausible in that.

But whilst Hennessey has certainly made a big name for himself, it didn't sadly extend to this particular story's headline writer.

The story itself was fine - Wayne Hennessey etc etc - but there, in big letters, came the headline: "ARSENAL CHASING WOLVES KEEPER JAMES HENNESSEY".

Great stuff. Who is this James Hennessey that Arsenal are chasing?

Google throws up a few contenders:
James Hennessey of the 87th Infantry Div, 345th, Co E? Maybe not.
James Hennessey the author whose works include 'Nomadic Furniture' and 'the complete book of built-ins?'
James Hennessey the celebrated artist and former professor of painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art?

What was that? It was just a misprint? You're kidding. Well never mind.
Maybe Wolves could haul in a chap off the street, call him James Hennessey, and flog him to Arsenal for £8million.
Now that would be silly..............

...to May 26, 2003. For Wolves fans of the recent generation, the day of all days.
Cardiff. The Millennium Stadium. Glorious sunshine. Sheffield United. And a glorious first half performance which as good as booked Wolves' seat on the Premier League gravy train.
Five years on and the last of the play-off finals also had a Wolves involvement.
Stephen Gleeson.
And although the Irish midfielder was only representing loan club Stockport it was another slice of Molineux success all the same as he helped his team to an exciting 3-2 win.
That also meant all four clubs ascending from League Two carried some form of Wolves influence with the three already promoted - Paul Ince, Darren Ferguson and Graham Turner - all having either player for, or managed, the old gold and black.
While Wolves season has now been over for over three weeks Gleeson was the culmination of a weekend which also carried a sprinkling of Wolverhampton flavour.
First off Hull against Bristol City.
Interest not only in who would actually remain in the Championship as next season's opponents but also whether former winger Michael McIndoe - who continues to make great noises about having made the right move to leave Wolves last summer - would make it up there with City.
They didn't. And so neither did McIndoe. Back to Molineux again next season then.
And yesterday's League One showdown between Doncaster and Leeds also carried plenty of Wolves flavour in the form of Donny manager Sean O'Driscoll.
Because O'Driscoll, although born in Warrington, moved to Wolverhampton at an early age and was raised in the city as a diehard Wolves fan.
Formerly an inhabitant of the North Bank, O'Driscoll then left to forge a playing career with Fulham and Bournemouth and then managerial career also at Bournemouth.
Indeed talking of five years ago, O'Driscoll actually guided Bournemouth to League Two play-off glory on the same weekend as Wolves defeated Sheffield United.
Rumour has it that he actually stayed on in Cardiff and sidestepped Bournemouth's celebrations back home to take in Wolves' long-awaited triumph.
Top man! And one whom, perhaps unlike McIndoe, will be glad to return to bring his team to Molineux next season.
So that's it - the play-offs pretty well signify the end of the English season, not least as with 'thanks' to Steve McClaren the forthcoming Euro's have no home interest.
For Wolves however life goes on, namely the signing and selling of players ahead of the new season.
And already one is in.
The acquisition of 18-year-old Sam Vokes, probably far cheaper than perhaps it should have been bearing in mind Bournemouth's administration status, looks an astute one, particularly as Newcastle and Villa were also rumoured to be having a look.
Having interviewed Vokes on Friday when sealing the deal in front of his delighted family, he appears to possess both a level-headed and ambitious personality.
At 18 it may take a bit of time to settle at Championship level, but not too long.
One question that wasn't asked was whether he has a nickname.
Anyone reckon on...wait for it...Berti?
I'll get me coat...

So Wolves have gone back in for Kyle Lafferty then.
Not really a surprise there.
Once Mick McCarthy decides on a player, he tends to stay decided.
And having had a £1million bid rejected for the Burnley frontman last summer, McCarthy's having another pop.
Wolves are in a better position this year.
Although Steve Morgan was heavily involved in transfer discussions at the time of the first Lafferty bid, he wasn't officially at the helm.
Now he is very much in charge, has had a season to digest the thrills and spills of the Championship and is ready to splash the cash.
But what are the chances of Wolves landing the highly-rated 20-year-old?
Would he fancy a move to Molineux? Perhaps.
Although Burnley aren't far apart from Wolves in the Championship maybe Lafferty would be sold on McCarthy's vision and consider a move alongside so many of the other bright young things at Molineux at the moment.
That of course depends on whether negotiations - currently yet to kick off as Burnley digest Wolves bid of £2.25million plus Stephen Elliott - ever reach the talks stage.
It's before that where Wolves face their greatest obstacle.
Namely the big old matter of the two Kings of Scottish football who are also in the frame.
Celtic and Rangers are both understood to be keen on Lafferty and one, if not both, may yet come up with a rival offer.
And competing with the Scottish Premier big boys and the carrot of European football then becomes a massive hurdle for McCarthy and company to overcome.
Still, even if it doesn't happen, this development shows a real statement of intent.
Wolves, boosted by the nucleus of a good, young squad, have clearly already identified their targets - and are ready to go after them.
Bournemouth's Sam Vokes is another who may yet pitch up as a summer signing.
Would Lafferty be worth the £3million-plus that this Wolves deal, or indeed a straight cash offer from elsewhere, amounts to?
Time will tell, but he's certainly got the potential not least the versatility of operating either as centre forward or down the left.
The problem is not so much players' price tags, it's just getting them in.
There's not a massive pool of potential signings out there for the likes of Wolves to pursue - everyone is looking at a similar list of targets.
So if Wolves did land Lafferty, which at present must be considered against the odds, it would add some seriously hefty kudos to McCarthy's plans.

