The next phase of the Premier League sees West Midlands derbies at the forefront with Wolves playing Birmingham and Villa playing Albion this weekend and then the first ever Premier League Black Country will be held at the Hawthorns in a weeks time. Form tends to go out of the window in these games and thats no bad thing with Wolves in the relegation positions and on the back of a 3-0 defeat, while Albion sit in the top half of the table and Blues await a League Cup semi final and have a win over Chelsea fresh in their minds.
These games always have a passionate atmosphere and even those critical of McCarthy and the players will put that to one side to will the team to success over local enemies. No matter what the league positions are these games are vital to the fans and the Wolves current plight just adds to the importance. And as we prepare for xmas after these games the mood will be set for a few weeks with the vultures circling overhead if Wolves fail to get much needed results, and a whole new optimism will be generated if they have a good fortnight.
My favourite memory of Wolves v Birmingham at Molineux was in March 1996. Wolves losing 2-1 with three minutes left before an Andy Thompson penalty seemed to rescue a point, but with seconds left Steve Bull was sent clear by a through ball and he secured all three points by blasting in the winner. There have been many memorable Black Country derbies but the two at the Hawthorns that stick out for me were in 1971 and 1989. The 1971 game saw Dave Wagstaffe take the Baggies apart with a brilliant wing display. Albion made the mistake of putting ageing centre back John Kaye at right back and Waggy took full advantage. Wolves won the game 4-2 and when he came to take a corner by the Wolves fans near the end of the game he got a standing ovation not just from them but the home fans too. 1989 was Bully’s first retutrn to the Hawthorns after his sale to Wolves. His last minute winner was to become part of Black Country folklore.
Attention is also now turning towards the January transfer window. And surely Wolves priority will be to find some help towards keeping some clean sheets. The name of Robbie Keane keeps getting mentioned and Spurs have said that he is likely to leave in January. It would be a great coup to bring him back to his first club and would be a great lift for everyone. But he is not the player he was a couple of years ago and Wolves do have two strikers in Fletcher and Ebanks Blake waiting in the wings. It may be the case that Keane could play in the hole behind Doyle so the preferred 4-5-1 could be retained and the other strikers are less suited to that role. So its an interesting option that wouldn’t come cheap and all Wolves fans have always held a hope he would return when we were in the top flight. But in the fight to climb the table a centre back and left back feel much more of a priority.
But first we wait for the Blues game on Sunday. No Henry, Craddock, Guedioura and maybe Mancienne for Wolves. Edwards might be back in contention in midfield. There are many options for most positions and against a settled Blues team it is likely to be a much changed Wolves team from last week. Lets hope McCarthy gets it right for the sake of local pride and Premier League survival.
Category: Team News
Tags: Team News« Wolves up to 19th, wherever next? | Home |
Leave a ReplyIf you have not commented here before, please take a moment to peruse our
Commenting Guidelines. -->
Name (required)
Mail (will not be published) (required)
Website
Follow Us
Russia and Qatar (!) To host World Cups Gary Lineker's World Cup Accident England vs France liveblog! more news... 
Search The Offside
Related LinksWolves Tickets
Categories HistoryPollsReportsRumoursTeam NewsVideo
Send Your Tips! Found a great story, photo or video that's perfect for The Offside?
Email wolves[at]theoffside[dot]com
Archives Select Archive Month December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008
About The Offside | Advertise on The Offside | Privacy Policy
Top Content: Football Match Tickets | Football Kits for Sale | English Premier League | Italian Serie A | Spanish La Liga | German Bundesliga | French Ligue 1 | Major League Soccer | Europa League Groups | Champions League Groups | Travel to Europe for the Champions League | UEFA Champions League Tickets | FIFA World Rankings
Related information: Betting on Football | Travel to a Football Match | The DA - Football Humor | International Flights | Cheap Hotels Worldwide | Football Bullet
© BootsnAll Travel Network - All rights reserved
EuropeEngland: PremiershipEngland: ChampionshipEngland: League One England: League Two FranceGermanyGreeceHollandItalyPolandPortugalRussiaScotlandSpainTurkeyAfricaEgyptTunisiaAustraliaSouth AmericaArgentinaBrazilColombia North AmericaMexicoMLSNPSLUSLWomen's SoccerCup CompetitionsChampions LeagueEuropa LeagueCopa LibertadoresCopa SudamericanaPlayersDidier DrogbaLionel MessiMesut OzilArjen RobbenCristiano RonaldoLigue 1 ProspectsSoccer Betting | World Cup 2010
Plan Your Soccer Travels | Soccer TicketsClose X
Home 
World 
Europe English Premier League 
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 
StoreTravelScores 
England: PremiershipEngland: ChampionshipEngland: League OneEngland: League TwoEngland: ConferenceFranceGermanyGreeceHollandItaly PolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaScotlandSpainTurkeyUkraineChampions League | Europa LeagueClose X
No comments:
Post a Comment