Go for it?

After Sunday's defeat, things are back to looking gloomy.

Add to that we now have Karl Henry sidelined, and David Davis looking like he will make his Premier League debut, we are in desperate trouble.

Which is why I think it's a case of just going for it now.

In previous seasons, we have bounced back from the low points by giving a strong attacking performance and on Saturday, that is exactly what we need.

How do we go about that though?

First of all, play both Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher, in their best positions. Yes that means 4-4-2, but we have hardly looked good with five in midfield recently either! They both have the quality to get us out of this mess and if they can finally start playing well together than it will give us a fighting chance.

Secondly, play Stephen Hunt. I've resisted saying this recently, mainly because I don't really rate our tiny Irish winger! I'm of the opinion that his injury has Hull has taken away any of the pace he had, and he doesn't look fit very often. However, it's games like these that he thrives in. Look at the Birmingham game last season, or against Albion, or against Chelsea. And even if he doesn't offer the quality we need, we know there is no chance he will give up.

Next, the defence. I hate to say this, but I think it's time to bring in good old Jody Craddock to sort it out again. Pair him with Bassong and he doesn't need to worry so much about pace. Jody has the cool head we need at the back right now.

And finally, don't drop off! After spells of pressure, or playing at a good tempo when it doesn't work we drop off and give the impetus back to the other team. We need to be persistant.

There's no doubting how big this game is, but we can't settle for a point, it is MUST WIN.

5 things we learnt at Fulham

I'm don't think I want to say much about the actual 'match' (if we are going to call it that) so I thought I'd talk about 5 things we have learnt today.

1. Jamie O'Hara is a luxury

Karl Henry - more important than some think

Jamie, TC or any coach/player can talk about him playing through the pain if he doesn't even bother trying and plays like an idiot! Unfortunately, we haven't seen Jamie play consistently well for a while, if at all which is a shame because he is obviously a talent, but he is a luxury we can't afford right now, unless he decides to pull his finger out. 

2. Without Henry we crumble

We weren't playing particularly well with Karl today, but as recent results have proved we simply can't handle not having him there. He gets a lot of stick but he is vital to our chances and we have to hope his injury isn't serious, otherwise we are in a huge amount of trouble. 

3. Zubar (a defender), can't defend

After a promising performance last week, Zubar reminded us why we much prefer a host of other defenders to him at right back. He simply went AWOL today and atleast two of the goals came from him not being at right back, his bloody position!!

4. Berra hasn't learnt his lesson. 

After costing us goals with the same mistake against Villa and Newcastle, you'd think Berra would stop being so laid back when he has the ball at the back but no, he tried to give them a goal but letting someone sneak in behind him as he went to clear it. He got lucky this time.

5. Generally, anything good comes through Milijas

The only times we played any good football, Nenad was involved and he was one of the only players to come out of this game with any sort of credit. He has some faults but what he does have is quality and a brain, we really need to use him more and better. 

Agree with my points, think there are more (there are). Comment your views below.

Fulham v Wolves preview

Oh August, what a distant memory you are.

One of the finest performances I've witnessed from Wolves came in our first home game of this season, against Sunday's opponents. Everything seemed to be right, we'd finally got it right with two up front, O'Hara looked fit and Johnson was a rock.

How things have changed since that game.

Good times

We sit 16th now after a horrible run of three wins in twenty four, with a new manager but it looks like things might finally be turning around. An excellent point at St.James's Park (and I will keep calling it that), a solid performance all round and Fletcher, Kightly and Bassong all in contention to start.

After a poor start to the season Fulham have been playing really well lately. Clint Dempsey has scored goals regularly, Moussa Dembele is an unbelievable talent and Bryan Ruiz looks like he is starting to get used to the Premier League. They almost play 4-2-4 at home, something that we need to try and expose instead of letting it be a threat because if we allow them to play like that, we will get punished.

Wayne Hennessey and Kevin Doyle have been declared fit to play after injury scares, which is a bonus. Connor's biggest dilemma is who he starts up front. He has noted that we have found it hard to fit them both in, so it should be one or the other. I think we will go with Doyle up front and Fletcher on the bench, ready to be used as an impact sub. With Sebastien Bassong fit, I think we will see him come in for Christophe Berra. Berra can count himself unlucky after a decent performance, but Terry has said himself he is not afraid to make tough decisions.

Here is how I expect us to go:

Hennessey

Zubar
Stearman
Bassong
Ward

Foley
Henry

Kightly
O'Hara
Jarvis

Doyle

A solid base, but with enough attacking threat to make sure we are in a game. It would be nice to see us go there and try to play again, which is what I think we may do.

Craven Cottage is a very hard place to go, but with our recent away form I will back us for a score draw. 1-1, which would give us a great base to build on for the rest of the season.

From TC to 'Gaffer'

Made a good impression so far

Here's an excellent article written by Phill Chell, giving his views on new boss Terry Connor.