I never got to know Dave Jones all that well.
Having started covering Wolves just prior to the Premiership campaign, that season then involved the whole media circus that English football's top tier understandably involves took up plenty of Jones' time.
Infact it was only the following pre-season, and what turned into his final few months in charge, that I perhaps started to see the real Jones, the private Jones which made him such a popular figure among the vast majority of Molineux staff.
In public he was low-key and sometimes dour, phlegmatic, even though he once took issue with that particular description.
Behind the scenes he was bright, bubbly, jovial, always ready with a dry one-liner and, according to the Wolves press office, a dream to work with.
All press requests were dutifully met, even if Jones - up until the final months of his tenure - rarely rose above the monotone and a string of stock answers.
"We'll keep plugging away.....if this is pressure I'll take it any day.....we've just got to put a shift in...."
It was only when his job was on the line that Jones came out fighting at his weekly press conferences, only then that the media corps got to see the verve and passion which was transmitted to his players.
"See you then you miserable bunch of *******s," was one of his more memorable parting shots at one of his last Friday morning press conferences.
Wolves' press officer Lorraine Hennessey would often hear Jones ranting at raving at his team after a game whilst waiting to take him from the dressing rooms to his press conference.
The door would then open and he would walk out, completely cool, calm and collected, as if a mask had suddenly come down and transformed his character.
I may not have worked with Jones too closely as a journalist, but I enjoyed watching his teams play.
And for two years, the season of the Devon Loch-style collapse and the second half of the following campaign which finally brought the much-treasured promotion, it was a real pleasure.
Jones is not an archetypal tracksuit manager who studies coaching and tactics in minute detail.
Get in good players and let them play is more his approach.
When it works, as it did for the bulk of those two aforementioned years and indeed the latter stages of the Premiership season, it can work like a dream.
When it doesn't, as when Wolves struggled to cope with their relegation and Jones couldn't find an answer to their woes, it becomes more troublesome.
He is however clearly a talented manager, the only one in almost 30 years to take Wolves into the top flight and indeed now, the only one for 81 years to take Cardiff into an FA Cup final.
And the fact the fans were calling for his head earlier this season, and some were indeed sending him hate mail, is another sign of the streetfighter in him which has kept him going through troubled times on and off the pitch.
Now then for the second biggest day of his managerial career - behind May 26, 2003 of course - as he leads the Bluebirds out against Portsmouth tomorrow.
Wolves and Cardiff may have their history, but I imagine there'll be a fair few of the Molineux faithful in the Welsh corner come 3pm.

Interesting to note Harry Redknapp's comments after Portsmouth's final game of the season yesterday.

Despite finishing eighth in the Premier League - their best return for 53 years - and despite a certain FA Cup final just around the corner, it seems a run of four successive defeats had some of the Pompey faithful moaning.

And many declined to stay behind for the traditional end-of-season 'lap of honour'.

Redknapp admitted he had no truck with the jeerers, and believed they were fans who have "jumped on the bandwagon" amid Portsmouth's last few years of success.

Portsmouth, lest we forget, were promoted with Wolves back in 2003.

Having managed to survive that crucial first season, they have gone from strength to strength, and will be favourites to become the first team from outside the top four to win the FA Cup since 1995.

If their fans are moaning, then what hope for the rest?!

It's another sign of how demands from supporters are growing, restlessness and impatience, even when things are generally going well.

Obviously Wolves haven't got an FA Cup final to look forward to, indeed not even a play-off appearance, so you can understand the frustration and disappointment of the fanbase after a season which didn't meet expectations.

And yet amid that disappointment came a level of fan intensity and intolerance which really didn't help the cause.

It's a moot point as to how fans should react when their team isn't doing well.

Critics of last season will argue that they weren't given enough to cheer about, that there wasn't enough excitement or goals to get them off their seats.

But surely that is precisely the time when supporters can really show their mettle.

As Michael Kightly himself admitted last season, the time not just to follow the sheep who are having a good old moan but to get behind the team and help them through the rough spell.

Remember last season's cheers in the wake of the 6-0 defeat t Southampton? That was never going to continue, of course it wasn't, but the principle is the same.

The level of support is something that has been discussed by the Wolves players, and Andy Keogh addresses the subject in today's Birmingham Mail.

The jist of Keogh's thoughts are that the Wolves players are desperate to do well for those fans who back them through thick and then - and those that don't? Well there's nothing they can do about it.

Of course there was disappointment last season, and of course that means moans and groans.

Mick McCarthy has already said when it comes to the end of games, he doesn't mind as many boos and catcalls as fans can muster.

