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Saturday, 16 April 2011

Bottom, but Wolves in the mix

By: DJ | April 16th, 2011
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wolves1960 They say that the team that are bottom at xmas always goes down. Well that’s bad news for West Ham but surely it’s even more likely that the team bottom in Mid April will go down. Well Wolves now find themselves there but I remember saying that if we lost to Everton that the league table was going to get very ugly by the time the Fulham game came around. And now we know that it doesn’t look anywhere near as bad as feared. Just three points off 16th with a game in hand.

The bad news is that the likes of Villa, Albion and Birmingham have taken themselves to one win away from the required points target. The good news is that the likes of Fulham, Stoke and Sunderland are on a similar mark and will still be looking over their shoulder, especially Sunderland who have got one point from their last nine games. But the best news of all is that Blackburn, Blackpool, West Ham and Wigan are within three points of Wolves and none of them look capable of putting a run of results together.

West Ham are likely to make no further progress in April as they visit Chelsea and Man City on the next two weekends and they will likely be bottom going into the last three weeks before they have 3 games where points look possible at home to Blackburn and Sunderland and away at Wigan.

Wigan have away games at Sunderland, Villa and Stoke and home games against Everton and West Ham. They were the hot favourites for the drop but now look like they might escape and that home game against West Ham on the penultimate weekend looks like a cup final.

Blackpool look unlikely to get anything more on their travels as they visit Spurs and Man Utd. So their hopes rest on homes games against Newcastle, Stoke and Bolton. But they have got only one point from their last six games so it would be difficult to see them winning many games now.

Blackburn’s last three home games are against Man City, Bolton and Man Utd so they might need to rely on points away. And their two games away are six pointers at West Ham and Wolves. Their last ten Premier League games have seen them get 4 draws and 6 defeats so are they capable of winning many of the last five?

So how many will these teams end up with? Blackpool currently have 33 points and I can’t see them ending on more than 37. Blackburn currently have 35 and I can’t see them getting more than 38 before they come to Molineux on the final day. Forgetting the game where they play each other, I think West Ham and Wigan can both get 6 more points. That would take Wigan to 40 and West Ham to 38.

All that leads to two games deciding the relegation teams. The losers of the Wigan v West Ham on the penultimate weekend, and the losers of the Wolves v Blackburn game on the final weekend joining Blackpool in the Championship.

But that all depends on how many points Wolves get in the five games before that final weekend. Fulham home, Stoke away, Birmingham away, Albion home and Sunderland away. If they dont get 4 points then they are likely to be already down. 4, 5, 6 or 7 will likely mean its all down to beating or at least not losing to Blackburn. 8 or 9 and then a draw on the last day will likely be enough and if results go their way they might even be safe.

Wolves met Blackburn in their last FA Cup Final in 1960. They won that one 3-0. It’s looking increasingly likely that Molineux on May 22nd will see a game much more important than that.

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Friday, 31 December 2010

Grant: Wolves should be bottom

West Ham Manager Avram Grant says Wolves should be bottom of the Premier League ahead of the pair’s clash at Upton Park on Saturday.

West Ham were denied all three points when the two sides met at Molineux in October after Frederic Piquionne’s late goal was harshly ruled out for hand-ball.

And Grant believes that decision was the only reason West Ham, and not Mick McCarthy’s Wolves, were sitting at the foot of the Premier League table.

“Wolves would now be three points behind us if the referee’s decision had been good,” Grant said. “It was one of our best games in Wolves so we want to win.”

Grant said he has told the players to stop being scared of what happens if they lose, but instead concentrate on what would happen if they were to emerge victorious in front of their home fans.

“I think that when we are at home and we have the momentum, even if we are playing against a good team, our target is to win the game,” Grant said.

“I don’t think like this, I think that all the games are big games. Three months ago people were saying every game would be a big game.”

Grant could choose to recall defenders Danny Gabbidon and Tal Ben Haim after resting both in midweek.

Midfielders Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh), Jack Collison (knee)and Kieron Dyer (thigh) are all unavailable while defenders Manuel da Costa (ankle) and Herita Ilunga (thigh) are also ruled out.

Fri 31 December, 2010

Monday, 27 December 2010

Wolves go rock bottom

By: DJ | December 26th, 2010
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WOLVES 2 SL 26 Wolves went into the Boxing Day afternoon game bottom of the table after West Ham’s earlier win at Fulham, but knowing that a win would see them rise out of the bottom three. But to be frank it never looked for one minute that Wolves would get anything out of the game.

In the last home game against Birmingham Wolves name a surprise team as a result of having hardly any other players available and they produced the result they wanted. Despite Jarvis, Fletcher and Jones now being available having returned from injury, McCarthy decided to stick with the same team. But this time they did not produce.

Hennessey

Zubar, Stearman, Berra, Elokobi

Edwards, Foley, Milijas, Hunt

Ebanks Blake, Ward

Wigan came out of the blocks faster than Wolves and forced the home team onto the back foot immediately and were ahead within nine minutes. Rodallega turned Stearman and slotted home. Wolves went close to an immediate equaliser when Berra’s effort from a Hunt free kick was saved on the line. But after 20 minutes Wolves were two down when Rodallega split the defence with a through ball and Cleverley converted.

Two minutes later Wolves were unlucky not to get a life line as Ward was fouled in the box but the referee saw nothing. And ten minutes before the break Wigan had another escape when a Milijas free kick was deflected sending the Wigan keeper the wrong way but he incredibly stuck out a foot and deflected the ball wide. And then Wolves has another penalty appeal for a clear handball. But these moments were masking a poor display with Foley, Milijas and Hunt offering little in midfield and the defence always looking vulnerable against Wigan’s pace.

McCarthy introduced Jarvis for Edwards 10 minutes into the second half, and then Fletcher for Elokobi midway through the half with Ward moving to left back. But Wolves rarely troubled the visitors and were always troubled by the fast breaks of their opponents. Much of the crowd had gone home by the time Fletcher turned in a Jarvis cross with three minutes left and rarely can a Wolves goal have been greeted with such apathy by the home crowd, such was the lack of belief that Wolves could rescue a point.

Hennessey – didn’t have many shots to save and could not be faulted for the goals.

Zubar – had a really poor game with his distribution rarely finding a Wolves shirt. Produced a bizarre moment near the end when an attempted clearance went 50 yards sideways across the pitch and out for a throw on the opposite side.

Elokobi – never looked comfortable against the pacy Wigan frontline

Stearman – also looked troubled by the movement and pace of the attackers

Berra – the best of a poor bunch in defence on the day

Edwards – never able to influence the game from out on the right wing

Foley – the game largely passed him by

Milijas – no impact at all in the first half but did improve after the break

Hunt – still struggling to find his form

Ebanks Blake – Wolves best player in the first half but faded second half

Ward – worked hard first half without much success

Jarvis – not at his best when he came on but still contributed to a late rally and made the goal

Fletcher – didn’t make a big impact when he came on but despite getting very few chances as a striker all season is now top scorer and his goals per game record looks increasingly impressive. Remarkable that he hasn’t had more chances to play as a central striker given the fee paid for him and that Wolves are struggling for results.

So a really disappointing and damaging defeat. The spine of the team was missing in Craddock, Henry and Doyle and today it showed. Wolves need those players back and maybe some new blood in the January transfer market. This was a bad day at the office they could have done without and they will now be looking to repeat last season’s showing at West Ham next week to keep in touch with the pack.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News
Tweet « Massive Molineux game for Wolves on Boxing Day | Home | Comments | Add your comment liujinbx | December 26th, 2010 at 4:53 pm

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