Having been away in Scotland with one of the bands I play in this weekend, I've kind of been out of contact with the world. This was partly due to Jack Daniels and mainly because of the lack of 3G signal in Musselburgh and Gretna.

I was kind of glad in all honesty because of the calamity surrounding the recent managerial issues with my beloved Wolves.

Upon till recently I've always had huge respect for the manner in which Wolves have conducted their business dealings; never revealing transfer fees in or out, never spending money frivolously, having a sensible wage bill (at least in the context of football). We live in a world when material and financial cock-strutting in the norm as is loud-mouthing and bravado. Not for Wolves.

However the manner in which, if what has been written is to be believed, they have conducted the recent managerial hunt and the preamble leading to Mick McCarthy's sacking has been nothing short of an embarrassment.

The alarm bells started ringing for me when Football Focus was broadcast live from Molineux and Jez Moxey said we weren't a hiring and firing club.

Then there was the Liverpool game and the Morgan dressing room incident.

The final nail was the Albion game. Although we lost to them that didn't bother me as much as the manner of the defeat. The rivalry in any part of the country has always been a little lost on me but I'm straying from the pack there so perhaps that will be for another time.

Anyway, Mick was fired, tears were shed, etc. I will be eternally grateful to him for bringing the most success to my 25 years of supporting them. However he had taken the team as far as he could and this is a business were talking about, whether you like it or not and therefor, a decision was made.

Which brings me to the race to replace him and why I think this time, the board got it spectacularly wrong.

It seemed to me a rash decision to get rid of Mick but I naturally assumed they had a replacement ready. We now know this want true. That wasn't the worst thing though; telling the press of the criteria, mentioning a specific person and also asking permission to talk to someone already in a job was a major faux pas. If the candidates then didn't want the job on the terms being offered (which is what happened) we would end up looking stupid (which we did). Where was our usual dignified silence?

Which brings me on to Terry Connor. When I first heard they'd appointed him I almost broke the hotel room door I was in. It was so out of left field I just never saw it coming. I didn't have anything again him but I also didn't know much either.

Once I had digested it somewhat though I began to see the positives. Yes I know that there is a Long line of dead careers of ex Assistant Managers that tried and failed to step up.

However, we support one of the oldest, most passionate and well-respected clubs in the history of Association Football so I believe we have a duty to get behind Terry Connor.

After the game on Saturday I was smiling for the first time in a while. The point wasn't why more so the fact we were 2 nil down and we came back fighting. Yes we got a spot of luck with both goals but I think you'll agree we deserved some luck after the season we've had. Not just that though, it was the interview Terry gave after the match. He had almost lost his voice which I thought was fantastic; he'd given so much from the side lines. The final think that made me smile was the players at the end of the game, how they all thanked him and each other; they had a spring in their step again.

So I for one will be singing Terry's name at the next match I go to. Let's hope a few more do too.

There is one example of an Assistant Manager who has go on to what you could call a fairy successful career. He started life as an interpreter then became coach then AM to a guy called Sir Bobby Robson. The club they were at? Barcelona. His name? Anyone heard of Jose Mourinho? 

Gutsy: Newcastle 2 Wolves 2

Not for the first time (or second, third, fourth etc) this season Wolves were the comeback kings.

It was an all to similar feeling to find ourselves two nil down inside the first twenty minutes. Fortunately though, that was the only real similarity to our season under Mick, as we played some pleasing stuff.

We kept possession, moved it around with a tempo and a purpose, something we have lacked all season as performances have drained fans and our players have lost confidence. We looked fresh, committed and ready to fight for our new manager.

I was impressed with the team selection too. Zubar, Stearman and Berra came into the defence and added some much needed pace at the back, dealing with Ba and Cisse well. Zubar in particular was superb, giving us much needed energy going forward but also defensive stability.

I was just glad to see us play 4-5-1 too, and Kevin Doyle playing up front. He'd obviously been instructed to play more central and be more of a goal threat, and that he was as he got into some great positions and probably should have had more than just the one goal. Too often we've seen him out wide, playing for throw ins but yesterday he looked confident.

With Karl Henry back, and Roger Johnson dropped (correctly, in my opinion) it was a real surprise to see Stephen Ward named as captain. I thought the likes of Kevin Foley and Christophe Berra might be ahead of him but there isn't a player who deserves it more. He put in a good performance, winning some great tackles and making one important block. He almost got a goal too, but his snatched at it a bit with his right foot.

Hennessey - 8

Zubar -8
Stearman - 7
Berra - 7
Ward - 7

Foley - 7
Henry - 7
Edwards - 7
O'Hara - 6
Jarvis - 7

Doyle - 8


That is six games unbeaten away from Molineux, an impressive feat to say the least. We have an away trip to Craven Cottage before a HUGE home game against Blackburn, and who's to say we can't get something from both of those games?