It's during the games - when that tension and disillusionment filters down to the pitch - that's the problem.

And could well become a continual problem if the disgruntled element continue to make their feelings known into the new season.

McCarthy is staying at Wolves. End of.

He has Steve Morgan's backing, amid a long-term plan albeit one which they hope will lead to promotion next season.

Those fans still with misgivings will perhaps be able to brush them to one side and give McCarthy and his team another go next season.

But those who are not for turning would be better advised to perhaps find alternative entertainment for a Saturday afternoon.

There it is then, the Wolves retained list. A fair few potential goings, which suggest a fair few potential comings as well.
Any surprises?
Not overly.
Wolves have got a good two years' service out of Gary Breen, albeit his last season was interrupted by injury.
Breen was an unruffled and influential leader on the pitch, and a calm and eloquent presence off it.
Didn't like giving interviews for interviews' sake, but when talking was always extremely interesting and erudite. Future manager in the making perhaps?
Also gone are Keith Lowe and Kevin O'Connor. In Lowe's case enjoyed some good times when breaking into the team but never used by Mick McCarthy. Should comfortably forge a career somewhere else, perhaps in League One.
O'Connor? Actually scored the first goal of McCarthy's reign, in a 1-1 draw at Plymouth, but has since suffered a nightmare with injuries.
It's almost cruel irony that he will have received the news while on crutches following a hamstring operation from which Wolves are to help him recuperate before moving on.
Taking up the year's option for Jody Craddock is a good move, as he still has plenty to offer amid what remains a young squad.
So too if Wolves can put a deal together to keep Michael Gray, but that one's probably 50-50 at the moment.
Perhaps the most intriguing news is the fact that no fewer than SIX under-contract senior pros have been made available for transfer.
Freddy Eastwood of course was always going to happen, but he has now been joined in the front window by Rob Edwards, Darren Ward, Darren Potter, Jay Bothroyd and Stephen Elliott.
All more than decent Championship performers who have found themselves - for one reason or another - on the fringes of McCarthy's plans.
Being shorn of such established names - for suitable offers of course - certainly adds weight to the growing understanding that McCarthy is going to be given substantial funds by Steve Morgan to strengthen this summer.
And providing he can hang onto the crown jewels such as Hennessey, Kightly and Ebanks-Blake, that is a hugely exciting prospect.

Mick McCarthy does a different sort of turn alongside Johnny Giles and Jack Charlton.....

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career, I've lost almost 300 games.

"26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

The words of basketball legend Michael Jordan.

And a chastening reminder to all of a gold and black persuasion this morning that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

It can only be Wolves who end up missing out on the play-offs on goal difference by just a single goal.

Only Wolves who as events transpired would have been in there with a three goal win but could only do so by one, and that in the 87th minute.

And only Wolves who now face three long months before getting the next chance to do it all again in what will be their 19th attempt at promotion from the Championship in the last 20 years.

A quick glance back over events of recent weeks would have Mick McCarthy and company tearing their hair out for that extra goal or extra point which would have seen them over the finishing line.

That nailed-on penalty not awarded at Bristol City, the injury time equalisers conceded to Ipswich and earlier Southampton, heck, go back to the first day of the season and even a point against Watford - instead of leaking two last gasp goals to lose 2-1 - would have been enough.

But football is not about ifs, buts and maybes, instead it's hard results, and perhaps given their season Wolves have ended up just about where they deserve to be, on the outside looking in.

For that there are mitigating factors, notably injuries.

Whilst all teams suffer injuries, I'm not sure many will have lost their most influential player in the way Wolves lost Michael Kightly for four months.

Not sure that many would have seen pre-season plans disrupted in the way Wolves lost Matt Jarvis when McCarthy was hoping to blaze a trail in the division with the two pacey wingers.

And not sure many would have been able to respond from the fact that having belatedly decided Gary Breen and Jody Craddock were his favoured defensive partnership, McCarthy was only able to field the two together on ten occasions.

But even this morning that's all in the past. In the words of McCarthy Wolves have to "wipe their gobs", move on and face up to another attempt to escape their Championship purgatory.

The manager will of course have numerous critics in certain quarters - he failed to reach the play-offs after all - but it appears he has the backing of chairman Steve Morgan and the board.

In my opinion rightly so.

It hasn't been a season which has met expectations but McCarthy has still developed an exciting squad of much potential.

And only against Plymouth was he finally able to field what is understood to amount to his first choice team.

And that team will now be strengthened.

There is a hugely promising nucleus now in place - if Wolves can hang onto them all - in the likes of Wayne Hennessey, Matt Murray, Kevin Foley, George Elokobi, Kightly, Jarvis, Seyi Olofinjana, Karl Henry, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Andy Keogh.

What is going to happen to the three out-of-contract experienced personnel in Breen, Craddock and Michael Gray remains to be seen.

But - and it's easier said than done - just say McCarthy is able to bring in a few hard-nosed 27, 28, 29-year-olds this summer to add to that excellent young base then the future may indeed yet be old gold.

Those developing players will also come back bigger, better, stronger in August after the experiences of this long, hard season.

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life," said Jordan. "And that is why I succeed."